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.
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
Taiwan’s armed forces have established response protocols for a wide range of sudden contingencies, including the “Wan Chun Plan” to protect the head of state, the Ministry of Defense (MND) said today. After US President Donald Trump on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, concerns have been raised as to whether China would launch a similar “decapitation strike” on Taiwan. The armed forces regularly coordinate with relevant agencies and practice drills to ensure preparedness for a wide range of scenarios, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told reporters before a
EVA Airways on Saturday said that it had suspended a pilot and opened an investigation after he allegedly lost his temper and punched the first officer several times as their plane was taxiing before takeoff at Los Angeles International Airport. According to a report published on Thursday by The Reporter, the incident occurred after the flight’s Malaysian first officer tried to warn the Taiwanese pilot, surnamed Wen (文), that he was taxiing faster than the speed limit of 30 knots (55.6kph). After alerting the pilot several times without response, the first officer manually applied the brakes in accordance with standard operating
NOT AN OPENING: Trump’s violation of international law does not affect China’s consideration in attacking Taiwan; Beijing lacks capability, not precedent, an official said Taiwanese officials see the US’ capture of the president of Venezuela as a powerful deterrent to Beijing’s aggression and a timely reminder of the US’ ability to defeat militaries equipped with Chinese-made weapons. The strikes that toppled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro signaled to authoritarian leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), US President Donald Trump’s willingness to use military might for international affairs core to US interests, one senior official in Taipei’s security circle said. That reassured Taiwan, the person said. Taipei has also dismissed the idea that Trump’s apparent violation of international law could embolden Beijing, said the official, who was not
RSS