■ Politics
Ker touted as candidate
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislative caucus whip Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯) said party heavyweight Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) has decided to run for the speakership of the Legislative Yuan, the Central News Agency reported last night. The agency quoted Tai as saying that Ker has been working to gain support from DPP comrades for the bid. Following the failure of the DPP to form an alliance with the People First Party for a joint ticket for the speakership, DPP Secretary-General Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄), the party's designated candidate, pulled out of the race on Monday. Meanwhile, DPP Legislator Trong Tsai (蔡同榮) has shown an interest in running for the post as well.
■ Education
Classrooms full of hazards
Nearly 350,000 junior-high school and elementary school students attend classes in dangerous classrooms, Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) Legislator Cheng Cheng-lung (程振隆) said yesterday. Cheng said an investigation of the age and maintenance of classrooms at junior-high schools and elementary schools in 25 cities and counties found that a total of 6,322 classrooms in 20 of the areas pose safety hazards but are still in use. He estimated that there are a total of about 8,720 such classrooms in the 25 cities and counties. Based on the figure of an average of 40 students per class, Cheng calculated that about 348,970 students attend classes in a "dangerous" classroom. The study found Taichung County has the largest number of dangerous classrooms, at 917, followed by Tainan County at 862, and Pingtung County at 770.
■ Disaster Aid
Aid tops NT$360 million
World Vision Taiwan said yesterday that it had received NT$363,716,538 in donations for the tsunami disaster relief fund. As relief efforts are continuing, the organization will designate community and social reconstruction projects as the next priority. According to World Vision Taiwan director Hank Du (杜明翰), the group plans to rebuild schools, houses and set up childcare centers in India, Indonesia and Sri Lanka.
■ Society
No parole for dirty official
The Ministry of Justice yesterday rejected former DPP legislator David Chou's (周伯倫) application for parole. According to the Department of Corrections (矯正司), Chou filed his application last month. The department decided to decline his request, because Chou "needs more rehabilitation." Department Director Huang Cheng-nan (黃徵男) said prison records showed that Chou has broken many rules, including hiding NT$50,000 in cash in his cell and smoking and eating betel-nuts at unauthorized times, since he began his jail term at the Hualien Prison. Chou reported to Hualien Prison on Feb. 17, 2003. He is serving a six-year sentence for his involvement in the Ronghsing Park development scandal.
■ Relief Work
Buddhists head to Sri Lanka
The sixth relief mission from the Buddhist Compassionate Relief Tzu Chi Foundation to Sri Lanka following the Dec. 26 tsunami tragedy has left North America to continue aid efforts there. A total of 40 volunteers from Canada and the US are expected to reach Colombo today, mainly to provide medical care. The volunteers are expected to stay there until Feb. 5. Tzu Chi has been in Hambantota, one of the hardest-hit areas, since Dec. 31. Taiwanese medical volunteers with the group have treated an average of 700 people per day in the city over the past 55 days.
■ Labor
Chemicals get new labels
In an effort to protect the safety of foreign nationals in Taiwan, the Environmen-tal Protection Administra-tion (EPA) has enacted a new regulation requiring that all toxic material containers carry labels in both English and Chinese. EPA officials said the new regulation will require bilingual labels on all containers for toxic chemicals, agents and substances. The EPA began monitoring implementation of the new regulation nationwide yesterday, the officials said. Meanwhile, the EPA has made available on its official Web site (www.epa.gov.tw) the Chinese and English names of 252 kinds of toxic chemicals to help facilitate the toxicity control efforts by the private business and industrial sectors.
■ Society
Writer to receive doctorate
National Taiwan University president Chen Wei-chao (陳維昭) has flown to Paris to confer an honorary doctorate on Kao Xingjian (高行健), winner of the 2000 Nobel Prize in literature, an university spokesman said yesterday. Chen headed for Paris in the company of Peng Ching-hsi (彭鏡禧), dean of the College of Literature, the spokesman said. The university announced its decision last November to confer the honorary academic degree on Kao as part of its 76th anniversary celebrations. Kao did not travel to Taipei to receive the honor at the university's Nov. 15 celebration ceremony because of poor health, but he addressed the event via a 10-minute video in which he expressed his gratitude for the recognition of his literary career. The spokesman said Chen will take advantage of his Paris trip to discuss technical details regarding Kao's previous promise to give lectures at the university if his health improves.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
WEATHER Typhoon forming: CWA A tropical depression is expected to form into a typhoon as early as today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the storm’s path remains uncertain. Before the weekend, it would move toward the Philippines, the agency said. Some time around Monday next week, it might reach a turning point, either veering north toward waters east of Taiwan or continuing westward across the Philippines, the CWA said. Meanwhile, the eye of Typhoon Kalmaegi was 1,310km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, as of 2am yesterday, it said. The storm is forecast to move through central
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