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.
Foreign tourists who purchase a seven-day Taiwan Pass are to get a second one free of charge as part of a government bid to boost tourism, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. A pair of Taiwan Passes is priced at NT$5,000 (US$156.44), an agency staff member said, adding that the passes can be used separately. The pass can be used in many of Taiwan’s major cities and to travel to several tourist resorts. It expires seven days after it is first used. The pass is a three-in-one package covering the high-speed rail system, mass rapid transport (MRT) services and the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle services,
Drinking a lot of water or milk would not help a person who has ingested terbufos, a toxic chemical that has been identified as the likely cause of three deaths, a health expert said yesterday. An 83-year-old woman surnamed Tseng (曾) and two others died this week after eating millet dumplings with snails that Tseng had made. Tseng died on Tuesday and others ate the leftovers when they went to her home to mourn her death that evening. Twelve people became ill after eating the dumplings following Tseng’s death. Their symptoms included vomiting and convulsions. Six were hospitalized, with two of them
DIVA-READY: The city’s deadline for the repairs is one day before pop star Jody Chiang is to perform at the Taipei Dome for the city’s Double Ten National Day celebrations The Taipei City Government has asked Farglory Group (遠雄集團) to repair serious water leaks in the Taipei Dome before Friday next week, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said yesterday, following complaints that many areas at the stadium were leaking during two baseball games over the weekend. The dome on Saturday and Sunday hosted two games in tribute to CTBC Brothers’ star Chou Szu-chi (周思齊) ahead of his retirement from the CPBL. The games each attracted about 40,000 people, filling the stadium to capacity. However, amid heavy rain, many people reported water leaking on some seats, at the entrance and exit areas, and the
BIG collection: The herbarium holds more than 560,000 specimens, from the Japanese colonial period to the present, including the Wulai azalea, which is now extinct in the wild The largest collection of plant specimens in Taiwan, the Taipei Botanical Garden’s herbarium, is celebrating its 100th anniversary with an exhibition that opened on Friday. The herbarium provides critical historical documents for botanists and is the first of its kind in Taiwan, Taiwan Forestry Research Institute director Tseng Yen-hsueh (曾彥學) said. It is housed in a two-story red brick building, which opened during 1924. At the time, it stored 30,000 plant specimens from almost 6,000 species, including Taiwanese plant samples collected by Tomitaro Makino, the “father of Japanese botany,” Tseng said. The herbarium collection has grown in the century since its