Taiwan began implementing a number of new government policies yesterday, including a ban on smoking under covered walkways outside several convenience stores and coffee shop chains in Taipei and New Taipei City.
Stores covered by the ban are 7-Eleven, FamilyMart, Hi-Life, OK Mart, Simple Mart, Starbucks, 85°C, Louisa Coffee, Mr Brown Cafe, Dante Coffee, Ikari Coffee, Barista Coffee, Cama Cafe, Crown&Fancy and Peter Better Cafe.
Anyone caught smoking under covered walkways in front of the 15 outlets faces a fine of NT$2,000 to NT$10,000.
Photo: CNA
Also from yesterday, senior citizen courtesy cards can be used at Taipei’s 12 district sports centers.
The cards are for people aged 65 or older, and are topped up with NT$480 every month for public transport and entrance fees to municipal exhibitions and public facilities.
Cardholders can use their card to pay up to NT$50 per visit to use sports centers’ facilities, such as swimming pools or gyms.
Also in Taipei, parents can now receive a monthly subsidy of NT$2,500 to NT$4,000 in addition to the national monthly subsidy of NT$2,500 for each child aged 2 or 3 attending public or semi-public preschools or cared for by a “contract babysitter,” while an additional NT$2,000 to NT$3,000 is to be given to parents who send their children to ordinary babysitters.
Meanwhile, point-to-point speed measurement came into effect in Taipei’s Ziqiang Tunnel (自強隧道) yesterday, with people driving at more than 60kph facing fines of NT$1,600 to NT$24,000, depending on their speed.
As of 9am yesterday, 103 speeding tickets had been issued in the tunnel, the Taipei City Police Department said.
Also yesterday, trains on the Danhai Light Rail Transit system in New Taipei City’s Tamsui District (淡水) began running more frequently during peak travel hours, with trains departing from Hongshulin Station every 12 minutes instead of every 15 minutes from 3pm to 8pm.
Meanwhile, New Taipei City began charging for the use of public parking spaces for electric cars and scooters.
Those signing up for motorcycle license tests now also have to take a hazard perception test.
The Tourism Bureau’s fall and winter domestic travel subsidy program also began yesterday and is to run through December.
Under the program, tour groups as well as independent travelers visiting any of the towns recommended by the bureau can receive a subsidy. Independent travelers can receive NT$1,000 per hotel room, provided they visit from Sunday through Friday.
Starting from this month, the government is offering monthly rent subsidies ranging from NT$2,600 to NT$5,000 to single people aged 20 to 40, couples who have been married for less than two years and families with dependent children.
Only those who earn less than 2.5 times the government-specified lowest cost of living are eligible to apply for the subsidies.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong effective from 5:30pm, while local governments canceled school and work for tomorrow. A land warning is expected to be issued tomorrow morning before it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the agency said. Taoyuan, and well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties canceled work and school for tomorrow, as well as mountainous district of Taipei and New Taipei City. For updated information on closures, please visit the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Web site. As of 5pm today, Fung-wong was about 490km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point.
Almost a quarter of volunteer soldiers who signed up from 2021 to last year have sought early discharge, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a report. The report said that 12,884 of 52,674 people who volunteered in the period had sought an early exit from the military, returning NT$895.96 million (US$28.86 million) to the government. In 2021, there was a 105.34 percent rise in the volunteer recruitment rate, but the number has steadily declined since then, missing recruitment targets, the Chinese-language United Daily News said, citing the report. In 2021, only 521 volunteers dropped out of the military, the report said, citing
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck Kaohsiung at 1pm today, the Central Weather Administration said. The epicenter was in Jiasian District (甲仙), 72.1km north-northeast of Kaohsiung City Hall, at a depth of 7.8km, agency data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in Kaohsiung and Tainan, where it measured a 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale. It also measured a 3 in parts of Chiayi City, as well as Pingtung, Yunlin and Hualien counties, data showed.
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
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