■ Travel
Alerts to be broadcast
Starting Oct. 1, the Public Television Service will broadcast immediate information about domestic and global travel alerts, the Cabinet's Consumer Protection Commission announced yesterday. "While not many people check travel alert information on the Internet before they set out on their trips, we thought it was a good idea to broadcast it on TV," according to a commission press release. Information will be broadcast irregularly or during the station's Friday news program, the statement said. "We hope travelers can obtain the latest information about travel safety before they start their trips, so they can plan their trips properly and return home safely," the statement said.
■ Agriculture
Public urged to eat papaya
The Council of Agriculture asked the public yesterday to eat more papayas this season to help local growers. Officials from the council's Central Taiwan Office said that papayas are popular between the traditional consumption of pomelos during the Mid-Autumn Festival and before citrus fruits hit the market; therefore, papayas are the best choice now for consumers. The officials said Taiwan's papayas are best between August and November and they noted that green papayas can be used in a variety of dishes. Taiwan has more than 3,200 hectares of papaya-growing land, mainly in the center, south and east of the country, with an annual production of 136,000 tonnes.
■ Agriculture
Deal inked in Washington
A Taiwanese delegation signed a letter of intent with representatives of US grain manufacturers on Wednesday in Washington, promising to purchase US agricultural products worth US$2.7 billion. The 17-member delegation has called on the US Department of Agriculture, the Trade Representative Office and grain and wheat associations during their visit to Washington. The signing of the letter of intent and a party were held on the Capital Hill with representatives from grain manufacturers and five senators and five congressmen from major agriculture states on hand. Taiwan's representative to the US, Chen Chien-jen (程建人), said that the annual purchase of large quantities of US agricultural products highlights the close trade relations between the two countries. Chen noted that Taiwan is the eighth-largest trading partner of the US, as well as its eighth-largest export market.
■ Diplomacy
Army to clean up ordnance
The army yesterday announced that all the artillery shells left on the seabed following the live-fire Hankuang No. 19 exercise will be cleaned up within a week. The underwater clean-up began yesterday off northeastern Ilan, where the Hankuang No. 19 exercise took place on Sept. 4. The work started with a search for all exploded or unexploded shells under the sea by a mine sweeper which is equipped with state-of-the-art device capable of producing images of objects under the sea. After all the shells are located, the army will use fishing boats to retrieve them for disposal either on land or at sea. "We aim to free local fishermen of the fear that they might cause an accidental explosion because of the shells left under the sea," a spokesman for the army general headquarters said.
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