Taipei- The Taipei Zoo will limit 22,000 visitors per day to view two giant pandas sent as a goodwill gift to the island from China, a spokesman said Wednesday.

"We have decided to set the limit to avoid overcrowding and too much disturbance to the pandas when they go on public display beginning from January 26, the first day of the lunar Chinese New Year," said Jason Chin, spokesman of the Taipei Zoo.

He said each visitor must get a number tag before he or she can visit the Panda House and each will only be allowed to stay at the venue for no more than 10 minutes.

Taipei - The container volume at Kaohsiung Harbour, Taiwan's main port, dropped 5.6 per cent due in 2008 to the global economic slump, an official said Wednesday.

In 2008, the Kaohsiung Harbour handled 8.97 million TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units) containers, down 5.6 per cent from 2007, harbour master Tsai Ting-kui said.

"The main impact on our performance was caused by the 25 per cent drop in container volume in November and 23 per cent drop in December," he said.

"We are not optimistic about the first half of 2009, but hope the slump will lift in the latter half. Our target for 2009 is 10 million TEUs, and we hope we can reach the target," he noted.

Taipei - A Chinese monk visiting Taiwan with a Chinese Buddhist delegation has committed suicide after killing another member of the delegation, police said Wednesday.

The murder took place at the Forte Hotel in Hsinchu, western Taiwan, where the six-member delegation was staying, a duty officer from the Hsinchu Police Bureau told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

The delegation from the Ling Gu Temple in Nanjing, eastern China, arrived in Taiwan Monday for a six-day visit at the invitation of the Chuan Chuang Culture and Education Foundation.

They checked into the Forte Hotel Tuesday.

Taipei  - Taiwan's parliament Monday approved a revision to the anti-smoking bill that would double the health duty imposed on cigarettes, officials said.

"The parliament's move, which would raise the current health duty imposed on cigarettes to 20 Taiwan dollars (60 US cents) from 10 Taiwan dollars per pack, is aimed at discouraging smoking," said Hsiao Mei-ling, director of Bureau of Health Promotion.

With the increase expected to take effect in two weeks after promulgation by the Presidential Office, cigarettes would be sold at around 70 Taiwan dollars per pack.

Taipei - The Taiwan parliament on Monday started a debate on legalizing gambling on offshore islands as hundreds of protestors rallied outside parliament to block the passing of the bill.

The government hopes lift the ban on gambling for the Penghu Islands off Taiwan's west coast so that Penghu can build casinos and lure foreign tourists.

"Gambling is a devil disguised as an angel!" "Don't use offshore islanders as guinea pigs!" the protestors shouted outside the parliament building, waving placards and arguing with police who tried to disperse them.

Taipei  - About 400 artists from 60 nations are to take part in Taian's Sky Lantern festival to pray for world peace, it was reported Monday.

The annual Pinghsi Sky Lantern festival is scheduled to take place in the mountain town of Pinghsi outside Taipei from January 26 to February 9.

Artists from 60 countries, including China, Japan and Mexico, have been invited for the "Light Up the World" event - and release their own sky lanterns - on February 7, United Daily News reported.