■ National defense
Texas conference opens
The three-day US-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference opened yesterday in San Antonio, Texas. Vice Minister of National Defense Chen Chao-min (陳肇敏) will give a keynote speech today on the nation's defense needs, which will be followed by an address by Admiral Denis Blair, former commander-in-chief of the US Pacific Command. A seminar on the development of Taiwan's defense industry and C41SR -- communications, computers, control, command and intelligence -- was also scheduled for yesterday. US Deputy Assistant Defense Secretary for Asian and Pacific Affairs Richard Lawless was to deliver a speech at a dinner party last night. US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Randy Schriver will address a breakfast meeting tomorrow and the conference will finish with a series of panel discussions tomorrow morning.
■ Religion
Buddhist text now on CD
The Taipei-based Chinese Buddhist Electronic Text Association (CBETA) is scheduled to publish on Saturday a digital copy of the Taisho Tripitaka, with an appendix of analytical notes. The Tripitaka is one of the major Buddhist classics of scriptures and contains three long canonical texts of Buddhism -- the Vinayapitaka, the Suttapitaka and the Abhidhammapitaka. The Chinese-language Taisho Tripitaka with Text critical Notes Vols. 1 to 55 & 85 -- a giant compilation of 80 million characters -- will be available on CD-ROM and on the Internet, said a CBETA spokeswoman. The painstaking work was made possible after the CBETA acquired authorization from Japan's Nihon Tripitaka Publishing Company, which owns the copyright on the Taisho version of the Buddhist classic, according to the spokeswoman.
■ Iraq
New Party blasts US plans
The New Party caucus of the Taipei City Council yesterday launched a plan to oppose any US-led attack on Iraq. Appealing to the public to sign an anti-war petition, the councilors urged the US to resolve its issues with Iraq through peaceful means. The New Party caucus also said it was considering holding an anti-war rally. All five of the councilors urged the US to avoid war, which they said might hurt an already sluggish global economy. The councilors also warned that Washington's determination to attack Iraq without UN approval might become justification for China to use force against Taiwan. New Party councilor Fei Hung-tai (費鴻泰) said the party will set up a stand in front of the Taipei Train Station to collect signatures from the public for the anti-war petition, which would later be forwarded to the American Institute in Taiwan.
■ Aviation
US to sign safety accord
The US is set to sign a Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement with Taipei in September, a report here said yesterday. The accord, under which Taiwanese-made aeronautical and sophisticated machinery products could be granted US accreditation, would help pry the door open for local manufacturers into the US market, a Chinese-language newspaper said. Officials from the Civil Aeronautics Administration declined to comment on the report. In light of the political sensitiveness of the agreement, the government and the US Federal Aviation Administration have conducted their negotiations secretly over the past six years, the paper said.
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