■ ENERGY
Waste not wasted
The nation's 21 waste-to-energy plants collectively supply 120 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year, equal to 44 percent of the amount generated by the Third Nuclear Power Plant, Environmental Protection Administration officials said yesterday. The plants, which produce electricity by means of garbage combustion, have also helped to raise the country's garbage disposal rate from 76.97 percent in 1997 to 99.98 percent last year, the officials said.
■ CULTURE
Bedrooms on display
An exhibition featuring 65 miniature bedrooms furnished in styles from around the world opens today at the Miniatures Museum of Taiwan. The exhibits in the "My Sweet Bedroom" show were selected from 95 entries in a contest held by the Taipei City museum and include Western, Asian and Taiwanese-style bedrooms. Chen Jung-hui (陳蓉慧), winner of the Golden Prize in the general category, thanked the exhibition organizers in sign language for showing their appreciation of her work. Chen's piece uses flowers, exquisite furniture, a colorful roof and picturesque garden to present a fairytale-like romantic room. Expressing special thanks to the museum and his friends, Tsai Jun-jie (蔡俊杰), the co-winner of the Golden Prize in the student category, said he found inspiration out of nowhere. "I made the miniature work in my dreams while sleeping before the contest," he said. "After several failures and stops and starts, I am really delighted that I could finish my prize-winning piece," he said. The exhibition will run through June 15. The museum is open everyday except Mondays, from 10am to 6pm.
A tropical depression in waters east of the Philippines could develop into a tropical storm as soon as today and bring rainfall as it approaches, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, while issuing heat warnings for 14 cities and counties. Weather model simulations show that there are still considerable differences in the path that the tropical depression is projected to take. It might pass through the Bashi Channel to the South China Sea or turn northeast and move toward the sea south of Japan, CWA forecaster Yeh Chih-chun (葉致均) said, adding that the uncertainty of its movement is still high,
TAIWANESE INNOVATION: The ‘Seawool’ fabric generates about NT$200m a year, with the bulk of it sourced by clothing brands operating in Europe and the US Growing up on Taiwan’s west coast where mollusk farming is popular, Eddie Wang saw discarded oyster shells transformed from waste to function — a memory that inspired him to create a unique and environmentally friendly fabric called “Seawool.” Wang remembered that residents of his seaside hometown of Yunlin County used discarded oyster shells that littered the streets during the harvest as insulation for their homes. “They burned the shells and painted the residue on the walls. The houses then became warm in the winter and cool in the summer,” the 42-year-old said at his factory in Tainan. “So I was
THE TOUR: Pope Francis has gone on a 12-day visit to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore. He was also invited to Taiwan The government yesterday welcomed Pope Francis to the Asia-Pacific region and said it would continue extending an invitation for him to visit Taiwan. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs made the remarks as Pope Francis began a 12-day tour of the Asia-Pacific on Monday. He is to travel about 33,000km by air to visit Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore, and would arrive back in Rome on Friday next week. It would be the longest and most challenging trip of Francis’ 11-year papacy. The 87-year-old has had health issues over the past few years and now uses a wheelchair. The ministry said
Discounted 72-hour Taipei Metro passes are to be offered to China Airlines passengers until Feb. 28 next year, the airline announced today. China Airlines passengers may present their boarding pass for a discount of up to 34 percent when buying a Taipei Metro 72-hour unlimited travel pass. The offer is available to international travelers on international flights bound for Taipei. Within seven days of arrival, travelers can present their boarding pass, passport and proof of flight payment at an EZfly counter in Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport or Taoyuan MRT Taipei Main Station to obtain the discounted passes, the airline said. One 72-hour pass
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