■ENVIRONMENT
Dust storm effects recede
Air quality across the nation has returned to normal, suggesting that the effects of a dust storm from China has lessened, the Environmental Protection Administration said yesterday. Chu Yu-chi (朱雨其), director-general of the Environmental Monitoring and Information Management unit, said observation stations nationwide have recorded safe atmospheric particle levels, thanks mainly to recent heavy rainfall. However, in Kinmen and Matsu, a higher volume of dust particles was recorded, Chu said. Particle levels also remain slightly higher than normal in several regions of northern Taiwan such as Guanyin (觀音), Wanli (萬里) and Shilin (士林), Chu said.
■ ENVIRONMENT
Premier calls for monitoring
Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) yesterday ordered government agencies to step up monitoring of water management in southern Taiwan, after reports that the Kaohsiung and Tainan areas could face water shortages if the current dry spell continues. Although the situation in northern Taiwan has eased after recent rainfalls, Wu said Kaohsiung and Tainan could see problems with their water supplies starting in June. Ministry of Economic Affairs officials said normal water supplies in the two areas could be affected if the amount of rainfall fails to reach 40 percent of the annual average by the end of June. Wu also ordered authorities to take full anti-flooding precautions as the typhoon season approaches. Cultivation of rice for the first harvest in some central and southern counties has been suspended to save water.
■ SOCIETY
‘Night Market Life’ fined
The National Communications Commission recently fined Formosa Television’s (FTV) Night Market Life (夜市人生) NT$420,000 for violating television ratings regulations. An independent content review panel recommended the penalty, said Jason Ho (何吉森), director of the communication contents department. Ho said an episode that aired on Dec. 30 last year showed a boy being robbed by three other children, who also stole his pants. The boy later questioned his classmates to find out who the robbers were. “The scenario was similar to the way gangsters settle disputes,” Ho said. “The violence and terror displayed in the episode essentially infringed upon regulations on programming content for general audiences, as well as parental guidance ratings, and may serve as a bad influence for both children and young people.”
■ HEALTH
DOH reveals new premiums
Department of Health (DOH) Minister Yaung Chih-liang (楊志良) yesterday said that premiums for a second-generation National Health Insurance (NHI) program based on total household income would be between 2.57 percent and 3.06 percent. This was the first time the DOH had revealed details of the proposed program, which is expected to be introduced within two years. Earlier this month, Yaung said the premiums would be between 3 percent and 4 percent. At a legislative committee meeting, he presented 16 versions of plans for the program. Yaung said that under any of the versions, about 60 percent of households would enjoy lower health insurance premiums, with 40 percent of singles paying lower rates. The proposal’s lowest premium — for a total annual household income of at least NT$150,000 — is 2.57 percent. He said the rate couldn’t be lower because the government is required to pay for 30 percent of total medical expenses and no reserve fund is allocated.
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
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
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
WARNING: Domestic coffee producers mainly grow arabica beans, as they self-pollinate, but they are more likely to have consistency issues, an expert said Taiwan ranks third in coffee consumption per capita in Asia, the latest Ministry of Agriculture data showed. Taiwanese consume 1.77kg, or 177 cups of coffee, per person each year, less only than Japan and South Korea, at 600 cups and 400 cups respectively, the ministry’s Tea and Beverage Research Station said. Although the nation mainly relies on imported coffee, there has been an increase in home-grown coffee bean production, the ministry said. Cuttings and other techniques are commonly used to ensure domestic beans have stronger floral and fruity flavors, it said. It is a fast-expanding market with Taiwan’s coffee consumption
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