■ WEATHER
More rain on the way
The Central Weather Bureau (CWB) predicted another week of wet weather for the nation starting yesterday, with heavy rain warnings for residents in most parts of Taiwan from Thursday through Saturday. CWB meteorologists said the wet weather is a result of a cold front that has remained stagnant since moving across the nation over the weekend. They said the front is expected to move between the north and the south over the next week, bringing heavy rain to different parts of the nation. Residents should guard against heavy rain between Friday and Saturday, the forecast said. Temperatures across the nation will drop considerably from the highs of last week to between 21˚C and 30˚C in northern and central regions, 24˚C and 30˚C in the south, 17˚C and 28˚C in Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu, the forecast said.
■ TRANSPORTATION
Kaohsiung MRT adds trains
Two late-night trains will be added to the Kaohsiung Rapid Transit System’s north-sound Red Line schedule on a trial basis from tomorrow, the Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corp (KRTC) said yesterday. The two trains will leave simultaneously at 11:35pm from the Xiaogang (小港) Station — the last stop on the southern part of the Red Line — and from the Chiaotou (橋頭) Station in Kaohsiung County — the northernmost stop on the route. The system currently ends its daily operations at 11pm. The trains will stop at every station on the Red Line, the company said, adding that the trains will operate for one month. The late-night trains are expected to satisfy the needs of employees who are on night shift at nearby companies, such as the China Steel Corp (中鋼) and the Nanzih (楠梓) Processing Zone, the KRTC said. The KRTC said it may consider amending its Red Line schedule if the late-night train operation receives positive feedback from Kaohsiung residents.
■ POLITICS
Last Cabinet posts named
Former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator Kao Su-po (高思博) will be appointed Minister of Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs Commission, sources said last night. Former KMT legislator Wu Ying-yih (吳英毅) will be named minister of the Overseas Compatriot Affairs Commission, while minister without portfolio-designate Tsai Hsun-hsiung (蔡勳雄) will also hold the post of governor of Taiwan Province. Secretary-general elect of the Executive Yuan Hsueh Hsiang-chuan (薛香川) will also serve concurrently as governor of Fujian Province (Kinmen and Lienchiang counties).
■ RESCUE
Search continues for diver
Coast guard forces continued their search yesterday for a diver who went missing in waters off Ilan County the day before. Huang Hsin-fa (黃信發) was diving with five other divers in waters about 6.5km east of Suao Port when he went missing. After Huang failed to resurface following the one-hour dive, the captain of the dive team tried in vain to locate him underwater. The captain of the Taiping, which the divers took on their expedition, then radioed coast guard forces stationed in Suao for assistance. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) dispatched three rescue vessels and a helicopter after receiving the emergency call, but were unable to locate Huang. Yesterday morning, the CGA asked the Ministry of the Interior’s National Airborne Service Corps to assist in the search.
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) today condemned the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) after the Czech officials confirmed that Chinese agents had surveilled Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) during her visit to Prague in March last year. Czech Military Intelligence director Petr Bartovsky yesterday said that Chinese operatives had attempted to create the conditions to carry out a demonstrative incident involving Hsiao, going as far as to plan a collision with her car. Hsiao was vice president-elect at the time. The MAC said that it has requested an explanation and demanded a public apology from Beijing. The CCP has repeatedly ignored the desires
Many Chinese spouses required to submit proof of having renounced their Chinese household registration have either completed the process or provided affidavits ahead of the June 30 deadline, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said on Thursday. Of the 12,146 people required to submit the proof, 5,534 had done so as of Wednesday, MAC deputy head and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. Another 2,572 people who met conditions for exemption or deferral from submitting proof of deregistration — such as those with serious illnesses or injuries — have submitted affidavits instead, he said. “As long as individuals are willing to cooperate with the legal
The Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant’s license has expired and it cannot simply be restarted, the Executive Yuan said today, ahead of national debates on the nuclear power referendum. The No. 2 reactor at the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant in Pingtung County was disconnected from the nation’s power grid and completely shut down on May 17, the day its license expired. The government would prioritize people’s safety and conduct necessary evaluations and checks if there is a need to extend the service life of the reactor, Executive Yuan spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) told a news conference. Lee said that the referendum would read: “Do
The Ministry of Environment yesterday held a seminar in Taipei for experts from Taiwan and Japan to exchange their experiences on the designs and development of public toilets. Japan Toilet Association chairman Kohei Yamamoto said that he was impressed with the eco-toilet set up at Daan Forest Park, adding that Japan still faces issues regarding public restrooms despite the progress it made over the past decades. For example, an all-gender toilet was set up in Kabukicho in Tokyo’s Shinjuku District several years ago, but it caused a public backlash and was rebuilt into traditional men’s and women’s toilets, he said. Japan Toilet Association
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