POLITICS
Ma criticized over islands
The Washington-based Formosan Association for Public Affairs (FAPA) has sharply criticized the administration of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) for its policies on the Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台). In a statement, FAPA accused the Ma administration of increasing tensions in the region, endangering long-term stability and damaging Taiwan’s interests. FAPA urged Taipei to acknowledge that the Diaoyutai Islands have historically been administered by Japan and to signal its support for the US-Japan mutual defense treaty. “Taiwanese Americans are concerned first and foremost about preserving the safety and security of Taiwan,” FAPA president Mark Kao (高龍榮) said. “Considering the enormous magnitude of the Chinese military threat that Taiwan faces, it is completely counterproductive to risk alienating its most essential security allies,” he said.
ENTERTAINMENT
More awards for ‘Life of Pi’
Oscar-winning Taiwanese director Ang Lee’s (李安) new 3D drama, Life of Pi, has won six awards presented by the Las Vegas Film Critics Society, including best picture and best director. Other awards won by the movie were best cinematography, best visual effects, best score and best youth in film, the society announced on Wednesday. Life of Pi was ranked No. 1 among the Top 10 Films of this year as selected by the society. Since its release last month the movie has performed well at the box office, ranking fifth with more than US$60 million in North America, behind Skyfall, Rise of the Guardians, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 and Lincoln. Globally, the film had brought in more than US$120 million at the box office as of Sunday. The movie has so far won four awards for best cinematography given by US film critics’ groups.
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