Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) is the place to be to catch the first rays of sunlight of the new year, the Central Weather Bureau (CWB) said yesterday.
The first sunrise in Taiwan in the new year is to be seen on the island, southeast of Taitung County, the bureau said.
Sunrise would be at 6:32am on Saturday in Orchid Island’s Dongcing (東清), while on Taiwan proper, it would occur at 6:35am in Lungkeng (龍坑) in Pingtung County’s Kenting (墾丁) area, the bureau forecast.
Photo: Chen Hsin-yu, Taipei Times
The sunrise on Orchid Island can be seen from Taitung County’s Dawu Township (大武鄉), it added.
The New Year’s Day sunrise on Keelung Islet (基隆嶼), another popular scenic view, can be seen from Tiaoshih (跳石) in New Taipei City’s Jinshan District (金山), while Waiao Beach (外澳) in Yilan County’s Toucheng Township (頭城) would be a good place to see the sunrise over Turtle Island (Gueishan Island, 龜山島), the bureau said.
The sunrise over Taitung County’s Green Island (綠島) is expected to be another beautiful sight, and can be seen in the Jialulan (加路蘭) area of Taitung City.
People wishing to say goodbye to 2021 by watching the last visible sunset of the year in Taiwan proper should visit the seawall in Tainan’s Cigu District (七股) on Friday at 5:25pm.
In Kinmen County, the sunset would be visible at 5:29pm at Jiangong Islet (建功嶼) at the mouth of the Wujiang River (浯江溪) in Jincheng Township (金城) and at Cih Lake (慈湖).
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.
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
Almost a quarter of volunteer soldiers who signed up from 2021 to last year have sought early discharge, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a report. The report said that 12,884 of 52,674 people who volunteered in the period had sought an early exit from the military, returning NT$895.96 million (US$28.86 million) to the government. In 2021, there was a 105.34 percent rise in the volunteer recruitment rate, but the number has steadily declined since then, missing recruitment targets, the Chinese-language United Daily News said, citing the report. In 2021, only 521 volunteers dropped out of the military, the report said, citing
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