■ Society
Wedding could set record
Non-Partisan Solidarity Union Legislator Yen Chin-piao (顏清標) is scheduled to host a luxurious wedding today for his 17-year-old son, Yen Chia-yi (顏嘉儀), who is marrying a high school classmate. The Yen family has invited about 20,000 guests. Political heavyweights such as President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) are all on Yen's guest list. The wedding will be held at a sports stadium in Taichung's Shalu (沙鹿) Township. There will be at least 1,600 tables at the banquet, with 10 to 12 people at each table. But the number may go up, setting a new record in Taiwan. The couple will be escorted to the wedding by 36 BMW-745 automobiles at noon. Entertainers such as Jacky Wu (吳宗憲) will perform.
■ Society
Official threatened
Minister of Civil Service Chu Wu-hsien (朱武獻) yesterday said new pension rules will become effective on Feb. 16 as scheduled, despite threats against him, including one caller who told him his "legs will be chopped if the new rules are carried out." Chu confirmed yesterday that menacing calls were made to his office and that attempts have been made to blackmail him. He declined further comment, saying that the police were probing the matter. Examination Yuan President Yao Chia-wen (姚嘉文), Chu's boss, comforted Chu by saying that it is quite normal to be threatened if you are making a change. "I was threatened all the time but I never called the police for help in the past," Yao said.
■ Society
English contest launched
As a way to celebrate the Lunar New Year, the Taipei City Government's Information Department has invited the public to share their New Year wishes by writing them down in English. The English composition contest is part of a special Lunar New Year event involving the city government's English Web site. The public is invited to write a 100-word English composition about their personal wishes and wishes for the city in the Year of the Dog. Make a submission to "New Year, New Wish" by e-mail (citynews@mail.taipei.gov.tw) or fax (02-2720-5892) from Monday to Thursday. The first 30 submissions will receive two complimentary banners and two red envelopes signed by Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九). For more information, please call 2720-8889, ext. 2034.
■ Health
Product labels urged
Approximately 45 percent of the cleaning products on the market are strong acidic solutions, yet most do not carry warnings or the pH value of the products on the label, a Taipei city councilor said yesterday. Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) councilor Li Ken Kuei-Fong (厲耿桂芳) said that out of the 21 cleaning products she had inspected, 15 had not indicated their pH values on the labels. According to Article 7 of the Consumer Protection Law (消費者保護法), when a product may cause a possible danger to consumers, it must carry a warning label or instructions to ensure safe usage. But Business Administration Office officials said that no existing regulation stipulates that pH values have to be indicated on labels. The Ministry of Economic Affairs is currently drafting labeling standards officials said. The Department of Environmental Protection urged consumers to purchase cleaning products with "environmentally-friendly" stickers on them.
Travel agencies in Taiwan are working to secure alternative flights for travelers bound for New Zealand for the Lunar New Year holiday, as Air New Zealand workers are set to strike next week. The airline said that it has confirmed that the planned industrial action by its international wide-body cabin crew would go ahead on Thursday and Friday next week. While the Auckland-based carrier pledged to take reasonable measures to mitigate the impact of the workers’ strike, an Air New Zealand flight arriving at Taipei from Auckland on Thursday and another flight departing from Taipei for Auckland on Saturday would have to
The Taipei City Government yesterday confirmed that it has negotiated a royalties of NT$12.2 billion (US$380 million) with artificial intelligence (AI) chip giant Nvidia Corp, with the earliest possible signing date set for Wednesday next week. The city has been preparing for Nvidia to build its Taiwan headquarters in Beitou-Shilin Technology Park since last year, and the project has now entered its final stage before the contract is signed. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said the city government has completed the royalty price negotiations and would now push through the remaining procedures to sign the contract before
Taipei Zoo welcomes the Lunar New Year this year through its efforts to protect an endangered species of horse native to central Asia that was once fully extinct outside of captivity. The festival ushering in the Year of the Horse would draw attention to the zoo’s four specimens of Przewalski’s horse, named for a Russian geographer who first encountered them in the late 19th century across the steppes of western Mongolia. “Visitors will look at the horses and think that since this is the Year of the Horse: ‘I want to get to know horses,’” said zookeeper Chen Yun-chieh, who has been
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday said the name of the Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania was agreed by both sides, after Lithuania’s prime minister described a 2021 decision to let Taiwan set up a de facto embassy in Vilnius as a “mistake.” Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene, who entered office in September last year, told the Baltic News Service on Tuesday that Lithuania had begun taking “small first steps” aimed at restoring ties with Beijing. The ministry in a statement said that Taiwan and Lithuania are important partners that share the values of freedom and democracy. Since the establishment of the
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