■ POLITICS
Su takes up GIO post
New Government Information Office Minister Su Jun-pin (蘇俊賓) was inaugurated yesterday, saying that he wasn’t brave enough to refuse when asked to take the position in view of the critical economic situation facing the nation. Su succeeds Vanessa Shih (史亞平), who will leave for Singapore to serve as the nation’s representative there. Minister Without Portfolio Ovid Tzeng (曾志朗) presided as Shih gave her office seal to Su at a handover ceremony at the Executive Yuan yesterday morning. “I am not here to make government statements, nor am I here to have debates. I am here to do something [for the country],” Su said. Su praised Shih for establishing a sound foundation during her seven-month tenure and leaving him an excellent team to work with. Born in 1976, Su will be the youngest member of the Cabinet. Tzeng commended Su for his eloquence while serving as spokesman for President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) presidential campaign, saying that he would be good at conveying government policies to the public.
■ TRANSPORTATION
Taxi drivers announce fees
Because of the economic slow down this year, taxi drivers in Taipei City and county and Keelung have decided not to add a Lunar New Year holiday surcharge. Taipei Taxi Association president Liang Ping-liang (梁平良) said many taxi drivers earn less than NT$1,000 a day, and he hoped the decision would increase the public’s willingness to travel by taxi during the holiday. Taxi drivers in Taichung will add NT$85 to the meter from Lunar New Year’s Eve, which falls on Jan. 25, to the fifth day of the lunar new year, which falls on Jan. 30. A Taichung County traffic official said no decision had been made, but that they might follow the lead of Taichung City. Hualien taxi drivers will apply the night tax — an additional 20 percent to the meter — throughout the day. A Kaohsiung Taxi and Bus Association official said the city’s taxi drivers probably would follow Taipei’s example, but that the issue had not been discussed.
■ SCIENCE
Chicken shots a success
The National Science Council (NSC) yesterday claimed preliminary success in developing a three-in-one vaccine for chickens, which will help the birds ward off Newcastle Disease, Infectious Bursal Disease and fowl pox. Project leader and veterinary medicine professor at the National Chung-hsing University Lee Long-huw (李龍湖) said if his team succeeded, the vaccine would be the first three-in-one for chickens in the world.
■ TRAVEL
US visa-free path opens
Taiwan has recently forged a cooperative agreement with the US on improving travel security, paving the way for possible visa-free US entry for Taiwanese citizens, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said on Tuesday. An exchange of notes concerning the initiative was completed on Dec. 19 in Washington by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US and the American Institute in Taiwan, MOFA said in a statement. According to the Principles for Cooperation on Improving Travel Security established between the two countries, they will work together to crack down on forged documents, share traveler information, promote the issuance of e-passports and exchange information on terrorists, MOFA said. The two sides will work together on these and other measures as Taiwan must meet the requirements before further negotiating with Washington for visa-free entry, the ministry added.
■ HEALTH
Bureau earmarks funds
The Bureau of National Health Insurance (BNHI) has appropriated NT$100 million (US$3 million) to open clinics at elementary schools in remote villages that lack medical facilities. A BNHI medical affairs management official said yesterday that there are 53 mobile medical teams circulating among remote villages offering medical treatment. Every year they offer services to 530,000 people, the official said, adding that the BNHI has appropriated NT$400 million a year for the program. Nevertheless, there are still more than 40 villages not on the circuit that lack medical resources, prompting the BNHI to decide to open the additional clinics, as well as provide vehicles to bring patients to the clinics, the official said.
■ SOCIETY
Calligraphy event to kick off
More than 10,000 people are expected to take part in a calligraphy event today in Taipei to set a record for submission to the Guinness Book of World Records, the city’s Cultural Affairs Department said yesterday. President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) will be one of 16 officials to open the event, which will take place at the Huashan Cultural-Creative Park at 1pm today. Ma and the 15 other officials will write 16 propitious words with writing brushes and ink, department officials said. The ceremony will be followed by a mass calligraphy event in which more than 10,000 people are expected to take part, the officials added. The department is hoping to have the event included in the Guinness Book of World Records, as there is no record for large numbers of people performing calligraphy simultaneously at a single location.
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