■ Health
CDC warns on dysentery
Health officials reported yesterday that 16 Taiwanese travelers returning from Southeast Asia had bacterial dysentery in the past month, and the government urged tourists to be more alert about the illness. The Center for Disease Control said 10 of the patients had visited Indonesia, three Thailand and three China. During the first 10 months of the year, the center reported a total of 74 cases of bacterial dysentery, which can cause abdominal pain and diarrhea. Most of the cases originated in Southeast Asia, the center said.
■ Health
Slimmers get pork prizes
The Taichung County Government has come up with a unique way to help people lose weight -- by giving winners of a weight loss campaign the same amount of pork as the flab they shed. The county government yesterday hailed the success of its first two-month slimming course, in which 385 people have lost a total of 1,078kg. Seven top winners received pork for having shed up to 10kg of weight. "The course was free of charge. The participants met for two hours each week to do aerobics and to learn how to control their calorie intake," an official said. Taichung officials will launch the second pork-for-lost-weight slimming course as soon as enough participants have signed up, she said.
■ Politics
TSU seeks new flag design
The Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) yesterday announced a competition to solicit suggestions about a design for a new national flag and a new date for the national day. The party said it expects to find new national symbols that have been selected by all the nation's people and which could truly represent the "spirit of Taiwan." The deadline for entries is Nov. 25 and five selections in each category will be announced on Dec 1. The category winners will be awarded NT$50,000 each. An Internet vote will be held from Dec. 2 until Feb.20 next year and the final winners will be awarded NT$500,000 each. For more information, visit the TSU's Web site at www.tsu.org.tw.
■ Diplomacy
Envoy was almost recalled
Minister of Foreign Affairs Mark Chen (陳唐山) said that the ministry had considered calling back the nation's representative to the US David Lee (李大維) in protest after US Secretary of State Colin Powell's statement that Taiwan was not a sovereign nation. However, Chen said that after obtaining further information on Powell's statement through diplomatic channels, the ministry decided the remarks had been a mistake on Powell's part and that it would not call Lee back. Chen said that Powell's remarks were still "a big surprise" and "a big shock" to the ministry, and the ministry would reflect on and review the unexpected situation.
■ Legislation
Yu explains new constitution
Premier Yu Shyi-kun said yesterday that the new constitution in 2006 would be created following the regulations in the existing Constitution, and creating a new constitution via referendum would not be possible before this regulation is written into the Constitution. Yu elaborated on the new constitution when questioned by independent lawmaker Sisy Chen (陳文茜) yesterday. Yu said that it did not matter whether the new constitution would be a brand new one or an amended version of the existing Constitution, because only after the right to make a new constitution via referendum has been written into the Constitution can it be amended via referendum.
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