POLITICS
Group says candidates fail
The Taiwan Alliance for Advancement of Youth Rights and Welfare yesterday said the candidates for the Nov. 27 special municipality elections lacked dedication to the welfare and development of Taiwan’s youth. The evaluation accompanied the release of the results of its evaluation of candidates’ election promises and youth-friendliness based on several criteria. Those included community involvement, cultural and recreational activities, employment policies and education and learning for those between ages 12 and 24, the civic group said only Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊) of the Democratic Progressive Party passed the test — just barely — while all the other candidates failed. “In general, the 11 candidates lack sincerity in improving conditions for youth and lack imagination in how to develop them,” alliance secretary-general Yeh Ta-hua (葉大華) said.
WEATHER
Warm temperatures forecast
Temperatures dropped to a low of 15.1°C in Chiayi City early yesterday, but the Central Weather Bureau forecast that temperatures would gradually rise as seasonal winds from the north will weaken over the next two days. The mercury in Tamsui (淡水), Taipei County, reached 15.7°C early yesterday. The bureau said temperatures across Taiwan were set to rise because of the weakening northeast monsoon, but reminded people in central and southern Taiwan to be aware of large differences between day and night temperatures. The bureau forecast that temperatures in northern and northeastern Taiwan would climb to a high of 24°C or 25°C over the next two days, while daytime temperatures in central and southern Taiwan will surge to between 27°C and 29°C. Nighttime temperatures will drop as low as 18°C or 19°C, it said.
TOURISM
Taitung County offers cash
Hoping to offset the impact of the closure of a major roadway to the area, the Taitung County Government said it would offer a cash incentive to travel agencies that bring over 1,000 tourists to the county this month. “The travel agencies will be given an award of NT$30,000 for bringing at least 1,000 visitors who stay one night, have two meals and visit three scenic spots in Taitung between Nov. 1 and Nov. 30,” Taitung County Commissioner Justin Huang (黃健庭) said. “The more people they bring, the higher the award they will receive.” Huang said his goal is to draw 300,000 tourists per month to the county, famous for its natural mountain and ocean landscapes, hot springs and Aboriginal cultures.
SOCIETY
World Expo pavilion returns
A pavilion featuring Taiwan’s natural landscape and culture has finished its stint in China as the World Expo in Shanghai comes to an end on the weekend. However, it will reappear in northern Taiwan next year. The Hsinchu City Government won a tender in September to purchase the pavilion, bidding almost NT$500 million (US$16.4 million). After it is disassembled and shipped to Taiwan, it will be reassembled in Hsinchu. It is expected to open to the public on Oct. 10. Taiwan External Trade Development Council Chairman Wang Chih-kang (王志剛) said the pavilion’s management team earned NT$160 million from the sky lantern-shaped pavilion after selling it to Hsinchu City. The money will be used to construct a more advanced exhibition hall in Taiwan, which he said Taiwan needed to remain on a “par” with venues in Shanghai and Beijing.
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
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
The government has issued a deportation order for a Spanish fugitive, ordering him to leave the country within 10 days, as he is wanted by European authorities for allegedly operating a car rental scam. National Immigration Agency (NIA) officials yesterday said Salvador Alejandro Llinas Onate, 48, had been notified that he must leave Taiwan, as he was wanted for committing serious crimes. The Spaniard has been indicted by Italian prosecutors for allegedly leading a 30 million euros (US$32.74 million) car rental scam and setting up a fraudulent company in Trento, Italy. The deportation order is based on Article 18 of
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