■ Society
Factory explosion kills two
Two workers died yesterday in an explosion at a factory in Taoyuan County that produces polysilicone solar energy wafers. The two workers, whose identities have yet to be revealed, were employees of Green Energy Technology Co. They were rushed to the Hsinwu branch of the Taoyuan General Hospital, but doctors said they appeared to have died instantly in the explosion. Firefighters were called in to deal with the situation. An initial investigation showed that a reactor at the company's factory had exploded at about 2pm. Further investigations were called for to find out why the reactor exploded. Green Energy Technology is owned by Tatung Co, which produces computer and electronic home appliances.
■ Politics
Chen visits Wu in hospital
President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday canceled a public function and visited his wife at the hospital after she nearly collapsed during a court session. First lady Wu Shu-jen (吳淑珍), who was indicted on corruption and forgery charges, was hospitalized on Friday after falling ill as a result of low blood pressure during the first session of her trial. The National Taiwan University Hospital yesterday said Wu's blood pressure was still low and that she would be better off remaining in the hospital for further observation. Wong Chao-wen (翁昭旼), a member of Wu's medical team, said that it would be inadvisable for her to appear in court in the near future but that they would provide any necessary assistance if she has to do so, even if she had to lie down.
■ Health
Scientists looking to chimps
Scientists from the National Health Research Institute(NHRI) are looking to work with chimpanzees to research new ways of combating AIDS, Alzheimer's and other human diseases. Despite the fact that chimpanzees share up to 99 percent of their genetic code with humans, they are either immune or highly resistant to many diseases that plague mankind, said Chen Feng-chi (陳豐奇), a researcher with the institute. Chimpanzees not only avoid the late stage complications to hepatitis B and C, but also do not develop AIDS after becoming infected with the HIV virus and elderly chimps never develop Alzheimer's disease, he said. After an analysis comparing human and chimpanzee genetic sequences, the NHRI discovered more than 840,000 examples of missing or extraneous sequences in the human genome. Chen compared the phenomenon to one word having two different spellings. The differences could be enough to influence the way the genes are expressed, or even cause them to cease to function completely, he added.
■ Weather
Cold to stay another day
The arrival of a large continental polar air mass is responsible for the drop in temperatures over the past two days and the mercury is not expected to rise significantly until tomorrow, the Central Weather Bureau said yesterday. Bureau meteorologists said the cold air mass from the northwest has caused temperatures to plunge, with parts of northern Taiwan recording temperatures as low as 10oC early yesterday. The bureau also issued a strong wind warning for coastal areas and waters.
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
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
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