WEATHER
Afternoon storms to continue
The weather pattern of high temperatures in the morning followed by afternoon thunderstorms is set to continue through Monday next week, thanks to a high-pressure system hovering over the Pacific Ocean southeast of Japan, the Central Weather Bureau said yesterday. Yilan County and western counties are expected to see daytime highs from 33°C to 36°C tomorrow, while Hualien and Taitung counties can expect highs from 32°C to 33°C, the bureau said. Afternoon thunderstorms are still likely, it said. The pattern is expected to continue until July 4. Forecasters also maintained their warning of “very high” or “extreme” levels of ultraviolet rays between 10am and 2pm.
SOCIETY
Fraud suspects in China
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday said that 25 Taiwanese who were arrested in Cambodia on telecom fraud charges have been transported to China. They were among 81 suspects arrested in Cambodia and Laos who were sent to China on Friday last week, Chinese police authorities said. The Taiwanese were arrested on June 13, 18 and 19. Chinese authorities informed Taiwan of the deportation in accordance with a cross-strait agreement on combating crime, the ministry said. Chinese police cited a “relevant consensus” with Taiwan, saying the suspects were taken to China based on the principles of striking at crime, protecting the interests of the victim and realizing justice. Thirteen of the Taiwanese suspects were apprehended on June 13, four were arrested on June 18 and eight were arrested on June 19, according to the ministry. The Taiwanese, mostly in their 20s, were members of fraud rings that targeted Chinese victims, according to earlier reports, that cited Cambodian police.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong effective from 5:30pm, while local governments canceled school and work for tomorrow. A land warning is expected to be issued tomorrow morning before it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the agency said. Taoyuan, and well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties canceled work and school for tomorrow, as well as mountainous district of Taipei and New Taipei City. For updated information on closures, please visit the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Web site. As of 5pm today, Fung-wong was about 490km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point.
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck Kaohsiung at 1pm today, the Central Weather Administration said. The epicenter was in Jiasian District (甲仙), 72.1km north-northeast of Kaohsiung City Hall, at a depth of 7.8km, agency data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in Kaohsiung and Tainan, where it measured a 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale. It also measured a 3 in parts of Chiayi City, as well as Pingtung, Yunlin and Hualien counties, data showed.
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
Taiwan next year plans to launch its first nationwide census on elderly people living independently to identify the estimated 700,000 seniors to strengthen community-based healthcare and long-term care services, the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) said yesterday. Minister of Health and Welfare Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said on the sidelines of a healthcare seminar that the nation’s rapidly aging population and declining birthrate have made the issue of elderly people living alone increasingly pressing. The survey, to be jointly conducted by the MOHW and the Ministry of the Interior, aims to establish baseline data and better allocate care resources, he
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