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.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a "tsunami watch" alert after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia earlier in the morning. The quake struck off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula at 7:25am (Taiwan time) at a depth of about 19km, the CWA said, citing figures from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The CWA's Seismological Center said preliminary assessments indicate that a tsunami could reach Taiwan's coastal areas by 1:18pm today. The CWA urged residents along the coast to stay alert and take necessary precautions as waves as high as 1m could hit the southeastern
FINAL COUNTDOWN: About 50,000 attended a pro-recall rally yesterday, while the KMT and the TPP plan to rally against the recall votes today Democracy activists, together with arts and education representatives, yesterday organized a motorcade, while thousands gathered on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei in the evening in support of tomorrow’s recall votes. Recall votes for 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and suspended Hsinchu City mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) are to be held tomorrow, while recall votes for seven other KMT lawmakers are scheduled for Aug. 23. The afternoon motorcade was led by the Spring Breeze Culture and Arts Foundation, the Tyzen Hsiao Foundation and the Friends of Lee Teng-hui Association, and was joined by delegates from the Taiwan Statebuilding Party and the Taiwan Solidarity
Instead of threatening tariffs on Taiwan-made chips, the US should try to reinforce cooperation with Taiwan on semiconductor development to take on challenges from the People’s Republic of China (PRC), a Taiwanese think tank said. The administration of US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose across-the-board import duties of 32 percent on Taiwan-made goods and levy a separate tariff on semiconductors, which Taiwan is hoping to avoid. The Research Institute for Democracy, Society, and Emerging Technology (DSET), a National Science and Technology Council think tank, said that US efforts should focus on containing China’s semiconductor rise rather than impairing Taiwan. “Without
The National Museum of Taiwan Literature is next month to hold an exhibition in Osaka, Japan, showcasing the rich and unique history of Taiwanese folklore and literature. The exhibition, which is to run from Aug. 10 to Aug. 20 at the city’s Central Public Hall, is part of the “We Taiwan” at Expo 2025 series, highlighting Taiwan’s cultural ties with the international community, National Museum of Taiwan Literature director Chen Ying-fang (陳瑩芳) said. Folklore and literature, among Taiwan’s richest cultural heritages, naturally deserve a central place in the global dialogue, Chen said. Taiwan’s folklore would be immediately apparent at the entrance of the
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