The leaders of five Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)-controlled cities and counties yesterday said they are each donating one month’s income to the reconstruction efforts in the wake of a series of gas pipeline explosions that ripped through Greater Kaohsiung on Thursday night and on Friday morning last week, killing 28 people and injuring more than 300.
In a joint statement, Pingtung County Commissioner Tsao Chi-hung (曹啟鴻), Greater Tainan Mayor William Lai (賴清德), Chiayi County Commissioner Helen Chang (張花冠), Yunlin County Commissioner Su Chih-fen (蘇治芬) and Yilan County Commissioner Lin Tsung-hsien (林聰賢) pledged to give a month’s pay each to the recovery efforts and urged others to contribute to help affected residents resume their normal lives as quickly as possible.
The city and county leaders again expressed their condolences to the injured and the families of the people killed and urged the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)-controlled central government to offer full support to Greater Kaohsiung.
They also said that they are confident that the reconstruction of the city will proceed smoothly under the leadership of Greater Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊), who is also a DPP member.
A total of 83,819 people in 32,968 households have been affected by the explosions that hit the Cianjhen (前鎮) and Lingya (苓雅) districts, according to figures compiled by the Central Emergency Operation Center.
As of yesterday, 28 people were confirmed dead, 305 injured and two missing after the explosions.
The blasts are believed to have been caused by a propene leak in an underground pipeline used by a petrochemical manufacturer.
A NT$39 receipt for two bottles of tea at a FamilyMart was among the NT$10 million (US $312,969) special prize winners in the January-February uniform invoice lottery. FamilyMart said that two NT$10 million-winning receipts were issued at its stores, as well as two NT$2 million grand prizes and three NT$200,000 first prizes. The two NT$10 million receipts were issued at stores in Pingtung County and Yilan County’s Dongshan Township (冬山). One winner spent just NT$39 on two bottles of tea, while another spent NT$80 on water, tea and coffee, the company said. Meanwhile, 7-Eleven reported three NT$10 million winners — in New Taipei
Considering that most countries issue more than five denominations of banknotes, the central bank has decided to redesign all five denominations, the bank said as it prepares for the first major overhaul of the banknotes in more than 24 years. Central bank Governor Yang Chin-lung (楊金龍) is expected to report to the Legislative Yuan today on the bank’s operations and the redesign’s progress. The bank in a report sent to the legislature ahead of today’s meeting said it had commissioned a survey on the public’s preferences. Survey results showed that NT$100 and NT$1,000 banknotes are the most commonly used, while NT$200 and NT$2,000
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reported the first case of a new COVID-19 subvariant — BA.3.2 — in a 10-year-old Singaporean girl who had a fever upon arrival in Taiwan and tested positive for the disease. The girl left Taiwan on March 20 and the case did not have a direct impact on the local community, it said. The WHO added the BA.3.2 strain to its list of Variants Under Monitoring in December last year, but this was the first imported case of the COVID-19 variant in Taiwan, CDC Deputy Director-General Lin Ming-cheng (林明誠) said. The girl arrived in Taiwan on
ANNUAL EVENT: Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in Daan Park, with an event zone operating from 10am to 6pm This year’s Taipei Floral Picnic is to be held at Daan Park today and tomorrow, featuring an exclusive Pokemon Go event, a themed food market, a coffee rave picnic area and stage performances, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said yesterday. Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in the park as attractions, with an exclusive event zone operating from 10am to 6pm, it said. Participants who complete designated tasks on-site would have a chance to receive limited-edition souvenirs, it added. People could also try the newly launched game Pokemon Pokopia in the trial area, the department said. Three PokeStops are
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