Sat, Jul 04, 2015 page5

• Taiwan News Quick Take

  • Staff writer, with CNA
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  FOREIGN RELATIONS

  Group to visit Sao Tome

  The government will send a delegation to attend Sao Tome and Principe’s independence day celebrations later this month, a foreign affairs official said earlier this week. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Simon Ko (柯森耀) is to lead the delegation that will attend the celebrations on July 12 to mark the 40th anniversary of Sao Tome’s independence, said David Wang (王建業), director-general of the ministry’s Department of West Asian and African Affairs. Ko is scheduled to meet with senior Sao Tomean officials and inspect various bilateral cooperative projects, Wang said. Asked about a planned visit earlier this year by Sao Tomean President Manuel Pinto da Costa to Taiwan, Wang said Da Costa has accepted an invitation from Taiwan to visit. Ko is expected to invite him again when he visits Sao Tome, Wang said.

  ENTERTAINMENT

  Bon Jovi to hold concert

  US rock band Bon Jovi is to play its first concert in Taiwan in two decades, on Sept. 28. The “Bon Jovi: Live in Taipei” concert is to take place at the Taipei World Trade Center Nangang Exhibition Hall, promoter Live Nation Taiwan said. The legendary band is to perform its hit songs, including Livin’ on a Prayer, You Give Love a Bad Name and It’s My Life. Bon Jovi had previously performed in Taiwan in 1993 and 1995. Ticket prices to the September concert range from NT$1,800 to NT$6,800. Tickets will go on sale on July 19 at ticket.7net.com.tw or at 7-Eleven ibon kiosks. In addition to Bon Jovi, US musical duo Twenty One Pilots will perform on July 14 at the Songshan Cultural and Creative Park in Taipei, while rock band Imagine Dragons and pop rock band Maroon 5 are to hold concerts on Aug. 21 and Sept. 14 respectively at the Nangang exhibition hall.

  WEATHER

  Storm could bring rain

  A tropical storm that formed off the Philippines on Thursday could bring rain this weekend, the Central Weather Bureau said yesterday, adding that it is likely to issue a sea warning in the coming days. As of 8am yesterday, Tropical Storm Linfa was centered 980km southeast of the nation’s southernmost tip, moving at 12kph in a west-northwesterly direction, forecasters said. It was packing maximum sustained winds of 65kph, with gusts of up to 90kph, they said. The chances of rain in eastern and southern parts would increase from tomorrow as Linfa moves closer, forecasters said. There is also the possibility that Linfa would interact with another storm, Typhoon Chan-hom, which is about 2,000km away from Linfa, but continues to strengthen, they said. That situation would not become clear until Monday, they said.

  HEALTH

  CDC warns on dengue fever

  The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) urged the public to take precautions against dengue fever, as more cases of the mosquito-borne disease have been confirmed. During the week of June 23 to Monday, 20 new cases were reported — 13 indigenous and seven imported from Myanmar, Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia and Costa Rica — the centers said. While Kaohsiung topped all administrative areas with six indigenous cases, Hsinchu County also recorded two indigenous cases, the first in the north of the nation this year. As of Monday, 162 indigenous dengue fever cases had been reported so far this year, compared with 117 cases in the same period last year, the centers said. The threat from abroad is also increasing, the centers said, adding that Southeast Asian nations such as Malaysia, Singapore and Myanmar have recorded more cases this year than usual. Officials reminded people to keep their homes free of standing water and to take steps to avoid mosquito bites.

  AVIATION

  Cross-strait flights added

  The Taiwanese and Chinese aviation authorities have decided to increase the number of regular nonstop flights across the Taiwan Strait to 890 per week from 840, the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) said yesterday. The two sides have agreed to add China’s Huaian, Yangzhou, Nantong, Yiwu, Yanji and Kashgar as new destinations, the CAA said. Each side is to be allowed to operate three flights per week between Taiwan and those six destinations, which will bring the total number of Chinese destinations covered to 61, the CAA said. The other new regular scheduled flights would be 14 flights a week which were previously chartered flights, it said. The two sides also agreed that additional flights would be provided over the Lunar New Year holiday to meet the peak travel demand traditionally seen at that time.

  TRANSPORTATION

  ETC system wins award

  The nation’s electronic toll collection (ETC) system has won an International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association (IBTTA) award, the National Freeway Bureau said yesterday. The ETC system was selected as the winner of the US-based association’s Toll Excellence Award for customer service and marketing outreach, the bureau said. The award ceremony is to be held in Ireland next month. Bureau Deputy Director-General Wu Mu-fu (吳木富) said the nation switched completely to the ETC system at the end of 2013 after it changed from an infrared-based system to the eTag system, which the IBTTA believes is a world first, Wu said.
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