MUSIC FESTIVAL
Dadaocheng traffic restricted
Traffic is to be restricted today ahead of a fireworks display as part of an annual music festival in Taipei’s Dadaocheng (大稻埕) area, the event’s Web site said. Vehicles will from 6pm to 11pm be prohibited from entering an area flanked to the north by Liangzhou Street, to the east by Yanping N Road and Tacheng Street, and to the south by Changan W and Zhongxiao W roads, the Web site said. During those hours, vehicles will also be prohibited from heading west on Minsheng W Road, Nanjing W Road and Changan W Road past their intersections with Chongqing N Road. Partial restrictions will be in effect for vehicles traveling south on Yanping N Road past the Minquan W Road intersection, the map showed. Vehicles will also be restricted from heading west on Minsheng W Road past the Chengde Road intersection from 8:40pm to 9:50pm, the Web site said. Taipei police said that the exit and entry ramps on the Huanhe Expressway and Civic Boulevard near the event would also see restrictions. The fireworks are to last from 8:15pm to 8:30pm.
MUSIC
Orchestra plays ‘Potter’ track
The Harry Potter Film Concert Series is coming to the National Concert Hall in Taipei from Sept. 27 to Sept. 29 and on Dec. 2, organizer Management of New Arts said. The Evergreen Symphony Orchestra and Taiwan National Choir are perform John Williams’ original score live while movies from the Harry Potter series are shown on a 12m screen, the organizer said in the statement. The orchestra is to accompany Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone on Sept. 27 and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets on Sept. 28 and Sept. 29, it said. On Dec. 2, the orchestra will accompany Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the third film of the franchise, it added. Tickets for the concerts went on sale at noon yesterday on the ERA Ticket Web site, the organizer said.
TRANSPORTATION
Kaohsiung MRT to expand
Construction work on an extension of the Kaohsiung MRT connecting the Gangshan South and Gangshan MRT stations in western Kaohsiung could start before the end of the year, the Kaohsiung Mass Rapid Transit Bureau said. Submissions from two bidders for the 1.46km section at the north end of the red line are to be reviewed by the end of the month, the bureau said. Bureau deputy head Wu Chia-chang (吳嘉昌) said it would evaluate the bids based on several criteria, stressing quality control rather than price. The extension is to cost an estimated NT$1.8 billion (US$58.4 million) and ground-level construction for the first phase of work is to take two years, the bureau said. The second phase is to see the installation of power supply and mechanical systems, as well as further extension of the line into the city’s Lujhu (蘆竹) and Hunei (湖內) districts, Wu said.
EARTHQUAKES
Magnitude 4.8 hits Nantou
A magnitude 4.8 earthquake jolted central Taiwan at 6:09pm yesterday, according to the Central Weather Bureau. The hypocenter of the earthquake was about 34.6km east of Nantou County Hall at a depth of 16.8km, the bureau’s Seismology Center said. The intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in the county’s Guosing Township (國姓), where it measured 4 on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale. Some areas in Taichung, Changhua and Chiayi could also feel the earthquake, with intensities of 2 to 3.
A preclearance service to facilitate entry for people traveling to select airports in Japan would be available from Thursday next week to Feb. 25 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC) said on Tuesday. The service was first made available to Taiwanese travelers throughout the winter vacation of 2024 and during the Lunar New Year holiday. In addition to flights to the Japanese cities of Hakodate, Asahikawa, Akita, Sendai, Niigata, Okayama, Takamatsu, Kumamoto and Kagoshima, the service would be available to travelers to Kobe and Oita. The service can be accessed by passengers of 15 flight routes operated by
Chinese spouse and influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China videos that threaten national security, the National Immigration Agency confirmed today. Guan Guan has said many controversial statements in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” and expressing hope for expedited reunification. The agency last year received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification. After verifying the reports, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and explain her actions. Guan
GIVE AND TAKE: Blood demand continues to rise each year, while fewer young donors are available due to the nation’s falling birthrate, a doctor said Blood donors can redeem points earned from donations to obtain limited edition Formosan black bear travel mugs, the Kaohsiung Blood Center said yesterday, as it announced a goal of stocking 20,000 units of blood prior to the Lunar New Year. The last month of the lunar year is National Blood Donation Month, when local centers seek to stockpile blood for use during the Lunar New Year holiday. The blood demand in southern Taiwan — including Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Taitung counties — is about 2,000 units per day, the center said. The donation campaign aims to boost
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) said a magnitude 4.9 earthquake that struck off the coast of eastern Taiwan yesterday was an independent event and part of a stress-adjustment process. The earthquake occurred at 4:47pm, with its epicenter at sea about 45.4km south of Yilan County Hall at a depth of 5.9km, the CWA said. The quake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in several townships in Yilan and neighboring Hualien County, where it measured 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the CWA said. Lin Po-yu (林柏佑), a division chief at the CWA's Seismological Center, told a news conference
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