WEATHER
Hot conditions forecast
Taiwan is expected to continue to experience summer-like conditions this week with the influence of a warm, southwesterly system, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. With mostly sunny skies nationwide yesterday, highs were 31°C to 32°C in most areas, the CWA said. The stable weather is expected to continue this week, although humidity would increase in northern Taiwan, which would bring highs down to about 29°C on Thursday, the CWA said. Highs in central and southern Taiwan are expected to be little changed from yesterday, it said. Independent meteorologist Daniel Wu (吳德榮) urged people to take precautions against sun exposure, as ultraviolet levels are expected to be high.
Photo provided by the Central Weather Administration
TRANSPORTATION
TRC unveils souvenirs
Taiwan Railway Corp (TRC) on Friday unveiled a range of souvenir items ahead of two major religious events honoring the sea goddess Matsu. The company said it launched the items to coincide with the Baishatun Matsu pilgrimage, which is to start today in Miaoli County, and the Dajia Jenn Lann Temple procession in Taichung, which is scheduled to start on Friday. The items are towels and ribbon key chains, as well as small carry bags and stainless steel lunch boxes, it said, adding that they are available in discounted gift sets on the company’s Web site and at designated Taiwan Railway Shop locations. People can purchase a Matsu-themed towel and a ribbon key chain for NT$500 (US$15.76), a NT$200 discount from buying the items separately for NT$450 and NT$250 respectively, it said. The promotion runs through April 30.
FISHERIES
‘First Suao tuna’ auctioned
Meat from a Pacific bluefin tuna designated the “first Suao tuna” of the season was auctioned in Yilan County yesterday for NT$7,200 per kilogram, fetching nearly NT$1.99 million. The 276kg fish was sold at Nanfangao Fishing Port (南方澳) in Suao Township (蘇澳). It was caught by the Suao-registered Quan Chang Long No. 168 on Tuesday and delivered to port the following day, when it was designated the township’s first tuna of the season by the Suao Fishermen’s Association. The honor goes to the first vessel to return to port with a tuna caught alive on a longline and weighing at least 180kg, the association said. The Quan Chang Long also made the “first tuna” catches in 2020 and last year, it said.
TRAVEL
Travel trends shift
Rising airfares and geopolitical tensions are reshaping travel demand, with bookings shifting away from affected routes and toward Asia, Oceania and North America, Lion Travel Service Co general manager Lai Yi-ching (賴一青) said on Friday. Bookings have remained robust despite higher costs, with group tour bookings rising about 15 percent year-on-year since March, Lai said. Demand for Australia and New Zealand has surged about 40 percent, while bookings to the US and Canada have also increased, she said. However, routes transiting through the Middle East have been more affected by war-related uncertainties, prompting people to switch to alternative destinations, she added. East Asian destinations have benefited from the shift, with tour bookings to Japan up about 40 percent and South Korea rising about 20 percent, Lai said. Travel to Europe has also remained resilient, supported by more than 80 weekly direct flights operated by Taiwanese carriers, helping sustain group demand, she said.
China has reserved offshore airspace in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea from March 27 to May 6, issuing alerts usually used to warn of military exercises, although no such exercises have been announced, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported yesterday. Reserving such a large area for 40 days without explanation is an “unusual step,” as military exercises normally only last a few days, the paper said. These alerts, known as Notice to Air Missions (Notams), “are intended to inform pilots and aviation authorities of temporary airspace hazards or restrictions,” the article said. The airspace reserved in the alert is
NAMING SPAT: The foreign ministry called on Denmark to propose an acceptable solution to the erroneous nationality used for Taiwanese on residence permits Taiwan has revoked some privileges for Danish diplomatic staff over a Danish permit that lists “Taiwan” as “China,” Eric Huang (黃鈞耀), head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Department of European Affairs, told a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Reporters asked Huang whether the Danish government had responded to the ministry’s request that it correct the nationality on Danish residence permits of Taiwanese, which has been listed as “China” since 2024. Taiwan’s representative office in Denmark continues to communicate with the Danish government, and the ministry has revoked some privileges previously granted to Danish representatives in Taiwan and would continue to review
The first bluefin tuna of the season, brought to shore in Pingtung County and weighing 190kg, was yesterday auctioned for NT$10,600 (US$333.5) per kilogram, setting a record high for the local market. The auction was held at the fish market in Donggang Fishing Harbor, where the Siaoliouciou Island-registered fishing vessel Fu Yu Ching No. 2 delivered the “Pingtung First Tuna” it had caught for bidding. Bidding was intense, and the tuna was ultimately jointly purchased by a local restaurant and a local company for NT$10,600 per kilogram — NT$300 ,more than last year — for a total of NT$2.014 million. The 67-year-old skipper
China has reserved offshore airspace over the Yellow Sea and East China Sea from March 27 to May 6, issuing alerts that are usually used to warn of military exercises, although no such exercises have been announced, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on Sunday. Reserving such a large area for 40 days without explanation is an “unusual step,” as military exercises normally only last a few days, the paper said. The alerts, known as notice to air missions (NOTAMs), “are intended to inform pilots and aviation authorities of temporary airspace hazards or restrictions,” the article said. The airspace reserved in the alert
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