■ POLITICS
Assets petition reaches goal
The Central Election Commission confirmed yesterday that the number of signatures on a petition for a referendum on divesting the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) of its stolen assets has reached the threshold of 840,000. The referendum petition was initiated by Democratic Progressive Party Chairman Yu Shyi-kun. The Referendum Law (公民投票法) stipulates that the number of petitioners for a referendum must reach 5 percent of the total number of voters in the previous presidential election. Commission Secretary-General Teng Tien-yu (鄧天佑) said that, according to the law, the referendum must be held between one and six months after the petition was passed. The actual referendum date is to be decided by a commission meeting to be held in the next few days, Teng said.
■ CULTURE
Monuments commemorated
This year's national commemoration weekend for historic monuments, which falls on Sept. 15 and Sept. 16, will include a series of activities to increase public awareness of the need to preserve historic sites. Council for Cultural Affairs officials said yesterday that the third weekend of September each year marks the celebration, which began in 2001 and was modeled after France's International Heritage Day declared in 1984. Entry to the nation's historic sites, art galleries and cultural museums will be free during the two-day celebration, officials said. The provisional office of the National Center for Research and Preservation of Cultural Properties will hold an opening ceremony to mark the beginning of the activities in front of the Confucius Temple in Tainan on Sept. 15.
■ DIPLOMACY
Paraguay president to visit
President Nicanor Duarte Frutos of Paraguay, the nation's only diplomatic ally in South America, will depart for an official visit to Taipei on Oct. 5, Paraguay's La Nacion newspaper reported on Wednesday. According to the report, Duarte made the comment while presiding over an inauguration ceremony for 40 public housing units donated by Taiwan to his nation in its capital city of Asuncion. Duarte was quoted as having said that he would return home with more funds to build public housing units for low-income Paraguayans and that Taiwan had donated funds to Paraguay because "it knows for certain that the funds will alleviate the poverty and plight of thousands of Paraguayans and give them hope." Duarte said he would celebrate his birthday in Taiwan on Oct. 11. The upcoming visit will be his final visit to Taiwan during his presidential tenure, the report said.
■ SOCIETY
Stray dogs star at event
The Animal Protection Association is hosting a two-day event this weekend to encourage the public to adopt stray dogs rather than buying dogs at shops. Those who have taken in stray dogs will be able to register their pets free of charge and get them free vaccinations, including for rabies, if they pre-register on the association's Web site. Almost 200 people have already signed up, Huang Ching-jung (黃慶榮), secretary-general of the association, told a press conference yesterday. For those who are looking for a dog, the association will be bringing to the event some of the almost 600 dogs in its care, which are in need of families. The event will be held by Taipei City Hall.
■ HEALTH
EPA to help dengue fight
Environmental Protection Administration Minister Winston Dang (陳重信) said yesterday that his agency will set aside NT$7.5 million (US$226,300) to help Tainan City curb a dengue fever outbreak. Dang toured the city yesterday to see first hand the seriousness of the outbreak. He said the agency would review the results of the efforts to control the outbreak before deciding whether more aid will be necessary. Tainan Mayor Hsu Tain-tsair (許添財) sacked the city's top health official, Su Chun-jen (蘇俊仁), late last month for failing to bring the mosquito-borne disease under control. The first indigenous dengue fever case this year appeared in the city's Annan District in June. Since then, the city has recorded 299 confirmed indigenous cases.
■ DIPLOMACY
St. Lucian ties stable: MOFA
Taiwan and St. Lucia enjoy stable relations that will not be affected by the illness of St. Lucian Prime Minister John Compton, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) spokesman David Wang (王建業) said yesterday. He confirmed a news report that Compton was receiving treatment on the Caribbean island of Martinique for breathing difficulties. He said Taiwan's embassy in St. Lucia has reported on Compton's health condition to the ministry and that Ambassador Tom Chou (周台竹), who recently assumed his post, has passed his good wishes to Compton. Wang said the ministry would monitor the political climate of St. Lucia, but that new elections were not anticipated. The embassy has frequent interaction with various social circles in the Caribbean country and all cooperation projects are being carried out as scheduled, which means the two sides enjoy a stable friendship, Wang said.
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