■ Indonesia
Taipei ends Ramadan
Indonesians across Taiwan yesterday flocked to celebrations in Taipei, organized by the Taipei City Government's department of labor and the Council of Labor's bureau of employment and vocational training, to mark the end of the Ramadan fast on Friday. Lasting for a month, the Ramadan fast occurs on the ninth month of the Muslim calendar. During this month Muslims fast and refrain from sex during the daylight hours, eating only small meals in the evening. The head of the department of labor, Shih Yu-ling (師豫玲) said that out of respect for all religions, the event was organized to provide some spiritual relief following a month's abstinence.
PHOTO: LIN CHENG-KUNG, TAIPEI TIMES
■ Environment
Make laws: conference
Participants of a conference on environmen-tal protection that was commissioned by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) yesterday concluded that there was an urgent need for laws controlling the emission of greenhouse gases. The 20-person committee which included lawyers, teachers, laborers, accountants and designers, said that steps to achieve the goals of the protocol included changes in the daily habits of the public. EPA Minister Chang Kuo-lung (張國龍) said that although discussion of draft laws regarding the control of gas emissions has taken place many times internally, it was important to consult professionals from all walks of life to make the laws more complete and to have what he called a "biting force."
■ Diplomacy
Senegal goes after billions
Senegal received more than NT5 billion (US$148.8 million) in aid from Taiwan before switching its diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing, President Chen Shui-bian was quoted as saying yesterday. Revelation of the amount, which Chen said was paid over the past 10 years, surprised the foreign ministry because the amount of Taiwan's foreign aid has long been confidential, a Chinese-language newspaper reported. Taiwan's foreign ministry spokesman Michel Lu declined to comment.
■ Human rights
Mothers nurse grievance
Thirty mothers gathered yesterday to express their hope of winning some respect for mothers who wish to breastfeed in public places. The mothers, organized by the Taiwan Breastfeeding Association, gathered in the plaza near the Taipei Story House in Yuanshan where they breastfed their infants during a picnic-like event to send a message to the gallery and restaurant, as well as the Taiwanese public, that mothers should be allowed to breastfeed their babies in public or in the workplace. The mothers chose the lawn outside the Taipei Story House to breastfeed after management kicked a breastfeeding mother out of the restaurant last month in the name of "maintaining the place's decency and professionalism." Taiwan Breastfeeding Association Chairwoman Chen Yi-chun and the mothers appealed to the Taiwanese public for a free breastfeeding environ-ment in an effort to protect the human rights of breastfeeding mothers and their babies.
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
President William Lai (賴清德) has appointed former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) to attend the late Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican City on Saturday on his behalf, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today. The Holy See announced Francis’ funeral would take place on Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square. The ministry expressed condolences over Francis’ passing and said that Chen would represent Taiwan at the funeral and offer condolences in person. Taiwan and the Vatican have a long-standing and close diplomatic relationship, the ministry said. Both sides agreed to have Chen represent Taiwan at the funeral, given his Catholic identity and
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
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