DEFENSE
Chopper refit plan dropped
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday told the Legislative Yuan that it is abandoning plans to refit old UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters or obtain new ones, and would instead use the EC-225 Eurocopter or the Sikorsky S-70 for nighttime search-and-rescue operations. Air force Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Huang Chih-wei (黃志偉) said the cancelation stems from outstandingcosts for a refit or purchase. The US gave a NT$4.3 billion (US$148 million) quote for the refitting procedure, far outstripping the ministry’s planned NT$1.96 billion budget, Huang said, adding that purchasing new helicopters would cost NT$18 billion. The navy has set aside classified funding for the purchase of MH-60R Seahawks for anti-submarine purposes, navy Chief of Staff Chiang Cheng-kuo (蔣正國) said. Deputy Minister of National Defense Tu Hung-hui (杜鴻輝) said that the ministry has received and is reviewing the letter of request.
WEATHER
Front to bring cool weather
The arrival of a weather front late tomorrow would send temperatures down by 7°C to 8°C and bring rain to parts of Taiwan, the Central Weather Bureau said. The weather is expected to remain stable until tomorrow evening, when strengthening northeasterly winds and the arrival of the weather front would send temperatures down in the north and east, and by a slightly smaller margin in other regions, bureau forecaster Lin Ting-yi (林定宜) said. Conditions would become slightly drier from Friday through the weekend, but would remain on the cool side, Lin said, with temperatures in most parts of the country ranging from 17°C to 23°C. Separately, a pair of tropical storms churning in waters southeast of Taiwan could merge as they move over waters south of Japan, but are unlikely to directly affect Taiwan, he said.
EARTHQUAKE
Quake hits off Hualien
A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck off the coast of Hualien County at 13:17pm yesterday, the Central Weather Bureau said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The quake hit at a depth of 30.1km. Its epicenter was about 61.5km south of Hualien County Hall, the bureau’s Seismology Center said. The earthquake’s intensity, which gauges its actual effect, was highest in Taitung County, where it reached 3 on Taiwan’s 7-tier intensity scale. It had an intensity of 2 in Hualien and Nantou counties, the bureau said. On Sunday at 00:43am, a magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck off southern Taiwan, the bureau said, adding that the quake hit at a depth of 29.7km and its epicenter was 124km south of Taitung County Hall. No damage or injuries were reported.
SPORTS
Brett Su to coach Leopards
Taoyuan Leopards general manager Brett Su (蘇翊傑), a former guard on Taiwan’s national basketball team, has taken over as the Leopards’ acting head coach after Wang Chih-chun (王志群) resigned due to the team’s poor record. The club made the announcement on Sunday, a day after losing 139-121 to the New Taipei CTBC DEA. It was the team’s third consecutive loss and dropped it to 5-17, 12.5 games behind the league-leading Kaohsiung Aquas in the T1 League. Su, who represented Taiwan in numerous FIBA Asia tournaments before retiring from professional basketball in 2019, said Wang played an important role in building the Leopards in the league’s inaugural year and teaching young players key concepts on how to become professional athletes.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) departed for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark. Tsai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday night, but did not speak to reporters before departing. Tsai wrote on social media later that the purpose of the trip was to reaffirm the commitment of Taiwanese to working with democratic allies to promote regional security and stability, upholding freedom and democracy, and defending their homeland. She also expressed hope that through joint efforts, Taiwan and Europe would continue to be partners building up economic resilience on the global stage. The former president was to first
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
RSS