Briefs, January 14, 2013
Officials on a Taiwanese-controlled island group said yesterday they were considering importing water from the mainland. The fortified Quemoy island group was a flashpoint during the cold war, when it was shelled from the mainland. Officials discussed a proposal to transport water by ship from Xiamen , a coastal city in Fujian province just a few kilometres from Quemoy.
Officials on a Taiwanese-controlled island group said yesterday they were considering importing water from the mainland. The fortified Quemoy island group was a flashpoint during the cold war, when it was shelled from the mainland. Officials discussed a proposal to transport water by ship from Xiamen , a coastal city in Fujian province just a few kilometres from Quemoy. AFP
The first of a fleet of Apache helicopters ordered by Taiwan from the United States are due to be delivered in nine months, media reports said. The US$6.5 billion arms deal, including a fleet of 30 Apache Longbow helicopters, was announced in 2008. The first six AH-64Es, the latest variant of one of the world's most powerful attack helicopters, will be delivered to Taiwan's army in October, the said. The defence ministry in Taipei declined to comment. AFP
Tens of thousands of iron woks made out of discarded chemical containers at small workshops in Shangrao , Jiangxi province, may be toxic, CCTV reported. The state broadcaster said tests found that some of the woks contained excessive amounts of lead. Experts warned lead could accumulate in the bodies of people who ate food prepared in the woks. Untreated sewage containing chemicals, including sulphuric acid, hydrochloric acid and lime water, has left the environment around the workshops seriously polluted, CCTV said. Choi Chi-yuk
A Tibetan died after setting himself alight in protest at the central government's rule over the Himalayan region, in the first self-immolation this year, a rights group and overseas media said. The protester torched himself at about 1pm on Saturday, said the London-based pressure group Free Tibet and US-based Radio Free Asia. It was thought to be the first self-immolation in Tibet since December 9. The incident reportedly occurred in Xiahe county, in Gansu . AFP
