■ Superstition
Infant-worshipper acquitted
A district court recently found a woman not guilty of preserving and worshipping the body of her sister's dead infant on the grounds that it was not a crime, a Chinese-language newspaper reported yesterday. The woman, 46, identified only by her last name, Chiang, told her financially troubled sister in 1999 that she could help her to bury the infant, who died during childbirth, the Chinese-language newspaper reported. Instead, she took the dead body home, placed it inside a transparent jar filled with preservative solution and worshipped it every day until she was caught and charged last year with negligent disposal of a dead body, the paper said. The court acquitted the woman, ruling that the fact that she placed the body inside the jar at home proved she had no intention of randomly disposing of the body, the paper said.
■ Food diplomacy
Gambia to get free rice
President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) said yesterday Taiwan will donate 1,000 tonnes of rice to Gambia, which is suffering a prolonged drought. Chen made the announcement during a meeting with Gambian National Assembly President Sheriff Mustapha Dibba, who arrived in Taipei on Monday for a goodwill visit. Noting that Taiwan and Gambia have maintained cordial relations, Chen said his administration is more than willing to help the West African country overcome its current difficulties. Chen said he had fond memories of his visit to Gambia in August 2000. Gambian President Yahya Alphonse Jamus Jebulai Jammeh made state visits to Taiwan in 1996, 2000 and last year. Dibba said his country appreciates Taiwan's assistance in its development in the past and will continue to support Taiwan's cause in the world arena.
■ Health
Seniors urged to get flu shots
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday urged those over the age of 65 to get their free flu vaccinations in appointed hospitals. Foreigners over 65 who have Taiwanese residence can also get the free vaccinations. Elderly foreigners who have only residence rights are not eligible for the free vaccinations this year, the CDC said. "But we are considering also granting elderly foreigners who have only residence rights free flu vaccinations," a CDC official said. "Perhaps next year the CDC will accommodate these foreigners in the free flu vaccination service."
■ Politics
Kaohsiung bill put on hold
The legislature yesterday ruled to table review of a bill that would grant Kaohsiung autonomous status as proposed by an independent mayoral candidate. The Economics and Energy Committee voted 31 to 20 to stave off the legislation that has the backing of both the KMT and the PFP. Independent Kaohsiung mayoral candidate Shih Ming-teh (施明德), who has spearheaded the campaign to turn the port city into a free-trade zone, said the legislation is the only way to reverse the municipality's economic downturn. But the DPP caucus is skeptical of the idea on grounds that granting Kaohsiung autonomous status would encroach on the authority of the central government. The party's caucus had issued a top mobilization order asking all committee members to attend the meeting yesterday.
Agencies
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
Taiwan's Gold Apollo Co (金阿波羅通信) said today that the pagers used in detonations in Lebanon the day before were not made by it, but by a company called BAC which has a license to use its brand. At least nine people were killed and nearly 3,000 wounded when pagers used by Hezbollah members detonated simultaneously across Lebanon yesterday. Images of destroyed pagers analyzed by Reuters showed a format and stickers on the back that were consistent with pagers made by Gold Apollo. A senior Lebanese security source told Reuters that Hezbollah had ordered 5,000 pagers from Taiwan-based Gold Apollo. "The product was not
COLD FACTS: ‘Snow skin’ mooncakes, made with a glutinous rice skin and kept at a low temperature, have relatively few calories compared with other mooncakes Traditional mooncakes are a typical treat for many Taiwanese in the lead-up to the Mid-Autumn Festival, but a Taipei-based dietitian has urged people not to eat more than one per day and not to have them every day due to their high fat and calorie content. As mooncakes contain a lot of oil and sugar, they can have negative health effects on older people and those with diabetes, said Lai Yu-han (賴俞含), a dietitian at Taipei Hospital of the Ministry of Health and Welfare. “The maximum you can have is one mooncake a day, and do not eat them every day,” Lai