CRIME
Suspect released on bail
A suspect in two Tainan shooting incidents was yesterday released on NT$700,000 (US$22,985) bail, after his arrest and detention on March 24. The suspect, Wang Wen-tsung (王文宗), was ordered to stay within his home and is restricted from leaving the country for eight months. Prosecutors have appealed the decision. A Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) member and Tainan’s Cihji Temple (慈濟宮) chairman, Wang is listed as a suspect in two shooting incidents during campaign events before the nine-in-one elections in November last year. Both incidents were at Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)-linked sites in the city’s Syuejia District (學甲). Wang faces charges related to harboring criminals, possessing illegal firearms and other offenses related to the shootings, prosecutors said.
Aviation
New Japan route launched
StarLux, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, yesterday launched a new route between Taoyuan and Sendai, its sixth destination in Japan. Passengers taking the maiden fight departing from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport were given free commemorative tote bags and Sendai’s signature edamame smoothies, the airline said. The Airbus A321neo flights would operate daily, departing from Taoyuan at 11:40am and arriving in Sendai at 4pm local time, with return services departing at 5:20pm local time and landing at 8:10pm. StarLux flies to Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, Sapporo and Okinawa in Japan, as well as 10 other Asian destinations in Macau, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. On April 26, the carrier is expected to launch direct flights to Los Angeles, its first destination outside of Asia.
Weather
Sun expected over holiday
Sunny to partly cloudy weather is expected across Taiwan today through Wednesday, during most of the Tomb Sweeping Day long weekend, the Central Weather Bureau said. A weakening weather front, which moved in from southern China on Thursday, brought rain to most areas of Taiwan yesterday, the first day of the five-day weekend, which marks Children’s Day on Tuesday and Tomb Sweeping Day on Wednesday. Daytime temperatures today would range from 17oC to 21oC in northern Taiwan and 23oC to 25oC in central and southern areas, the bureau said. Mostly sunny weather, with some cloudy skies is expected, and brief rain showers could fall in mountainous areas, it said. Another weather front is forecast to arrive late on Wednesday, bringing showers to northern and eastern regions and the mountainous areas of central Taiwan, it said.
Telecoms
One undersea cable fixed
One of two severed undersea Internet cables connecting Taiwan proper with the Matsu Islands has been restored, Chunghwa Telecom Co said on Friday. The two undersea cables managed by Chunghwa, the largest integrated telecom service provider in Taiwan, were cut by passing vessels on Feb. 2 and Feb. 8 respectively. One of the cables was restored at 4:50pm on Friday, the company said. The restoration enabled the resumption of Internet services in Matsu, it added. Efforts are being made to restore the other severed cable as soon as possible, it said. In the meantime, the company would do its utmost to increase the capacity of a backup microwave transmission system to boost the resilience of telecom services in Matsu, it added.
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
PROMOTION: Travelers who want a free stopover must book their flights with designated travel agents, such as Lion Travel, Holiday Tours, Cola Tour and Life Tours Air Canada yesterday said it is offering Taiwanese travelers who are headed to North America free stopovers if they transit though airports in Japan and South Korea. The promotion was launched in response to a potential rise in demand for flights to North America in June and July next year, when the US, Canada and Mexico are scheduled to jointly host the FIFA World Cup, Air Canada said. Air Canada offers services to 13 of the 16 host cities of the tournament’s soccer games, including Toronto and Vancouver; Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey in Mexico; Atlanta, Georgia; Boston; Dallas; Houston;
The US approved the possible sale to Taiwan of fighter jet spare and repair parts for US$330 million, the Pentagon said late yesterday, marking the first such potential transaction since US President Donald Trump took office in January. "The proposed sale will improve the recipient's capability to meet current and future threats by maintaining the operational readiness of the recipient's fleet of F-16, C-130," and other aircraft, the Pentagon said in a statement. Trump previously said that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) has told him he would not invade Taiwan while the Republican leader is in office. The announcement of the possible arms
Fung-wong has been downgraded to a tropical storm from a typhoon as it approaches Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. The storm has weakened, but would still pose a major threat to Taiwan and its surrounding waters as it comes closer, CWA forecaster Chu Mei-lin (朱美霖) told reporters. As of 9am, the center of Tropical Storm Fung-wong was 360km southwest of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point, and moving north-northeast to northeast at 12kph. It was carrying maximum sustained winds near its center of up to 108kph and gusts of 137kph, compared with 119kph and 155kph respectively recorded at about 7am
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