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.
Chinese spouse and influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China videos that threaten national security, the National Immigration Agency confirmed today. Guan Guan has said many controversial statements in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” and expressing hope for expedited reunification. The agency last year received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification. After verifying the reports, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and explain her actions. Guan
GIVE AND TAKE: Blood demand continues to rise each year, while fewer young donors are available due to the nation’s falling birthrate, a doctor said Blood donors can redeem points earned from donations to obtain limited edition Formosan black bear travel mugs, the Kaohsiung Blood Center said yesterday, as it announced a goal of stocking 20,000 units of blood prior to the Lunar New Year. The last month of the lunar year is National Blood Donation Month, when local centers seek to stockpile blood for use during the Lunar New Year holiday. The blood demand in southern Taiwan — including Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Taitung counties — is about 2,000 units per day, the center said. The donation campaign aims to boost
The Kaohsiung Tourism Bureau audited six hotels in an effort to prevent price gouging ahead of Korean band BTS’ concert tour in the city scheduled for Nov. 19, 21 and 22 this year. The bureau on Friday said that the audits — conducted in response to allegations of unfair pricing posted on social media — found no wrongdoing. These establishments included the local branches of Chateau de Chine, Hotel Nikko, My Humble House, and Grand Hai Lai, it said, adding that the Consumer Protection Commission would have penalized price gougers had the accusations been substantiated. The bureau said the Tourism Development Act
BACK TO WINTER: A strong continental cold air mass would move south on Tuesday next week, bringing colder temperatures to northern and central Taiwan A tropical depression east of the Philippines could soon be upgraded to be the first tropical storm of this year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the next cold air mass is forecast to arrive on Monday next week. CWA forecaster Cheng Jie-ren (鄭傑仁) said the first tropical depression of this year is over waters east of the Philippines, about 1,867km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), and could strengthen into Tropical Storm Nokaen by early today. The system is moving slowly from northwest to north, and is expected to remain east of the Philippines with little chance of affecting Taiwan,
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