WEATHER
Storm bypasses Taiwan
Tropical Storm Trases, which formed northeast of Taiwan yesterday afternoon, is not expected to have a direct impact on Taiwan, the Central Weather Bureau said. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was about 670km northeast of Taipei, moving northwest at 30kph, packing sustained winds of 64.8kph and gusts up to 90kph, the bureau said. Trases, the sixth tropical storm in the region this year, has a relatively weak structure and could be downgraded back to a tropical depression, forecasters said. The weather in Taiwan is expected to stay under the influence of a low-pressure system east of the country, bringing nationwide downpours before Monday next week, it said.
DEFENSE
Swiss ready to back Taiwan
The head of the Swiss agency that implements economic sanctions expects the neutral country to adopt any punitive measures the EU imposes against China if it invades Taiwan, she said in an interview. China has been stepping up military activity around Taiwan as Taipei said it wants peace, although it would defend itself if attacked. “I strongly believe that we would adopt such sanctions,” Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs Director Marie-Gabrielle Ineichen-Fleisch said when asked if her country would follow the EU’s lead in the event of an attack. “However, sanctions in the case of China would be far more drastic [than those against Russia] because the economic relations are much more important. Therefore, there would probably be greater discussions in the EU and the United States, as well as in Switzerland, than there were in Russia. But I hope it will never come to that,” she said. Switzerland is not an EU member.
SPORTS
Team seeks cheerleaders
The official cheerleading squad of the Taoyuan Pilots, the new team of Filipino basketball sensation Ricci Rivero, will hold open tryouts this month for aspiring performers of all nationalities, the team said. Women older than 18 who are not already signed cheerleaders of other clubs can apply, it said. Positive traits the Pilots Crew squad is looking for include a passion for performing, a background in dance, a love for sports and an interest in basketball, the club said. Applicants must first apply online and submit basic information, a photograph, a 30-second video introduction, a one-minute dance video and a demo promotion of the Pilots Crew by Aug. 17, it said. Applicants who pass the first stage will be invited to an interview to take place on Aug. 24, it said.
CULTURE
Arts fest starts Saturday
A Chiayi festival featuring traditional music, drone shows, workshops and market craft fairs is set to run from Saturday through Sept. 4. The Chiayi Traditional Music Festival, the Chiayi County Government and the National Palace Museum’s Southern Branch said the music-centered event will feature many other local art forms. The opening day’s concert will be the first of four free musical performances held at the museum, with more on Sunday and Aug. 20. An open-air concert by the Contemporary Artists Ensemble is being featured on Aug. 27, and will focus on plucked on traditional Chinese string instruments such as the erhu and pipa, the organizers said. Three free concerts and two ticketed musical shows are to be held at the Chiayi Performing Arts Center in Minsyong Township on Sept. 3 and Sept. 4.
Taiwan yesterday condemned the recent increase in Chinese coast guard-escorted fishing vessels operating illegally in waters around the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea. Unusually large groupings of Chinese fishing vessels began to appear around the islands on Feb. 15, when at least six motherships and 29 smaller boats were sighted, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said in a news release. While CGA vessels were dispatched to expel the Chinese boats, Chinese coast guard ships trespassed into Taiwan’s restricted waters and unsuccessfully attempted to interfere, the CGA said. Due to the provocation, the CGA initiated an operation to increase
A crowd of over 200 people gathered outside the Taipei District Court as two sisters indicted for abusing a 1-year-old boy to death attended a preliminary hearing in the case yesterday afternoon. The crowd held up signs and chanted slogans calling for aggravated penalties in child abuse cases and asking for no bail and “capital punishment.” They also held white flowers in memory of the boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), who was allegedly tortured to death by the sisters in December 2023. The boy died four months after being placed in full-time foster care with the
A Taiwanese woman on Sunday was injured by a small piece of masonry that fell from the dome of St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican during a visit to the church. The tourist, identified as Hsu Yun-chen (許芸禎), was struck on the forehead while she and her tour group were near Michelangelo’s sculpture Pieta. Hsu was rushed to a hospital, the group’s guide to the church, Fu Jing, said yesterday. Hsu was found not to have serious injuries and was able to continue her tour as scheduled, Fu added. Mathew Lee (李世明), Taiwan’s recently retired ambassador to the Holy See, said he met
The Shanlan Express (山嵐號), or “Mountain Mist Express,” is scheduled to launch on April 19 as part of the centennial celebration of the inauguration of the Taitung Line. The tourism express train was renovated from the Taiwan Railway Corp’s EMU500 commuter trains. It has four carriages and a seating capacity of 60 passengers. Lion Travel is arranging railway tours for the express service. Several news outlets were invited to experience the pilot tour on the new express train service, which is to operate between Hualien Railway Station and Chihshang (池上) Railway Station in Taitung County. It would also be the first tourism service
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