WEATHER
Typhoon near Philippines
Tropical Storm Jelawat formed near the Philippines yesterday, but it is not expected to pose a threat to Taiwan in the near future, the Central Weather Bureau said. As of 8am, Jelawat was centered 1,480km southeast of the southernmost tip of Taiwan, moving at a speed of 9kph in a west-southwesterly direction. It was packing winds of 83kph, with gusts reaching 108kph, the bureau said. Meanwhile, temperatures across Taiwan in the days ahead are expected to go up by 2?C or 3?C as rain-bearing cloud bands start to move away from Taiwan, the bureau said.
Travel
Airport massages take off
The Taipei City Government’s Department of Labor on Thursday launched a massage service for weary travelers at Terminal 1 of Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport). Travelers are now entitled to indulge in a free 10-minute massage during their stopover at the airport’s “massage station,” which is located between boarding gates No. 6 and No. 7 and has two blind masseurs on service on a daily basis.
Lifestyle
Expo to start in Kaohsiung
The 2012 Taiwan Design Expo, to be held next week in Greater Kaohsiung, will feature the theme of “Passion Design,” which encourages people to lead a positive life. More than 1,000 exhibits from 12 countries will be on display, in the fields of industrial design, visual communication and interior design, the Taiwan Design Center said. The expo will reflect the designers’ enthusiasm for people and some of the exhibits will to be sold for charitable purposes, the center added.
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
The long-awaited Taichung aquarium is expected to open next year after more than a decade of development. The building in Cingshui District (清水) is to feature a large ocean aquarium on the first floor, coral display area on the second floor, a jellyfish tank and Dajia River (大甲溪) basin display on the third, a river estuary display and restaurant on the fourth, and a cafe and garden on the fifth. As it is near Wuci Fishing Port (梧棲漁港), many are expecting the opening of the aquarium to bring more tourism to the harbor. Speaking at the city council on Monday, Taichung City Councilor
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese