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.
INFRASTRUCTURE: Work on the second segment, from Kaohsiung to Pingtung, is expected to begin in 2028 and be completed by 2039, the railway bureau said Planned high-speed rail (HSR) extensions would blanket Taiwan proper in four 90-minute commute blocs to facilitate regional economic and livelihood integration, Railway Bureau Deputy Director-General Yang Cheng-chun (楊正君) said in an interview published yesterday. A project to extend the high-speed rail from Zuoying Station in Kaohsiung to Pingtung County’s Lioukuaicuo Township (六塊厝) is the first part of the bureau’s greater plan to expand rail coverage, he told the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times). The bureau’s long-term plan is to build a loop to circle Taiwan proper that would consist of four sections running from Taipei to Hualien, Hualien to
A relatively large earthquake may strike within the next two weeks, following a magnitude 5.2 temblor that shook Taitung County this morning, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. An earthquake struck at 8:18am today 10.2km west of Taitung County Hall in Taitung City at a relatively shallow depth of 6.5km, CWA data showed. The largest intensity of 4 was felt in Taitung and Pingtung counties, which received an alert notice, while areas north of Taichung did not feel any shaking, the CWA said. The earthquake was the result of the collision between the Philippine Plate and the Eurasian Plate, the agency said, adding
Snow fell in the mountainous areas of northern, central and eastern Taiwan in the early hours of yesterday, as cold air currents moved south. In the northern municipality of Taoyuan, snow started falling at about 6am in Fusing District (復興), district head Su Tso-hsi (蘇佐璽) said. By 10am, Lalashan National Forest Recreation Area, as well as Hualing (華陵), Sanguang (三光) and Gaoyi (高義) boroughs had seen snowfall, Su said. In central Taiwan, Shei-Pa National Park in Miaoli County and Hehuanshan National Forest Recreation Area in Nantou County saw snowfall of 5cm and 6cm respectively, by 10am, staff at the parks said. It began snowing
The 2025 Kaohsiung Wonderland–Winter Amusement Park event has teamed up with the Japanese manga series Chiikawa this year for its opening at Love River Bay yesterday, attracting more than 10,000 visitors, the city government said. Following the success of the “2024 Kaohsiung Wonderland” collaboration with a giant inflatable yellow duck installation designed by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman, this year the Kaohsiung Tourism Bureau collaborated with Chiikawa by Japanese illustrator Nagano to present two giant inflatable characters. Two inflatable floats — the main character, Chiikwa, a white bear-like creature with round ears, and Hachiware, a white cat with a blue-tipped tail
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