Taipei - Three Taiwanese coastal villages voted to reject a proposal by a German firm to build a wind farm Saturday.
More than 300 people from the three villages in Xinwu, Taoyuan County, north Taiwan, took part in the referendum on the wind farm plan by German's InfraVest GmbH
"All the participants are opposed to building the wind farm, unless InfraVest offers better proposals," Yeh Si-kuai, a member of the "Self Help Group," told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa by phone.
"All the local officials support our opposition to the wind farm. InfraVest people handed out leaflets explaining the wind farm, but we gave them our material detailing the harm of the wind farm." he said.
Taipei - The two giant pandas given by China to Taiwan are turning up their nose at Taiwanese bamboo and have each lost 3 kilogrammes, a newspaper reported Saturday.
Tuan Tuan, the male, weighed 109 kg while Yuan Yuan, the female, weighed 111.2 kg when they were put on the scales at the Taipei Zoo on Friday, the Liberty Times said.
The two four-year-olds are still living on a mixture of Chinese and Taiwanese bamboos, but they prefer the Chinese bamboo and eat very little Taiwan bamboo.
Taipei - After the Taipei Zoo received two giant pandas from China, another Taiwan zoo said Friday it is seeking to receive a pair of pandas from China.
The Leofoo Village Theme Park in Hsinchu, western Taiwan, which applied for two Chinese pandas but lost to the Taipei Zoo, said it hopes that China can give Taiwan another pair of pandas.
"We have built the Panda enclosure and three animals caretakers have received training in China. We have made all the preparations," Yuan Hsiang-chieh, director of the theme park, told Deutsche Presse- Agentur dpa by phone.
Taiwan press reports said China has hinted it could give Taiwan more pandas. Yuan said the Leofoo park will make inquiries after the Chinese New Year.
Taipei - Taiwan is to welcome 2009 with fireworks, prayers and the arrival of a pair of giant pandas China gave the island nation as a symbol of peace.
A spectacular fireworks display will be mounted from the top of Taipei 101, the world's tallest skyscraper, during the countdown to the New Year, the press officer Michael Liu said Friday.
Some 16,000 fireworks will be exploded, 4,000 more than last year, Liu said.
Since its opening in 2004, tens of thousands of Taiwanese have gathered around the 508-metre building to watch the New Year fireworks and enjoy all-night concerts at the foot of the skyscraper.
Taipei - Two Taiwanese coastal villages plan to hold a referendum on Saturday on whether to allow a German firm to build a wind farm along the coast, The China Times reported Thursday.
InfraVest Group was scheduled to start building 13 turbines along the coast of Hsinwu in Taoyuan County, north Taiwan, in October, but construction has been delayed due to local opposition.
Villagers said the wind farms along Taiwan's coast have already destroyed vegetation and trees along the coast and create noise.
Taipei - The two giant pandas given by China to Taiwan are turning up their nose at Taiwanese bamboo and have each lost 3 kilogrammes, a newspaper reported Saturday.
Taipei - Two Taiwanese coastal villages plan to hold a referendum on Saturday on whether to allow a German firm to build a wind farm along the coast, The China Times reported Thursday.
