ENVIRONMENT
Rain staves off rationing
The Water Resources Agency (WRA) said there would be sufficient water supplies for household consumption in most areas of the country until the end of June as a result of recent rainfall. In Greater Kaohsiung and in areas supplied by the Shihmen Reservoir (石門水庫) in Taoyuan County, the second phase of water conservation may not be needed until the end of next month even though the precipitation last week helped extend the supply by only 10 days at most, WRA director-general Yang Wei-fu (楊偉甫) said. Rain in those two areas also fell on agricultural land, where demand for irrigation water will be moderate until late next month anyway, Yang said. The Shihmen Reservoir and the Tsengwen Reservoir (曾文水庫) in the south each accumulated more than 9 million tonnes of water, the equivalent of about 10 days’ supply, from the downpours last week, he said. The arrival of the annual spring rains should bring further relief to the country’s water situation, Yang said.
DIPLOMACY
Burkina Faso office on hold
The government has put plans to build an embassy in Burkina Faso on hold, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday, citing financial, safety and investment concerns. Burkina Faso’s government has offered a plot of land to build the embassy, which is currently housed in a rented building, said David Wang (王建業), director of the Department of West Asian and African Affairs. The ministry has decided not to proceed with the project for now, because it is looking at factors such as financial resources, security indicators in the African country and investment returns, Wang said. During a visit to Burkina Faso last year, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) mentioned the plan to build an embassy there.
Costa Rica sent a group of intelligence officials to Taiwan for a short-term training program, the first time the Central American country has done so since the countries ended official diplomatic relations in 2007, a Costa Rican media outlet reported last week. Five officials from the Costa Rican Directorate of Intelligence and Security last month spent 23 days in Taipei undergoing a series of training sessions focused on national security, La Nacion reported on Friday, quoting unnamed sources. The Costa Rican government has not confirmed the report. The Chinese embassy in Costa Rica protested the news, saying in a statement issued the same
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
Temperatures in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) climbed past 37°C yesterday, as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued heat alerts for 16 municipalities, warning the public of intense heat expected across Taiwan. The hottest location in Taiwan was in Sindian, where the mercury reached 37.5°C at about 2pm, according to CWA data. Taipei’s Shilin District (士林) recorded a temperature of 37.4°C at noon, Taitung County’s Jinfeng Township (金峰) at 12:50 pm logged a temperature of 37.4°C and Miaoli County’s Toufen Township (頭份) reached 36.7°C at 11:40am, the CWA said. The weather agency yesterday issued a yellow level information notice for Taipei, New
CASE: Prosecutors have requested heavy sentences, citing a lack of remorse and the defendants’ role in ‘undermining the country’s democratic foundations’ Five people affiliated with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), including senior staff from the party’s Taipei branch, were indicted yesterday for allegedly forging thousands of signatures to recall two Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers. Those indicted include KMT Taipei chapter director Huang Lu Chin-ru (黃呂錦茹), secretary-general Chu Wen-ching (初文卿) and secretary Yao Fu-wen (姚富文), the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said in a news release. Prosecutors said the three were responsible for fabricating 5,211 signature forms — 2,537 related to the recall of DPP Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) and 2,674 for DPP Legislator Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) — with forged entries accounting for
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