EARTHQUAKES
Quake hits eastern Taiwan
A magnitude 4.4 earthquake jolted eastern Taiwan at 3:38pm yesterday, the Central Weather Bureau said. The earthquake’s epicenter was 44.2km southwest of Hualien County Hall at a depth of 9.1km, on the border between Hualien and Nantou counties, bureau officials said. The strongest tremor, with an intensity of 4, was felt in Hong-ye Village (紅葉) in Hualien. Three moderate quakes shook the east earlier in the day, with the strongest one occurring at 4:29am. It measured 4.7, with the epicenter 57.8km beneath the sea, 15.5km southeast of the Taitung County Government, the bureau said. Before that, a magnitude 4 earthquake hit at 00:50am, with the epicenter 22.1km beneath the sea, 39km southeast of the Yilan County Government building, it said. An earthquake measuring 3.4 in magnitude also occurred at 3:14am, with its epicenter 22.1km beneath the surface, the bureau said.
DOCUMENTARY
Show highlights innovation
The nation’s achievements in industrial, agricultural and medical innovations are highlighted in a three-part documentary titled Taiwan Revealed produced by the Discovery Channel. The first episode focuses on industrial innovation and highlights examples such as the development of the world’s first transparent smartphone. It premiered in Taiwan on Monday and is to be replayed on Saturday. The second episode features agricultural innovation, including the use of coffee grounds to produce clothes that can remove odors and a water filtering device that can filter seriously polluted water, the channel said, adding that it would air on Monday. The third episode, which is still being filmed, will focus on issues such as minimally invasive surgery, Discovery said, and is set to air next year.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
INCREASED CAPACITY: The flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays would leave Singapore in the morning and Taipei in the afternoon Singapore Airlines is adding four supplementary flights to Taipei per week until May to meet increased tourist and business travel demand, the carrier said on Friday. The addition would raise the number of weekly flights it operates to Taipei to 18, Singapore Airlines Taiwan general manager Timothy Ouyang (歐陽漢源) said. The airline has recorded a steady rise in tourist and business travel to and from Taipei, and aims to provide more flexible travel arrangements for passengers, said Ouyang, who assumed the post in July last year. From now until Saturday next week, four additional flights would depart from Singapore on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat
Taiwan successfully defended its women’s 540 kilogram title and won its first-ever men’s 640 kg title at the 2026 World Indoor Tug of War Championships in Taipei yesterday. In the women’s event, Taiwan’s eight-person squad reached the final following a round-robin preliminary round and semifinals featuring teams from Ukraine, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Basque Country and South Korea. In the finals, they swept the Basque team 2-0, giving the team composed mainly of National Taiwan Normal University students and graduates its second championship in a row, and its fourth in five years. Team captain
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