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.
A preclearance service to facilitate entry for people traveling to select airports in Japan would be available from Thursday next week to Feb. 25 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC) said on Tuesday. The service was first made available to Taiwanese travelers throughout the winter vacation of 2024 and during the Lunar New Year holiday. In addition to flights to the Japanese cities of Hakodate, Asahikawa, Akita, Sendai, Niigata, Okayama, Takamatsu, Kumamoto and Kagoshima, the service would be available to travelers to Kobe and Oita. The service can be accessed by passengers of 15 flight routes operated by
Chinese spouse and influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China videos that threaten national security, the National Immigration Agency confirmed today. Guan Guan has said many controversial statements in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” and expressing hope for expedited reunification. The agency last year received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification. After verifying the reports, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and explain her actions. Guan
GIVE AND TAKE: Blood demand continues to rise each year, while fewer young donors are available due to the nation’s falling birthrate, a doctor said Blood donors can redeem points earned from donations to obtain limited edition Formosan black bear travel mugs, the Kaohsiung Blood Center said yesterday, as it announced a goal of stocking 20,000 units of blood prior to the Lunar New Year. The last month of the lunar year is National Blood Donation Month, when local centers seek to stockpile blood for use during the Lunar New Year holiday. The blood demand in southern Taiwan — including Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Taitung counties — is about 2,000 units per day, the center said. The donation campaign aims to boost
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) said a magnitude 4.9 earthquake that struck off the coast of eastern Taiwan yesterday was an independent event and part of a stress-adjustment process. The earthquake occurred at 4:47pm, with its epicenter at sea about 45.4km south of Yilan County Hall at a depth of 5.9km, the CWA said. The quake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in several townships in Yilan and neighboring Hualien County, where it measured 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the CWA said. Lin Po-yu (林柏佑), a division chief at the CWA's Seismological Center, told a news conference
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