EDUCATION
Ministry denies smoking ban
Minister of Education Wu Ching-ji (吳清基) yesterday denied that his ministry had instructed that smokers be barred from serving as school principals. Fielding questions at the legislature’s Education and Culture Committee, Wu said the Ministry of Education had no regulation prohibiting smokers from serving as school principals or superintendents. “Smoking is a personal choice. The ministry has not instructed that smokers be barred from serving as school principals or that principals should quit smoking,” Wu said, adding it is acceptable for teachers to smoke, as long as they do not smoke on school grounds. He made the remarks in response to questions by lawmakers about a media report on the matter.
SOCIETY
Former POW event planned
The Taiwan Prisoners of War (POW) Camps Memorial Society, in cooperation with the Canadian Trade Office (CTOC) in Taipei, is holding its annual Remembrance Weekend Event from Friday to Sunday, with 14 overseas guests, including one former POW, returning to Taiwan to attend the event. The event is held to highlight the story of the former allied POWs who were held captive on Taiwan by the Japanese during World War II and forced to work as slaves, and to ensure that what they suffered will never be forgotten. There will be a dedication of the new Taihoku Camp No. 6 POW Memorial on Friday afternoon in Dazhi (大直), the annual POW Banquet, to be held at the Imperial Hotel on Saturday evening, the dedication of new memorials in POW Park and a Remembrance Day Service on Sunday. Reservations for both the banquet and bus to Jinguashi (金瓜石) on Sunday can be made by calling Tina Wu at the CTOT on (02) 8723-3461.
CHARITY
NT$1.62m donated to Thais
Flood-stricken Thailand has received relief funds of more than NT$1.62 million (US$53,800) from Taiwanese and Thai nationals living in Taiwan, a statement released by the Thailand Trade and Economic Office in Taipei said yesterday. In the statement, the office also expressed its gratitude to the government for offering assistance and an initial donation of US$100,000 a month ago, when the country was hit by its worst floods in 50 years. Half of Thailand’s population has been affected by the floods, which have had a significant impact on the agricultural, industrial and service sectors, the office said. It added that flood victims were still in need of relief items, such as small boats, tents, food supplies, rain boots and drinking water.
CRIME
Feng shui master deported
A Chinese fortuneteller and feng shui master was sent back to China yesterday after he was denied entry to Taiwan on Sunday evening because he worked illegally during his last visit. Li Jianjun (李建軍) was banned from entering the country for three years in May, after Taipei’s Labor Department discovered he had appeared on several TV shows without the appropriate permit, the National Immigration Agency’s Border Affairs Corps said. Immigration authorities added that despite being in possession of the correct paperwork this time round, he was still barred. His schedule showed that he took a flight from Taiwan at 6:25pm to Shenzhen, from which he was to fly to the US. Lee, who is married to a former TV hostess from Taiwan, felt his treatment was unfair. He said he was puzzled at the decision because he had been invited by a book publisher to attend symposiums and book launches.
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