TRANSPORTATION
Monthly pass price mulled
Before April next year, a joint monthly pass is to be introduced for unlimited rides on the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system and buses in Taipei and New Taipei City. The pass is to also give passengers 30 minutes of free use of a YouBike within an hour of taking an MRT or bus journey, Taipei City Government Secretary-General Chang Jer-yang (張哲揚) said. The original purpose of the YouBike system was to help people get to their first transit point or to their final destination, Chang added. The price of the 30-day pass is still being negotiated and would be set by the end of the year, most likely at less than NT$2,000, Taipei Department of Transport Acting Director-General Chen Hsueh-tai (陳學台) said.
WEATHER
Winds bring air pollutants
Temperatures across the west of the nation early yesterday fell to about 20?C with the arrival of stronger northeasterly winds that also brought air pollutants, the Central Weather Bureau said. As of noon yesterday, the Air Quality Index was red in Kinmen County, and orange in Mailiao County, Yunlin’s Taisi Township (台西), Kaohsiung’s Zuoying (左營) and Matsu, the Environmental Protection Administration’s Taiwan Air Quality Monitoring Network said. Elsewhere, the index was either green or yellow, indicating good to fair air quality, the network said. Under the index, red means the air quality is unhealthy for everyone, while orange indicates it is dangerous for sensitive groups, such as young children, the elderly and people with chronic diseases. The winds are likely to affect the temperature until today. From tomorrow, it is expected to become warmer for a couple of days, the bureau said, but another wave of winds is due to arrive on Friday, causing temperatures to fall and bringing showers.
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