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2007 Taipei International Travel Fair (Taipei ITF), supported by governments with new premiums promoted by Executive Yuan in the future, started with a great new scale at December 14 to 17. In the opening morning yesterday, governmental people and ambassadors from several countries including Taiwan successively visited this show. The show organizer, Taiwan Visitors Association (TVA), held 2 opening ceremonies for Cross-Strait Pavilion and the main show. In the side of Cross-Strait, several teams performed traditional entertainment shows like "

After the United States agreed to the changes proposed by India this morning, the so called Bali Roadmap has been agreed on, to applause from all parties. The decision was made at this year's United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali. The Roadmap establishes a time frame and scope for reaching a post-2012 climate change agreement. This includes setting, for industrialized nations, targets for reductions of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Numerous observers and parties had voiced that they see this as being of great importance prior to an

The death toll for Tropical Storm Olga reached 38 on Friday. The rare December tropical storm, which disintegrated into a mass of thunderstorms late on Wednesday, killed two people, a woman and a 3-year-old boy, in Haiti. In the Dominican Republic, 12 Hatians drowned. Olga's torrential rains were also blamed for mudslides that killed a man in Puerto Rico. 4,000 hetchacres of crops and $40 million in revenues have been destroyed. The highest winds recorded were 60 miles per hour. This storm was the fifteenth in the 2007 Atlantic hurricane season

An Air Canada flight from Toronto to London on 6th December was disrupted by a passenger who began shouting in an apparent case of "air rage". This incident became the subject of a hit video this week. During the apparent panic attack, a man identified as "Jay" indicated fears that he was about to be shot to death, in addition to uttering obscenities and racist comments. He was restrained by several members of the flight crew and the flight landed safely at Heathrow Airport. Authorities did not place the passenger under arrest at London, and A

Infobox: What is neurofibromatosis? Neurofibromatosis (NF) is a genetic condition causing benign tumors (neurofibromas) to grow along certain types of nerves and, in addition, it can affect the development of bones or skin. There are several variants of the disease but type 1 and type 2 NF account for the vast majority of cases. The disease manifestations can vary from very mild to severe. Major symptoms include growths on and under the skin; skin pigmentations called café au lait spots in type 1; acoustic nerve tumors and consequent hearing l

Former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney testified Thursday before an ethics committee in the Canadian House of Commons about the Airbus affair, a case involving alleged bribery at the highest levels of government to secure Airbus sales of aircraft to Air Canada. In his testimony, Mulroney said that he should not have associated with German businessman Karlheinz Schreiber nor should have he accepted bundles of cash — which he placed in safe deposit boxes in two different countries. Nonetheless, Mulroney denied accepting kickbacks. He adm

Two diplomats within the Romanian Embassy to Moldova have been declared personae non gratae due to the incompatibility between their activity and the diplomatic status they are holding. In line with a press statement made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration (MFAEI), on Wednesday, December 12, Romanian Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Moldova Filip Teodorescu was invited to the MFAEI. "The Foreign Ministry considers such an act as inimical, totally unjustified and incompatible with Romania’s permanent con

The Taipei International Travel Fair (Taipei TVF), founded in 1987 by Taiwan Visitors Association (TVA), is now in its 15th year. This show will start on December 14 and be open through December 17 at the Taipei World Trade Center with participants from 62 countries and 861 tourism companies and organizations. This year's fair is larger than ever. At the press conference yesterday, TVA invited some exhibitors including Taiwan, as well as countries from Southeast Asia, Europe, and Oceania to promote their traveling packs for media. The TVA recr

The Register, a British technology news and opinion website, reports that a former Wikimedia Foundation Chief Operating Officer (COO) has a criminal record in at least four U.S. states: Texas, Maryland, Virginia and Florida. Carolyn Doran, born Carolyn Sue Bothwell, was the WMF COO for six months from January to July 2007. The Register reported Doran's criminal record includes four convictions for driving under the influence, two of check fraud and petty larceny, one hit and run with fatality, and one charge of unlawful wounding for shooting f

Nigerian police arrested former Delta State governor James Ibori Wednesday on charges of abuse of office, corruption, and money laundering. According to a statement by Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibori was picked up at a private residence in the Asokoro District of Nigeria's capital city, Abuja. Ibori was to be arraigned yesterday at the Federal High Court in Kaduna. He is facing a total of 103 charges. James Ibori had been governor of Delta for the past eight years, until leaving office in May, 2007. Although he earn

On the eve of December 7, 2007 Dr. Reginald Humayun, a Christian doctor working for Pennell Memorial Christian Hospital in Bannu, Pakistan, was kidnapped along with his driver while returning from a trip to Dera Ismail Khan. The doctor, a medical superintendent at that hospital, was also the General Secretary of the Church of Pakistan. The All Pakistan Minority Alliance, the Church of Pakistan and the Christian community as a whole have appealed to the Government to expedite efforts for the doctor's safe recovery. Dar Ali Khatak, leading th

Two PhD students were found dead in an apartment in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States. They had been shot in the head by unidentified assailants in what investigators are calling an apparent home invasion. The deceased students have been identified as Chandrashekhar Reddy Komma and Kiran Kumar Allam, both of who hailed from Andhra Pradesh, India. They were doctorate students at the Louisiana State University (LSU). The homicides occurred at the Edwards Gay Apartments on the school's campus, and police have been searching for three suspects