Author: kht-root

By RK Shih/Staff -Image via Chiu Yi-ying FB page KAOHSIUNG — Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmaker Chiu Yi-ying (邱議瑩) said she would continue working for Kaohsiung after narrowly losing the party’s mayoral primary to fellow legislator Lai Jui-lung (賴瑞隆) by just 0.6 percentage points, according to CTiTV. Speaking after the results were announced on Monday, Chiu thanked her supporters and campaign team, saying everyone had “done their very best” throughout the race. In a Facebook post, she congratulated Lai on his victory and also thanked fellow contenders Hsu Chih-chieh (許智傑) and Lin Tai-hua (林岱樺), describing them as “outstanding comrades.” Chiu…

The city says it plans to expand pet-friendly public spaces, strengthen enforcement against abuse and neglect, promote responsible pet ownership through registration and sterilization programs, and embed animal-friendly principles into transportation, tourism, housing, and community education.

The state-run operator said international cruise traffic has fully rebounded from the pandemic, with 567 cruise ship calls last year carrying approximately 1.16 million passengers, surpassing pre-COVID levels.

By RK Shih/Staff -Photo via Taiwanderers PINGTUNG — Once packed with tour buses and weekend crowds, Kenting is now confronting a prolonged tourism slump that shows little sign of easing. For the second consecutive year, visitor numbers to Taiwan’s most famous beach destination have remained at historic lows, deepening financial pressure on hotels, restaurants, and small family-run businesses across the Hengchun Peninsula. According to official statistics, Kenting recorded 2.139 million visitors in 2025, virtually unchanged from 2.14 million in 2024. The figures stand in stark contrast to the area’s peak year in 2015, when more than 8.37 million people visited…

The “Twin Museums Bicycle Route” will be a 40-kilometer path linking the National Museum of Taiwan History to the Chimei Museum. The route passes historic sites, including Anping Fort, Eternal Golden Castle, Lin Mo-niang Park, and Tainan Cana,l before continuing along the coast and Erren River levee.

Star Cruises’ “2.0” expansion includes direct Keelung-to-Japan sailings launching August 2, featuring an eight-day itinerary visiting both Tokyo and Osaka — the only cruise route in Taiwan to offer this combination. Additional routes include six-day Japan-Korea itineraries and shorter Okinawa sailings.

Advance ticket sales begin January 13 at midnight for eastern corridor reserved-seat trains, including Yilan, North-Link, South-Link, and cross-line services. Western corridor ticket sales open January 14 at midnight, with bookings available for travel through February 23. Real-name eastern corridor trains open for booking at midnight on January 15 for passengers whose ID numbers begin with U or V, registered residents of Hualien or Taitung counties, and their spouses or first-degree relatives.

Under the plan, the new line will stretch approximately 26.2 kilometers and include two new stations: an underground HSR Kaohsiung Station and an elevated HSR Pingtung Station. Both will be co-located with Taiwan Railways (台鐵) stations, allowing passengers to transfer between systems within the station concourse without going outside.

The Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) Tainan mayoral primary has entered its final, high-stakes phase, setting up a head-to-head showdown between lawmakers Lin Chun-hsien and Chen Ting-fei.

Nationwide, Taiwan currently has 491 intercity bus routes, including 140 freeway routes and 351 conventional highway services , but many existing routes were planned 20 to 30 years ago and no longer match current travel patterns. The bureau is now reviewing major corridors, including Taipei–Keelung, Taipei–Taoyuan, Taipei–Taichung, Taipei–Tainan, and Taipei–Kaohsiung, to assess possible route mergers, frequency adjustments, and new stop placements.