TRANSPORTATION
Monthly pass price mulled
Before April next year, a joint monthly pass is to be introduced for unlimited rides on the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system and buses in Taipei and New Taipei City. The pass is to also give passengers 30 minutes of free use of a YouBike within an hour of taking an MRT or bus journey, Taipei City Government Secretary-General Chang Jer-yang (張哲揚) said. The original purpose of the YouBike system was to help people get to their first transit point or to their final destination, Chang added. The price of the 30-day pass is still being negotiated and would be set by the end of the year, most likely at less than NT$2,000, Taipei Department of Transport Acting Director-General Chen Hsueh-tai (陳學台) said.
WEATHER
Winds bring air pollutants
Temperatures across the west of the nation early yesterday fell to about 20?C with the arrival of stronger northeasterly winds that also brought air pollutants, the Central Weather Bureau said. As of noon yesterday, the Air Quality Index was red in Kinmen County, and orange in Mailiao County, Yunlin’s Taisi Township (台西), Kaohsiung’s Zuoying (左營) and Matsu, the Environmental Protection Administration’s Taiwan Air Quality Monitoring Network said. Elsewhere, the index was either green or yellow, indicating good to fair air quality, the network said. Under the index, red means the air quality is unhealthy for everyone, while orange indicates it is dangerous for sensitive groups, such as young children, the elderly and people with chronic diseases. The winds are likely to affect the temperature until today. From tomorrow, it is expected to become warmer for a couple of days, the bureau said, but another wave of winds is due to arrive on Friday, causing temperatures to fall and bringing showers.
Taiwan is to have nine extended holidays next year, led by a nine-day Lunar New Year break, the Cabinet announced yesterday. The nine-day Lunar New Year holiday next year matches the length of this year’s holiday, which featured six extended holidays. The increase in extended holidays is due to the Act on the Implementation of Commemorative and Festival Holidays (紀念日及節日實施條例), which was passed early last month with support from the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party. Under the new act, the day before Lunar New Year’s Eve is also a national holiday, and Labor Day would no longer be limited
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
Costa Rica sent a group of intelligence officials to Taiwan for a short-term training program, the first time the Central American country has done so since the countries ended official diplomatic relations in 2007, a Costa Rican media outlet reported last week. Five officials from the Costa Rican Directorate of Intelligence and Security last month spent 23 days in Taipei undergoing a series of training sessions focused on national security, La Nacion reported on Friday, quoting unnamed sources. The Costa Rican government has not confirmed the report. The Chinese embassy in Costa Rica protested the news, saying in a statement issued the same
Temperatures in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) climbed past 37°C yesterday, as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued heat alerts for 16 municipalities, warning the public of intense heat expected across Taiwan. The hottest location in Taiwan was in Sindian, where the mercury reached 37.5°C at about 2pm, according to CWA data. Taipei’s Shilin District (士林) recorded a temperature of 37.4°C at noon, Taitung County’s Jinfeng Township (金峰) at 12:50 pm logged a temperature of 37.4°C and Miaoli County’s Toufen Township (頭份) reached 36.7°C at 11:40am, the CWA said. The weather agency yesterday issued a yellow level information notice for Taipei, New
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