SOCIETY
Burn victims discharged
The New Taipei City Government said that 60 percent of the people who were hospitalized with burns sustained in a deadly fire at the Formosa Fun Coast (八仙海岸) water park on June 27 have been discharged. As of Tuesday, 316 of the 499 burn victims had been released from hospital and most of them had checked into rehabilitation centers, according to a city government health official. Among those discharged from hospital, only about 15 percent have been able to return home, the official said, adding that 171 burn victims are still hospitalized. In response to the city government’s efforts to help the victims return to their normal lives, 29 companies have offered 170 job opportunities to those who have recovered, the official said.
ENERGY
Trash generates NT$5.5bn
The nation’s 24 operating incinerators generated 3.187 billion kilowatts of electricity and NT$5.5 billion (US$167.4 million) in revenue last year, according to the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA). The EPA’s latest Incineration Facilities Performance Rating Report said the electricity produced by waste-to-energy programs nationwide is enough to supply 890,000 average families for one year. The incinerators used a portion of the energy and sold the remaining 2.481 billion kilowatts to Taipower for NT$5.5 billion, the report said. EPA Deputy Minister Chang Tzi-chin (張子敬) urged local governments to cooperate with the EPA’s attempts to adjust the waste disposal responsibilities of their incinerators, saying that incineration facilities are public property and “provincialism” should not hinder environmental policy.
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
Taiwanese indie band Sunset Rollercoaster and South Korean outfit Hyukoh collectively received the most nominations at this year’s Golden Melody Awards, earning a total of seven nods from the jury on Wednesday. The bands collaborated on their 2024 album AAA, which received nominations for best band, best album producer, best album design and best vocal album recording. “Young Man,” a single from the album, earned nominations for song of the year and best music video, while another track, “Antenna,” also received a best music video nomination. Late Hong Kong-American singer Khalil Fong (方大同) was named the jury award winner for his 2024 album
Hong Kong singer Eason Chan’s (陳奕迅) concerts in Kaohsiung this weekend have been postponed after he was diagnosed with Covid-19 this morning, the organizer said today. Chan’s “FEAR and DREAMS” concert which was scheduled to be held in the coming three days at the Kaohsiung Arena would be rescheduled to May 29, 30 and 31, while the three shows scheduled over the next weekend, from May 23 to 25, would be held as usual, Universal Music said in a statement. Ticket holders can apply for a full refund or attend the postponed concerts with the same seating, the organizer said. Refund arrangements would
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
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