SOCIETY
Sinkhole prompts evacuation
Ten people who were placed in a hotel after a large sinkhole appeared in front of their homes in Taipei’s Xinyi District (信義) on Saturday might need to wait up to two weeks before they are allowed to return, the Taipei City Government said yesterday. A small sinkhole appeared on Chongde Street (崇德街) at about 2:50pm on Saturday, believed to have been caused by nearby construction work. However, the sinkhole grew to 15m long and 3m wide, with a depth of 3m, and became larger at about 5:20pm, the city government said. The incident led to the evacuation of 16 households living nearby due to safety concerns, although no injuries were reported, it said. The sinkhole has been filled, but several safety conditions must be met before the evacuated residents of five affected households are permitted to return home, Department of Urban Development head Wang Yu-fen (王玉芬) said. Xinyi District Administrator Chen Kuan-ling (陳冠伶) said that each evacuated resident would receive an emergency resettlement subsidy of NT$1,600 per day from the city government for up to seven days. Any additional costs would be paid by the construction firm, Chen said.
TRAVEL
Airport handles 10m trips
Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport had by Tuesday handled 10 million passenger trips so far this year, Taoyuan International Airport Corp said. The airport expects to handle 28 million passenger trips this year, which would be 58 percent of the 2019 level before the COVID-19 pandemic, company chairman Yang Wei-fuu (楊偉甫) said in a statement. Transport capacity at the airport grew 68.6 percent from an average of 21,000 passengers a day on Oct. 13 last year, when Taiwan reopened its borders and eased virus restrictions, to a daily average of 91,000 last month, he said. By the end of last month, the percentage of airport shops operating had also reached 79 percent of the 2019 level, he added.
AVIATION
EVA Airways wins five stars
EVA Airways Corp has been certified by airline-ranking company Skytrax as a five-star airline for the eighth consecutive year, making it the only carrier in Taiwan to win the honor, the airline announced on Thursday. Only 10 airlines received a five-star rating from Skytrax this year, EVA Airways said in a statement. The decision to award the eighth consecutive five-star rating to the carrier represents Skytrax’s recognition of the consistently superb service provided by its staff, company president Clay Sun (孫嘉明) said in a statement, adding that such awards motivate EVA Airways to continue improving its services to make passenger flights more comfortable. The other nine airlines to receive the five-star honor for this year were Singapore Airlines, All Nippon Airways, Japan Airlines, Korean Air, Asiana Airlines, Qatar Airways, Cathay Pacific, Hainan Airlines and Garuda Indonesia.
HEALTH
Premier tests positive
Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) canceled a planned public appearance yesterday after testing positive for COVID-19 on Saturday evening, acting Cabinet spokesman Lo Ping-cheng (羅秉成) said. Chen took a COVID-19 test after experiencing a cough and throat discomfort, Lo said, adding that his doctor has advised him to rest at home. Chen can report to work as usual by wearing a mask after his respiratory symptoms relieve, Lo quoted the doctor as saying.
A tropical depression in waters east of the Philippines could develop into a tropical storm as soon as today and bring rainfall as it approaches, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, while issuing heat warnings for 14 cities and counties. Weather model simulations show that there are still considerable differences in the path that the tropical depression is projected to take. It might pass through the Bashi Channel to the South China Sea or turn northeast and move toward the sea south of Japan, CWA forecaster Yeh Chih-chun (葉致均) said, adding that the uncertainty of its movement is still high,
TAIWANESE INNOVATION: The ‘Seawool’ fabric generates about NT$200m a year, with the bulk of it sourced by clothing brands operating in Europe and the US Growing up on Taiwan’s west coast where mollusk farming is popular, Eddie Wang saw discarded oyster shells transformed from waste to function — a memory that inspired him to create a unique and environmentally friendly fabric called “Seawool.” Wang remembered that residents of his seaside hometown of Yunlin County used discarded oyster shells that littered the streets during the harvest as insulation for their homes. “They burned the shells and painted the residue on the walls. The houses then became warm in the winter and cool in the summer,” the 42-year-old said at his factory in Tainan. “So I was
THE TOUR: Pope Francis has gone on a 12-day visit to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore. He was also invited to Taiwan The government yesterday welcomed Pope Francis to the Asia-Pacific region and said it would continue extending an invitation for him to visit Taiwan. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs made the remarks as Pope Francis began a 12-day tour of the Asia-Pacific on Monday. He is to travel about 33,000km by air to visit Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore, and would arrive back in Rome on Friday next week. It would be the longest and most challenging trip of Francis’ 11-year papacy. The 87-year-old has had health issues over the past few years and now uses a wheelchair. The ministry said
Discounted 72-hour Taipei Metro passes are to be offered to China Airlines passengers until Feb. 28 next year, the airline announced today. China Airlines passengers may present their boarding pass for a discount of up to 34 percent when buying a Taipei Metro 72-hour unlimited travel pass. The offer is available to international travelers on international flights bound for Taipei. Within seven days of arrival, travelers can present their boarding pass, passport and proof of flight payment at an EZfly counter in Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport or Taoyuan MRT Taipei Main Station to obtain the discounted passes, the airline said. One 72-hour pass
RSS