■ Education
New English test introduced
The National Development Initiatives Institute, a local organization promoting the study of English, presented a new English proficiency test yesterday. Based on the Common European Framework (CEF), a standardized scale of English proficiency, the examination has been tested at some middle and senior high schools, colleges and universities and would be introduced at all schools nationwide, institute officials said yesterday. The "Global English Test" focuses on active communication skills, as well as listening comprehension, they said.
■ Transportation
Fog delays flights
Thick fog at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport delayed more than 30 departing flights yesterday morning, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded, an airport official said. The foggy conditions were created by a humid maritime airstream, reducing visibility to less than 200m, according to the Central Weather Bureau. Hundreds of people were stranded at the airport due to the delayed flights to Japan, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia, an airport official said. Five flights arriving from the US and Europe were diverted to Kaohsiung, the official said.
■ Weather
Cold front on the way
A cold front will approach Taiwan tomorrow, which will bring to an end this week's warm weather, the Central Weather Bureau said yesterday. The bureau said temperatures in northern and northeastern areas will drop tomorrow because of the influence of a southbound cold front in the region. Chances are high for rain in northern Taiwan this weekend, the bureau said, adding that the weather would improve by Monday.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
UNKNOWN TRAJECTORY: The storm could move in four possible directions, with the fourth option considered the most threatening to Taiwan, meteorologist Lin De-en said A soon-to-be-formed tropical storm east of the Philippines could begin affecting Taiwan on Wednesday next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The storm, to be named Fung-wong (鳳凰), is forecast to approach Taiwan on Tuesday next week and could begin affecting the weather in Taiwan on Wednesday, CWA forecaster Huang En-hung (黃恩鴻) said, adding that its impact might be amplified by the combined effect with the northeast monsoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the system’s center was 2,800km southeast of Oluanbi (鵝鑾鼻). It was moving northwest at 18kph. Meteorologist Lin De-en (林得恩) on Facebook yesterday wrote that the would-be storm is surrounded by
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