TRANSPORTATION
Cow collision stops train
Rail travel in part of eastern Taiwan was temporarily suspended after a train hit a herd of cattle that wandered onto the tracks, the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) said yesterday. A northbound train to Hualien departed Taitung at 9am. About 10 minues later, as the train approached Luye Station (鹿野), the engineer saw several cows on the tracks and pulled the emergency brake. However, the train was unable to stop in time, hitting six and killing them. The front carriage was badly damaged and was unable to continue the journey. The 12 passengers on the train were not hurt, but arrangements were made to transfer them to another train at Luye Station, resulting in a delay of 88 minutes to their trip. It was not the first time that a TRA train has hit livestock in Taitung County, but it was the most animals killed in a single incident.
WEATHER
Holiday to see cold weather
The Tomb Sweeping Day long weekend that starts on Saturday will see temperatures drop by 9?C due to a continental cold air mass, the Central Weather Bureau said yesterday. Due to the weakening of a cold air mass that arrived last weekend, temperatures climbed yesterday, reaching 22 to 23?C in north and eastern Taiwan, and 23?C to 27?C in central and southern areas, the bureau said. A cold air mass is forecast to arrive on Friday, pushing temperatures down across the nation at night, it said. Daytime temperatures the following day are forecast to reach a high of 16?C in the north and about 20?C to 22?C in other areas, the bureau said. Nighttime temperatures are forecast to dip to a low of about 13?C in the north, and 16?C to 18?C in other areas.
INTERNET
‘NYT’ amends poll
The New York Times (NYT) Web site recently corrected a drop-down menu of nations to include Taiwan after a reader’s complaint. According to a reader in Taiwan, a recent travel article on the Web site was followed by a reader’s poll. One question in the survey had a drop-down menu listing more than 100 nations, but not Taiwan. The reader contacted the writer, who in turn wrote his editors, saying: “I’ve been getting some rather angry comments about the reader poll that runs at the bottom of online articles on your Web site. There is no Taiwan or Hong Kong in the drop-down menu, forcing international readers in both Taiwan and Hong Kong to click ‘China.’ Besides creating unnecessary irritation [to put it mildly] among international readers, it seems we would want to know who is in Taiwan and Hong Kong as they are distinct markets.” The issue was fixed three days later and Taiwan and Hong Kong are now listed on the menu.
DIPLOMACY
China complains to Japan
Beijing yesterday said it has complained to Tokyo after a Japanese minister visited Taipei on Saturday over the weekend, saying that this could hurt relations between the two nations. Japanese Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications Jiro Akama visited Taipei on Saturday to attend a tourism promotion event in his official capacity, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Communications said. Japanese media said Akama was the highest-level government official to visit Taiwan since Tokyo broke diplomatic ties with Taipei in 1972. Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Hua Chunying (華春瑩) said the visit ran contrary to Japan’s promise to have only non-governmental and local-level exchanges with Taiwan.
NEW AGREEMENT: Malaysia approved imports last year after nearly two years of negotiations and inspections to meet quarantine requirements, officials said Up to 3.6 tonnes of pomeloes from Taiwan cleared Malaysian customs on Friday, in the first shipment of Taiwanese pomeloes to Malaysia. Taiwan-grown pomeloes are popular in domestic and overseas markets for their tender and juicy taste, the Ministry of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency said. The fruit is already exported to Japan, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore and the Philippines, it added. The agency began applying for access to the Malaysian market in 2023, compiling data on climate suitability, pests and diseases, and post-harvest handling, while also engaging in nearly two years of negotiations with Malaysian authorities and submitting supplementary
PEAK MONTHS: Data showed that on average 25 to 27 typhoons formed in the Pacific and South China seas annually, with about four forming per month in July and October One of three tropical depressions in the Pacific strengthened into a typhoon yesterday afternoon, while two others are expected to become typhoons by today, Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecaster Lee Ming-hsiang (李名翔) said yesterday. The outer circulation of Tropical Depression No. 20, now Typhoon Mitag, has brought light rain to Hualien, Taitung and areas in the south, Lee said, adding that as of 2pm yesterday, Mitag was moving west-northwest at 16kph, but is not expected to directly affect Taiwan. It was possible that Tropical Depression No. 21 would become a typhoon as soon as last night, he said. It was moving in a
One of two tropical depressions that formed offshore this morning could turn into a moderate typhoon by the weekend, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. Tropical Depression No. 21 formed at 8am about 1,850km off the southeast coast, CWA forecaster Lee Meng-hsuan (李孟軒) said. It is expected to move in a northwesterly direction as it continues building momentum, possibly intensifying into Typhoon Mitag this weekend, she added. The radius of the storm is expected to reach almost 200km, she said. It is expected to approach southeast of Taiwan on Monday and pass through the Bashi Channel between Tuesday and Wednesday,
About nine Taiwanese are “disappeared,” detained, or otherwise deprived of freedom of movement in China each month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. Between Jan. 1 last year and Aug. 31 this year, 188 Taiwanese travelers went missing, were detained and interrogated, or had their personal freedom restricted, with some questioned in airports or hotel lobbies, the council said. In a statement ahead of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the council urged people visiting China for any reason to be highly vigilant and aware of the risks. Of the reported cases, 50 people were “disappeared” after entering China, 19 were detained and 119 had
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