The legislature yesterday approved an amendment to the Act for the Development of Tourism (發展觀光條例) that will allow people to buy domestic air and boat tickets at convenience stores and post offices nationwide.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Tsao Erh-chang (曹爾忠) hailed the passage of the bill, saying it would save residents of outlying islands the trouble of buying tickets at airports or travel agencies, which are usually some distance from their homes.
Tsao initiated the amendment following a case in which Uni Air was found to have violated the act by allowing residents of Matsu to purchase plane tickets at convenience stores.
The legislature also approved an amendment to the Agriculture Finance Act (農業金融法) allowing the Agricultural Bank of Taiwan, the credit department of farmers’ and fishermen’s associations, to issue credit cards.
KMT Legislator Hsiao Ching-tien (蕭景田) said the revision would benefit residents in rural and remote areas by making it possible for them to apply for credit cards at nearby agricultural or fishermen’s associations, with applications to be reviewed by the bank.
Also approved by the legislature was an amendment to the Preschool Education Act (幼稚教育法) allocating more funds for the Ministry of Education to hire more teachers to look after children in kindergarten.
Under the current system, a kindergarten school can apply for a subsidy for a teacher with a class of 30 children. After the revision, the ministry will be able to offer subsidies for two teachers in a kindergarten in a class which has more than 15 students and fewer than 30.
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
The manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
A group from the Taiwanese Designers in Australia association yesterday represented Taiwan at the Midsumma Pride March in Melbourne. The march, held in the St. Kilda suburb, is the city’s largest LGBTQIA+ parade and the flagship event of the annual Midsumma Festival. It attracted more than 45,000 spectators who supported the 400 groups and 10,000 marchers that participated this year, the association said. Taiwanese Designers said they organized a team to march for Taiwan this year, joining politicians, government agencies, professionals and community organizations in showing support for LGBTQIA+ people and diverse communities. As the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex
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