■WEATHER
CWB monitors Sinlaku
The Central Weather Bureau (CWB) may issue a sea alert for Typhoon Sinlaku as it could move toward Taiwan, the bureau said yesterday. Sinlaku was upgraded from a tropical storm at 2am yesterday. As of 5:45pm, its center was located 430km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻) in Pingtung County and it was moving north at a speed of 7km. The maximum wind speed near the center reached level 13 on the Beaufort scale. The radius of the storm topped 180km. Sinlaku was moving slowly because it lacked a guiding stream, and its path has been rather unpredictable as it has a tendency to shift from side to side. Because of the typhoon’s circumfluence, chances of showers or heavy rain remain high in the mountainous areas in the north and the northeast, the bureau said.
■SOCIETY
Adoptive parents sought
A charity in Kaohsiung City appealed on Tuesday for adoptive parents to care for six babies who range in age from one month to eight months. Guo Liang-ling (郭亮玲), chairwoman of the Hui Ji Charity of Kaohsiung, said a baby boy and five girls were left with the charity in the last few months by either unwed mothers or financially strapped parents who could not afford to raise their children. She said all six were in good health, although one appears to have a hereditary disease. The charity has limited facilities and a small staff, so it cannot take care of all six infants, Guo said.
■SOCIETY
Animal rights highlighted
Kaohsiung City Government will launch a series of animal rights education programs for elementary, junior high and high school students on Tuesday, the city government said yesterday. Deputy Kaohsiung Mayor Lin Jen-yi (林仁益) told a press conference that lectures will be given at 15 schools. The city government will also hold a painting competition for students to show their concern for animals through their creativity, he said. The city government hopes to help students learn compassion and respect for all living beings, he said.
■SOCIETY
Cross-strait marriages rise
One out of every six couples married in Taipei City in the first seven months of this year were cross-strait or cross-cultural couples, the city government said yesterday. A total of 1,604 Taipei residents married overseas nationals, including those from China, Hong Kong and Macau, between January and July, representing 15.83 percent of all residents who got married during that period, the Department of Budget, Accounting and Statistics said. Most of the foreign spouses came from China — 819 — with 789 men marrying Chinese women, and 30 women marrying Chinese men. Officials attributed the growing number of cross-strait and interracial marriages to increased business and trade between Taiwan and China, as well as Taipei’s increasing globalization.
■SOCIETY
Free bus rides for Taichung
Taichung City will offer free bus rides during peak hour next year to help its residents get used to taking public transport ahead of the construction of its metro system, Deputy Taichung Mayor Hsiao Chia-chi (蕭家旗) said yesterday. Although the city’s bus ridership has increased to 1.8 million per month from the previous level of just over 300,000, Hsiao said, bus commuters account for only 10 percent of the city’s total population. The ratio must be raised to a range between 20 percent and 30 percent to reach a balance in the future metro operations, he said.
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
Taiwan's Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) said Saturday that she would not be intimidated by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), following reports that Chinese agents planned to ram her car during a visit to the Czech Republic last year. "I had a great visit to Prague & thank the Czech authorities for their hospitality & ensuring my safety," Hsiao said on social media platform X. "The CCP's unlawful activities will NOT intimidate me from voicing Taiwan's interests in the international community," she wrote. Hsiao visited the Czech Republic on March 18 last year as vice president-elect and met with Czech Senate leadership, including
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