The Yilan County Government is calling for donations to allow children from economically disadvantaged families to attend this year’s Yilan International Folklore and Folkgame Festival (YIFFF). \n“The idea actually came from Internet users who like the festival and wanted to help more children — especially those who may not be able to afford admission to the event — to visit the festival,” Yilan County Department of Social Affairs Director Shao Chih-chi (邵治綺) said. \nThe county government decided to ask for donations instead of paying for the children because of financial shortfalls created after the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)-dominated County Council cut NT$80 million (US$2 million) earmarked for the festival and the central government only gave NT$2 million of the NT$55 million budget that the county government originally requested. \n“Donations will be used to pay for tickets for children from economically disadvantaged families within the county, and we will look for sponsors to cover for their meals,” Shao said. \nAny Yilan County resident under the age of 18 entitled to low-income family certificates issued by the county government may enter the festival park before 10am on July 29 for free, she said. \n“We will take donations all the way up to July 23,” she said, adding that anyone who wishes to help should contact Mr Lai at the Social Affairs Department on (03) 932-8822 ext. 210. \nDozens of performing art troupes have participated in the annual event since its debut in 1996. \nHowever, former Yilan county commissioner Lu Kuo-hua (呂國華) cancelled the event in 2008 and last year, saying it was not financially viable.
SPEEDING ELETRIC VEHICLES: Available without license requirements, the low-cost vehicles, especially if illicitly modified, can often reach a dangerous speed The government should crack down on illegal electric bicycles and scooters, the non-profit Consumers’ Foundation said on Friday, citing research on the potentially dangerous speed of the vehicles. Electric bicycles and lightweight electric scooters have gained popularity as they do not require registration and riders do not need licenses, the foundation said, adding that as many as 40 percent of them can reach speeds exceeding the legal limit of 25kph for non-licensed two-wheelers. Some consumers also purchased legal electric vehicles and modified them to reach higher speeds, it said. “If the government does not step up efforts to confiscate these
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A Belgian man who tested positive for COVID-19 in Taiwan last week is likely to have contracted the disease in Taipei in late June, National Taiwan University (NTU) College of Public Health vice dean Tony Chen (陳秀熙) said yesterday. The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) on Saturday reported that the man, who is in his 20s, came to Taiwan for work on May 3 and tested positive on Wednesday last week as he was about to depart. The man in March reported loss of taste and smell, the center said, adding that he worked in Changhua County, but visited Taipei several times,
NEW CASE REPORTED: A man who returned from South Africa on a flight with the nation’s 460th and 461st cases has now tested positive for the disease The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday said that there is no need to test all arrivals to the nation for COVID-19, a policy the Executive Yuan supports. The center reported one new imported case, bringing the nation’s tally of confirmed cases to 477. The new case is a Taiwanese man in his 60s who on July 25 returned from South Africa, said Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥), who is also the CECC’s spokesman. The man had returned to Taiwan on the same flight as cases Nos. 460 and 461, reported on July 27, Chuang said. On July 24,
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