Endangered Taiwan Flying-Fox Pops Up In Hualien
The Taiwan Flying-Fox, a class-one protected species appeared for the first time in Hualien yesterday. The endangered animal, with a wingspan of up to 100-cm, is the biggest species of bat in Taiwan and was found among the trees in Hualien’s Cultural Creative Industries Park. The bat eats mainly fruits, flowers, and soft leaves, and...Continue reading
EPA Finds Violations at Factories
More industrial plants were added to the Environmental Protection Administration’s (EPA) list of controlled sites. A recently completed EPA investigation found nine industrial plants to be expelling excessive levels of toxic solvents into soil and groundwater, says the agency. According to the investigation report, nine facilities in Hsinchu, Miaoli and Changhua counties, as well as...Continue reading
Chiang Kai-shek Documents Sold For Nearly 3 Million USD
More than 100 documents handwritten by late Republic of China President Chiang Kai-shek have been sold for 2.87 million US dollars at a Beijing auction recently. The 140 documents were dated from January 1935 to February 1945 and it also covered the period of the second Sino-Japanese war, reported Chinese media. The content included Chiang’s comments on...Continue reading
Railway Tickets Selling Fast
Railway tickets for the three-day Dragon Boat Festival holiday are selling fast. The Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) says the peak-hour tickets for longer trips on all routes have already been sold out. TRA officials remind those who booked their tickets online to pay for them within 48 hours at post offices, convenience stores and railway...Continue reading
New Zealand Food Festival Features Premium Products
A two-day food festival promoting New Zealand produce such as dairy products and wine opened yesterday with the aim of connecting local buyers and sellers. The festival is hosting 20 local food importers touting natural, premium and contamination-free food from New Zealand. Dean Prebble, director of the New Zealand Trade Development Centre (NZTDC), said this business-to-business fair...Continue reading
Fire Ants’ Social Pattern Determined By Supergene
A researcher has found the social patterns of fire ants (Solenopsis invicta) are determined by a supergene. This discovery has been lauded as a step towards reducing the dangers of insects. John Wang (王忠信), an assistant research fellow at Academia Sinica, says his research has found that the social patterns of fire ants are determined by about...Continue reading
National Theater and Concert Hall Renovation Project
The National Theater and Concert Hall in Taipei began a four-month temporary closure yesterday for renovation after 28 years of service. According to the concert hall’s management, the renovation will be underway until Sept. 30. Chairs, sound-proof doors and wooden floors will be replaced to provide a more comfortable environment for both the audience in...Continue reading
Government Seeks to Address Shortage of Tour Bus Drivers
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications of Taiwan said it is amending the Transportation Management Regulations to address a shortage of tour bus drivers. Current regulations require drivers to have at least one year of experience driving passenger buses to be licensed for medium-size buses. However, a new amendment would lower this requirement to less...Continue reading
Taiwan Spends Most on Dialysis
According to information released Wednesday by the National Health Insurance Administration, Taiwan spent more than NT$600 billion for medical care under its national insurance program in 2014, with dialysis for patients with kidney disease accounting for the biggest share. The top three areas of spending in 2014 were chronic kidney failure, dental diseases and diabetes. One...Continue reading
Pet Tax Plans Meet Disapproval
A Council of Agriculture proposal to levy pet tax is drawing criticism. According to a report by the Chinese-language Apple Daily, an ongoing online poll from the council has turned up overwhelming opposition to the measure. Opponents of the proposal said levying tax on pet owners would lead to a new wave of pet abandonment....Continue reading
Taiwanese Business Students Complete 112-km Walk in Chinese Desert
Business administration students from four Taiwanese colleges completed a four-day journey on foot through a desert in western China on Monday, with participants from National Taiwan University winning an award for sportsmanship. Students enrolled in MBA programs at NTU, National Chengchi University, Tunghai University and National Sun Yat-sen University were honored yesterday for completing the...Continue reading
Culture Ministry to Award Film Director Ho Xiao-xian
The Culture Ministry has announced a cash prize of 5 million NT for film director Ho Xiao-xian, who has won the best director award of the Cannes Film Festival. The ministry says based on regulations of incentives for movie makers to join international film festivals, Ho himself will receive 5 million while his work “The...Continue reading
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