WEATHER
Temperature to reach 36°C
Cloudy to sunny skies are forecast for central and southern Taiwan this week with temperatures expected to reach as high as 36°C, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday.
With a warm easterly wind system likely to set in, stable weather conditions are expected to continue in the southern half of the country over the week, with daytime temperatures expected to range between 32°C and 34°C, the CWA said, adding that the mercury in mountainous areas is likely to reach 36°C. As for northern Taiwan, the weather is expected to stabilize from Sunday next week after a weak northeasterly wind system quickly moves past the north, with highs forecast to range from 31°C to 32°C until Tuesday. In the second half of tomorrow, northern Taiwan is expected to see increased cloud cover and sporadic showers are possible, cooling the weather, with daytime temperatures forecast to range between 28°C and 29°C for the remainder of the week, it said.
DEFENSE
Ten PLA aircraft cross line
Ten of 16 People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft that were identified as operating around Taiwan in the 24-hour period starting at 6am on Friday crossed the the median line of the Taiwan Strait, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday. Of the 10 aircraft that crossed the median line, an unspecified number flew as close as 61 nautical miles (113km) off Taichung, flight paths released by the ministry showed. Two of the 16 PLA aircraft entered Taiwan’s southwestern air defense identification zone between 8:24am and 4:57pm on Friday, flying as close as 48 nautical miles off Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, as shown by the flight paths. Eight PLA Navy vessels were also detected in waters off Taiwan, it said. The ministry said the defence forces monitored the situation and deployed combat air patrol aircraft, vessels and coastal missile defense systems in response.
DIPLOMACY
MOFA urges no Iran travel
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday called on people to avoid unnecessary travel to Israel and Iran, citing reports of a potential direct attack on Israeli territory by Iran in the coming days. The ministry issued the advice after Iran vowed to retaliate following the bombing of its embassy in Damascus, Syria, by Israel on April 1. People engaged in business or travel in Israel and Iran should remain vigilant, the ministry said, adding that it has directed the Taiwanese representative office in Israel to maintain close contact with the local expatriate community. In the event of an emergency when visiting the region, Taiwan nationals are advised to call its Taipei headquarters’ toll free hotline at +886-800-085-095 to seek assistance, it said. They can also call Taiwan’s representative offices in Israel at +972-544-275-204 and in Dubai at +971-50-6453018, as well as the Taiwan Trade Center in Tehran at +98-21-8879-4243.
DIPLOMACY
Taiwanese evacuate Haiti
Three of Taiwan’s technical mission members based in Haiti’s Artibonite region have been evacuated to the neighboring Dominican Republic amid escalating unrest in Artibonite, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday. A total of 15 Taiwanese nationals, including the country’s ambassador, embassy staff and Taiwanese businesspeople, are still in Haiti, and the embassy continues to function normally, it said, adding that it would continue to monitor the situation and take appropriate measures.
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was sentenced to six months in prison, commutable to a fine, by the New Taipei District Court today for contravening the Personal Data Protection Act (個人資料保護法) in a case linked to an alleged draft-dodging scheme. Wang allegedly paid NT$3.6 million (US$114,380) to an illegal group to help him evade mandatory military service through falsified medical documents, prosecutors said. He transferred the funds to Chen Chih-ming (陳志明), the alleged mastermind of a draft-evasion ring, although he lost contact with him as he was already in detention on fraud charges, they said. Chen is accused of helping a
SECURITY: Starlink owner Elon Musk has taken pro-Beijing positions, and allowing pro-China companies to control Taiwan’s critical infrastructure is risky, a legislator said Starlink was reluctant to offer services in Taiwan because of the nation’s extremely high penetration rates in 4G and 5G services, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said yesterday. The ministry made the comments at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, which reviewed amendments to Article 36 of the Telecommunications Management Act (電信管理法). Article 36 bans foreigners from holding more than 49 percent of shares in public telecommunications networks, while shares foreigners directly and indirectly hold are also capped at 60 percent of the total, unless specified otherwise by law. The amendments, sponsored by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ko
The eastern extension of the Taipei MRT Red Line could begin operations as early as late June, the Taipei Department of Rapid Transit Systems said yesterday. Taipei Rapid Transit Corp said it is considering offering one month of free rides on the new section to mark its opening. Construction progress on the 1.4km extension, which is to run from the current terminal Xiangshan Station to a new eastern terminal, Guangci/Fengtian Temple Station, was 90.6 percent complete by the end of last month, the department said in a report to the Taipei City Council's Transportation Committee. While construction began in October 2016 with an
NON-RED SUPPLY: Boosting the nation’s drone industry is becoming increasingly urgent as China’s UAV dominance could become an issue in a crisis, an analyst said Taiwan’s drone exports to Europe grew 41.7-fold from 2024 to last year, with demand from Ukraine’s fight against Russian aggression the most likely driver of growth, a study showed. The Institute for Democracy, Society and Emerging Technology (DSET) in a statement on Wednesday said it found that many of Taiwan’s uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) sales were from Poland and the Czech Republic. These countries likely transferred the drones to Ukraine to aid it in its fight against the Russian invasion that started in 2022, it said. Despite the gains, Taiwan is not the dominant drone exporter to these markets, ranking second and fourth
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