TRAVEL
S Korea extends free entry
South Korea is to extend a temporary visa-free entry program for visitors from Taiwan, Japan and Macau to Oct. 31, in hopes of attracting more tourists to a series of cultural events, local media reported yesterday. Originally scheduled to run from Aug. 4 to yesterday, the program led to a 97 percent sequential increase in the number of visitors from Taiwan, Japan and other countries last month, the Korean Broadcasting System reported, citing an official statement issued by the South Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. South Korea introduced the program ahead of this year’s Seoul Festa, which was held in the capital from Aug. 10 to 14, bringing the number of countries qualifying for visa-free entry this month to 107. The government decided to extend the measure in response to appeals from local governments and the tourism industry to boost international visitors to events scheduled for this and next month, including a BTS concert in Busan and other cultural events in Seoul, the report said.
WEATHER
Super typhoon brings rain
Parts of the nation were forecast to feel the effects of the periphery of Super Typhoon Hinnamnor from late yesterday to Saturday, but the storm is unlikely to directly impact the nation, the Central Weather Bureau said. The typhoon was expected to continue moving westward toward waters south of Japan’s Ryukyu Islands yesterday and linger there before veering northward toward Japan’s main islands and South Korea, the bureau said. However, a new tropical depression south of Hinnamnor is expected to develop into a tropical storm and move toward the typhoon, and the interaction between the two storms could cause Hinnamnor to veer south, it said. The bureau forecast that the storm would come closest to Taiwan tomorrow and on Saturday, as it lingers near the Ryukyu Islands.
CULTURE
Cloud Gate to hold free show
Cloud Gate Dance Theatre is to hold a free, open-air performance of 13 Tongues (十三聲) in front of Hsinchu City Hall on Saturday. The show, which starts at 7:30pm, is the sixth and final performance to be held as part of the city’s Summer Art Cultural Festival, Acting Hsinchu Mayor Chen Chang-hsian (陳章賢) said in a statement yesterday. 13 Tongues, which premiered in 2016, was created by Cloud Gate artistic director Cheng Tsun-lung (鄭宗龍) based on his childhood memories of the bustling street life in Taipei. Because rain from the outer bands of Typhoon Hinnamnor is forecast for Saturday, people planning to attend the event should check the Hsinchu City Cultural Affairs Bureau Web site to confirm whether the show would be held as scheduled.
ENVIRONMENT
Hair drive to clean oil spills
A non-profit group is launching a drive to collect hair trimmings and tights for use as sorbents in the event of an oil spill, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Tang Hui-jane (湯蕙禎) said yesterday, urging hair salons and tights manufacturers to join the drive. Tang said studies have shown that 1kg of human hair can absorb 8kg of oil. The collection drive is being launched today, ahead of World Cleanup Day on Sept. 17, which was started by Estonians to tackle the waste problem and create a more sustainable environment, DPP Legislator Lai Pin-yu (賴品妤) said. An art exhibition is also to be held at Taipei Xin Zhong Shan Park from Sept. 29 to Oct. 10 to showcase art works made from discarded hair, she said.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
Tropical Storm Fung-Wong would likely strengthen into a typhoon later today as it continues moving westward across the Pacific before heading in Taiwan’s direction next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 8am, Fung-Wong was about 2,190km east-southeast of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving westward at 25kph and possibly accelerating to 31kph, CWA data showed. The tropical storm is currently over waters east of the Philippines and still far from Taiwan, CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said, adding that it could likely strengthen into a typhoon later in the day. It is forecast to reach the South China Sea
RSS