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.
A small number of Taiwanese this year lost their citizenship rights after traveling in China and obtaining a one-time Chinese passport to cross the border into Russia, a source said today. The people signed up through Chinese travel agencies for tours of neighboring Russia with companies claiming they could obtain Russian visas and fast-track border clearance, the source said on condition of anonymity. The travelers were actually issued one-time-use Chinese passports, they said. Taiwanese are prohibited from holding a Chinese passport or household registration. If found to have a Chinese ID, they may lose their resident status under Article 9-1
Taiwanese were praised for their composure after a video filmed by Taiwanese tourists capturing the moment a magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck Japan’s Aomori Prefecture went viral on social media. The video shows a hotel room shaking violently amid Monday’s quake, with objects falling to the ground. Two Taiwanese began filming with their mobile phones, while two others held the sides of a TV to prevent it from falling. When the shaking stopped, the pair calmly took down the TV and laid it flat on a tatami mat, the video shows. The video also captured the group talking about the safety of their companions bathing
Starting on Jan. 1, YouBike riders must have insurance to use the service, and a six-month trial of NT$5 coupons under certain conditions would be implemented to balance bike shortages, a joint statement from transportation departments across Taipei, New Taipei City and Taoyuan announced yesterday. The rental bike system operator said that coupons would be offered to riders to rent bikes from full stations, for riders who take out an electric-assisted bike from a full station, and for riders who return a bike to an empty station. All riders with YouBike accounts are automatically eligible for the program, and each membership account
A classified Pentagon-produced, multiyear assessment — the Overmatch brief — highlighted unreported Chinese capabilities to destroy US military assets and identified US supply chain choke points, painting a disturbing picture of waning US military might, a New York Times editorial published on Monday said. US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s comments in November last year that “we lose every time” in Pentagon-conducted war games pitting the US against China further highlighted the uncertainty about the US’ capability to intervene in the event of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. “It shows the Pentagon’s overreliance on expensive, vulnerable weapons as adversaries field cheap, technologically
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