WEATHER
High temperatures forecast
Most parts of the nation are forecast to see highs of 30oC or more, along with partly cloudy to sunny weather this weekend, the Central Weather Bureau said yesterday. Daytime highs are forecast to climb to between 30oC and 34oC over the three-day break from yesterday to tomorrow. Temperatures tomorrow are expected to hit 33oC in Taipei and Taichung, and 34oC in Chiayi, Pingtung and Taitung, the bureau said. Showers are expected in Kinmen, Penghu and Lienchiang, with Matsu forecast to record a high of 28oC this weekend, it said. Scattered showers are likely in eastern Taiwan, while afternoon thunderstorms are forecast for the northern, eastern and mountainous areas of central and southern Taiwan between today and Monday, it added.
CRIME
KTV death toll rises to six
Another victim died from injuries sustained in a fire at a karaoke outlet on Sunday last week, bringing the death toll from the incident to six, police said on Thursday. The 29-year-old man, surnamed Chang (張), was in a critical condition when he was taken to National Taiwan University Hospital and placed on an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation machine, police said. However, his condition failed to improve and his family decided to end treatment after discussions with medical personnel. He passed away on Thursday afternoon, police said. Chang is the sixth person to have died from the fire, which broke out at the Cashbox Partyworld KTV branch on Linsen N Road. At the time, all five major safety features — an indoor fire hydrant, automatic sprinkler system, automatic fire alarm, emergency broadcasting system and smoke extraction equipment — were not working, investigating police and prosecutors said on Tuesday. Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) on Thursday said a report determining responsibility for the fire would be released within a week, adding that the city government had set up an investigation committee to look into the safety inspection system.
CRIME
Man fined for pet’s action
A man in Miaoli County, surnamed Liao (廖), was fined NT$3,000 after a local police precinct received a video clip dated March 22 showing his dog poking its head out of a backseat window while he was driving in the city. Police said that pets, considered as properties by law, are subject to Article 29 of the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例), which states that drivers could be fined between NT$3,000 and NT$9,000 for carrying items that exceed the regulated length, width or height limits.
DIPLOMACY
Dutch office pulls video
The Netherlands’ de facto embassy in Taiwan on Thursday confirmed that it had taken down a video on its Facebook page, in which it had announced a name change from the “Netherlands Trade and Investment Office” to the “Netherlands Office Taipei.” In the five-minute address in the video, Dutch Representative Guy Wittich said that relations and cooperation between Taiwan and the Netherlands have continued to strengthen in many areas. The video was a livestream that was on Facebook and YouTube for only a couple of hours, the office said in response to reporters’ queries about the issue. The video was removed after China protested the name change, urging the Netherlands to adhere to the “one China principle.” The move by the Netherlands to change the name of its Taipei office followed similar decisions by Australia, the UK, Japan and Poland over the past few years.
The chief mechanic in an air force unit from which an F-16 and its pilot went missing last week died on Sunday evening in what might have been a suicide, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday. The ministry in a statement confirmed media reports that the mechanic, surnamed Huang (黃), “hurt himself” at a military barracks. Huang was taken to Hualien Armed Forces General Hospital after he was found unresponsive in the barracks, but doctors could not revive him, the ministry said. Huang served in the 26th Tactical Fighter Group of the 5th Tactical Fighter Wing, the same unit as the missing
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) last night said that it had no comment about reports that a senior US Navy officer had arrived in Taipei for a visit. Several media outlets reported that Rear Admiral Michael Studeman, director of intelligence of the US Indo-Pacific Command, arrived at Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) on a special charter flight at about 7pm. The schedule of a “senior US official” in Taiwan would not be made public, the ministry said in a news release, without confirming the visit or the official’s identity. Interactions and exchanges between Taiwan and the US are common, and visits
NON-TYPICAL: Apart from Atsani, storms in autumn missed Taiwan, rainfall has been lower and average temperatures have been higher, a CWB forecaster said The current water shortage is expected to worsen in the next few months, with the Central Weather Bureau (CWB) yesterday forecasting a colder, dryer winter than normal. With winter starting next week, the bureau at a media briefing outlined the expected conditions through February and reviewed autumn’s significant weather events. Weather Forecast Center director Lu Kuo-cheng (呂國臣) said that autumn this year had three major characteristics: First, 13 tropical storms and typhoons formed from September to this month, up from 11 in the same period last year, Lu said. Apart from Atsani, for which sea and land alerts were issued in Taiwan, the tropical
The US’ inclusion of Taiwan in its Indo-Pacific Strategy is geared toward weakening Beijing’s influence in Southeast Asia, as well as providing a Blue Dot Network to counter China’s Belt and Road Initiative, a senior Executive Yuan member said yesterday. Taiwan and the US would be seeking further collaboration on infrastructure construction and energy, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The US and Taiwan signed a memorandum of understanding on the Framework to Strengthen Infrastructure, Finance and Market Cooperation on Sept. 17, which would see the Ministry of Finance and the US Department of the Treasury establishing respective task
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