DIPLOMACY
French senators arrive
A group of French lawmakers led by French Senate Taiwan Friendship Group chairman Rachid Temal have arrived for a six-day trip, during which they are to meet with Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced yesterday. The delegation is to attend two banquets hosted by Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) respectively, the ministry said in a statement. The group — which includes French senators Jean-Michel Arnaud, Francois Bonneau, Bernard Buis, Yannick Jadot and Mireille Jouve — is to visit the economics, defense and environmental ministries, it added. The delegates are also to visit representatives of the nation’s three major parties, as well as electronics manufacturer Hon Hai Precision Industry Co and Sun Moon Lake.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
TRANSPORTATION
Four injured in fire on HSR
Four people were injured on Saturday night when a power bank on a high-speed rail (HSR) train caught fire. At about 9pm, while the train was passing through Yunlin County, a passenger’s power bank caught fire, the Taiwan High-Speed Rail Corp (THSRC) said. The conductor quickly evacuated passengers from the car and notified the railway police, it said. An investigation into the cause of the fire is under way, it said, adding that if the fire was the result of the passenger’s improper use or handling of the power bank, they would be held legally and financially responsible. The Railway Police Bureau’s Kaohsiung branch said the case would be probed for potential public endangerment.
MILITARY
Museum to open in 2027
The National Military Museum in Taipei is scheduled to open in 2027 and would showcase a range of retired weapons systems, the state-run Military News Agency reported on Saturday. The museum, which is more than two-thirds complete, would feature an M5A1 tank, an F-5 jet, an MIM-23 HAWK missile and an OH-13 helicopter, the museum’s preparatory office said. The seven-story building is to have a 30m-high lobby and a corridor flanked by installations inspired by color guards and marching bands, to create an “awe-inspiring atmosphere” that reflects the discipline of the nation’s armed forces, the office said. The permanent exhibition would span the second through sixth floors, covering themes such as the development of militaries worldwide, World War II, historical battles between the Republic of China and the People’s Republic of China, Taiwan’s efforts toward defense autonomy and the international situation, it added.
WEATHER
Hot weather forecast: CWA
Hot and sunny weather is forecast across the nation over the next three days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The agency urged people engaging in outdoor activities to take precautions against sun exposure, especially at about midday, and to stay hydrated. Sporadic afternoon showers might occur across the nation, while mountainous regions might experience localized heavy rains, the CWA forecast. From Wednesday to Friday, a tropical disturbance is predicted to pass through the Philippines’ Luzon Island and enter the South China Sea, bringing slightly more moisture and increasing the chances of sporadic afternoon rains or thundershowers in the east, mountainous areas and Pingtung County’s Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島), independent meteorologist Daniel Wu (吳德榮) said.
SHIPS, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES: The ministry has announced changes to varied transportation industries taking effect soon, with a number of effects for passengers Beginning next month, the post office is canceling signature upon delivery and written inquiry services for international registered small packets in accordance with the new policy of the Universal Postal Union, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The new policy does not apply to packets that are to be delivered to China, the ministry said. Senders of international registered small packets would receive a NT$10 rebate on postage if the packets are sent from Jan. 1 to March 31, it added. The ministry said that three other policies are also scheduled to take effect next month. International cruise ship operators
HORROR STORIES: One victim recounted not realizing they had been stabbed and seeing people bleeding, while another recalled breaking down in tears after fleeing A man on Friday died after he tried to fight the knife-wielding suspect who went on a stabbing spree near two of Taipei’s busiest metro stations, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. The 57-year-old man, identified by his family name, Yu (余), encountered the suspect at Exit M7 of Taipei Main Station and immediately tried to stop him, but was fatally wounded and later died, Chiang said, calling the incident “heartbreaking.” Yu’s family would receive at least NT$5 million (US$158,584) in compensation through the Taipei Rapid Transit Corp’s (TRTC) insurance coverage, he said after convening an emergency security response meeting yesterday morning. National
The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency yesterday launched a gift box to market honey “certified by a Formosan black bear” in appreciation of a beekeeper’s amicable interaction with a honey-thieving bear. Beekeeper Chih Ming-chen (池明鎮) in January inspected his bee farm in Hualien County’s Jhuosi Township (卓溪) and found that more than 20 beehives had been destroyed and many hives were eaten, with bear droppings and paw prints near the destroyed hives, the agency said. Chih returned to the farm to move the remaining beehives away that evening when he encountered a Formosan black bear only 20m away, the agency said. The bear
PLANNED: The suspect visited the crime scene before the killings, seeking information on how to access the roof, and had extensively researched a 2014 stabbing incident The suspect in a stabbing attack that killed three people and injured 11 in Taipei on Friday had planned the assault and set fires at other locations earlier in the day, law enforcement officials said yesterday. National Police Agency (NPA) Director-General Chang Jung-hsin (張榮興) said the suspect, a 27-year-old man named Chang Wen (張文), began the attacks at 3:40pm, first setting off smoke bombs on a road, damaging cars and motorbikes. Earlier, Chang Wen set fire to a rental room where he was staying on Gongyuan Road in Zhongzheng District (中正), Chang Jung-hsin said. The suspect later threw smoke grenades near two exits
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