SOCIETY
Peak ATM hours announced
The Consumer Protection Commission yesterday said peak hours for cash withdrawals from ATMs would be mornings and afternoons from today until Thursday, and advised customers to check with their banks on daily limits for withdrawals and transfers. The commission said the hours between 11am and 2pm, and 5pm and 7pm during the two days prior to the start of the Lunar New Year holiday, as well as the first two days of the New Year, would be peak hours for ATM use. People seeking to avoid standing in line should avoid these times. Customers should also avoid using ATMs they have never used before and keep the printed receipts in case the machine malfunctions.
TRANSPORTATION
Scooter statistics released
The area formerly known as Kaohsiung County ranked No. 1 in terms of the number of scooters per 100 residents last year, while Taipei posted the lowest number, according to a statement released by Directorate--General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics. Last year, for every 100 Kaohsiung County residents, there were 83 scooters on average, the statement said, which cited the Ministry of Transportation and Communications. Taipei reported a scooter ownership rate of 41.8 percent, the statistics showed. Meanwhile, more motor vehicles were registered last year, with scooters showing the biggest increase from a year earlier, the statistics showed. A total of 21.72 million motor vehicles were registered last year, up 1.6 percent from 2009. The number of scooters registered rose 1.7 percent to reach 14.85 million in the same period, the report said. Last year, 6.88 million cars and pickup trucks were registered, a 1.6 percent increase from the previous year.
Chinese spouse and influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China videos that threaten national security, the National Immigration Agency confirmed today.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 Kaohsiung Tourism Bureau audited six hotels in an effort to prevent price gouging ahead of Korean band BTS’ concert tour in the city scheduled for Nov. 19, 21 and 22 this year. The bureau on Friday said that the audits — conducted in response to allegations of unfair pricing posted on social media — found no wrongdoing. These establishments included the local branches of Chateau de Chine, Hotel Nikko, My Humble House, and Grand Hai Lai, it said, adding that the Consumer Protection Commission would have penalized price gougers had the accusations been substantiated. The bureau said the Tourism Development Act
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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