■ VISAS
US visas NT$100 cheaper
The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) announced yesterday that it will reduce its non-immigrant visa processing fee from NT$3,400 to NT$3,300, effective next Monday. The AIT said the reduction was the result of recent shifts in the exchange rate between the US dollar and the NT dollar. Because the adjustment is being made on the basis of exchange rate shifts and not changes to underlying visa processing costs or fee structures, the AIT said there would be no refunds for the extra NT$100 before next Monday.
■ AVIATION
No change to air subsidies
The Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) announced yesterday that it would continue to subsidize domestic airlines that provide regular flights for passengers who are registered residents of Kinmen, Matsu and Penghu. According to the Civil Aviation Act (民用航空法), airlines can receive a subsidy equivalent to 20 percent of the ticket price for each Kinmen, Matsu or Penghu resident they carry. The announcement came after the administration said last week that it was considering canceling or reducing the subsidies, as some airlines were offering their passengers 50 percent ticket discounts. A statement issued by the CAA yesterday said that the administration would continue to monitor price changes closely and check to see if the deals fall within the legally acceptable range.
■ POLITICS
Tuoh pans former legislator
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislative whip Wang Tuoh (王拓) yesterday lambasted former DPP legislator Shen Fu-hsiung (沈富雄) for calling on the public to vote against DPP presidential candidate Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) if the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) wins 60 percent of the legislative seats in January. Shen, who has been vocal about his disappointment with his former party, said Taiwan would succumb to another eight years of "chaos" if the KMT party wins a majority in the legislature and the DPP wins the presidential office. Wang called Shen's statement illogical and called KMT presidential hopeful Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) a liar and a poor leader. Wang said Ma had been indoctrinated by his late father, a KMT pro-unification stalwart, and would never work toward security and prosperity for Taiwan.
■ SOCIETY
Chen plugs policy
President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday said that building an environment that is suited to the needs of the handicapped and protecting the rights of the mentally and physically challenged had always been a priority of his administration. In a speech delivered at the 18th Asian Conference on Mental Retardation yesterday morning at the Grand Hotel in Taipei, Chen said there was still room for improvement despite what had been achieved. Chen said it was the goal of his administration to defend the welfare of the mentally and physically challenged and promote opportunities for participating in the wider community. Chen said that was the reason the Democratic Progressive Party had placed Chen Chieh-ju (陳節如), the deputy chairwoman of the Parents' Association for People with Intellectual Disability, at the top of its list of legislator-at-large candidates for the legislative elections in January.
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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