SPACE
No collision risk from asteroid
A potentially hazardous asteroid nearly the size of Taipei 101 is to zoom past Earth on Friday, but there is no collision risk, the Taipei Astronomical Museum said. The asteroid, known as 2008 OS7, is to make its closest approach to Earth at 10:40pm on Friday, passing at a distance of 0.019 astronomical units (about 2.85 million kilometers), at a speed of 18.2 kilometers per second, the museum said. Astronomers estimate the asteroid to be about 210m to 480m in diameter, making it nearly the height of the Taipei 101 skyscraper, it said, adding that it would not enter Earth’s atmosphere. Based on information provided by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, five asteroids are to travel close to Earth in the coming days, including 2008 OS7, which has been classified as potentially hazardous because it has a diameter of more than 150m, it said. The next significant approach by a potentially hazardous asteroid would on April 14, 2029, it said.
SOCIETY
Keelung plans Ferris wheel
Keelung Mayor George Hsieh (謝國樑) yesterday unveiled his plan to build a Ferris wheel in the city’s downtown area in a bid to promote tourism. It is to be located in a plaza between Keelung Harbor and Taiwan Railways’ Keelung Station. and is expected to have a diameter of 40m to 60m, Hsieh said. While the cost of the Ferris wheel was not immediately clear, he said that additional funds would be allocated to the project, which would replace the temporary amusement facilities the city government is planning to construct later this year in the same area. The city government is also to develop a business operating model for the Ferris wheel service and aims to allocate time slots for residents to visit, he said.
SOCIETY
Fisher dies at sea
An Indonesian fisher on Monday died after falling into the sea while aboard a ship operating in waters off Penghu County, the Coast Guard Administration’s Fleet Branch Penghu Offshore Flotilla said. The flotilla said it dispatched a patrol boat on Monday night after receiving a request for assistance in the search for a person who had fallen overboard from the Penghu-based Da Jin Man No. 16, which was 60 nautical miles (111.12km) southwest of Cimei Island (七美島). The fishing ship subsequently found the 22-year-old fisher nearby, it said, adding that authorities are examining the body. The ship had one Taiwanese and six Indonesian crew members on board.
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) today condemned the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) after the Czech officials confirmed that Chinese agents had surveilled Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) during her visit to Prague in March last year. Czech Military Intelligence director Petr Bartovsky yesterday said that Chinese operatives had attempted to create the conditions to carry out a demonstrative incident involving Hsiao, going as far as to plan a collision with her car. Hsiao was vice president-elect at the time. The MAC said that it has requested an explanation and demanded a public apology from Beijing. The CCP has repeatedly ignored the desires
Many Chinese spouses required to submit proof of having renounced their Chinese household registration have either completed the process or provided affidavits ahead of the June 30 deadline, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said on Thursday. Of the 12,146 people required to submit the proof, 5,534 had done so as of Wednesday, MAC deputy head and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. Another 2,572 people who met conditions for exemption or deferral from submitting proof of deregistration — such as those with serious illnesses or injuries — have submitted affidavits instead, he said. “As long as individuals are willing to cooperate with the legal
The Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant’s license has expired and it cannot simply be restarted, the Executive Yuan said today, ahead of national debates on the nuclear power referendum. The No. 2 reactor at the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant in Pingtung County was disconnected from the nation’s power grid and completely shut down on May 17, the day its license expired. The government would prioritize people’s safety and conduct necessary evaluations and checks if there is a need to extend the service life of the reactor, Executive Yuan spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) told a news conference. Lee said that the referendum would read: “Do
The Ministry of Environment yesterday held a seminar in Taipei for experts from Taiwan and Japan to exchange their experiences on the designs and development of public toilets. Japan Toilet Association chairman Kohei Yamamoto said that he was impressed with the eco-toilet set up at Daan Forest Park, adding that Japan still faces issues regarding public restrooms despite the progress it made over the past decades. For example, an all-gender toilet was set up in Kabukicho in Tokyo’s Shinjuku District several years ago, but it caused a public backlash and was rebuilt into traditional men’s and women’s toilets, he said. Japan Toilet Association
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