WEATHER
Rain and chills expected
Rain and cooler temperatures are expected in northern Taiwan next week due to stronger seasonal northeasterly winds, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said on Friday. CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕) said that moisture levels in northern Taiwan would be particularly high from tomorrow to Wednesday, with rain also likely in areas north of Taoyuan, including Yilan County. The seasonal winds are forecast to weaken slightly on Tuesday, regain strength on Wednesday and dissipate on Thursday, Liu added. Temperatures in northern Taiwan began to dip on Friday and could drop to 19°C in some areas today. According to the CWA Web site, areas north of Taoyuan, including Yilan County, would experience cloudy to rainy conditions until Thursday, with temperatures ranging between 20°C and 23°C. In eastern Taiwan, skies would be mostly sunny to partly sunny, with daytime highs reaching 25°C to 29°C.
AVIATION
EVA sick leave changes
EVA Airways has agreed to ease penalties for taking sick leaves, following the death of a flight attendant who fell ill on duty and had to keep working. EVA Air Union on Friday wrote on Facebook that flight attendants’ first three sick leaves would not impact performance evaluations and their right to pick shifts (three days per quarter). Flight attendants would not face additional penalties on performance reviews for taking days off during peak periods, they added. The changes are part of an agreement reached by the union and EVA Air representatives during negotiations earlier that day. EVA Air rejected proposals for more sick leaves and that all paid leaves be exempt from performance evaluations, citing operational concerns, the union said. The union described the changes as “interim results,” adding that it plans to cooperate with the Taoyuan Flight Attendants Union, and unions representing medical and transport workers to push for legal amendments. It also invited other major airline labor unions to urge the Civil Aeronautics Administration to include labor conditions and major labor disputes in its review of aviation rights.
ECONOMY
R&D spending jumps 11.9%
Taiwan’s research and development (R&D) spending surpassed the NT$1 trillion (US$32.52 billion) mark for the first time last year, up nearly 12 percent from the previous year, the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) said on Friday. Combined R&D spending by the private and public sectors was about NT$1.049 trillion last year, up 11.9 percent from 2023, the council said, adding that the increase beat the average growth of 9.7 percent over the past five years. The spending accounted for 4.1 percent of GDP last year, up from 3.97 percent in 2023, hitting a new high, it said. The rise reflected global economic recovery, and external and internal demand, which prompted the private sector and the government to raise their R&D workforce, the NSTC said. Large private enterprises that have a workforce of more than 500 contributed about 82.4 percent of NT$898.6 billion spent by the entire business sector, up 0.7 percentage points from a year earlier, it said, adding that those companies dominated the country’s R&D expenses. In the country’s science parks, R&D spending accounted for 47.5 percent of the total expenses of the enterprises last year, up from 42.3 percent in 2020, as the semiconductor industry was keen to upgrade its technologies to boost competitiveness, the NSTC said. The total number of full-time R&D personnel was 311,156, up 2.8 percent from a year earlier.
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
Tropical Storm Fung-Wong would likely strengthen into a typhoon later today as it continues moving westward across the Pacific before heading in Taiwan’s direction next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 8am, Fung-Wong was about 2,190km east-southeast of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving westward at 25kph and possibly accelerating to 31kph, CWA data showed. The tropical storm is currently over waters east of the Philippines and still far from Taiwan, CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said, adding that it could likely strengthen into a typhoon later in the day. It is forecast to reach the South China Sea
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