A land warning for Super Typhoon Talim, which has developed into a severe storm, was issued by the Central Weather Bureau last night. Forecasters said that Talim, the 13th typhoon reported in the Pacific this year, is expected to bring heavy rains to the whole country, and reminded people in mountainous areas to take disaster prevention measures as soon as possible.
At 8am yesterday, the bureau issued a sea warning to boats sailing in the waters east and southeast of Taiwan and in the Bashi Channel (巴士海峽), where long waves and gusts were observed. At 5pm yesterday, Talim, whose radius is 250km and is centered in the Pacific Ocean 720km east of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻) -- Taiwan's southernmost tip -- is expected to be 180km east of Hualien in eastern Taiwan by 5pm today.
According to Hsieh Ming-chang (
"We predict that the weather in Taiwan will be significantly affected by the typhoon [today and tomorrow]," Hsieh said.
If Talim continues on its current path, it will land in eastern Taiwan today, sweeping north and moving toward Fujian Province in China. However, due to a high pressure front moving northeast of Taiwan, Talim's route might change. But forecasters said heavy rains nationwide would be inevitable, no matter what route the typhoon took.
Talim could bring abundant rainfall to northern Taiwan, forecasters said. The Taipei City Government yesterday urged residents to relocate cars parked along the banks of the Keelung River (
Meanwhile, Premier Frank Hsieh (
"We will be well-prepared for all kinds of situations," the premier said. "However, we will alert the public if there is a need to interrupt regular water supplies."
Hsieh made his remarks yesterday morning, when reporters asked him whether the government could promise constant water supply services and that it carried out all necessary preparations for the typhoon. The premier said that no damage will occur if everybody cooperates.
The premier was surrounded by reporters and was questioned as to whether the drought in Taoyuan after the most recent typhoon would occur again.
According to the Shihmen Reservoir Management Center, a minor flood discharge has been carried out for safety reasons as of yesterday afternoon. The discharge was part of the preparations for the typhoon, because the reservoir is almost full. In the meantime, however, the water in the reservoir has again become muddy, sparking concerns about an interruption of water supplies in Taoyuan County.
The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee yesterday approved proposed amendments to the Amusement Tax Act (娛樂稅法) that would abolish taxes on films, cultural activities and competitive sporting events, retaining the fee only for dance halls and golf courses. The proposed changes would set the maximum tax rate for dance halls and golf courses at 50 and 20 percent respectively, with local governments authorized to suspend the levies. Article 2 of the act says that “amusement tax shall be levied on tickets sold or fees charged by amusement places, facilities or activities” in six categories: “Cinema; professional singing, story-telling, dancing, circus, magic show, acrobatics
Tainan, Taipei and New Taipei City recorded the highest fines nationwide for illegal accommodations in the first quarter of this year, with fines issued in the three cities each exceeding NT$7 million (US$220,639), Tourism Administration data showed. Among them, Taipei had the highest number of illegal short-term rental units, with 410. There were 3,280 legally registered hotels nationwide in the first quarter, down by 14 properties, or 0.43 percent, from a year earlier, likely indicating operators exiting the market, the agency said. However, the number of unregistered properties rose to 1,174, including 314 illegal hotels and 860 illegal short-term rental
INFLATION UP? The IMF said CPI would increase to 1.5 percent this year, while the DGBAS projected it would rise to 1.68 percent, with GDP per capita of US$44,181 The IMF projected Taiwan’s real GDP would grow 5.2 percent this year, up from its 2.1 percent outlook in January, despite fears of global economic disruptions sparked by the US-Iran conflict. Taiwan’s consumer price index (CPI) is projected to increase to 1.5 percent, while unemployment would be 3.4 percent, roughly in line with estimates for Asia as a whole, the international body wrote in its Global Economic Outlook Report published in the US on Monday. The figures are comparatively better than the IMF outlook for the rest of the world, which pegged real GDP growth at 3.1 percent, down from 3.3 percent
ECONOMIC COERCION: Such actions are often inconsistently applied, sometimes resumed, and sometimes just halted, the Presidential Office spokeswoman said The government backs healthy and orderly cross-strait exchanges, but such arrangements should not be made with political conditions attached and never be used as leverage for political maneuvering or partisan agendas, Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said yesterday. Kuo made the remarks after China earlier in the day announced 10 new “incentive measures” for Taiwan, following a landmark meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) in Beijing on Friday. The measures, unveiled by China’s Xinhua news agency, include plans to resume individual travel by residents of Shanghai and China’s Fujian
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