TOURISM
Taipei tops Asia list
A US magazine has named Taipei the best leisure destination in Asia for the fourth straight year. The Global Traveler survey also ranked Taiwan second in the “Best Adventure Destination, International” category, trailing India. Tourism Bureau Los Angeles office director Brad Shih (施照輝) said that the ranking reflected Taiwan’s tourism assets, which range from natural attractions to cosmopolitan charm. Travel activities promoted by the bureau include cycling, island-hopping and hiking, and have been well received by the US public, Shih said. Based on conversations with US travel agents and his own observations, Shih said he thinks that travelers would be more inclined to take individual trips or smaller groups tours in the post-COVID-19 era. Global Traveler’s Leisure Lifestyle Award list is based on a survey conducted from Dec. 14 last year to April 30 among the magazine’s subscribers and online readers.
DEFENSE
Military reshuffle touted
Army Commander General Chen Pao-yu (陳寶餘) is to assume the post of chief of the general staff beginning on Thursday next week, the Ministry of National Defense said on Thursday. Chen would replace Huang Shu-kuang (黃曙光), who is retiring, the ministry said in a statement. Vice Chief of the General Staff Hsu Yen-pu (徐衍璞) is to take the position of army commander, and Vice Chief of the General Staff Mei Chia-shu (梅家樹) is to assume the post left by Hsu, it said. Vice Minister of National Defense Chang Guan-chung (張冠群) is to assume the role of military strategy adviser at the Presidential Office, it said. National Defense University president Wang Hsin-lung (王信龍) is to succeed Chang, while Vice Minister of National Defense Chang Che-ping (張哲平) is to take the post left by Wang, it said.
EDUCATION
School start delayed
Schools are to start the new school year on Sept. 1, two days later than scheduled, to allow time for the implementation of COVID-19 prevention measures, the National Federation of Teachers Unions said on Thursday after a meeting of local governments and representatives of educational groups. Proper disinfection is an important consideration during the two-day period, as some school campuses would host polling stations for referendums on Aug. 28, union deputy secretary-general Chang Chiung-fang (張瓊方) said. The extra days give the schools time to thoroughly clean their campuses and make other preparations before the students return from their two-month summer break, he said. With the break due to start on Saturday next week, students would to have a 60-day vacation, he said.
CULTURE
Munich to host Taiwan show
Architecture designed in the wake of the devastating 921 Earthquake is to be featured in an exhibition in Munich, Germany, next month. Running from July 8 to Oct. 3, the exhibition, titled “Taiwan Acts: Architecture in Social Dialogue,” would highlight Taiwan’s focus on the social roles of buildings after the destruction of many structures and the loss of 2,400 lives in the Sept. 21, 1999 earthquake, the Technical University of Munich Architecture Museum said. The displays include projects aimed at improving the urban structure of Yilan County, cultural buildings, and infrastructure and houses in other parts of Taiwan, the museum said. The exhibition, the largest of its kind to date, shows commitment to a building and planning culture that has emerged from open social dialogue, the museum said.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
Tropical Storm Fung-Wong would likely strengthen into a typhoon later today as it continues moving westward across the Pacific before heading in Taiwan’s direction next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 8am, Fung-Wong was about 2,190km east-southeast of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving westward at 25kph and possibly accelerating to 31kph, CWA data showed. The tropical storm is currently over waters east of the Philippines and still far from Taiwan, CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said, adding that it could likely strengthen into a typhoon later in the day. It is forecast to reach the South China Sea
WEATHER Typhoon forming: CWA A tropical depression is expected to form into a typhoon as early as today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the storm’s path remains uncertain. Before the weekend, it would move toward the Philippines, the agency said. Some time around Monday next week, it might reach a turning point, either veering north toward waters east of Taiwan or continuing westward across the Philippines, the CWA said. Meanwhile, the eye of Typhoon Kalmaegi was 1,310km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, as of 2am yesterday, it said. The storm is forecast to move through central
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