WEATHER
Storm not a worry: CWA
A low-pressure system in the northwestern Pacific that was early yesterday upgraded to a tropical storm named Jongdari would not affect Taiwan directly, but might bring heavy rain to the south, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The system had been over waters east of the nation and south of Okinawa before it intensified into the ninth tropical storm of the year in the region at 2am yesterday, it said. The storm would have no direct impact on Taiwan as it drifts northward toward the East China Sea and South Korea, it said. Jongdari was 450km east of Taipei at 8am, moving at 17kph to 30kph in a north-northwesterly direction. It had maximum sustained winds of up to 65kph, with gusts reaching up to 90kph, CWA data showed. The storm’s movement might bring heavy rain to central and southern Taiwan as the southwesterly seasonal winds strengthen today, the agency said. Taiwan is currently influenced by the intertropical convergence zone and southwesterly seasonal winds, which could cause rainfall in Taiwan’s southern areas, CWA forecaster Chen Pei-an (陳姵安) said. With Jongdari moving northward, precipitation is expected to expand to Yunlin County today, she said. Meanwhile, the country would experience exceptionally high tides from yesterday to Friday, the CWA said. People in low-lying areas near the coastline from New Taipei City to Chiayi County should be on guard against seawater intrusion, Chen said.
DIPLOMACY
Francois Wu takes new post
Former representative to France Francois Wu (吳志中) on Sunday officially assumed the post of deputy minister at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Wu, who became the representative to France in 2018, was previously deputy minister of foreign affairs from May 20, 2016, to July 2018 during the administration of then-president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文). Immediately after his inauguration on May 20, President William Lai (賴清德) named Wu deputy minister of foreign affairs following six years in Paris. However, Wu remained in his post until the conclusion of the Paris Olympics before returning to Taiwan, the ministry said. His successor is Hao Pei-chih (郝培芝), former head of the Civil Service Protection and Training Commission. Hao is the first woman to serve as Taiwan’s top envoy to France. She was a member of the advisory committee at the Mainland Affairs Council from 2007 to 2009.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
WEATHER Typhoon forming: CWA A tropical depression is expected to form into a typhoon as early as today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the storm’s path remains uncertain. Before the weekend, it would move toward the Philippines, the agency said. Some time around Monday next week, it might reach a turning point, either veering north toward waters east of Taiwan or continuing westward across the Philippines, the CWA said. Meanwhile, the eye of Typhoon Kalmaegi was 1,310km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, as of 2am yesterday, it said. The storm is forecast to move through central
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