SOCIETY
Japanese engineer hailed
The governor of Japan’s Ishikawa Prefecture led a delegation to Greater Tainan yesterday to commemorate Yoichi Hatta, a Japanese engineer who contributed to the development of hydraulic engineering in southwest Taiwan. Governor Masanori Tanimoto and eight members of the Japanese House of Representatives laid flowers at the bronze statue of Hatta at the Wushantou Reservoir (烏山頭水庫). The delegation and Greater Tainan Mayor William Lai (賴清德) also visited the Yoichi Hatta Memorial Park near the reservoir. Lai proposed to Tanimoto that both sides should jointly organize tennis tournaments as part of their cross--cultural exchanges. Hatta was born in Ishikawa Prefecture and was posted to Taiwan in 1910 during the Japanese colonial period. He designed and built the Chianan Canal and Wushantou Reservoir between 1920 and 1930. The memorial park was inaugurated in May to honor the contribution Hatta made to hydraulic engineering in Taiwan.
TECHNOLOGY
Mudan switches to digital
Mudan Township (牡丹) in Pingtung County became the first area in the country to complete the changeover from from analog to digital cable television this year with the launch of its digital TV services on Saturday. The conversion is part of a plan by the National Communications Commission to discontinue all analog services by the end of June next year. The digital TV station in Mudan is capable of providing digital TV services to 704 households in three of the villages in the area, the commission said. The commission distributed digital set-top boxes to 47 low-income families in the township earlier this month and the installation of the digital system was completed on Thursday. It built seven digital TV transmission stations in rural areas last year and plans to build 50 more nationwide to boost the digital TV penetration rate.
AVIATION
Airport to upgrade security
Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport yesterday said it would install a high-tech fence around the perimeter of the airport to improve security. The fence, which will be equipped with a sensor and tracking system, is estimated to cost NT$180 million (US$6.24 million). The installation is expected to be completed by the middle of next year. Taoyuan International Airport Corp chairman Yeh Kuang-shih (葉匡時) said there would be no further lapses in airport security. He was referring to a security breach at the airport earlier this month when a woman managed to climb over the 3m high double-layered fence at the airport by climbing a tree. The woman then reached a restricted area and boarded a China Airlines plane.
SOCIETY
Bell ceremony to be held
The Taipei Representative Office in Germany will host a bell-ringing ceremony in Berlin on Aug. 23 to celebrate Republic of China Centennial Peace Day and the unveiling of a “bell of peace” on the outlying island of Kinmen, the office said on Saturday. The office has invited Taiwanese in Germany to take part in the ceremony at a pavilion in Volkspark Friedrichshain in Berlin. The office said the event would coincide with Kinmen’s unveiling of a 2m-high bell, made out of artillery shells, to symbolize the seeds of peace and Taiwan’s dedication to pursuing the universal value of peace. The bell at the Volkspark Friedrichshain in Germany was donated by World Peace Bell Association of Japan in 1989, the Taipei office said.
The US House of Representatives yesterday passed the PROTECT Taiwan Act, which stipulates that Washington would exclude China from participating in major global financial organizations if its actions directly threaten Taiwan’s security. The bill, proposed by Republican US Representative Frank Lucas, passed with 395 votes in favor and two against. It stipulates that if China’s actions pose any threat to Taiwan’s security, economic or social systems, the US would, “to the maximum extent practicable,” exclude China from international financial institutions, including the G20, the Bank for International Settlements and the Financial Stability Board. The bill makes it clear that China
Garbage and recycling schedules are to vary from Saturday through Sunday next week over the Lunar New Year holiday period. The following collection information is from the governments of the six special municipalities. Taipei Regular service: Sunday to Monday next week. No service: Tuesday to Thursday next week. Extra service: Friday next week. Regular service resumes: Saturday next week. New Taipei City Extra service: Sunday. Adjusted collection time: Monday next week — garbage collection is to begin in the morning and end at 6pm. No service: Tuesday to Thursday next week. Regular service resumes: Friday next week. Note: Garbage can be dropped off at 70
A KFC branch in Kaohsiung may be fined between NT$60,000 and NT$200 million (US$1,907 and US$6.37 million), after a customer yesterday found an entire AAA battery inside an egg tart, the Kaohsiung Department of Health said today. The customer was about to microwave a box of egg tarts they had bought at the fast-food restaurant’s Nanzih (楠梓) branch when they checked the bottom and saw a dark shadow inside one of them, they said in a Threads post. The customer filmed themself taking the egg tart apart to reveal an entire AAA battery inside, which apparently showed signs of damage. Surveillance footage showed
GROUP EFFORT: The number of inbound travelers rose 11 to 12 percent last month, with a significant increase in tourists from Europe and North America, an official said The government aims to attract 9.4 million visitors this year, the Tourism Administration said yesterday, citing last year’s success in diversifying tourist markets. Taiwan last year drew about 8.57 million international arrivals, 72.3 percent of pre-COVID-19 levels. By contrast, the nation had about 18.94 million outbound tourists last year, surpassing the pre-COVID-19 level of 17.1 million. The estimated tourism revenue deficit was about NT$700.9 billion (US$22.22 billion). Taoyuan International Airport Corp expects more than 160,000 passengers to pass through the nation’s largest airport daily during the Lunar New Year holiday, which begins on Saturday. As of Jan. 30, the nation’s average hotel occupancy rate
RSS