A Taiwanese high school student was among the injured when a gunman opened fire outside an under-21 nightclub in the US late on Saturday.
The attacker opened fire outside the nightclub in Portland, Oregon, killing two girls and wounding seven people, including the Taiwanese student, before shooting himself in what police say might have been a random act of violence.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesman Henry Chen (陳銘政) said yesterday the Taiwanese exchange student, surnamed Chang, was not seriously injured, according to information he received from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Seattle.
Chen said the office would offer the student any necessary assistance.
A Peruvian exchange student was killed, as was an American girl preparing for a trip as an exchange student. The wounded also included students from Italy, Ecuador, France and Guatemala, officials said.
Detective Mary Wheat, a police spokeswoman, said the shooting did not appear connected to gangs, and there was no indication the man had a relationship with any of the people he shot in front of The Zone nightclub.
A stray bullet hit a man outside a neighboring bar.
Police late on Sunday identified the alleged shooter as Erik Salvadore Ayala, 24.
He remained in critical condition at Legacy Emanuel Hospital after shooting himself in the head, Wheat said.
Wheat said investigators were trying to determine the shooter’s path to the club, but it did not appear he had been inside it or the nearby bar beforehand. Police seized a car in downtown Portland that is associated with Ayala.
Police have recovered the gun used in the shooting, Wheat said.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong effective from 5:30pm, while local governments canceled school and work for tomorrow. A land warning is expected to be issued tomorrow morning before it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the agency said. Taoyuan, and well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties canceled work and school for tomorrow, as well as mountainous district of Taipei and New Taipei City. For updated information on closures, please visit the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Web site. As of 5pm today, Fung-wong was about 490km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point.
Almost a quarter of volunteer soldiers who signed up from 2021 to last year have sought early discharge, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a report. The report said that 12,884 of 52,674 people who volunteered in the period had sought an early exit from the military, returning NT$895.96 million (US$28.86 million) to the government. In 2021, there was a 105.34 percent rise in the volunteer recruitment rate, but the number has steadily declined since then, missing recruitment targets, the Chinese-language United Daily News said, citing the report. In 2021, only 521 volunteers dropped out of the military, the report said, citing
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck Kaohsiung at 1pm today, the Central Weather Administration said. The epicenter was in Jiasian District (甲仙), 72.1km north-northeast of Kaohsiung City Hall, at a depth of 7.8km, agency data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in Kaohsiung and Tainan, where it measured a 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale. It also measured a 3 in parts of Chiayi City, as well as Pingtung, Yunlin and Hualien counties, data showed.
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
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