■ EARTHQUAKE
Tremblor hits Ilan
An earthquake measuring 5.0 on the Richter scale hit the east coast at 2:27pm yesterday, the Central Weather Bureau said, locating the epicenter at 34.6km south-southeast of Ilan City. The quake was located at a depth of 18.2km. The highest intensity was felt in Nan'ao Ilan County, at 6 on the Richter scale, followed by Hualien City and Ilan City at 4 and 3 respectively. No damage or deaths were reported.
■ LEGISLATION
Draft bill on discrimination
Governing and opposition lawmakers reached a consensus on Friday on a draft amendment to the Immigration Act (入出國及移民法) pertaining to discrimination. The amended bill stipulates that it would be against the law to discriminate against people on the basis of nationality, race, skin color, social rank or place of birth. Violators would face fines of up to NT$30,000 (US$900). After concluding inter-party negotiations on the proposed amendment, Democratic Progressive Party legislators Hsiao Bi-Khim (蕭美琴), Kao Chien-chih (高建智) and Huang Chu-ying (黃淑英) signed the agreement with Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators Shyu Jong-shyoung (徐中雄) and Joanna Lei (雷倩). Lawmakers who took part in the talks also agreed that existing laws banning foreigners from taking part in activities or doing work that does not match the reason for which their visa was granted should be abandoned.
■ DIPLOMACY
Chen to attend summit
President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) is scheduled to attend a summit in the Marshall Islands next month with leaders of the country's diplomatic allies in the Pacific. Officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said Chen would embark on the four-day visit on Oct. 11 and return on Oct. 14. Details of the transfer stop are still being arranged. As Chen has expressed the hope of seeing New Zealand attend the event as an observer, the ministry is making efforts to make this possible, it said. The first summit was held in Palau in September last year, bringing Chen together with heads of the six Pacific island states holding diplomatic ties with Taipei -- the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu, Nauru, Palau, the Solomon Islands and Kiribati.
■ TRANSPORTATION
Free bus in Kaohsiung
Rides on Kaohsiung City buses will be free of charge until Friday, Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊) said yesterday. Ferry rides between Kaohsiung's Hsinkuang Wharf (新光碼頭) and Chijin (旗津) will also be free until Tuesday, she said. The measures are part of the city government's effort to promote use of mass transportation. The city government aims to build a more convenient mass transportation system combining the Kaohsiung Rapid Transit System, buses, ferries and bicycles, she said. "Everyone is responsible for reducing carbon dioxide emissions. The city government should take the lead," Chen said while riding a bicycle on the city's car free day yesterday. "The utility rate of the Kaohsiung mass transportation system so far only amounts to 5 percent. We hope to increase that rate to 15 percent after the Kaohsiung Rapid Transit System begins operation [at the end of this year.]," she said.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
WEATHER Typhoon forming: CWA A tropical depression is expected to form into a typhoon as early as today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the storm’s path remains uncertain. Before the weekend, it would move toward the Philippines, the agency said. Some time around Monday next week, it might reach a turning point, either veering north toward waters east of Taiwan or continuing westward across the Philippines, the CWA said. Meanwhile, the eye of Typhoon Kalmaegi was 1,310km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, as of 2am yesterday, it said. The storm is forecast to move through central
RSS