■Airlines
Planes become billboards
A southern Chinese airline has done a deal that will allow an advertisement for a TV set to be painted on the side of Boeing 737, a news report said yesterday. Shenzhen Airlines has accepted the advert from Chinese electrical company Konka, and will have a picture of a TV set along with Hong Kong actress Maggie Cheung (張曼玉), who promotes Konka goods, painted on the nose and the tail of the aircraft. The airline would not say how much Konka had paid for the advertise-ment, according to the Hong Kong edition of the China Daily.
■ Automobiles
Last VW Beetle made
The last Volkswagen Beetle was scheduled to roll off the assembly line yesterday at VW plant here after a celebrated life as a cute, affordable car for the masses. The last Beetle is one of 3,000 nostalgic editions of the car produced by VW to finish off a car that was designed and developed in the 1930s. Worldwide more than 21 million VW "Bugs" were made, 1.7 million in Mexico. The assembly of Beetles ended in Europe in 1978. Mexico has been the only place in the world where they have been made since 1996.
■ Airlines
BA gives in to strikers
British Airways Plc provisionally agreed to scrap the imposition of a new electronic timecard system that provoked strikes by ground crew in London this month, the Independent said, citing unidentified airline negotiators. They were ready to give 2,500 workers at London's Heathrow and Gatwick airports a 3 percent pay rise without them agreeing to the new system, which had previously been a condition.
Agencies
Taiwan yesterday said it was looking forward to attending an upcoming memorial in Japan to mark the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, a day after the Japanese city said it had retracted its previous decision to not invite Taiwan to the event. The case has been dealt with by Taiwan’s representative office in Fukuoka and the Nagasaki City Government, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The ministry would decide who to send to the Aug. 9 event once it receives the invitation, it added. The ministry made the remarks following a Japanese media report on Saturday that said Nagasaki Mayor
UNILATERAL: The move from China’s aviation authority comes despite a previous 2015 agreement that any changes to flight paths would be done by consensus The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday slammed Beijing for arbitrarily opening the M503 flight route’s W121 connecting path, saying that such unilateral conduct disrespected the consensus between both sides and could destabilize the Taiwan Strait and the wider region. The condemnation came after the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) earlier yesterday announced it “has activated the W121 connecting path of the M503 flight route,” meaning that west-to-east flights are now permitted along the path. The newly activated west-to-east route is intended to “alleviate the pressure caused by the increase of flights,” China’s state-run Xinhua news agency quoted China’s Taiwan Affairs Office
LANDMARK: Taiwan and Haiti are set to mark the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations next year, the president said, adding that the two would deepen bilateral ties President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday pledged continued support for Haiti, particularly in food aid and healthcare, as the Caribbean nation faces ongoing social and economic challenges. Speaking at a meeting with Haitian Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Victor Harvel Jean-Baptiste, Lai said Taiwan would step up bilateral cooperation to help improve Haiti’s social infrastructure. Taiwan would continue supporting Haiti through initiatives aimed at improving healthcare, food security and overall development, he said. Taiwan and Haiti are set to mark the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations next year, the president said, adding that the two nations would continue to support each other and deepen bilateral
STRONG WINDS: Without the Central Mountain Range as a shield, people should be ready for high-speed winds, CWA weather forecaster Liu Yu-chi said Danas was yesterday upgraded to a typhoon and could grow stronger as it moves closely along the nation’s west coastline, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Hsinchu and Chiayi cities, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Hsinchu, Miaoli, Changhua, Yunlin, Nantou, Chiayi, Penghu and Pingtung counties have canceled work and school today. Work and school in Keelung, Taipei, New Taipei City and Taoyuan, and Yilan, Taitung, Hualien, Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties would continue as usual, although offices and schools would be closed in Taoyuan’s Luju (蘆竹), Dayuan (大園), Guangyin (觀音) and Sinwu (新屋) districts. As of 5pm yesterday, the typhoon’s
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