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 Philippines before heading toward the Spratly Islands (Nansha Islands, 南沙群島) and Vietnam. It is unlikely to directly affect Taiwan. The northeast monsoon would today bring rain to the northern and northeastern regions, including Taipei, New Taipei City, Keelung and Yilan County, the CWA added.
Photo courtesy of the Central Weather Administration
TRAFFIC
Toys seized to pay fines
A Chiayi City man’s vast collection of action figures was repossessed and sent to be auctioned over his failure to pay more than NT$60,000 in fines for “multiple” incidents of driving without a license, the Ministry of Justice said yesterday. Following an investigation into the financial situation of the driver, surnamed Tseng (曾), the Administrative Enforcement Agency’s Chiayi branch concluded that he likely did not have the means to pay his outstanding debts, the branch said in a statement. A deeper investigation found that Tseng had a vast trove of action figures, including once-popular figurines from the Japanese manga series Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, stored in a warehouse from his former business, it said. Enforcement officials seized the items, which are to be auctioned in the lobby of the branch at 10am on Tuesday next week, it said.
CRIME
Woman sentenced for attack
A woman was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison for attacking a high-school student with a box cutter on the Taipei MRT last year, after the New Taipei City District Court found she suffered from schizophrenia, according to a judgement released yesterday. After completing her sentence, the defendant, identified as Wang Ching-ssu (王靖絲), must spend two years under court-ordered residential psychiatric supervision due to her condition, the court said in its verdict handed down on Oct. 22. On Nov. 8 last year, Wang attacked a student, surnamed Cheng (鄭), on a Bannan Line train with a box cutter, after experiencing auditory hallucinations and believing the student was a stalker, the court said. She struck Cheng in the head and neck, causing lacerations to his left cheek, neck and ear, before the student and bystanders restrained her, the court said. The ruling is subject to appeal.
TRANSPORTATION
HSR ridership hits record
Ridership on the high-speed rail reached 7.352 million passengers last month, a new monthly record amid a surge in travel demand during three consecutive long weekends, Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp (THSRC) said yesterday. Extended holidays for the Mid-Autumn Festival, Double Ten National Day and Retrocession Day spurred significant passenger traffic. The average daily ridership last month was 237,000, up about 11 percent from last year’s full-year average of 214,000, and 7.4 percent higher than the January-to-September average of 221,000, THSRC said.
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
PROMOTION: Travelers who want a free stopover must book their flights with designated travel agents, such as Lion Travel, Holiday Tours, Cola Tour and Life Tours Air Canada yesterday said it is offering Taiwanese travelers who are headed to North America free stopovers if they transit though airports in Japan and South Korea. The promotion was launched in response to a potential rise in demand for flights to North America in June and July next year, when the US, Canada and Mexico are scheduled to jointly host the FIFA World Cup, Air Canada said. Air Canada offers services to 13 of the 16 host cities of the tournament’s soccer games, including Toronto and Vancouver; Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey in Mexico; Atlanta, Georgia; Boston; Dallas; Houston;
The US approved the possible sale to Taiwan of fighter jet spare and repair parts for US$330 million, the Pentagon said late yesterday, marking the first such potential transaction since US President Donald Trump took office in January. "The proposed sale will improve the recipient's capability to meet current and future threats by maintaining the operational readiness of the recipient's fleet of F-16, C-130," and other aircraft, the Pentagon said in a statement. Trump previously said that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) has told him he would not invade Taiwan while the Republican leader is in office. The announcement of the possible arms
Fung-wong has been downgraded to a tropical storm from a typhoon as it approaches Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. The storm has weakened, but would still pose a major threat to Taiwan and its surrounding waters as it comes closer, CWA forecaster Chu Mei-lin (朱美霖) told reporters. As of 9am, the center of Tropical Storm Fung-wong was 360km southwest of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point, and moving north-northeast to northeast at 12kph. It was carrying maximum sustained winds near its center of up to 108kph and gusts of 137kph, compared with 119kph and 155kph respectively recorded at about 7am
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