BUSINESS
Night mail to end
Chunghwa Post Co yesterday said that it would discontinue nighttime delivery of domestic regular and expedited registered mail starting on Jan. 1, citing steadily declining demand. At present, registered mail is delivered between 9am and 4pm, and again in the evening from 7pm to 9pm. Neither regular nor expedited mail is delivered on weekends or national holidays. People unable to receive registered mail during the day can currently request nighttime delivery through a post office for an additional NT$7 (US$0.23), collected upon delivery. However, nighttime deliveries now average just over 3,000 registered items per month — only about 0.01 percent of all registered mail handled — so the change is expected to have minimal impact on the public, it said.
Photo: Chen Chia-i, Taipei Times
DIPLOMACY
Berlin appoints new envoy
Karsten Tietz, a diplomat with previous postings in Thailand, the US and Hong Kong, has been appointed Germany’s new representative to Taiwan, the German Institute Taipei said on Friday. In a social media post featuring a photo of Tietz with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the institute said he would replace German Representative Jorg Polster, who held the position for four years. Tietz would have the official title of director-general of the German Institute Taipei, which represents Berlin’s interests in Taiwan in the absence of formal diplomatic relations. Tietz said he hopes to “contribute to further strengthening our relations, especially in the current uncertain global political environment,” the institute’s Web site says. “Germany and Taiwan are partners who share the same values. We believe in freedom, the rule of law, and human rights,” he added.
DIPLOMACY
Texan flood aid sent
Taiwan has donated US$350,000 to support recovery efforts in Texas after severe flooding last month left more than 100 people dead, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Friday. At a ceremony on Thursday, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Houston formally presented the funds to the OneStar Foundation, a nonprofit recommended by Texas authorities to coordinate disaster relief. Central Texas was hit by catastrophic flash floods over the Fourth of July weekend following days of torrential rain. The donation is intended to help affected communities rebuild and restore normal life, the ministry said, adding that it was made under the instruction of Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍), who conveyed condolences to the victims’ families shortly after the disaster and expressed Taiwan’s intention to provide assistance.
CRIME
Teen killed over debt
The Hsinchu District Court on Friday ordered the detention of nine people, including four younger than 18, after a 17-year-old surnamed Tseng (曾) was allegedly beaten to death over an NT$25,000 car repair debt. Police said Tseng was abducted in Jhudong Township (竹東) on Sunday last week by a man surnamed Hsieh (謝) and eight accomplices, who drove him to Jianshi Township (尖石) and fatally assaulted him. His body was discovered on Thursday in a mountainous area of Yilan County’s Toucheng Township (頭城), prosecutors said. The suspects were arrested and face charges, including kidnapping for ransom resulting in death, they added.
Eight restaurants in Taiwan yesterday secured a one-star rating from the Michelin Guide Taiwan for the first time, while three one-star restaurants from last year’s edition were promoted to two stars. Forty-three restaurants were awarded one star this year, including 34 in Taipei, five in Taichung and four in Kaohsiung. Hosu (好嶼), Chuan Ya (川雅), Sushi Kajin (鮨嘉仁), aMaze (心宴), La Vie by Thomas Buhner, Yuan Yi (元一) and Frassi in Taipei and Front House (方蒔) in Kaohsiung received a one-star rating for the first time. Hosu is known for innovative Taiwanese dishes, while Chuan Ya serves Sichuan cuisine and aMaze specializes
Taitung County is to launch charter flights to Malaysia at the end of this year, after setting up flights to Vietnam and Thailand, the Taitung County Government said yesterday. The new charter flight services, provided by low-cost carrier Batik Air Malaysia, would be part of five-day tour packages for visits to Taitung County or Malaysia. The Batik Air charter flight, with about 200 seats, would take Malaysian tourists to Taitung on Dec. 30 and then at 12:35pm return to Kuala Lumpur with Taiwanese tourists. Another charter flight would bring the Taiwanese home on Jan. 3 next year, arriving at 5:30pm, before taking the
Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. (THSRC) plans to ease strained capacity during peak hours by introducing new fare rules restricting passengers traveling without reserved seats in 2026, company Chairman Shih Che (史哲) said Wednesday. THSRC needs to tackle its capacity issue because there have been several occasions where passengers holding tickets with reserved seats did not make it onto their train in stations packed with individuals traveling without a reserved seat, Shih told reporters in a joint interview in Taipei. Non-reserved seats allow travelers maximum flexibility, but it has led to issues relating to quality of service and safety concerns, especially during
An exhibition celebrating Taiwan and Japan’s comic culture opened on Saturday in Taichung, featuring a section that explores Taiwanese reproductions of Japanese comics from when martial law limited Japanese representation. “A Century of Manga Culture: An Encounter of Taiwan and Japan’s Youth” held its Taiwan opening ceremony at Taichung’s National Taiwan Museum of Comics after an initial one-month run in Japan’s Kyoto International Manga Museum between May 24 and June 24. Much like the Kyoto exhibition, the show mainly celebrates the comic connection between Taiwan and Japan through late Taiwanese comic book
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