■ Party politics
TSU expands reach
Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) Chairman Huang Chu-wen (黃主文) expressed the hope yesterday that his party will win at least 35 seats in the next legislative elections to be held late next year. Addressing the inauguration of the party's Kaohsiung County chapter in southern Taiwan, Huang said that although the TSU had only 50-odd members when it was established in August, 2001, the party won 13 seats in the 225-member Legislature in the elections held in December of that same year and grabbed 8.5 percent of all the votes cast nationwide. The TSU plans to established 27 more regional chapters.
■ Third-World Trade
Market seen in Iraq
A spokesman for the Market Information Center under the Institute for Information Industry suggested yesterday that Taiwan's information sector could seek business opportunities in occupied Iraq through contractual mechanisms for reconstruction to be led mainly by the US. The spokesman said Taiwan computer firms, usually unfamiliar with Third World markets, could consider exploring the post-war Iraqi market by seeking a role in the US-imposed reconstruction program. It is estimated that at least US$350 billion will be needed to carry out reconstruction in Iraq, he noted, adding that the country's demand for new computers is around 1 million units per year.
■ Legislative reform
Referendum still on platform
A DPP lawmaker yesterday reiterated the ruling party's support for a referendum law. Legislator Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁), the DPP legislative caucus whip, said his party has never wavered in its support for giving to the public the right to referendum to have the final say on national issues which he said is a vital part of a democracy. Through referendums, the government could follow public opinion in deciding whether to go ahead with controversial major public projects such as the island's fourth nuclear plant, Chen said. Chen has not shown his hand on whether such a law should be used in settling the question of whether the country should rename itself.
■ Health
Groups write to Annan
More than 20 organizations of Taiwanese-Americans in Los Angeles sent a joint letter to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan Saturday, urging him to support Taiwan's bids to join the World Health Organization and to attend the 55th World Health Assembly as an observer in May. The letter pointed out that the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is threatening the lives of all people in the world, but the 23 million people on Taiwan have been denied the assistance that WHO can provide.
■ Water resources
Mayor urges vigilance
Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday called for continued efforts by the public in conserving water to avoid a water shortage despite the fact that the situation at the Feitsui Reservoir in Taipei County has improved recently.
Ma made the remarks at a water-conservation campaign sponsored by the municipal Environmental Protection Bureau prior to Earth Day which is tomorrow. Although the water level at the Feitsui Reservoir -- the major water provider for the greater Taipei area -- is higher compared to the same time last year thanks to last week's rainfall, Ma urged Taipei residents to continue cooperating with water-conservation efforts.
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