TRANSPORTATION
Platform ticket prices to rise
Taiwan Railway Corp (TRC) on Friday said that it has resumed the sale of platform tickets for all stations, with the price per ticket rising from NT$6 to NT$22. A platform ticket allows people to access TRC train station platforms, but they cannot board trains. They are useful for people who wish to pick up or drop off friends and family members. Sales for such tickets were discontinued at more than 170 stations in June 2013, except for five stations in Taichung and other places. The TRC said it resumed selling platform tickets on June 23, and that the tickets are available at station ticket counters or automated ticket machines. The NT$22 platform ticket allows entry for up to one hour. People who purchase a platform ticket and stay longer than one hour, but less than three hours would need to pay an additional NT$139 on top of the original ticket, the TRC said. If they stay for more than three hours, an additional NT$911 would be charged, it added.
Photo: CNA
SOCIETY
Man killed by dogs
The Ciaotou District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday said that a 76-year-old man surnamed Tsai (蔡), who was found dead on a beach in Kaohsiung after swimming in the ocean, was mauled and killed by three stray dogs. The office disclosed its findings after prosecutors and a forensic pathologist determined Tsai died of massive blood loss. The body was released to the family, who did not contest the office’s conclusion, it said. The coast guard unit at Yong-an Fishing Port said Tsai was found on the beach at 4pm on Thursday without vital signs, and that his body was covered in bite marks, 10 minutes after a report about the attack was received. The man was identified by the Kaohsiung City Police Department’s Gangshan Precinct, which said it notified prosecutors after he was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
SOCIETY
Man falls to death
A 67-year-old man surnamed Lu (呂) fell to his death from a rooftop in New Taipei City on Thursday after attempting to prevent an air-conditioning unit from falling, as it was being hoisted onto the roof of a five-story apartment, police said. An initial investigation found that Lu had tried to grab the air-conditioner when it came loose during the hoisting process and fell to the ground along with the unit. The incident occurred at about 4pm. The workers delivering and installing the air-conditioner had decided to hoist the machine onto the rooftop, because the stairwell was too narrow. Upon arrival, police found Lu without a heartbeat, and he was later pronounced dead at a hospital after efforts to resuscitate him failed. The four workers were referred by the police to prosecutors on suspicion of negligent homicide.
CULTURE
Taiwan to present in Osaka
Taiwan is to present a cultural program from Aug. 2 to 20 titled “We Taiwan” at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, to show the country as an “island of miracles” with unlimited innovation, the Ministry of Culture said. “We Taiwan” includes an exhibition at “VS.,” a creative hub designed for new media exhibitions and immersive events, the ministry said. The “Taiwan Spectrum” exhibition is “a sensory journey that spans geography, history, culture and contemporary art,” and uses light, shadow and sound, it said. Admission to “We Taiwan” is free of charge, but some events require advance registration through the event’s Line account, http://lin.ee/GwlNGiT, the ministry said.
Seven of the 17 NT$10 million (US$311,604) winning receipts from the November-December uniform invoice lottery remain unclaimed as of today, the Ministry of Finance said, urging winners to redeem their prizes by May 5. The reminder comes ahead of the release of the winning numbers for the January-February lottery tomorrow. Among the unclaimed receipts was one for a NT$173 phone bill in Keelung, while others were for a NT$5,913 purchase at Costco in Taipei's Neihu District (內湖), a NT$49 purchase at a FamilyMart in New Taipei City's Tamsui District (淡水), and a NT$500 purchase at a tea shop in New Taipei City's
Taiwanese officials were shown the first of 66 F-16V fighter jets purchased by Taiwan from the United States, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday, adding the aircraft has completed an initial flight test and is expected to be delivered later this year. A delegation led by Deputy Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) visited Lockheed Martin’s F-16 C/D Block 70 (also known as F-16V) assembly line in South Carolina on March 16 to view the aircraft. The jet will undergo a final acceptance flight in the US before being delivered to Taiwan, the
Deliveries of delayed F-16V jets are expected to begin in September, Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said today, after senior defense officials visited the US last week. The US in 2019 approved a US$8 billion sale of Lockheed Martin F-16 jets to Taiwan, a deal that would take the nation’s F-16 fleet to more than 200 jets, but the project has been hit by issues including software problems. Koo appeared today before a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, which is discussing different versions of the special defense budget this week. The committee is questioning officials today,
TALENT SCOUTING: The university is investing substantial funds in its future to bring in the kind of researchers that would keep the college internationally competitive National Taiwan University (NTU) plans to invest NT$2 billion (US$62.6 million) to launch two programs aimed at attracting and retaining top research talent, university president Chen Wen-chang (陳文章) said yesterday. The funding would support the “Palm Grove Scholars Project,” which targets academics aged 40 to 55. Up to 20 scholars would be selected, each receiving as much as NT$10 million annually, Chen said. The initiative is designed to attract leading researchers to Taiwan and strengthen NTU’s global competitiveness by fostering a more research-friendly environment and expanding international collaboration, he said. NTU is also introducing a “Hong Hu” chair grant, which would provide Palm
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