WEATHER
High temperatures forecast
The Central Weather Bureau yesterday issued a high-temperature warning for some parts of southern Taiwan today, saying that winds from the south are expected to bring warm air to the region. The bureau issued a “yellow” alert, which signifies temperatures of more than 36°C, for Kaohsiung and Pingtung County. Most of Taiwan can expect sunny skies, and daytime temperatures are to reach 34°C to 35°C in northern and central Taiwan, and 33°C in the east, the bureau said. However, despite the generally stable weather conditions, sporadic showers are expected around the country this afternoon, in particular in mountainous areas in the north and northeast, the bureau said. Dangerously high levels of ultraviolet radiation can be expected around midday, it said, urging people to take precautions when going outdoors. Meanwhile, the air quality yesterday was good in Yilan, Hualien and Taitung counties in the east, and fair air quality was reported in Hsinchu and Miaoli counties in the north, and Yunlin, Chiayi, and Pingtung counties, as well as Kaohsiung and Tainan in the south, the Environmental Protection Administration said.
SOCIETY
First same-sex divorce filed
A same-sex couple in Pingtung County has filed for divorce in what is believed to be the first same-sex divorce since same-sex marriage became legal on May 24, the county government’s Department of Civil Affairs said. As of Monday, 19 same-sex couples had registered their marriages in Pingtung, including 12 who did so on May 24, the department said. However, one couple who registered their marriage several days after May 24 have now filed for divorce, because of family pressures, as they did not obtain the consent of their parents, the department said. As of May 31, 774 same-sex couples had registered their marriages and there were no divorces, according data from the Ministry of the Interior’s Department of Household Registration. The department did not have updated information for the first half of this month.
EDUCATION
NCTU offers Vietnam classes
Taiwan’s National Chiao Tung University (NCTU) on Monday launched an overseas master’s degree program in semiconductor technology, with enrollment to begin at Vietnam National University’s Hanoi University of Science in August. The overseas program offered by NCTU’s International College of Semiconductor Technology (ICST) is the first of its kind offered by a Taiwanese university outside of the nation, the Hsinchu-based institution said. It is also the only master’s degree program in the semiconductor field to be offered by a university in Vietnam. Hanoi University of Science president Nguyen Van Noi said the program is also an opportunity for top-notch professors from NCTU to help train new semiconductor talent in Vietnam, praising the Taiwanese university for its strong background in semiconductor engineering. ICST associate dean Leu Jih-perng (呂志鵬) said that as long as Vietnamese students meet their graduation requirements, they would be able to obtain a master’s degree from NCTU without having to study in Taiwan. The program would also provide participating students the opportunity to take internships in Taiwan during the summer, Leu said. Classes are to begin in spring next year.
Taiwan was listed in 14th place among the world's wealthiest country in terms of GDP per capita, in the latest rankings released on Monday by Forbes magazine. Taiwan's GDP per capita was US$76,860, which put it at No. 14 on the list of the World's 100 Richest Countries this year, one spot above Hong Kong with US$75,130. The magazine's list of the richest countries in the world is compiled based on GDP per capita data, as estimated by the IMF. However, for a more precise measure of a nation's wealth, the magazine also considers purchasing power parity, which is a metric used to
Taiwan yesterday expelled four China Coast Guard vessels that entered Taiwan-controlled restricted waters off Lienchiang County (Matsu) shortly after the Chinese People’s Liberation Army announced the start of its “Joint Sword-2024B” drills around Taiwan. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said in a statement that it had detected two China Coast Guard ships west of Nangan Island (南竿) and another two north of Dongyin Island (東引) at 8am yesterday. After Chinese ships sailed into restricted waters off Matsu shortly afterward, the CGA’s Kinmen-Matsu-Penghu Branch deployed four patrol vessels to shadow and approach the vessels, it said. The incidents pushed up to 44 the number
Renovations on the B3 concourse of Taipei Main Station are to begin on Nov. 1, with travelers advised to use entrances near the Taiwan Railway or high-speed rail platforms or information counter to access the MRT’s Red Line. Construction is to be completed before the end of next year, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp said last week. To reduce the impact on travelers, the NT$95 million (US$2.95 million) project is to be completed in four stages, it said. In the first stage, the hall leading to the Blue Line near the art exhibition area is to be closed from Nov. 1 to the end
Taipei’s Ximending (西門町) shopping area welcomed the most international visitors, followed by Taipei 101, Songshan Cultural and Creative Park and Yangmingshan National Park (陽明山國家公園), a list of the city’s most popular tourist attractions published by the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism showed. As of August, 69.22 million people had visited Taipei’s main tourism spots, a 76 percent increase from 39.33 million in the same period last year, department data showed. Ximending had 20.21 million visitors, followed by Taipei 101 at 8.09 million, Songshan Cultural and Creative Park at 6.28 million, Yangmingshan at 4.51 million and the Red House Theater (西門紅樓) in
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