RECREATION
Fulong to mark 22nd year
Fulong Beach, a seaside resort in the northeast tip, is inviting former lifeguards, staff and lunch-box sellers who worked there in 1957 to attend its 60th anniversary on Thursday next week. The Northeast and Yilan Coast National Scenic Area Administration made the call on Tuesday and published several old photographs of the beach. The beach in New Taipei City’s Gongliao District (貢寮) was formerly operated by the Taiwan Railways Administration before it was transferred to the Tourism Bureau branch. The agency and Fullon Hotels and Resorts are to hold joint activities to celebrate the anniversary.
SOCIETY
Memorial road opens
A path memorializing Yanfen (鹽分) area’s literary history was unveiled in the campus of Peimen Senior Agricultural and Industrial Vocational School in Tainan’s Jiali District (佳里) on Wednesday. During the Japanese colonial period, seven renowned writers of the Taiwan New Literature movement hailed from the area that was then known as the Hokumon District.The seven are celebrated by installation art pieces and plaques that were donated by alumni and friends of the school, with the 80m path built in the shape of a paint brush, school principal Chang Fu-hsiang (張福祥) said.
COMMUNICATION
NCC approves 2G plan
The National Communications Commission (NCC) on Wednesday approved plans by Chunghwa Telecom, Taiwan Telecom and Far EasTone Telecommunications to use part of the bandwidth in their 4G telecom network to offer 2G services until the end of August. The approval came as part of the government’s plan to help 2G service subscribers migrate seamlessly to 4G, as the government is to revoke 2G operating licenses after they expire on June 30. As of June 2, the nation had about 145,000 active 2G users, the commission said, adding that some of them are already using 4G SIM cards on 2G mobile phones. Among the 145,000 2G service subscribers, about 100,000 are individual account holders, it said.
HEALTH
Turkeys culled in Yunlin
A total of 1,811 turkeys were culled at a poultry farm in Yunlin County yesterday after it was found to be infected with the avian flu virus, the county’s Animal and Plant Disease Control Center said. The type of avian flu virus remained to be confirmed, the center said, adding that more than 50 turkeys died at the farm over the past three days. The center said there were sporadic cases at the farm early this month, but the owner did not report them to the authorities, failing to recognize the severity of the situation.
ENVIRONMENT
Temple cuts incense burners
Lungshan Temple (龍山寺) yesterday announced that it will reduce the number of incense burners from three to one starting today, in an effort to curb PM2.5 particulate emissions. The move means that worshipers will only have to burn one incense stick instead of placing several of them in different burners during their visits, effectively reducing the release of PM2.5 pollutants, temple authorities said. Worshipers will be advised to place their incense in the main burner for Guanyin, the goddess of mercy, before starting their visit during peak times, the temple said.
Taiwan yesterday expelled four China Coast Guard vessels that entered Taiwan-controlled restricted waters off Lienchiang County (Matsu) shortly after the Chinese People’s Liberation Army announced the start of its “Joint Sword-2024B” drills around Taiwan. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said in a statement that it had detected two China Coast Guard ships west of Nangan Island (南竿) and another two north of Dongyin Island (東引) at 8am yesterday. After Chinese ships sailed into restricted waters off Matsu shortly afterward, the CGA’s Kinmen-Matsu-Penghu Branch deployed four patrol vessels to shadow and approach the vessels, it said. The incidents pushed up to 44 the number
Renovations on the B3 concourse of Taipei Main Station are to begin on Nov. 1, with travelers advised to use entrances near the Taiwan Railway or high-speed rail platforms or information counter to access the MRT’s Red Line. Construction is to be completed before the end of next year, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp said last week. To reduce the impact on travelers, the NT$95 million (US$2.95 million) project is to be completed in four stages, it said. In the first stage, the hall leading to the Blue Line near the art exhibition area is to be closed from Nov. 1 to the end
Taipei’s Ximending (西門町) shopping area welcomed the most international visitors, followed by Taipei 101, Songshan Cultural and Creative Park and Yangmingshan National Park (陽明山國家公園), a list of the city’s most popular tourist attractions published by the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism showed. As of August, 69.22 million people had visited Taipei’s main tourism spots, a 76 percent increase from 39.33 million in the same period last year, department data showed. Ximending had 20.21 million visitors, followed by Taipei 101 at 8.09 million, Songshan Cultural and Creative Park at 6.28 million, Yangmingshan at 4.51 million and the Red House Theater (西門紅樓) in
WARNING: Domestic coffee producers mainly grow arabica beans, as they self-pollinate, but they are more likely to have consistency issues, an expert said Taiwan ranks third in coffee consumption per capita in Asia, the latest Ministry of Agriculture data showed. Taiwanese consume 1.77kg, or 177 cups of coffee, per person each year, less only than Japan and South Korea, at 600 cups and 400 cups respectively, the ministry’s Tea and Beverage Research Station said. Although the nation mainly relies on imported coffee, there has been an increase in home-grown coffee bean production, the ministry said. Cuttings and other techniques are commonly used to ensure domestic beans have stronger floral and fruity flavors, it said. It is a fast-expanding market with Taiwan’s coffee consumption
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