TRAVEL
Japan No. 1 destination
Japan is the most popular destination among Taiwanese planning their upcoming summer vacation, a survey released on Tuesday by Hong Kong-based travel platform Klook showed. Among the top attractions in Japan is Warner Bros Studio Tour Tokyo — The Making of Harry Potter, which is set to open tomorrow, Klook said. It is to be the largest indoor Harry Potter attraction in the world and the first Warner Bros Studio Tour in Asia. Other attractions include Shibuya Sky, an observation area 229m above the bustling city of Shibuya, and teamLab Planets Tokyo, an art facility touting immersive experiences, it said. Driving holidays have also become popular, with top destinations including Okinawa and Hokkaido, it said. The other countries in the top three destinations were Thailand and South Korea, Klook said. Taiwanese have also shown a particular interest in visiting the US, France, Italy and the UK, it said.
TRAVEL
Cathay to resume Nagoya flights
Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific Airways yesterday said it would resume direct flights between Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and Nagoya in Japan on Oct. 29, with booking available now. The flights would use Airbus A330-300 aircraft, the airline said. They would be offered daily, except for Nov. 4, 8, 10, 13, 21, 23, 29, and Dec. 1, 5, 7 and 11, it said. Flights on the route were halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, along with suspensions of the airline’s Taoyuan-Tokyo (Narita) and Taoyuan-Osaka flights. The latter routes resumed on May 1 and June 1 respectively.
HEALTH
Students infected with flu
A total of 49 students at two military academies in Kaohsiung have been infected with influenza A since the beginning of this month, the Kaohsiung Department of Health said on Tuesday. The students only have mild symptoms, it said. Thirty-four of the cases were reported at the Republic of China (ROC) Air Force Academy and 15 at the ROC Military Academy, the department said. The students had recently taken part in activities in preparation for the Military Academy anniversary celebration tomorrow. Chung Cheng Armed Forces Preparatory School in Kaohsiung also reported a cluster infection earlier this month, with 65 students testing positive for influenza A as of June 8. The school closed for a week and switched to remote teaching the same day.
SOCIETY
Suicides hit three-year high
Suicides in Taiwan hit a three-year high of 3,787 last year, figures released on Monday by the Ministry of Health and Welfare showed. It was the first increase since 2017. Ministry official Chen Liang-yu (陳亮妤) said many factors could cause someone to take their own life, such as Internet use, family conflicts or mental illness. Global studies have also shown that teenagers are prone to risks of suicide if their parents have separated, or are in protracted familial feuds, she said, adding that the department would meet with city and county governments nationwide to introduce a call-in system between schools and local health departments. There were 16.2 suicides for every 100,000 people last year, the ministry said, making it the 12th-most common cause of death. The number of suicides among people aged 25 to 44 (1,096 suicides) and 65 or above (1,138 suicides) rose for the first time since 2019, while suicide was the second-most common cause of death among people aged 15 to 24 and 25 to 44, it said.
Three passengers and the assailant were reportedly injured in a knife attack on the Taichung MRT on Tuesday. The Rapid Transit Brigade of the Taichung Police Department is still investigating the incident, with no motive immediately apparent. Taichung Police Commissioner Lee Wen-chang (李文章) said that at least four people were injured in the attack, and the suspect has been taken into custody. The incident occurred at about 11:15am on a train car near Taichung City Hall Station. Witnesses reported seeing a man attacking others with a knife, while other passengers tried to grab his hair or fend him off with umbrellas. Three people were reportedly
‘OBNOXIOUS MAN’: The KMT’s Chen Ching-hui moved into Chung Chia-pin’s path atop the podium and reached for him before he grabbed at her legs with both hands Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chung Chia-pin (鍾佳濱) yesterday said he slipped and lost his balance, and did not know who was around him, after jumping onto the speaker’s podium at the legislature in Taipei. He apologized after a collision with Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chen Ching-hui (陳菁徽), who moved to intercept him as he mounted the podium. There was pushing and shoving when the session started in the morning as KMT lawmakers attempted to block access to the podium to shield Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) so he could preside over the session. Video footage showed Chung step on a chair and
While it is common to see bumper stickers informing other drivers about important information, such as “baby on board” or “rookie driver,” some motorist in Taiwan are using creative statements to warn other drivers to keep a safe distance to avoid a collision. A photograph recently circulating on the Internet showed a van in Changhua City with a bumper sticker saying that the driver received their license after taking the test three times, so it is dangerous to drive close to the vehicle. The person who took the photograph said all vehicles behind the van appeared to “subconsciously” maintaining a safe distance. Some
Taipei police on Saturday arrested 24 female Thai tourists on suspicion of working as hostesses and engaging in illegal activities at an underground bar in Zhongshan District (中山), the distict’s police precinct said in a statement yesterday. The police also arrested five other people involved in the operation, including the 29-year-old bar owner surnamed Chiang (蔣), and 17 customers, the statement said. The 24 Thai women were fined an undisclosed amount in accordance with the Social Order Maintenance Act (社會秩序維護法) by the police and transferred to a National Immigration Agency (NIA) special brigade in Taipei for repatriation to Thailand. The cases of