PUBLIC TRANSPORT
Xinyi MRT work begins
Construction of an extension of the Taipei MRT system’s Xinyi Line started yesterday and is expected to take until 2022 to complete, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp said. The extension is to run underground from the current terminus, Xiangshan Station, east along Xinyi Road Sec 6, Fude Street and Zhongpo S Road, before terminating at Yucheng Park, the company said. The 1.42km track is to terminate at a third-level underground station with an island platform, which is to have three entrances and exits to a planned Xinyi District (信義) administration office and two entrances and exits in Guang-Ci Care Park, the company said. The project is expected to increase the Xinyi Line capacity. The Xinyi Line, which runs underground from Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Station along Xinyi Road to the Xinyi Planning District, is 6.4km long and has seven underground stations. It started operations in November 2013.
WEATHER
Cold change expected
The Central Weather Bureau yesterday said that while partly cloudy skies and warmer temperatures were felt in most parts of the nation, cooler weather is predicted from Tuesday due to northeast seasonal winds. Maximum temperatures hovered between 27?C and 29?C in the north and northeast yesterday, and temperatures between 30?C and 32?C were recorded in central and southern Taiwan, with lows in all areas between 20?C and 22?C, the bureau said. The relatively stable weather could give way to rain on Tuesday, bringing lows of 19?C in the north, the bureau said. The cold change could be more pronounced on Wednesday, with daytime highs down another 4?C to 5?C to about 22?C in the region.
ASTRONOMY
Supermoon to shine
The closest and biggest supermoon since 1948 will be on Monday next week, the Taipei Astronomical Museum said. The full moon is called a supermoon when it is full on the same day as its perigee — the point of its orbit at which it is closest to Earth. The museum said that the supermoon would be 14 percent larger than this year’s smallest full moon, recorded in April. It would be visible in clear skies from Monday evening until early Tuesday morning next week, the museum said. The moon is not due to appear this large again until Nov. 25, 2034, the museum added.
AGRICULTURE
Migrants not to ease shortage
The nation does not plan to use migrant workers in the agricultural sector to ease labor shortages, Council of Agriculture Minister Tsao Chi-hung (曹啟鴻) said. However, the council and the Ministry of Labor would examine issues related to attracting foreign farm workers, with an initial focus on the dairy industry, he said. Tsao made the remarks during a recent meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Economic Committee to review the councils 2017 budget, during which several Democratic Progressive Party legislators expressed concerns that the agriculture sector is being held back by severe labor shortages and aging farmers. Meanwhile, Chang Chih-sheng (張致盛), director of the council’s Department of Farmers’ Services, said that the council has adopted two measures to cope with the increasing shortage of farm workers, including establishing agriculture work teams made up of 320 workers from six cities and counties, and a program to encourage female workers in rural areas.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it