WEATHER
Storm landfall not likely
A tropical storm that formed in waters southeast of Japan yesterday is unlikely to make landfall in Taiwan, the Central Weather Bureau said. Tropical Storm Hinnamnor is forecast to move west-northwest at 27kph and reach waters northeast of Taiwan on Wednesday, the bureau said. The pressure at the storm’s center has been measured at 998 hectopascals, and the wind speed near the center is about 65kph, with a top speed of 90kph at its strongest, the bureau said.
COVID-19
New Taipei leads new cases
Taiwan yesterday reported 26,450 new local cases of COVID-19 and 31 deaths from the disease, the Central Epidemic Command Center said. The deceased ranged from age 40 to more than 90. All but two had a chronic illness or severe disease, while 14 had not been vaccinated against COVID- 19, the center said. It also reported 23 COVID-19 cases newly classified as severe and 68 newly classified as moderate. Regionally, New Taipei City reported the highest number of new cases yesterday, with 5,695, followed by Taipei with 3,273 and Taichung with 3,080. The number of COVID-19 fatalities in the country stands at 9,844.
WATER
Sinshan reservoir runs low
Water pressure in Keelung and New Taipei City’s Sijhih District (汐止) is to be lowered from 11pm to 5am starting on Sept. 3 amid concerns over a water shortage, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said on Saturday. The Sinshan Reservoir (新山水庫) serving the two localities is less than 38 percent full, and Taiwan Water Corp said that further limits on water use could be implemented if levels continue to fall. Average rainfall last month was only 40 percent of the July average, leading the Water Resources Agency to enact conservation measures.
SOCIETY
Yongkang St among ‘coolest’
Yongkang Street in Taipei has been listed as the No. 4 “coolest” street in the world by international lifestyle magazine Time Out for its abundant variety of cuisine and artisanal memorabilia. The listing, part of the publication’s “33 coolest streets in the world” survey, described Yongkang Street as like no other in Taipei. The street is a “mellow lane in the genteel Dongmen neighborhood packed with excellent restaurants,” the magazine said, praising the street for artisanal stores owned by small businesses instead of chain franchises. Ranked above Yongkang Street were Rue Wellington in Montreal in first place, followed by Gertrude Street in Melbourne and Great Western Road in Glasgow. Other Asian locales on the list include Tai Ping Shan Street in Hong Kong, Bangkok’s Yaowarat Road, Tokyo’s Kagurazaka neighborhood and Everton Road in Singapore.
DIPLOMACY
Guatemalan minister to visit
Guatemalan Minister of Foreign Affairs Mario Bucaro is scheduled to arrive in Taipei today for his first visit to Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday. He plans to meet with high-ranking officials including President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) before leaving on Friday, it said. Bucaro is to sign an agreement on bilateral diplomatic training and exchanges between the two countries. Meanwhile, a delegation led by Palauan Vice President J. Uduch Sengebau Sr had suspended its schedule in Taiwan after some of its members tested positive for COVID-19 earlier yesterday.
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 2:23pm today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was 5.4 kilometers northeast of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 34.9 km, according to the CWA. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was the highest in Hualien County, where it measured 2 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 1 in Yilan county, Taichung, Nantou County, Changhua County and Yunlin County, the CWA said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
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