■ TRANSPORTATION
DGH helps bus operators
The Directorate General of Highways (DGH) said on Friday it would subsidize bus operators in southern Taiwan by giving them NT$630 million (US$19 million) to provide bus services to some of the nation's remotest areas. The announcement came after five bus companies in the south threatened to cease operations if the government failed to fully compensate them for their losses. They had said they would stop servicing 150 routes starting on Dec. 22. DGH Director General James Chen (陳晉源) said on Friday records showed the bus operators had only applied to terminate operations on 89 routes. Service could only be stopped seven months after approval of an application, he said. Chen said the directorate has raised the subsidy this year from NT$530 million to NT$630 million. The sum fell short of bus operators' hopes of receiving NT$890 million. The directorate will sit down with bus operators on Tuesday to look for solutions.
■ EVENTS
Aboriginal exhibit opens
The Ilan County Government yesterday opened a two-day exhibition to demonstrate the county's achievements in helping Aborigines develop production industries. The exhibition is being held at the Ilan County Cultural Center and an adjoining plaza. It features more than 30 stalls presenting various aspects of the lives of Aborigines. Some of the stalls display farm products and handicrafts produced by Aborigines, while others feature Atayal delicacies. County government officials said the exhibition is intended to create sales opportunities for Aborigines and increase the competitiveness of their products in the hope of creating jobs and improving their livelihoods.
■ CONSERVATION
Fishing vessel flouts ban
Coast guard officers boarded a fishing boat on Friday night and discovered a whale shark that had been cut up into several pieces, a spokesman for the Eastern Coastal Patrol Office said yesterday in Taitung County. Although whale sharks are not on the list of protected animals, the Fisheries Agency began to limit the number of whale sharks that can be caught in 2001 after discovering that whale shark numbers off the eastern coast had dropped off dramatically as a result of overfishing. An annual quota was set that year, which has since been reviewed and adjusted where necessary. This year, the whale shark hunting quota was set at 30, half last year's level. The spokesman said that this year's quota was reached in July. A ban on whale shark fishing came into effect on Nov. 1 and will remain in place until the end of this year, he said.
■ FOOD
Bones found in US beef
The Department of Health said yesterday that two bone fragments were found in a shipment of imported US beef, marking the third such case within the last two weeks. Hsieh Ting-hung (謝定宏), deputy director of the department's Bureau of Food Safety, said the beef was from Colorado-based Swift Beef Co, which has been banned by the department from shipping its products to Taiwan since Nov. 27. However, he said that as the beef in question was already on its way to Taiwan in the middle of last month, the department accepted the application for inspection from the Taipei importer. The two pieces of bone fragments measured 2.4cm and 4.8cm, Hsieh said, adding that the importer will now have to send back or destroy the shipment. Two bone fragments were also found in a Swift Beef Co shipment late last month.
CARGO LOSS: About 50 containers at the stern of the ‘Ever Lunar’ cargo ship went overboard, prompting the temporary closure of the port and disrupting operations Evergreen Marine Corp, Taiwan’s largest container shipper, yesterday said that all crew members aboard the Ever Lunar (長月) were safe after dozens of containers fell overboard off the coast of Peru the previous day. The incident occurred at 9:40am on Friday as the Ever Lunar was anchored and waiting to enter the Port of Callao when it suddenly experienced severe rolling, Evergreen said in a statement. The rolling, which caused the containers to fall, might have been caused by factors including a tsunami triggered by an earthquake in Russia, poor winter sea conditions in South America or a sudden influx of waves,
The Ministry of Culture yesterday officially launched the “We TAIWAN” cultural program on Osaka’s Nakanoshima sandbank, with the program’s mascot receiving overwhelming popularity. The cultural program, which runs from Aug. 2 to 20, was designed to partner with and capitalize on the 2025 World Expo that is being held in Osaka, Japan, from April 13 to Oct. 13, the ministry said. On the first day of the cultural program, its mascot, a green creature named “a-We,” proved to be extremely popular, as its merch was immediately in high demand. Long lines formed yesterday for the opening
The Taipei Summer Festival is to begin tomorrow at Dadaocheng Wharf (大稻埕), featuring four themed firework shows and five live music performances throughout the month, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said today. The festival in the city’s Datong District (大同) is to run until Aug. 30, holding firework displays on Wednesdays and the final Saturday of the event. The first show is scheduled for tomorrow, followed by Aug. 13, 20 and 30. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Disney Pixar's movie Toy Story, the festival has partnered with Walt Disney Co (Taiwan) to host a special themed area on
BE CAREFUL: The virus rarely causes severe illness or death, but newborns, older people and those with medical conditions are at risk of more severe illness As more than 7,000 cases of chikungunya fever have been reported in China’s Guangdong Province this year, including 2,892 new cases last week, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday said it is monitoring the situation and considering raising the travel notice level, which might be announced today. The CDC issued a level 1 travel notice, or “watch,” for Guangdong Province on July 22, citing an outbreak in Foshan, a manufacturing hub in the south of the province, that was reported early last month. Between July 27 and Saturday, the province reported 2,892 new cases of chikungunya, reaching a total of 7,716
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