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Staff writer, with CNA
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SPORTS
Jerseys feature magpie
The women’s national soccer team is to take the field this month at the AFC Women’s Asian Cup in India wearing uniforms designed around a Formosan blue magpie motif, the emblem of the Chinese Taipei Football Association. “The blue magpie has a strong vitality, a strong ability to adapt, and adheres to the idea of mutual support, which is the spirit of our soccer team,” said designer Hsiao Ching-lun (蕭景倫) of Plugin Branding and Visual Marketing Integration. The blue jersey, which features short, thin white streaks and red on the sleeves, also includes a feather design mimicking those of an actual blue magpie, he told a news conference last month. The team are three-time Asian champions, winning the title in 1977, 1979 and 1981.
TRAVEL
Hualien tops resort picks
Seven of 10 properties selected in an online poll as the nation’s most beautiful resort hotels are in Hualien and Nantou counties, two of the nation’s top vacation destinations, a survey by ezTravel showed. The travel agency last month selected the 10 most beautiful resort hotels and 10 most beautiful metropolitan hotels based on an online vote of 150,000 people, and the weighted judgements of 1,000 frequent travelers. Four of the top resort hotels selected were in Hualien County — the Promisedland Resort & Lagoon Hotel, Grand Cosmos Resort Ruisui Hotel, Hualien Farglory Hotel and Gaeavilla Resort. Three others — Le Midi Hotel Chitou, Hotelday Plus Sun Moon Lake and Fleur de Chine Hotel — are in Nantou County. The Hotel Royal Chiaohsi in Yilan County, the Fullon Hotel Tamsui Fishermen’s Wharf in New Taipei City and one the Uni-Resort in Tainan were also selected.
CRIME
Smuggled cigarettes seized
The coast guard on Sunday seized about 222,000 packs of smuggled cigarettes, with an estimated street value of NT$14 million (US$506,659), from a fishing boat in Keelung. The vessel was searched after it entered the Badouzi Fishing Harbor (八斗子漁港) at about 6am. Authorities found 444 boxes, each containing 500 packs of cigarettes, carrying the “Burton” and “Modeng” brand names, the coast guard’s investigation branch in Taipei said. The cigarettes were found in a hidden storage area on the boat, it said. The Keelung City Government impounded the cigarettes, while the ship captain, surnamed Chang (張), and the crew are to be investigated and prosecuted for breaching the Tobacco and Alcohol Administration Act (菸酒管理法).
SPORTS
CPBL to start in April
The new season of the CPBL professional baseball league is scheduled to start in early April, with defending champions CTBC Brothers hosting last year’s runner-up, CPBL commissioner Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) said. Speaking after a team general manager’s meeting on Wednesday, Tsai said that the CPBL is to start on April 2 with the Taichung-based Brothers at home against the Uni-President Lions from Tainan. Other important dates for the new season include July 15, the start of the second-half of the CPBL season, and July 30 and 31, the dates of the CPBL All-Star Game weekend, Tsai said, adding that the post-season is to be from Oct. 29 to Nov. 1, with the Taiwan series to start on Nov. 5. The new season would introduce a mandatory Playoff Series, and the half-season winner with the highest win percentage would go straight to the Taiwan series.
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