■WEATHER
New tropical storm forms
A low air pressure system called Tropical Storm Mirinae has formed near Guam, the Central Weather Bureau (CWB) said yesterday. As of yesterday, Mirinae was located off the southeast coast of Guam about 2,700km from Taiwan. It is moving west at a speed of 29kph. The bureau said the tropical storm would move toward the Philippines first because the strong high air pressure system from the north would cause it to move south. The bureau estimated yesterday that the storm would pass through the Philippines on Saturday or Sunday. A cold front is scheduled to hit Taiwan around the same time. Whether the joint force of these two systems will generate the Fujiwhara effect remains to be seen, the bureau said.
■TOURISM
Council pushes farm tours
The Council of Agriculture yesterday announced a series of initiatives to promote tourism at leisure farms. It stated that leisure farms have been growing in popularity, especially among city dwellers wanting a break from city life. The council plans to unveil the vacation plans, some costing as little as NT$168, at the Taipei International Travel Fair that is taking place from Friday to Monday.
■TRANSPORT
Suhua route speeded up
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications said on Monday that it would present a new route for construction of the proposed Suhua Highway by the end of the year and hold public hearings in eastern Taiwan next year. Construction of a rerouted highway is likely to proceed after President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), in his capacity as Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman, on Sunday pledged to start building “a safe road” for residents in Hualien and Taitung by the end of next year. Chen Mao-nan (陳茂南), chief secretary of the ministry’s Directorate General of Highways, said the ministry was considering several ideas, including improving the current highway and building new tunnels, adding that the final proposal would be presented by year’s end. The proposed route would not entirely follow the same route as the contentious Suhua Freeway, he said. Chen said the ministry would also hold public hearings with residents in Yilan, Hualien and Taitung counties before sending the proposal to the Environmental Protection Administration for an environmental impact assessment.
■MEDIA
Rules on PRC press eased
Chinese reporters assigned to Taiwan are to be allowed more flexibility in their on-site news coverage and will no longer require to pre-register their field work with the Government Information Office, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Deputy Minister Chao Chien-min (趙建民) said yesterday. Chao made the announcement prior to his departure for China with a group of domestic media representatives to visit media organizations there. At present, Chinese news organizations are permitted to send reporters across the Strait for special news coverage for a maximum of three months at a time, a reciprocal measure that allows Taiwanese news organizations to assign reporters to China for the same period. The MAC official said that after detailed reviews, the government had decided to allow Chinese reporters more flexibility when they are assigned to Taiwan. While each Chinese news organization can now only assign a team of two reporters in the future, up to five reporters working for the same organization will be allowed, he said.
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