■ Earthquake
Tremor shakes east coast
A moderate earthquake shook northeastern Taiwan yesterday, the Central Weather Bureau said, but no damage or injuries were immediately reported. The 4.2-magnitude quake was centered 3km south of Nan'ao, the weather bureau said. Nan'ao is a harbor 80km southeast of Taipei. Quakes frequently rattle Taiwan, but most are minor and cause little or no damage.
■ Health
Public urged to get flu shot
The public is urged to get a flu shot as well as a pneumococcus shot since the number of people dying from pneumonia in Taiwan rises every year, doctors advised yesterday. Doctors noted that free flu shots have been available since early this month, but in addition to flu, pneumonia is also a common health hazard in the autumn and winter, noting that statistics released by the Department of Health showed that pneumonia is the seventh most common cause of death in Taiwan, with 5,099 people succumbing last year. Pneumonia is the fifth-largest killer of people over 65, with 4,380 dying last year. Doctor Huang Li-ming (黃立民) of National Taiwan University Hospital said yesterday that industrialized countries such as the US, Canada, Australia and Germany have listed the pneumococcus vaccine, along with flu vaccines, as important for the elderly and patients of chronic diseases. One shot in Taiwan costs about NT$1,200 (US$35.70).
■ Employment
Competition for jobs fierce
More than 30,000 people will compete for the 476 job vacancies offered by two state-run companies today, with the success percentage being only 1.37 percent, officials of the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday. Ministry officials also noted that Taiwan Power Co is expected to recruit 410 new employees after today's exam, and Chinese Petroleum Corp wishes to recruit 66 people this year. However, a total of 34,635 people have applied for the jobs and they should face two-stage tests to compete for the jobs offered by state-run enterprises. Today's initial test will be held in 14 venues around Taipei, Taichung and Kaohsiung, and the applicants can visit the Web site: www.taipower.com.tw for more information.
■ Cross-strait ties
Cross-strait symposium held
The American Association for Chinese Studies was set to hold a symposium yesterday in Williamsburg, Virginia, on the triangular relations between Taiwan, the US and China. The 46th annual meeting was to take place at the Williamsburg Hospitality House. Taiwan's deputy representative to the US, Joanne Chang (裘兆琳), was to deliver a keynote speech at the symposium.
■ Sports
Gateball tournament held
The third WGU International Gateball Tournament opened in Kaohsiung yesterday, with 128 teams from 12 countries and regions competing, Kaohsiung City officials said. Participating countries include the US, Brazil, South Korea, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Taiwan and the Philippines. Kaohsiung Mayor Frank Hsieh (謝長廷), World Gateball Union (WGU) director Taka Kono and Huang Chih-huang (黃啟煌), vice chairman of the National Council on Physical Fitness and Sports were on hand to cheer for the players.
Taiwan yesterday expelled four China Coast Guard vessels that entered Taiwan-controlled restricted waters off Lienchiang County (Matsu) shortly after the Chinese People’s Liberation Army announced the start of its “Joint Sword-2024B” drills around Taiwan. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said in a statement that it had detected two China Coast Guard ships west of Nangan Island (南竿) and another two north of Dongyin Island (東引) at 8am yesterday. After Chinese ships sailed into restricted waters off Matsu shortly afterward, the CGA’s Kinmen-Matsu-Penghu Branch deployed four patrol vessels to shadow and approach the vessels, it said. The incidents pushed up to 44 the number
Taiwan was listed in 14th place among the world's wealthiest country in terms of GDP per capita, in the latest rankings released on Monday by Forbes magazine. Taiwan's GDP per capita was US$76,860, which put it at No. 14 on the list of the World's 100 Richest Countries this year, one spot above Hong Kong with US$75,130. The magazine's list of the richest countries in the world is compiled based on GDP per capita data, as estimated by the IMF. However, for a more precise measure of a nation's wealth, the magazine also considers purchasing power parity, which is a metric used to
Renovations on the B3 concourse of Taipei Main Station are to begin on Nov. 1, with travelers advised to use entrances near the Taiwan Railway or high-speed rail platforms or information counter to access the MRT’s Red Line. Construction is to be completed before the end of next year, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp said last week. To reduce the impact on travelers, the NT$95 million (US$2.95 million) project is to be completed in four stages, it said. In the first stage, the hall leading to the Blue Line near the art exhibition area is to be closed from Nov. 1 to the end
Taipei’s Ximending (西門町) shopping area welcomed the most international visitors, followed by Taipei 101, Songshan Cultural and Creative Park and Yangmingshan National Park (陽明山國家公園), a list of the city’s most popular tourist attractions published by the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism showed. As of August, 69.22 million people had visited Taipei’s main tourism spots, a 76 percent increase from 39.33 million in the same period last year, department data showed. Ximending had 20.21 million visitors, followed by Taipei 101 at 8.09 million, Songshan Cultural and Creative Park at 6.28 million, Yangmingshan at 4.51 million and the Red House Theater (西門紅樓) in
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