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Taiwan News Quick Take

■ POLITICS

Legislators being watched

A nongovernmental legislative watchdog said yesterday it would release assessments of lawmakers next month. Citizen Congress Watch chairman Ku Chung-hua (顧忠華) said the group would rate the performance of all 113 lawmakers during the body’s first session following the January legislative elections, which began in February and should have ended in May, but was extended to July 18. Ku said eight assessment panels would analyze the performance of legislators in the eight legislative committees. The panels will include academics, media workers and members of other civic groups, he said. The assessments should be released by Sept. 15, he said.



■ ENVIRONMENT

Foreign bird causing trouble

The white-rumped shama, or Copsychus malabaricus, a non-indigenous species, is invading forests countrywide and posing a threat to the survival of native species, the Endemic Species Research Institute said on Tuesday. The bird is a thrush that originates in South Asia and is found from India to southwestern China and Malaysia. Known for its beautiful song and ability to mimic the sounds of other birds, it was introduced to Taiwan as a pet. The institute said it had recorded increasing numbers of the thrush in low-altitude forests over the past few years. The species, which quickly adapts to new environments, is breeding in significant numbers across the country, the researchers said. Researchers said they had observed the thrush feeding on a wide variety of arthropods, earthworms, frogs and lizards, which poses a threat to these species and to other birds competing for those food sources.



■ CULTURE

Singer cries plagiarism

A singer accused Indian filmmakers of plagiarizing his music and is seeking NT$10 million (US$320,000) in damages, his agent said yesterday. Wang Leehom (王力宏), 33, a US-born singer popular especially in Southeast Asia, is seeking compensation from Tips Films, distributor of the Hindi film Race, which was released in March, Sony BMG Music Entertainment Ltd said. Sony BMG said it reserved the right to take legal action against the film’s distributor for plagiarism. “The lead song in Race, Zara Zara Touch Me, resembles Wang’s Deep in the Bamboo Grove,” Sony BMG said in a statement. “Its rhythm and tempo are similar to that of Deep in the Bamboo Grove. The similarity is nearly 100 percent.” Wang’s song is from the album The Sun and Moon in My Heart, released in December 2004.



■ EMPLOYMENT

CLA reviews minimum wage

The Council of Labor Affairs (CLA) will hold a screening committee meeting at the end of this month to discuss whether to raise the minimum wage, CLA Deputy Minister Pan Shih-wei (潘世偉) said yesterday. The conclusions of the committee will be sent to the Executive Yuan for a final decision, Pan said. The minimum monthly wage was raised to NT$17,280 (US$566) from NT$15,840 on July 1 last year, benefiting an estimated 1.4 million of the nation’s 8.8 million workers — including foreign workers and part-time workers. Because of rising commodity prices, labor groups have appealed to the CLA for an increase in the minimum wage. But as labor insurance and health insurance premiums are calculated based on the minimum wage, the CLA has expressed worries that raising the figure would result in an extra burden on lower class workers.



■ SCIENCE

Bats star in science show

A bat exhibition promoting life technology concepts through biology, the arts and technology opened at Taipei Zoo’s education center yesterday. The exhibition, organized by the National Science Council, the Tainan National University of the Arts and the Taipei Zoo, is part of the council’s Science Season activities this year. The council said the bat was chosen as the subject of this year’s exhibition featuring “life and the sciences” because it is the only mammal that can fly. The exhibit runs until Dec. 7.



■ ACTIVITIES

Woodcarving show to open

The Miaoli County Government will hold its annual Sanyi International Woodcarving Art Festival starting on Saturday. Founded in 1990, the festival celebrates the popular art form in the county’s Sanyi Township (三義). It will feature exhibitions of woodcarvings from around the world, including Europe and the Americas. Other activities include woodcarving and ice sculpture, Hakka cuisine and dance performances, the organizer said.



■ LEISURE

See birds, crabs at Kenting

August is a good time to bring kids to view barn swallows and land crabs at the Kenting National Park, the park’s administration office said yesterday. The sight of hundreds of swallows perching on telephone cables and crabs crossing the road to spawn on the seashore provides children with a great opportunity to learn about the natural environment, it said. Hengchun (恆春) is one of the two main places barn swallows use as a resting place during their migration in and out of Taiwan, Tsai said. Land crabs making their way down to the sea to lay their eggs is another spectacular scene, it said.