POLITICS
Group wants legislature TV
A Taiwanese watchdog is advocating the establishment of a public TV channel dedicated to live and recorded broadcasts of the legislature, saying this would lead to greater legislative transparency. Taipei-based Citizen Congress Watch (CCW) said on Sunday it would lobby for the TV channel after the new legislature is elected next month. Legislative and presidential elections will be held on Jan. 14 and the new legislature will be sworn in on Feb. 1. “Although Taiwanese now can watch legislative sessions via the Internet, a TV channel is needed for people like the elderly who seldom use the Internet,” CCW director Chen Chien-fu (陳建甫) said. “This will allow them to see how the legislators are performing.”
WEATHER
Prepare for storms: Chen
Vice Premier Sean Chen (陳?) said yesterday that the tropical storm that battered the Philippines over the weekend could serve as a warning to Taiwan. “It is rare for the Philippines to be hit by a storm as late as December,” Chen said, adding that Taiwan should not be lax, but should instead make preparations to mitigate the impact of disasters. Chen said that when he first checked the situation of tropical storm Washi, the death toll in the Philippines was 59, but the latest reports showed the number had reached nearly 700. In addition, more than 1,000 people were reported missing.
SOCIETY
Marriages rose 19.7%
Inspired by the celebration of the Republic of China’s (ROC) centennial this year, more Taiwanese tied the knot than they did last year. A total of 146,416 couples married in Taiwan in the first 11 months of this year, representing a year-on-year increase of 19.7 percent, tallies compiled by the Ministry of the Interior showed. Of these nuptials, about one out of every 7.5 involved a foreign spouse. A total of 19,622 ROC citizens wedded people from abroad, including 12,316 from China, Hong Kong and Macau, 4,432 from Southeast Asia and 2,874 from other countries and areas, the tallies showed. The number of cross-cultural marriages increased 0.8 percent in the January to November period over the same period of the year before. The ministry found that the outlying islands of Kinmen and Matsu had the highest rates of cross-cultural marriages, at 27 percent, while Taitung County had the lowest rate, at 11.1 percent.
DIPLOMACY
British delegation visits
A delegation led by British Member of Parliament Andrew Rosindell is visiting Taiwan at the invitation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The group of eight Conservative Party youths is expected to call at the Mainland Affairs Council, the Forestry Bureau, the Bureau of Foreign Trade, the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy and the College of International Affairs at National Chengchi University. They will also visit many sites, including the National Palace Museum, Taipei 101 and Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall. During their visit, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Tung Kuo-yu (董國猷) will host a luncheon for them. Rosindel has visited Taiwan twice and has worked to promote closer ties between the UK and Taiwan. The group he leads is composed mainly of the younger leaders from the Conservative Party. This trip aims to give the delegation a better understanding of cross-trait relations and the political, economic and social landscape in Taiwan, as well as to promote exchanges.
ECONOMY
Ma to establish committee
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) reportedly plans to invite experts from the public and private sectors and academia to join an ad hoc committee to be established under the Presidential Office with the aim of helping Taiwan better face global financial volatility, Vice Premier Sean Chen (陳?) said yesterday. The task force, to be formed in the coming week, is the result of a pledge announced by Ma during a televised presidential debate on Saturday in which he said that in the face of a possible second global financial storm since 2008, the new group is essential to help Taiwan deal with the possible impact. Chen said the task force “is a constructive decision in the face of growing uncertainties at home and abroad.”
HEALTH
Cancer fear widespread
People in Taiwan fear being diagnosed with cancer and generally have little confidence in the effectiveness of existing cancer therapies, including surgery, chemotherapy and radiation treatment, according to the results of a survey released yesterday. The survey conducted by Yuva Cell Bank, a Taipei-based private cell storage and management center, shows that more than 80 percent of respondents said they worried about getting cancer, with more women (85 percent) expressing fear than men (77 percent). Only 26 percent of respondents were aware that cancer is not incurable, while 43 percent said they did not know it could be cured. The survey concluded that people in this nation are not well informed about cancer, despite statistics showing that it was the major cause of death last year, taking the lives of nearly a quarter (24.8 percent) of the people who died.
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