Business and Economy

Japanese Tourists Terrified by Drag Racing, Red Light Burning Taxi Driver

taxi in tainan city
Travel and Tourism 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment ,

A long-term Japanese resident in Tainan city felt embarrassed yesterday, after a taxi he hired for his two Japanese guests sped through narrow downtown streets and ran red lights. The taxi driver then attempted to overcharge his clients, claiming status as an expert driver. Nozaki Takao, owner of the Mr Ramen chain of restaurants, took his guests to a night-market in Tainan City last night, then hailed a taxi to take his guests back to their hotel. The taxi driver

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Australian Redclaw Crayfish now Made in Taiwan

a farmer holds a redclaw crayfish
Business and Economy 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

Some aquaculture farmers in Miaoli County, facing declining prices in the mitten crab market, and competition in the Thai shrimp market, are switching to raising Australian red claw crayfish (Cherax quadricarinatus). Media reports today, including this Apple Daily story quoted a crayfish farmer, Mr Peng, who said that the meat of the Australian crayfish is superior to Thai shrimp in taste and texture. The crayfish don’t have a fishy taste and can be boiled, stir-fried, or used as an ingredient

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Children and Teachers Evacuate Bus Before it Bursts into Flames

a tour coach catches fire in Ilan County
Travel and Tourism 
Phillip Charlier 1 Comment , ,

A bus carrying students and teachers from Malaysia and Singapore erupted into flames shortly after the passengers disembarked from the vehicle in Ilan County last night, November 10. Shortly before 9:00pm, Friday evening, the tour bus carrying 32 passengers who had just visited a tourist farm got stuck after attempting to negotiate a 90 degree turn at an intersection of two narrow mountain roadways. With a back wheel stuck in a ditch, the driver stepped on the throttle in an

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Taiwan’s First Articulated, Low-deck, Electric Buses in Service

articulated low deck electric bus
Business and Economy 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

Articulated, Low-deck, electric buses started trial operations in Kaohsiung today, October 24, and are free to the public during the trial period up to October 31. The Kaohsiung City Transportation Bureau said the trial period will be used to assess the public’s acceptance of the vehicles and evaluate the feasibility of using the buses on major routes. The 18 meter long buses are manufactured by Taiwan company Leon Energy (力歐新能源公司) and utilize Lithium titanate batteries, allowing much faster charging than

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Planes Collide on Tarmac at Taipei Songshan Airport

Far Eastern Air Transport planes on tarmac Taipei Songshan Airport
Aviation 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

A Far Eastern Air Transport (FAT) plane being taken out of an aircraft hangar this morning collided with another airplane at Taipei Songshan Airport. One aircraft was slightly damaged in the incident. FAT issued a press release saying that at around 6:00am, a McDonnell Douglas MD80 plane was being towed out of the hangar when it sideswiped another aircraft, causing slight damage to one airplane’s tail section. According to operating procedures, a detailed examination of the aircraft was undertaken and

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Taiwan Scientists Challenge Japan on Kuroshio Current Energy Claims: We Were First

Chen Yangyi Sun Yat Sen University
Business and Economy 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

Researchers from Taiwan’s National Sun Yat Sen University told the media yesterday, that Japan was not the first country to generate power from an ocean current as claimed in Japanese media this month. On August 14, a Japanese team in association with industrial machinery manufacturer IHI Corp conducted a 5-day test off the coast of Japan’s southeastern Kuchinoshima Island in the Kagoshima Prefecture, achieving a maximum power generation capacity of 30 kilowatts. The experiment demonstrated that power could be generated

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Nation-wide Blackouts Cause Chaos

Business and Economy 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment ,

Factories halted production, traffic signals failed, and people were trapped in elevators this evening, as power failures brought blackouts to many parts of Taiwan. At 4:51pm the six gas-powered electricity generating units at the Datan (大潭) power plant in Taoyuan County malfunctioned, reducing the national power supply by 4.38 million kilowatts, and triggering emergency power rationing systems that caused rolling blackouts around the country. The Datan power station (also spelled Tatan) is the world’s largest gas turbine combined cycle power

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China Airlines Flight Makes Emergency Landing in Japan

china airlines aircraft
Travel and Tourism 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

A China Airlines flight from Hiroshima to Taipei made an emergency landing at Fukuoka Airport this morning after a warning light indicated a problem with one of the engines. The China Airlines Boeing B738, flight 113, was carrying 134 passengers at an altitude of 9100 meters when the warning light for the right-hand side engine came on at around 9:45am. The pilot contacted the control tower at Fukuoka Airport and requested to make an emergency landing. Fukuoka Airport closed the

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Fear of Brownouts After Power Tower Collapse

collapsed electricity transmission tower
Business and Economy 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment ,

The collapse of a high voltage electricity transmission tower in Ilan County during Typhoon Nesat yesterday poses a threat to the national power supply network, according to national power supplier Taipower. The tower’s collapse prevents 1.3 million kilowatts from Heping power station entering the power grid. Engineers from the privately owned power plant are on site attempting repairs, but national power supplier Taipower expects it will take at least two weeks before supply can be resumed. The 345KV EHV tower,

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Bargain-Hunter’s Opportunity: Confiscated Sand Dredge Up for Auction

sand dredge to be put up for auction by Taiwan authorities
Business and Economy 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment ,

Kinmen District Prosecutor’s Office today announced that a Chinese-registered sand dredging ship confiscated after encroaching on Taiwan territory will be put up for auction August 10. The Yuantai 99 was intercepted after being found stealing sand from territorial waters near Kinmen County. January 18, seven crewmen were sentenced to 6-8 months detention, while the ship was confiscated under prevention of profit from crime law. A reserve price of NT$11 million (under US$363,000) has been set for the auction. It is

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Nuclear Reactor Offline Again After Power Trip

Taiwan 3rd Nuclear Power Plant Pingtung County
Business and Economy 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment

The second reactor at the Maanshan Nuclear Power Plant in Pingtung county was shutdown as a safety precaution this morning after a water pump in the cooling system tripped. The reactor came back online last month after undergoing annual maintenance. The reactor was taken offline in April and was originally expected to be restarted in May. However, accidental damage to a component led to a one month delay. The reactor provides 2.7% of Taiwan’s national power supply of 36 million

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