Taoyuan City Council Green Party councilor Xavier Wang (王浩宇) released a picture on his Facebook page today, showing an unnaturally blue-colored stream flowing through Taoyuan City. Mr Wang reported that at 6.15pm this evening, the source was traced to a company upstream, who will face a penalty that carries a maximum fine of NTD$6 million.
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An article on China Times said it was another example of the failure of Taiwan’s education system when it comes to teaching history. Students at a private high school in Hsinchu County decided to celebrate Christmas by dressing up as Nazi SS officers while waving Nazi flags and holding up Swastika banners. The Presidential Palace ordered the school to issue an apology. The school issued the apology, and said that the students were only representing “a historical character set” (perhaps
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Driverless electric buses will ply a route around Kaohsiung’s Hamaxing District in October next year, when Kaohsiung City hosts EcoMobility World Festival 2017. The district will be closed to private vehicles for the month of October, as Kaohsiung City, and exhibitors from around the world showcase environmental and people-friendly forms of urban transportation. The French-made NAVYA ARMA is a driverless electric vehicle that can accommodate up to 15 passengers and travel up to 45 kilometers per hour, while avoiding obstacles
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[Picture: United Daily News.] The mercury reached 30.6°C at 1:13pm in Taipei City today, marking the hottest temperature during winter solstice in 68 years, according to the Central Weather Bureau. Banciao District saw 30.9°C at 1:00pm. Last year also saw unusually hot temperatures for the winter solstice at a maximum of 30.5°C. The hottest temperature ever recorded in Taipei during the winter solstice was 31.5°C in 1934, while 1948 saw a high of 30.7°C.
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Drivers stopped at an intersection in Hualien this morning were lucky to escape being crushed when a 24 ton block of rock fell off a truck. The block damaged the road, and caused traffic to be blocked, but fortunately nobody was injured. The driver of the truck has been charged with a range of offenses, including drunk driving. He reportedly was suffering a hangover, and recorded a blood-alcohol content of 0.15. Other offenses include failing to secure his load, and
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[Picture: Reader contributed to United Daily News] A woman using her phone while walking on the platform of Taipei Metro’s Kunyang Station, fell onto the tracks today, but fortunately was unharmed. A train had just left the station when the incident occurred at 12:17pm. Station staff took 3 minutes to help Ms Liao, 41, back onto the station platform. Ms Liao suffered minor abrasions, and declined offers to take her to hospital. Taipei Metro authorities said Ms Liao has been
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A Canadian man who was hit by a car in Taichung, October 1, has died in a Calgary hospital, after returning to Canada by medevac last month. John Kelly, 31, passed away December 14, after his family made the decision to let him go peacefully. Doctors had told the family that Mr Kelly had extensive damage to his brain-stem and that there was no chance of recovery. Kelly had been teaching English in Taichung in order to be closer to
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[Picture: ROC Marine Corps] 99th Marine Brigade ‘Iron Force’ set out this morning, December 14, on a 250km loaded march that will take 5 days to complete. The military has dubbed the exercise “Iron Legs”. Along the way, troops will engage in live fire exercises including machine gun, grenade, and mortar fire. At times, the soldiers will be marching at night, and over various types of terrain. The exercise aims to strengthen the physical endurance, courage, and confidence of troops,
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[Picture: National Science and Technology Museum] The National Science and Technology Museum in Kaohsiung has installed “three dimensional spiraling slide 2.0” which they claim is Asia’s tallest slide. The slide is 27 meters high, 63 meters long, and takes sliders on a 16 second ride reaching a speed of 80 kilometers per hour. Version 2.0 replaces an 18 meter high, 46 meter long slide installed in 2015. The slide takes riders from the 6th floor down to basement level. It
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[Picture: CTS] A tourist park in Hualien County reports that since the election of Donald Trump as next President of the United States, the park’s golden pheasant has become the star attraction. The bird species, endemic to China, has been re-named the “Trump Chicken” by Chinese speakers, who see an uncanny resemblance to the President-elect, not only in hairstyle, but facial expressions. Harvest Ranch (兆豐農場) has 50 of the birds, and the bird has recently become the most photographed attraction
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[Picture: United Daily News] A fisherman was rescued after surviving 38 hours in the overturned hull of a fishing vessel Sunday morning, December 11. The body of the captain was recovered later the same day. Jinrui Yi No. 88, with a crew of 8, sailed out of Keelung Harbor December 7 to fish for shrimp off the coast of Hsinchu County. The vessel overturned in big waves while rounding Cape Fukuei on its way back to port, Friday evening December
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