Chiayi City rolls out retro-style electric buses

April 10, 2020April 10, 2020 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment Chiayi City, Chiayi County, electric bus, electric vehicles, renewable energy

A fleet of new retro-British-style electric buses was unveiled in Chiayi City today, with four colors to ply four routes starting in June this year. “It’s really amazing,” Chiayi City Mayor Huang Min-hui gushed, adding that the buses were a form of mobile art that will enhance urban aesthetics. The fleet consists of 10 regular buses and 12 minibuses colored in red, yellow green and blue. The green buses will begin plying the Zhongshan line in June, with the rest

google staff with Taipei 101 in the background

Business and Economy

April 9, 2020April 9, 2020 Phillip Charlier 1 Comment Google, Pacific Light Cable Network, PLCN, telecommunications

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) yesterday approved Google’s application to activate the California to Taiwan portion of an undersea Internet cable network that has laid dormant due to security concerns since 2018. The 120 terabit-per-second fibre-optic Pacific Light Cable Network began development in 2016 with funding from tech giants Google and Facebook who touted the project as the first direct undersea cable to connect Hong Kong and the USA. However, a joint Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, and

crashed AS-365N2 helicopter in Kaohsiung City

Aviation

April 7, 2020April 7, 2020 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment helicopter crash, Kaohsiung City, National Airborne Service Corps

Five people walked away from a helicopter crash unharmed at Kaohsiung City’s Xiaogang International Airport this afternoon, April 7. At 3:35 pm, the National Airborne Service Corps AS-365 Dauphin helicopter suddenly fell onto the tarmac from an altitude of around 30 feet, according to reports in Liberty Times and United Daily News. The aircraft and crew were taking part in emergency response training at the time, and practicing vertical take-off and landing. The aircraft hit the tarmac then landed on

Drugs

April 5, 2020April 5, 2020 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment cannabis, firearms, marijuana, modified weapons, New Taipei City

A suspect found in possession of amphetamines, and cultivating marijuana, protested to police because the search warrant was issued to search for firearms, according to reports in Liberty Times and United Daily News. Police in Shulin District, New Taipei City were tipped off several days ago that Mr Lin, 44, was modifying and selling firearms. A search warrant was executed on March 26, and police duly searched Lin’s residence. As police entered Lin’s residence, Lin called out to a family

International Relations

April 5, 2020April 5, 2020 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment COVID-19, Czech Republic, Prague

The Mayor of Prague, Zdeněk Hřib thanked Taiwan for donating ventilators, saying that they will be used to save lives. Czech Parliament Senator Jiří Drahoš joined Hřib in a video to thank the people of Taiwan. “Dear people of Taiwan,” Mayor Hřib, a qualified physician, said; “your success in your fight with coronavirus has been very inspiring for us here in Prague.” “I hope this situation will be over soon so that we can cooperate more in the future.” The message

A Carrefour mobile supermarket in Wulai District, New Taipei City

Business and Economy

April 4, 2020April 4, 2020 Phillip Charlier 1 Comment Carrefour, Chiayi County, mobile supermarket, PX-Mart, Wul

Two supermarket chains launched mobile supermarkets to serve remote mountain districts in the last few days, in what is seen as a positive move by residents in the rural areas. On March 30, Carrefour’s Tucheng branch dispatched a mobile supermarket truck to New Taipei City’s Wulai District. The mobile supermarket was set up in the fire brigade parking lot, providing fresh fruit and vegetables, baked goods, cooked meals, instant noodles, snacks, cleaning supplies, and other consumer goods and daily necessities.

Marine and Fisheries

April 4, 2020April 4, 2020 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment Keelung City, Risso's dolphin, Taiwan Cetacean Society

A young juvenile Risso’s Dolphin (Grampus griseus) died in a rehabilitation pool in Keelung City yesterday, after being found stranded on the coast at Su’ao, on Taiwan’s north-east coast. Coast guard officers notified Taiwan Cetacean Society at around noon on April 1 that an injured juvenile Risso’s dolphin was stranded on a beach near Su’ao Harbor. A veterinarian identified wounds suspected to be caused by a cookie-cutter shark (Isistius brasiliensis). The dolphin was transferred to a rehabilitation center in Keelung

Traffic Accidents

April 3, 2020April 3, 2020 Phillip Charlier 4 Comments Taoyuan City, tesla

A Tesla Model 3 caught fire after hitting a traffic island and overturning in Taoyuan City in the early hours of the morning, April 1, killing the driver. Firefighters found the car ablaze when they arrived at the scene of the single-vehicle crash on Zhongzheng Road, Longtan District at around 12:30 am Wednesday morning. Details of the incident were widely reported today after one of the firefighters wrote a detailed Facebook post about the procedure of dealing with an AEV

Weng Ren-xian gives the finger to the media after being sentenced to death

Violent Crimes

April 2, 2020April 2, 2020 Phillip Charlier 1 Comment arson, death penalty, execution, homicide

A man convicted of killing five family members and a foreign caregiver in an arson attack was executed at the Taipei City Detention Center last night, after being dragged to the execution ground by a bailiff, and the prison administrator, according to reports in Taiwan’s local media. The Crime Lunar New Year’s Eve, February 7, 2016, Weng Ren-xian (翁仁賢), then 50, took advantage of the annual family gathering at their home in Longtan District, Taoyuan City, to inflict maximum damage

Violent Crimes

April 1, 2020April 1, 2020 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment armed-robbery, bank robbery, Taipei City

A man suspected of shooting a security guard during a bank robbery in Taipei City, Monday, March 30, was arrested in Taoyuan City, yesterday, March 31. Chen Jian-hui ( 陳劍輝 ), 54, was arrested in Longtan District at around 3:00 pm yesterday afternoon. After tracing Chen’s whereabouts, police followed Chen in an unmarked police vehicle. When Chen pulled into the parking area in front of a convenience store, the officers blocked his vehicle and rushed in to make the arrest.

Violent Crimes

March 30, 2020March 31, 2020 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment armed-robbery, bank robbery, shooting

A security guard was shot in the thigh by a bank robber armed with a military-style assault weapon this morning in Taipei City. At around 10:40 am, a man wearing a black cap, blue jacket, jeans, and a surgical mask, walked into a branch of Bank of Panhsin on Bei’an Road, Zhongzheng District, armed with what multiple media reports described as ‘an M16 assault rifle’. When the bank’s security guard stepped forward to confront him, the robber fired 6 shots.

Chiayi City rolls out retro-style electric buses

US government approves activation of direct USA to Taiwan Internet cable

Helicopter crashes during training exercise in Kaohsiung City

Man busted for drugs protests: search warrant is for guns only

Prague thanks Taiwan for medical supplies: “Taiwan’s success inspiring”

Supermarket chains launch mobile supermarkets to serve remote mountain districts

Rescued baby dolphin dies despite rehabilitation attempts

Tesla catches fire after crash: driver dies

Killer of 6 drags his feet: execution delayed for an hour

Bank robber who shot guard Arrested in just 29 hours

Security guard shot in the thigh during armed bank robbery in Taipei City