WEATHER
Hot weather forecast
A cold weather front, which brought periods of heavy rain and cooler weather across much of the nation yesterday, would give way to hot and mostly sunny weather over the coming week, forecasters said yesterday. The Central Weather Administration issued a heavy rain advisory yesterday for Taipei and New Taipei City, mountainous areas of Miaoli County and from Taichung down to Pingtung County in the western half of Taiwan. More than 80mm of rain within 24 hours or more than 40mm in a single hour was expected. As the system moves into the Bashi Channel today, temperatures would rise across Taiwan, with rain giving way to cloudy weather in the south and clouds giving way to sunny conditions in other regions, independent meteorologist Daniel Wu (吳德榮) said. Tomorrow and Wednesday, sunny weather is expected across Taiwan, with temperatures in some areas reaching highs of up to 35°C and overnight temperatures dropping as low as 17°C, Wu said. According to the latest European forecasting models, hot and partly sunny conditions would prevail in Taiwan from Thursday through Tuesday next week, he said.
Photo courtesy of the Central Weather Administration
TRAFFIC
Pedestrian zone launched
A trial pedestrian zone was launched in Taipei’s Yongkang Street (永康街) area on Saturday, with streets closed to most vehicles on weekends through June 10 to promote a more pedestrian-friendly environment, the Taipei City Government said. The campaign, which limits vehicle access from 2pm to 8pm on Saturdays and Sundays, spans about 250m of Yongkang Street — from its intersection with Xinyi Road (信義路) Sec 2 to Lane 14 — and includes nearby alleys around the popular tourist destination. During the trial period, only vehicles with local access permits or those making deliveries would be allowed through, with police and traffic volunteers onsite to enforce the restrictions, the city government said in a news release. Taipei Department of Transportation Director Hsieh Ming-hung (謝銘鴻) on Saturday said that the first day of the trial went better than expected, adding that the city would continue gathering public feedback and adjust the plan as needed. Local borough warden Lee Ming-ying (李明螢) said the mixed residential-commercial area might not be suitable for regular street closures.
CULTURE
French festival returns
The second edition of the Kaohsiung French Festival would take place in the southern port city on Friday next week to promote French culture with a variety of activities ranging from art and sports to gastronomy. The festival would return to Kaohsiung from Friday next week to May 25, offering an “even richer cultural experience” that builds on the success of last year’s event, which attracted about 110,000 visitors over three days, the French Office in Taipei said. The event would serve as a testament to the deepening cooperation between France and Kaohsiung, it added. The three-day event at the city’s Pier-2 Art Center features outdoor concerts, a market with about 100 French and Taiwanese brands, drawing workshops, petanque games and virtual-reality film screenings, among other activities. For this year’s festival, French illustrator Christopher Boyd would also showcase his work, which highlights the beauty of the French Riviera and the importance of maritime conservation, the French office said. Such visuals for the event are intended to align with this year’s UN Ocean Conference, which is scheduled to take place in the coastal city of Nice, in southern France, from June 9 to 13, it said.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
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