TRANSPORT
Taipei taxis ranked 18th: poll
Taipei is home to the world’s 18th-best taxi service, according to an annual global survey on taxis recently conducted by online booking site Hotels.com. Taipei’s taxis came in well behind those of major cities like London and New York, and even emerging metropolises like Bogota and Mumbai. Taiwanese respondents ranked Taipei first in the world in terms of value, knowledge of roads, availability and friendliness. However, local residents did not rate Taipei taxis well in safety, quality of driving and cleanliness. From the driver’s seat, a majority of Taipei drivers said that they have a preference for customers from the US and the UK as they tend to leave bigger tips. Globally, London’s taxis were voted the world’s best, followed by New York, Tokyo and Berlin. The survey was based on responses from 2,683 people from 30 countries.
ENVIRONMENT
Pollution to affect air
The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) said yesterday that air pollutants from northern China could travel to Taiwan over the next two days as northeast monsoon winds pick up. The Central Weather Bureau forecast that the northeast monsoon would strengthen today and last until Tuesday, shifting smog and other air pollutants southward to affect air quality in Taiwan. People with cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, the elderly, and children should refrain from physical activities outdoors and should wear surgical masks to guard against pollution, the EPA said.
DEFENSE
Official’s son to serve
Deputy National Defense Minister-designate Andrew Hsia (夏立言) said his son will return to Taiwan as early as the end of this month to begin his military service, a move that should defuse criticism of his new appointment. Hsia Chi-hsuan (夏之璿), 32, is to return to Taipei at the end of the month or early next month and fulfill his military obligation, the career diplomat said on his arrival at Taoyuan International Airport on Friday evening from Jakarta, where he has served as Taiwan’s representative to Indonesia since 2009. Hsia said his work as a diplomat means that his son lived abroad for many years and that is why he has not served in the military. Military service of up to a year is mandatory for male adults in Taiwan. Hsia Chi-hsuan, who is reportedly employed in the US, will be exempt from the obligation if he stays abroad until he is 35, but his father came under political pressure after being named the new deputy defense minister last month.
TRADE
Free-trade delegation in US
Former vice president Vincent Siew (蕭萬長) yesterday led a delegation of business leaders and economic officials to visit the US to lobby for Taiwan’s inclusion in a regional free-trade grouping. The delegation is to hold several forums with major US business leaders, meet with US officials and drum up support for Taiwan’s bid to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). The TPP is a free-trade agreement currently being negotiated among 12 Pacific Rim countries. Taiwan’s inclusion is considered crucial for its exports to be competitive. During Siew’s visits to New York, Washington and San Francisco from yesterday to Nov. 27, he is to give two public speeches in New York and Washington on Taiwan-US trade relations and the nation’s determination to join the TPP.
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 2:23pm today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was 5.4 kilometers northeast of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 34.9 km, according to the CWA. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was the highest in Hualien County, where it measured 2 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 1 in Yilan county, Taichung, Nantou County, Changhua County and Yunlin County, the CWA said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
RSS