SOCIETY
Double Ten show in Chiayi
The Double Ten National Day fireworks display is to be held at the Southern Branch of the National Palace Museum in Chiayi County on Monday, the committee responsible for National Day celebrations said. In addition to the 25,000 fireworks to be set off, a 360-degree dancing water display featuring a light sculpture projection and a sound and light show is to be staged during the 45-minute performance, the county’s Tourism Bureau said. Drones would also feature, accompanied by music performed by the Taipei Sinfonietta and Philharmonic Orchestra, it said, adding that the orchestra would play a range of pieces from traditional Taiwanese folk songs to songs by popular local singers and bands, such as Wu Bai (伍佰) and China Blue. A bazaar would be open from 2pm near the museum’s southern branch, selling local products and food at more than 400 stands, while 12,000 free parking spaces would be available, the county government said.
EARTHQUAKES
Three quakes hit east coast
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck Hualien County early yesterday morning, and two hours later a magnitude 3.5 quake hit Taitung County, the Central Weather Bureau said. The hypocenter of the magnitude 5.3 quake, which occurred at 4:25am, was 58.2km south-southwest of Hualien County Hall in Fongbin Township (豐濱) at a depth of 23.5km, the bureau’s Seismology Center said. The hypocenter of the magnitude 3.6 quake, which hit at 6:30am, was 33.8km north of Taitung County Hall in Guanshan Township (關山) at a depth of 8km. An additional magnitude 3.5 quake struck at 8:16am. Its hypocenter was in Chihshang Township (池上), 32 km north of Taitung County Hall, at a depth of 7.6km, the bureau said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
TRAFFIC
Driver, 91, kills woman
A woman was killed and three others injured after a 91-year-old man who had had his license revoked reversed at high speed onto a sidewalk in Taoyuan’s Gueishan District (龜山) at 5:22pm on Saturday afternoon. The 91-year-old, surnamed Lee (李), reversed his car at high speed nearly 200m in the wrong direction, police said. Lee’s car clipped two scooter drivers waiting at an intersection, before running over a 13-year-old boy and his 51-year-old mother standing on the adjacent sidewalk and crashing into a tree, police said. The mother, surnamed Teng (鄧), was killed, while her son and the two scooter drivers were hospitalized. Police said no trace of alcohol was found in Lee’s system.
CRIME
Paiwan artist charged
Paiwan artist Sakuliu Pavavaljung was on Sept. 21 charged with offenses against sexual autonomy by Pingtung County prosecutors after an investigation that took nine months, according to court documents released last week. Sakuliu, 62, who received a National Award for Arts in 2018, was charged with sexual assault after allegations were made against him last year. The first accusation appeared in a piece titled Story of a Small Town posted online in December last year by artist Kuo Yu-ping (郭俞平), who described how a Paiwan artist she called Kulusa sexually assaulted a 19-year-old female fan earlier that same year. Many readers speculated that Sakuliu was the artist alluded to in the story and police launched an investigation. Days later, engineer Yu Yue-lien (余悅廉) said that Sakuliu had attempted to sexually assault her in the summer of 2006. Sakuliu has denied all allegations.
The Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Wanda-Zhonghe Line is 81.7 percent complete, with public opening targeted for the end of 2027, New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said today. Surrounding roads are to be open to the public by the end of next year, Hou said during an inspection of construction progress. The 9.5km line, featuring nine underground stations and one depot, is expected to connect Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Station to Chukuang Station in New Taipei City’s Jhonghe District (中和). All 18 tunnels for the line are complete, while the main structures of the stations and depot are mostly finished, he
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) yesterday said that private-sector refiners are willing to stop buying Russian naphtha should the EU ask them to, after a group of non-governmental organizations, including the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), criticized the nation’s continued business with the country. While Taiwan joined the US and its Western allies in putting broad sanctions on Russia after it invaded Ukraine in 2022, it did not explicitly ban imports of naphtha, a major hard-currency earner for Russia. While state-owned firms stopped importing Russian oil in 2023, there is no restriction on private companies to
President William Lai (賴清德) is expected to announce a new advanced “all-domain” air defense system to better defend against China when he gives his keynote national day speech today, four sources familiar with the matter said. Taiwan is ramping up defense spending and modernizing its armed forces, but faces a China that has a far larger military and is adding its own advanced new weapons such as stealth fighter jets, aircraft carriers and a huge array of missiles. Lai is expected to announce the air defense system dubbed “Taiwan Dome” in his speech this morning, one of the sources said. The system
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