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Taiwan News Quick Take

■ ELECTIONS

Small parties to debate

Televised election debates among legislative candidates for nine minor political parties will be held tomorrow and Sunday, organizers said yesterday. Candidates for the Non-Partisan Solidarity Union, the Home Party, the Hakka Party, Green Party Taiwan, the Taiwan Farmers' Party, The Third Society Party, the Taiwan Solidarity Union, the Civic Party and the Taiwan Constitution Association will elaborate on their campaign platforms, answer questions from civic representatives and debate policies at two sessions scheduled to take place at the Public Television Service (PTS) studio in Taipei. The debates will begin at 5:30pm and end at 8pm and will be televised live by PTS. The legislative elections are on Jan. 12.



■ TRANSPORT

No licenses for tall buses

As of next month, buses higher than 3.5m will no longer be issued licenses, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. It said that tall buses have a higher center of gravity and that this had led to safety concerns. Tall buses already licensed will be allowed to run for the duration of their lifespan but no new buses of that height will be registered. The maximum commercial lifespan for large buses here is eight years. The ministry said additional brake testing measures for buses will also begin next month.



■ ENVIRONMENT

Tainan sees gold in scraps

Kitchen waste in Tainan City is expected to generate NT$40 million in revenues for the city government over the next two years, officials with the city's Environmental Protection Bureau said yesterday. They said the biennial bidding for the rights to the kitchen scraps took place on Wednesday. A hog farmer in Rende Township (仁德), Tainan County, was the highest bidder with an offer of NT$2.6 per kilogram -- nearly five times as much as the previous winning bid two years ago. Competition was keen, with nine bidders this year compared to just three in 2005, they said. If the quantity of kitchen waste collected remains level, the new contract will net NT$40 million for the city, they said.



■ TRANSPORT

TRA resumes lunchbox sales

The Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) has begun offering passengers fried noodle lunchboxes, breaking from its tradition of rice-based lunches. The "A-Fu Chowmien" lunchboxes have mushrooms, shredded meat, onions, dried shrimp and other traditional ingredients and will be sold in the Taichung, Kaohsiung and Taipei stations. Only 200 boxes a day will be sold in each station and they will be available at 11am and then again at 4:30pm. The TRA had not been selling lunchboxes for almost a year because it could not find a qualified vendor. On Tuesday, the TRA awarded a new contract to Tseng A-fa (曾阿發), who won the bid by offering the agency an annual premium of NT$1.15 million. The lunchboxes would cost NT$50, Tseng said.



■ CONSUMER GOODS

Christmas wares targeted

Most Christmas products sold in Taipei stores contain fluorescent penetrant -- a whitening agent that may damage the health, the Consumers' Foundation said yesterday. Foundation chairman Cheng Jen-hung (程仁宏) said staffers conducted ultraviolet light tests on 21 Christmas products bought at random. Twenty of the samples showed a fluorescent reaction. Cheng urged the government to regulate the use of the penetrants.
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