SOCIETY
Hu hails Taiwan Tower
Taiwan Tower will become the brightest spot in Greater Taichung, Taichung Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強) said yesterday, adding the structure would be “a spot bright enough for the whole world to see.” Speaking after a briefing by officials from the city’s Urban Development Department, Hu said the tower would be like the sun and the city’s many districts surrounding the tower would be like the planets. Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto will design the Taiwan Tower after his “21st Century Oasis” entry won first prize in the Taiwan Tower International Competition. Fujimoto’s entry was inspired by the intertwined trunk of the banyan tree and the shape of the country. It will be complemented by a museum and an exhibition space, as well as a green rooftop floating 300m above the city. Hu said the building’s revolutionary concept has attracted a lot of attention internationally. The tower is set to be completed in 2017 and has a budget of NT$6.59 billion (US$218.47 million).
SOCIETY
Maokong Gondola checked
The Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC) said on Sunday that the Maokong Gondola was set to undergo routine mechanical checkups from yesterday through Dec. 15. The company said the checkup was in compliance with the cable company POMA’s handbook, which specifies that an annual mechanical checkup of 11 days is needed to ensure passenger safety. The checkup will be completed in time for the system to accommodate the large crowds that are expected to use the system during Christmas, New Year’s Eve and the Lunar New Year holiday season, the officials said. Mechanics from POMA will provide on-site guidance to help the TRTC’s mechanics, the firm said.
CHARITY
Man donates 166 blood bags
Taiwanese businessman Chen Tse-jen (陳澤人) has donated 166 bags of blood since he moved to Shanghai in 2003, making him the top blood donor in the Chinese city, the Shanghai Morning Post said on Friday. The paper said that the total amount of blood he has donated is equivalent to 40 times that required for a full blood transfusion. Moreover, the paper reported, on Thursday, Chen donated his 200th bag of platelets — blood cells that help control bleeding — in China. Including donations made in Taiwan, Chen has given a total of 615 bags of platelets. The 58-year-old Chen said that visits to the hospital as a child made him realize the importance of blood donations. As a child he was very sick, Chen said, and he saw how a shortage of blood caused great anxiety among the families of patients. Besides helping others, Chen added, giving blood allowed him to check up on his health as well.
SOCIETY
Taiwan win disc medals
Taiwan grabbed a silver medal and a bronze on Sunday in the finals of a flying disc tournament in Greater Kaohsiung. The final of this year’s World Flying Disc Federation Asia Oceanic Ultimate Championships, which included an open division and a mixed division, took place at the city’s National Stadium. In the mixed division, Taiwan came third, defeating Singapore 16-8. However, in the open division, even though Taiwan scored the first point, the team could not stay consistent against a Japanese team, who took the gold medal with a final score of 17-9. Japan bagged gold in both the open and the mixed divisions. The competition was held from Thursday through Sunday with teams from nine countries.
INCREASED CAPACITY: The flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays would leave Singapore in the morning and Taipei in the afternoon Singapore Airlines is adding four supplementary flights to Taipei per week until May to meet increased tourist and business travel demand, the carrier said on Friday. The addition would raise the number of weekly flights it operates to Taipei to 18, Singapore Airlines Taiwan general manager Timothy Ouyang (歐陽漢源) said. The airline has recorded a steady rise in tourist and business travel to and from Taipei, and aims to provide more flexible travel arrangements for passengers, said Ouyang, who assumed the post in July last year. From now until Saturday next week, four additional flights would depart from Singapore on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Taiwan’s three major international carriers are increasing booking fees, with EVA Airways having already increased the charge to US$28 per flight segment from US$25, while China Airlines (CAL) and Starlux Airlines are set to follow suit. Booking fees are charged by airlines through a global distribution system (GDS) and passed on to passengers. Carriers that apply the fees include CAL, EVA, Starlux and Tigerair Taiwan. A GDS is a computerized network operated by a company that connects airlines with travel agents and ticketing platforms, allowing reservations to be made and processed in real time. Major players include Amadeus, Sabre and Travelport. EVA Air began
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat
When Paraguayan opposition lawmaker Leidy Galeano returned from an all-expenses-paid tour of six Chinese cities late last year, she was convinced Paraguay risked missing out on major economic gains by sticking with longtime ally Taipei over Beijing — a message that participants on the trip heard repeatedly from Chinese officials. “Everything I saw there, I wanted for my country,” said Galeano, a member of the newly-formed Yo Creo party whose senior figures have spoken favorably about China. This trip and others like it — which people familiar with the visits said were at the invitation of the Chinese consulate in Sao Paulo
RSS