SOCIETY
ID verification launched
The Department of Household Registration has added a new function to its Web site that allows users to verify the authenticity of national ID numbers to curb fraud. The measure was implemented amid complaints that several telecom stores had been scammed by people using national ID cards with altered numbers, the Ministry of the Interior said on Monday. This type of fraud is usually carried out when scammers purchase a product, mostly smartphones, with installment plans using fake ID numbers, it said. Using the new function, businesses can verify a customer’s ID number before making a transaction, the ministry said. Using an altered national ID breaches the Household Registration Act (戶籍法) and offenders could face a jail term of up to five years and/or a fine of up to NT$500,000, it said.
DIPLOMACY
Belizean minister arrives
Belizean Minister of National Security John Saldivar on Monday arrived for a five-day visit to mark the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Saldivar, who is making his second trip to Taiwan as Belize’s national security chief, is to meet with National Security Council Secretary-General David Lee (李大維), Minister of National Defense Yen De-fa (嚴德發) and Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Miguel Tsao (曹立傑). He is also to visit the Ocean Affairs Council, the Coast Guard Administration, National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology, and a number of military facilities, as well as local shipbuilders, to gain a deeper understanding of Taiwan’s developments in the respective fields, the ministry said. Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) recently concluded a trip to Belize to mark the anniversary.
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