TRANSPORTATION
Rail services reduced
High-speed rail services would be reduced from April 18 to June 21 amid falling demand due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp said yesterday. The reductions would apply from Friday to Sunday during off-peak hours, the company said. About 41 services would be cut each week, or 4 percent of the weekly total of 1,016, it said. At least three trains would run every hour during operation hours, it added. Services would return to normal before the Dragon Boat Festival on June 25-28 and is expected to cause a surge in demand, the company said. It said it would monitor passenger volume and make adjustments to its services if necessary. By the end of next month, all 12 stations on the high-speed rail network would be equipped with infrared thermometers and people with a temperature of more than 37.5°C would not be allowed to board trains and would be given a full refund, it said.
SOCIETY
Taichung clubs shut down
Taichung’s five major nightclubs have agreed to shut down for 14 days to support the city’s efforts to contain COVID-19, the Taichung Police Department said yesterday. The decision came after officials from the city’s Civil Affairs Bureau and Health Bureau visited several bars, clubs and other entertainment venues on Sunday to persuade them to close their doors, as the nation continues to battle the spread of COVID-19, police said. Those that agreed to shut down for 14 days are Muse, Alta Club, Show House, 18TC and X-Cube, the five most popular nightclubs in the city, they said. Some of them decided to the close immediately, while the others said their shutdown would take effect yesterday, police added.
LOTTERY
Special prizes unclaimed
Five receipts that each won NT$10 million (US$328,893) in the November-to-December draw of the Uniform Invoice Lottery have yet to be claimed, the Ministry of Finance said on Sunday. The deadline for claiming the prizes is May 5, the ministry said. Thirteen receipts with the number 59647042 won the special NT$10 million prize and eight of them have been claimed so far, it said. Of the five that have yet to be claimed, three were for purchases under NT$100, it added. One winner bought a pack of dried berries from a 7-Eleven convenience store for NT$35, another spent NT$79 on gas and the other bought a matcha latte for NT$80 at a fast-food chain, the ministry said. Eighteen receipts with the number 01260528 won the NT$2 million prize, but only eight of them have been claimed, it said.
LOGISTICS
Postal services suspended
Chunghwa Post on Friday announced that postal services to 102 countries have been suspended due to flight cancelations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Postal services would not resume until flight services provided by the nation’s carriers return to normal, it said. The countries affected by the disruption include India, Bangladesh, the United Arab Emirates, Tajikistan, Oman, Bahrain, Brunei, Laos, Armenia, Turkey, Israel, Myanmar, Bhutan, Nauru, the Solomon Islands, Tahiti, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Luxembourg, Spain, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Italy, Switzerland, Finland, Iceland, Portugal, Slovenia, Sweden, Norway, Poland, Latvia, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Lithuania, Russia, South Africa, Senegal, Brazil, El Salvador, Chile and Mexico.
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,
Tigerair Taiwan and China Airlines (CAL) today announced that several international flights were canceled or rescheduled due to Typhoon Ragasa. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) has maintained sea and land warnings for the typhoon. Its storm circle reached the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島) on Taiwan's southern tip at 11am today. Tigerair Taiwan said it canceled Monday's IT551/IT552 Taoyuan-Da Nang, IT606/IT607 Taoyuan-Busan and IT602 Taoyuan-Seoul Incheon flights. Tomorrow, cancelations include IT603 Seoul Incheon-Taoyuan, as well as flights between Taoyuan and Sapporo, Osaka, Tokyo Narita, Okinawa, Fukuoka, Saga, Tokyo Haneda, Nagoya, Asahikawa and Jeju. On Wednesday, the IT321/IT322 Kaohsiung-Macau round-trip would also be canceled. CAL announced that today's
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