■ SARS
Civet cats back on the menu
Civet cats, raccoons, scorpions, terrapin turtles and 50 other types of wildlife, banned from restaurant menus during China's SARS outbreak, were allowed to return as the disease wanes, local Chinese-language media reported yesterday. Wildlife and game animals allowed to be bred and sold to restaurants also include centipedes, deer, pheasants and canaries, media said, citing China's forestry department. The animals must be tested and proven to be free of viruses that cause SARS before they are allowed to be served, the paper said. Snakes will stay off the menu for now, reports said, without giving a reason for the exclusion.
■ Politics
Chen upholds plebiscite
President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) reiterated his commitment to holding a referendum before last year and his belief that there is one country on each side of the Taiwan Strait in an meeting with DPP officials in Chiayi County yesterday. Chen was quoted as telling DPP officials in Chiayi that his administration will take into account the opposition parties' opinions and compromise on some issues, but will never compromise on its claim that Taiwan and China are separate countries on different sides of the Taiwan Strait.
■ Politics
US concerned, KMT says
Washington remains deeply concerned about Taiwan's plan to hold a referendum, despite a recent visit by a ranking government official to the US to explain the matter, a KMT official said yesterday. Chang Jong-kung (張榮恭), deputy director-general of the KMT's Policy Coordination Committee and head of the Mainland Affairs Department, said US concern about Taiwan's referendum plan has remained unchanged following a visit by Presidential Secretary-General Chiou I-jen (邱義仁) to Washington to try to clarify Taiwan's position.
■ Shipping
Captain wounded in attack
The captain of a Taiwanese fisheries cargo ship was wounded after his vessel was attacked by pirate boats in the Malacca Strait, officials said yesterday. The 3,000-tonne Tung Yi based in Kaohsiung, was attacked by two pirate vessels while it was sailing for Singapore Saturday, an official from the National Rescue Command Center told reporters. "The two pirate ships were disguised as oil rig tug boats ... that was why the captain did not pay attention to them when they showed up," an official from the center quoted the captain as saying. The captain, identified as Lo Ying-hsiung (羅英雄), said his ship had to speed away following the submachine gun attack which lasted for some two hours. The captain was hit in the knee by a bullet and some of the ship's steering equipment was damaged.
■ Allies
Taiwan talks constructive
The foreign ministers of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, Saint Christopher and Nevis, and Dominica said on Friday in a news conference that the cooperation between Taiwan and their countries has been constructive. They also said that the four countries will continue to support Taiwan's bid to join international organizations, especially the UN and the World Health Organization. They made the remarks on the eve of Minister of Foreign Affairs Eugene Chien's (簡又新) departure for Taiwan from Kingstown, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, where he attended a conference of foreign ministers on Friday.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
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
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