SOCIETY
Dapeng Bay to host regatta
Taiwan will hold its largest international sailing regatta in Pingtung County’s Dapeng Bay (大鵬灣) at the end of this month as the nation attempts to promote itself as a destination for sailing enthusiasts. Organizers said yesterday that the regatta, which runs from May 28 to May 30, is expected to draw more than 400 sailors from six countries, including Japan, New Zealand and the Czech Republic. The highlight will be local and international keelboat groups competing in a long-distance race from Greater Kaohsiung to Dapeng Bay on the first and final days. Short-distance races and other activities, such as canoeing and windsurfing, will be available to the public, Tourism Bureau Deputy Director-General David Hsieh (謝謂君) said. Hsieh said the regatta, along with a recently inaugurated movable bridge and the ongoing Bluefin Tuna Cultural Festival, would help develop the Dapeng Bay National Scenic Area into a tourist destination.
HEALTH
Wash hands well: CDC
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reminded the public to use enough water to wash their hands, even though water rationing had been imposed in parts of the country and would likely be expanded. Deputy Director Chou Chih-hao (周志浩) said people should pay attention to personal hygiene to reduce their chances of contracting gastrointestinal diseases and vector-borne illnesses. “The number of people suffering from gastrointestinal infections usually rises during water shortages because most people try to save water by not washing their hands thoroughly,” Chou said, adding that such behavior creates a favorable environment for diseases like cholera, typhoid fever, dysentery, hepatitis A and hepatitis E. If water is not available before meals and after using the toilet, the center recommends using hand sanitizers. The center also advised that “when storing water, put a cover over the container to stop mosquitoes from breeding.”
DIPLOMACY
Protest made to Vietnam
The government yesterday lodged a protest with Vietnam for labeling the nation a Chinese province in some official documents. The protest followed a claim by an opposition lawmaker that Vietnam refers to Taiwan as a “province of China” on temporary residence cards it issues to Taiwanese businesspeople. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that it had formally expressed its concerns. “We hope the Vietnamese side will rectify it soon,” it said. The Vietnamese government was not immediately available for comment.
ENVIRONMENT
Recycling proves valuable
Products made from recycled furniture, such as wooden benches and treasure pots, created a sales value of more than NT$20 million (US$690,000) last year, the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) said. Under the agency’s furniture recycling service, which was launched in 2003, nine cities have facilities for fixing, reproducing and selling furniture, while 18 others have furniture repair factories, the EPA said. Chen Hsien-heng (陳咸亨), head of an EPA inspection team, said the program produced 35,518 pieces of recycled furniture last year and the profits all went to local governments. The EPA said it provides products made under the program free of cost to disadvantaged families and charity groups nationwide. People who want to learn how to repair furniture can visit the EPA’s Web site or its service centers in Greater Taichung and Tainan, the agency said.
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
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
Taiwan's Gold Apollo Co (金阿波羅通信) said today that the pagers used in detonations in Lebanon the day before were not made by it, but by a company called BAC which has a license to use its brand. At least nine people were killed and nearly 3,000 wounded when pagers used by Hezbollah members detonated simultaneously across Lebanon yesterday. Images of destroyed pagers analyzed by Reuters showed a format and stickers on the back that were consistent with pagers made by Gold Apollo. A senior Lebanese security source told Reuters that Hezbollah had ordered 5,000 pagers from Taiwan-based Gold Apollo. "The product was not
COLD FACTS: ‘Snow skin’ mooncakes, made with a glutinous rice skin and kept at a low temperature, have relatively few calories compared with other mooncakes Traditional mooncakes are a typical treat for many Taiwanese in the lead-up to the Mid-Autumn Festival, but a Taipei-based dietitian has urged people not to eat more than one per day and not to have them every day due to their high fat and calorie content. As mooncakes contain a lot of oil and sugar, they can have negative health effects on older people and those with diabetes, said Lai Yu-han (賴俞含), a dietitian at Taipei Hospital of the Ministry of Health and Welfare. “The maximum you can have is one mooncake a day, and do not eat them every day,” Lai