TRANSPORTATION
No change in TPass price
Despite an expected increase in electricity rates next month, the price of the TPass is to remain unchanged, Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) said yesterday in Taipei. For example, the “Taipei-New Taipei-Keelung-Taoyuan” TPass will still be priced at NT$1,200 (US$37.55), even if fares on certain public transport systems were to increase, Wang said, adding that a special government budget would cover potential deficits. Electricity accounts for about 10 percent of the operating costs of Taiwan Railway Corp and Taiwan High-Speed Rail, he said. Discussions are under way about potential increases for Taiwan Railway and intercity bus ticket prices, which have not changed for 28 years and 18 years respectively, he said. The government is expected to partly subsidize medium to long-haul trips for both services, while potential losses from short-haul trips would be covered by revenue generated by the TPass scheme, he said.
LOTTERY
Millions in prizes unclaimed
Two prizes for NT$10 million and four for NT$2 million have not yet been claimed since the winning numbers for the November-December invoice lottery draw was announced, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. One of the NT$10 million winning receipts was food purchases of NT$144 at a 7-Eleven in New Taipei City’s Tamsui District (淡水), while the other was for cigarettes costing NT$125 at a FamilyMart in Changhua County’s Puyan Township (埔鹽), the ministry said. The eight-digit serial number that won the NT$10 million special prize was 63603594, while the serial number for the NT$2 million grand prize draw was 73155944. The winners have until May 6 to claim their prizes.
SOCIETY
Youth protection mulled
Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) on Thursday ordered a review of proposals to establish a special agency to protect children and young people. Chen has instructed Cabinet Secretary-General Li Men-yen (李孟諺) to hold meetings with representatives from government bodies to discuss the matter, Cabinet spokesman Lin Tze-luen (林子倫) told a news conference. The Ministry of Health and Welfare should conduct a comprehensive review of the placement process for children in foster care, procedures for handling child abuse, and clearly delineate the responsibilities of central and local governments, Chen said. The ministry said in a news release that the role of competent local authorities in charge of social affairs needs to be strengthened, including the supervision of foster caregivers and the institutions they work with. Local governments should assess the necessity of adoption and arrange for the placement and care of children before their adoption, it said. They also need to review the frequency of visits to children in foster care by social workers and formulate guidelines to bolster supervision, it said.
ENVIRONMENT
Hotels to mark ‘Earth Hour’
Several hotel operators are to turn off their lights in public areas for an hour this evening in support of the annual “Earth Hour,” which aims to raise public awareness of environmental issues. LDC Hotel & Resorts Group said its hotels, including Palais de Chine Hotel and Fleur de Chine Hotel Sun Moon Lake, are to join the initiative. Sheraton Hsinchu Hotel said it has planned eco-friendly activities on weekends this month to help people incorporate environmental friendliness into their daily lives.
The Taipei Summer Festival is to begin tomorrow at Dadaocheng Wharf (大稻埕), featuring four themed firework shows and five live music performances throughout the month, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said today. The festival in the city’s Datong District (大同) is to run until Aug. 30, holding firework displays on Wednesdays and the final Saturday of the event. The first show is scheduled for tomorrow, followed by Aug. 13, 20 and 30. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Disney Pixar's movie Toy Story, the festival has partnered with Walt Disney Co (Taiwan) to host a special themed area on
Aftershocks from a magnitude 6.2 earthquake that struck off Yilan County at 3:45pm yesterday could reach a magnitude of 5 to 5.5, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Seismological Center technical officer Chiu Chun-ta (邱俊達) told a news conference that the epicenter of the temblor was more than 100km from Taiwan. Although predicted to measure between magnitude 5 and 5.5, the aftershocks would reach an intensity of 1 on Taiwan’s 7-tier scale, which gauges the actual effect of an earthquake, he said. The earthquake lasted longer in Taipei because the city is in a basin, he said. The quake’s epicenter was about 128.9km east-southeast
BE CAREFUL: The virus rarely causes severe illness or death, but newborns, older people and those with medical conditions are at risk of more severe illness As more than 7,000 cases of chikungunya fever have been reported in China’s Guangdong Province this year, including 2,892 new cases last week, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday said it is monitoring the situation and considering raising the travel notice level, which might be announced today. The CDC issued a level 1 travel notice, or “watch,” for Guangdong Province on July 22, citing an outbreak in Foshan, a manufacturing hub in the south of the province, that was reported early last month. Between July 27 and Saturday, the province reported 2,892 new cases of chikungunya, reaching a total of 7,716
STAY VIGILANT: People should reduce the risk of chronic liver inflammation by avoiding excessive alcohol consumption, smoking and eating pickled foods, the physician said A doctor last week urged people to look for five key warning signs of acute liver failure after popular producer-turned-entertainer Shen Yu-lin (沈玉琳) was reportedly admitted to an intensive care unit for fulminant hepatitis. Fulminant hepatitis is the rapid and massive death of liver cells, impairing the organ’s detoxification, metabolic, protein synthesis and bile production functions, which if left untreated has a mortality rate as high as 80 percent, according to the Web site of Advancing Clinical Treatment of Liver Disease, an international organization focused on liver disease prevention and treatment. People with hepatitis B or C are at higher risk of
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