FOOD
Special dish to be launched
The Ministry of Agriculture yesterday said it and Nishi-Nippon Railroad Co would jointly launch a spring special offer on hybrid tiger giant grouper dishes from Thursday next week. The dishes would be made by Michelin-starred chefs, including fish on spring vegetable mille-feuille with marmalade. It would be available on Nishi-Nippon Railroad’s tourist trains for three months, while Taiwan-style grouper fillet and bento would be sold at the railway company’s supermarkets from next month. Japan has permitted imports of the hybrid grouper from Taiwan since October last year. The ministry collaborated with Nishi-Nippon Railroad to promote the fish among Japanese.
SPORTS
Crowds expected at Dome
A near full house is expected at the 40,000-capacity Taipei Dome for Taiwan’s decisive 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) qualifying playoff against Spain tonight. All additional NT$500 tickets released for today’s game were snapped up within seconds of going on sale, tixCraft said. Capacity was increased after a loss to Nicaragua consigned Taiwan to the second-versus-third playoff on Sunday. The four-team qualifying tournament at the Taipei Dome, one of two for the WBC, comprises a six-game round-robin and a single-elimination playoff for the teams finishing second and third. Taiwan finished third in the round-robin section following a 12-5 loss to Spain, a 9-1 win over South Africa and a 6-0 defeat to Nicaragua, which clinched them a spot at next year’s WBC. Taiwan’s previous qualifier games saw strong attendance, drawing 35,325 fans against Spain on Friday, 35,868 against South Africa on Saturday and 35,565 against Nicaragua on Sunday.
POLITICS
Taichung mayor visits Japan
Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) departed for Japan yesterday to focus on city diplomacy and to study Japan’s domed stadiums to help accelerate the construction of Taichung’s large multi-purpose dome. Speaking to reporters before her departure, Lu emphasized Japan’s significance as a key partner for Taiwan and Taichung. The six-day trip is her first visit to Japan since taking office six years ago. It includes stops in Sapporo, Nagoya and Tokyo, with four days dedicated to official engagements, she said. Lu said her delegation would visit four of Japan’s domed stadiums, and study their functions, operational models and financial strategies. Construction of Taichung Arena is under way, while the city plans to build another domed stadium capable of hosting baseball games and large-scale international performances, Lu said.
HEALTH
Premier issues ER order
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday instructed the Ministry of Health and Welfare to report on measures to address overcrowding in hospital emergency rooms (ER) across the country, Cabinet spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) said. Due to unprecedented overcrowding in ERs, the Taiwan Society of Emergency Medicine on Saturday issued a rare call for help, saying that if the situation worsens, hospitals could face a mass resignation of emergency medical workers. Lee said the number of patients seeking emergency treatment for flu-related complications this season has been several times higher than in the past nine years. The ministry said it would continue to assist hospitals in allocating medical staff and hospital beds, and improving triage systems and patient transfers, while some medical institutions have initiated internal staff adjustments.
WANG RELEASED: A police investigation showed that an organized crime group allegedly taught their clients how to pretend to be sick during medical exams Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) and 11 others were released on bail yesterday, after being questioned for allegedly dodging compulsory military service or forging documents to help others avoid serving. Wang, 33, was catapulted into stardom for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代). Lately, he has been focusing on developing his entertainment career in China. The New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office last month began investigating an organized crime group that is allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified documents. Police in New Taipei City Yonghe Precinct at the end of last month arrested the main suspect,
A cat named Mikan (蜜柑) has brought in revenue of more than NT$10 million (US$305,390) for the Kaohsiung MRT last year. Mikan, born on April 4, 2020, was a stray cat before being adopted by personnel of Kaohsiung MRT’s Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station. Mikan was named after a Japanese term for mandarin orange due to his color and because he looks like an orange when curled up. He was named “station master” of Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station in September 2020, and has since become famous. With Kaohsiung MRT’s branding, along with the release of a set of cultural and creative products, station master Mikan
RISING TOURISM: A survey showed that tourist visits increased by 35 percent last year, while newly created attractions contributed almost half of the growth Changhua County’s Lukang Old Street (鹿港老街) and its surrounding historical area clinched first place among Taiwan’s most successful tourist attractions last year, while no location in eastern Taiwan achieved a spot in the top 20 list, the Tourism Administration said. The listing was created by the Tourism Administration’s Forward-looking Tourism Policy Research office. Last year, the Lukang Old Street and its surrounding area had 17.3 million visitors, more than the 16 million visitors for the Wenhua Road Night Market (文化路夜市) in Chiayi City and 14.5 million visitors at Tainan’s Anping (安平) historical area, it said. The Taipei 101 skyscraper and its environs —
Taiwan on Friday said a New Zealand hamburger restaurant has apologized for a racist remark to a Taiwanese customer after reports that it had first apologized to China sparked outrage in Taiwan. An image posted on Threads by a Taiwanese who ate at Fergburger in Queenstown showed that their receipt dated Sunday last week included the words “Ching Chang,” a racial slur. The Chinese Consulate-General in Christchurch in a statement on Thursday said it had received and accepted an apology from the restaurant over the incident. The comment triggered an online furor among Taiwanese who saw it as an insult to the
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