WEATHER
CWA forecasts warm fall
The nation is likely to experience a warm autumn with above-average rainfall, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The Pacific Ocean is warmer in the west and cooler in the east, which could indicate that La Nina might be developing, increasing the chances of warm and wet weather, CWA Weather Forecast Center Director Chen Yi-liang (陳怡良) said on Friday. With the typhoon season in the northwestern part of the Pacific continuing through this month and next month, Taiwan could still be affected, he said. Between January and last month, temperatures averaged 24.8°C, above the 24°C average for the first half of the year since 1951, he said.
POLITICS
KMT begins youth program
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) has initiated the “2024 KMT Youth Flying Program,” aimed at recruiting 12 people aged 18 to 35 to visit Singapore, with all expenses paid by the party. The program is an addition to KMT Chairman Eric Chu’s (朱立倫) efforts to attract more young people to join the party, which have included speeches, conversation workshops and training camps, the party said yesterday. From Nov. 3 to Nov. 7, participants would visit Singaporean government agencies, foundations, the National University of Singapore and famous sustainable tourism sites, it said. Applicants must be Republic of China (ROC) citizens who identify with the ROC, while undergraduate and graduate students would be prioritized.
ENERGY
Officials to attend wind talks
Taiwan is to send representatives to Europe this month to discuss its local-content policy for wind farms following an EU request for dispute-settlement talks at the WTO. “The European Union is quite concerned about wind power, and Taiwan is to discuss a way with the EU that can be accepted by domestic and foreign manufacturers,” Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) told reporters on Monday, adding that Taiwan would gradually work toward an open market. The nation has been promoting wind power to meet clean-energy goals, but content rules requiring developers to source a portion of equipment and services from local manufacturers have proved contentious. Rystad Energy has estimated that the approach raises costs of some parts by as much as 70 percent. In July, the EU raised a request for dispute-settlement consultations at the WTO, saying the policy discriminated against imported goods and services.
SPACE
TASA to host science forum
The Taiwan Space Agency (TASA) is to hold an international space science meeting in Kaohsiung in late November, the agency said on Wednesday. The Taiwan International Assembly of Space Science, Technology and Industry (TASTI) — set to open on Nov. 30 at the Kaohsiung Exhibition Center — is to feature academic paper presentations, a small satellite contest, and seminars and forums covering topics such as satellite communications and lunar exploration, TASA said. Former NASA Ames Research Center director Simon Worden and Koichi Wakata, the first Japanese commander of the International Space Station, would be keynote speakers during the five-day assembly, it said. As part of the assembly, an industry expo, “TASTI 2024 Expo,” would feature 35 exhibitors across 53 booths, with TASA showcasing a demonstration model of the Formosat-8 project, a series of high-resolution optical remote sensing satellites set to be launched from next year, the agency said.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Many Japanese couples are coming to Taiwan to obtain donated sperm or eggs for fertility treatment due to conservatism in their home country, Taiwan’s high standards and low costs, doctors said. One in every six couples in Japan is receiving infertility treatment, Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare data show. About 70,000 children are born in Japan every year through in vitro fertilization (IVF), or about one in every 11 children born. Few people accept donated reproductive cells in Japan due to a lack of clear regulations, leaving treatment in a “gray zone,” Taichung Nuwa Fertility Center medical director Wang Huai-ling (王懷麟)
PROXIMITY: Prague is closer to Dresden than Berlin is, so Taiwanese firms are expected to take advantage of the Czech capital’s location, the Executive Yuan official said Taiwan plans to boost cooperation with the Czech Republic in semiconductor development due to Prague’s pivotal role in the European IC industry, Executive Yuan Secretary-General Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) said. With Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) building a wafer fab in the German city of Dresden, a Germany-Czech Republic-Poland “silicon triangle” is forming, Kung said in a media interview on the weekend after returning from a visit to Prague. “Prague is closer to Dresden than Berlin is, so Taiwanese firms are expected to take advantage of the Czech capital’s location,” he said. “Taiwan and Prague have already launched direct flights and it is
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