■ ECONOMY
Food pricing criticized
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators yesterday criticized the government for failing to stabilize food prices. DPP Legislator Yeh Yi-ching (葉宜津) said that while the government had allowed food price increases in line with oil prices in previous months, it had done nothing to bring food prices down, adding that an increasing number of people were facing hardship because of the high prices. “Is the Cabinet’s price stabilization taskforce sleeping?” Yeh asked. DPP Legislator Cheng Ting-fei (陳亭妃) said the DPP caucus had recently found that while the price of some vegetables at the point of production remained stable, their price on the market had risen several times. Unscrupulous businesspeople are profiting from this, but the government continues to let consumers suffer, Cheng said.
■ ENVIRONMENT
Eco-friendly worshipping
Taipei City’s Civil Affairs Department began a series of activities yesterday to promote environment-friendly measures that can be applied to traditional religious rituals. The department will invite folk culture and religious ritual experts to discuss creative rituals and the history of worship in a forum yesterday and today from 9am to 5pm at Taipei NGO Center. An exhibition on Taiwan’s worship culture will be held at Taipei City’s Zhongzheng Public Assembly Hall from today through Dec. 23. The exhibition will feature environment-friendly measures presented by municipal temples and residents. Ghost money and products made with recycled materials, for example, can be seen at the exhibition, which is open to the public and free of charge.
■ ENVIRONMENT
Nanjenshan to reopen
The Nanjenshan Ecological Reserve Area in Kenting National Park, a low-lying, pristine slice of nature in the south, will be reopened for limited visits beginning on Jan. 1, after being closed for seven months for maintenance. In a statement, the Kenting National Park Administration Office said the area was closed on May 1 because of ground bed relocation that damaged hiking trails within the rain forest. During the closure, new hiking paths were built and the fauna and flora in the more than 5,800-hectare forest were left to flourish without human disturbance, the statement said.
■ EDUCATION
Summer program announced
The National Science Foundation (NSF) recently announced next year’s East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes program and is accepting applications for US graduate students to do research in Taiwan for eight weeks next summer. The Summer Institute in Taiwan program is a joint program between the NSF and the National Science Council (NSC). The program provides US graduate students in science, including social and humanity sciences, and engineering, with an opportunity to come to Taiwan in the summer for eight weeks to participate in research projects in the areas of their studies at the participating host institutions. Awardees will receive a US$5,000 stipend and a round trip ticket, while the NSC will provide additional support to cover living expenses during the period of the program. All applicants must be US citizens or permanent residents enrolled in research-oriented masters or doctoral programs at a US institution. The deadline for submitting application for next year’s program is Dec. 9. Detailed information on the program and the application process is available at the NSF Web site at www.nsfsi.org.
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
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
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