SOCIETY
More people receiving aid
An additional 330,000 people have gained access to financial aid from the government over the past 18 months, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday. The new beneficiaries include 75,742 people from low-income households and 262,562 people from near-poor families, according to statistics compiled by the ministry’s Department of Social Affairs. In total, 614,432 people, from 224,018 households, are now eligible for public assistance, accounting for 2.63 percent of the population, up from 1.19 percent in June 2011, the month before the amended Public Assistance Act (社會救助法) was implemented. Under the revised act, the poverty line was raised, assistance was expanded to near-poor households (families whose average income is less than 1.5 times the minimum cost of living), and eligibility requirements for aid were eased. According to the ministry, 11.93 percent of the nation’s citizens are now covered by welfare programs, demonstrating that most economically disadvantaged people have access to aid.
TOURISM
Bureau mulls hotel plan
The Tourism Bureau said yesterday it is considering requiring members of Chinese tour groups in Taiwan to stay at a star-rated hotel for at least one night, in an effort to improve their accommodation experience. The plan, which could take effect in April, is aimed at discouraging popular low-budget tours that provide poor quality accommodation, the bureau said. In the initial stages of the plan, the accommodation requirements would not be mandatory, but travel agencies that book star-rated hotels will find it easier to obtain government approval for their tours, it said. The bureau also announced plans to limit the number of shopping trips and the time allocated for them in group tours for Chinese tourists.
TRAVEL
Subsidies to be reviewed
Executive Yuan officials said a cross-agency task force will be formed to review the pros and cons of the existing “national travel card” subsidy program and a decision on the program’s fate is to be made by the end of the year. The program was launched in 2003 as part of government efforts to revitalize the local tourism industry, which was one of the sectors hardest hit by the deadly Sept. 21, 1999, earthquake. The government has spent about NT$7 billion (US$240.55 million) financing the program for public-sector employees, under which civil servants can receive a maximum NT$16,000 in domestic travel subsidy a year. As the program has experienced some irregularities, many critics have been pushing for its abolishment.
DEVELOPMENT
Military boosts airport plan
The military has agreed to give up some of the land it occupies at Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) in support of the government’s airport expansion plan, Minister of Transportation and Communications Mao Chi-kuo (毛治國) said yesterday. The Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) achieved its goal of positioning the airport as a hub for domestic, northeast Asian and cross-Taiwan Strait flights last year, Mao said, adding that the CAA will now work with the Taipei City Government to develop the land near the airport. According to the expansion program proposed by the CAA, the government is planning to invest between NT$30 billion and NT$40 billion to build a five-hectare commercial area around the airport. The project has attracted significant interest from local firms and investors, Mao said.
Organizing one national referendum and 26 recall elections targeting Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators could cost NT$1.62 billion (US$55.38 million), the Central Election Commission said yesterday. The cost of each recall vote ranges from NT$16 million to NT$20 million, while that of a national referendum is NT$1.1 billion, the commission said. Based on the higher estimate of NT$20 million per recall vote, if all 26 confirmed recall votes against KMT legislators are taken into consideration, along with the national referendum on restarting the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant, the total could be as much as NT$1.62 billion, it said. The commission previously announced
Restaurants in New Taipei City, Hsinchu City and Hsinchu County are to be included in the Michelin Guide’s review for the first time this year, alongside existing entries from Taipei, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung, the France-based culinary publication said yesterday. This year’s edition of the Michelin Guide Taiwan is to be unveiled on Aug. 19 in Taipei. In addition to the coveted star ratings, Michelin Taiwan would announce its “Bib Gourmand” selections — a distinction awarded to establishments offering high-quality food at moderate prices — on Aug. 12. This year’s Bib Gourmand list would also feature restaurants in New Taipei City, Hsinchu
A firefighter yesterday died after falling into New Taipei City's Xindian River when a rescue dinghy capsized during a search mission for a man who was later found dead. The New Taipei City Fire Department said that it received a report at 4:12pm that a 50-year-old man, surnamed Chen (陳), had fallen into the river. A 32-year-old firefighter, surnamed Wu (吳), was among the rescuers deployed to look for Chen, the fire department said, adding that he and five other rescue personnel were in the dinghy when it capsized. Wu had no vital signs after being pulled from the water to the
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday welcomed NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte’s remarks that the organization’s cooperation with Indo-Pacific partners must be deepened to deter potential threats from China and Russia. Rutte on Wednesday in Berlin met German Chancellor Friedrich Merz ahead of a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of Germany’s accession to NATO. He told a post-meeting news conference that China is rapidly building up its armed forces, and the number of vessels in its navy outnumbers those of the US Navy. “They will have another 100 ships sailing by 2030. They now have 1,000 nuclear warheads,” Rutte said, adding that such
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