WEATHER
High temperatures forecast
Most parts of the nation are forecast to see highs of 30oC or more, along with partly cloudy to sunny weather this weekend, the Central Weather Bureau said yesterday. Daytime highs are forecast to climb to between 30oC and 34oC over the three-day break from yesterday to tomorrow. Temperatures tomorrow are expected to hit 33oC in Taipei and Taichung, and 34oC in Chiayi, Pingtung and Taitung, the bureau said. Showers are expected in Kinmen, Penghu and Lienchiang, with Matsu forecast to record a high of 28oC this weekend, it said. Scattered showers are likely in eastern Taiwan, while afternoon thunderstorms are forecast for the northern, eastern and mountainous areas of central and southern Taiwan between today and Monday, it added.
CRIME
KTV death toll rises to six
Another victim died from injuries sustained in a fire at a karaoke outlet on Sunday last week, bringing the death toll from the incident to six, police said on Thursday. The 29-year-old man, surnamed Chang (張), was in a critical condition when he was taken to National Taiwan University Hospital and placed on an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation machine, police said. However, his condition failed to improve and his family decided to end treatment after discussions with medical personnel. He passed away on Thursday afternoon, police said. Chang is the sixth person to have died from the fire, which broke out at the Cashbox Partyworld KTV branch on Linsen N Road. At the time, all five major safety features — an indoor fire hydrant, automatic sprinkler system, automatic fire alarm, emergency broadcasting system and smoke extraction equipment — were not working, investigating police and prosecutors said on Tuesday. Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) on Thursday said a report determining responsibility for the fire would be released within a week, adding that the city government had set up an investigation committee to look into the safety inspection system.
CRIME
Man fined for pet’s action
A man in Miaoli County, surnamed Liao (廖), was fined NT$3,000 after a local police precinct received a video clip dated March 22 showing his dog poking its head out of a backseat window while he was driving in the city. Police said that pets, considered as properties by law, are subject to Article 29 of the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例), which states that drivers could be fined between NT$3,000 and NT$9,000 for carrying items that exceed the regulated length, width or height limits.
DIPLOMACY
Dutch office pulls video
The Netherlands’ de facto embassy in Taiwan on Thursday confirmed that it had taken down a video on its Facebook page, in which it had announced a name change from the “Netherlands Trade and Investment Office” to the “Netherlands Office Taipei.” In the five-minute address in the video, Dutch Representative Guy Wittich said that relations and cooperation between Taiwan and the Netherlands have continued to strengthen in many areas. The video was a livestream that was on Facebook and YouTube for only a couple of hours, the office said in response to reporters’ queries about the issue. The video was removed after China protested the name change, urging the Netherlands to adhere to the “one China principle.” The move by the Netherlands to change the name of its Taipei office followed similar decisions by Australia, the UK, Japan and Poland over the past few years.
CAUTION: Based on intelligence from the nation’s security agencies, MOFA has cautioned Taiwanese travelers about heightened safety risks in China-friendly countries The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday urged Taiwanese to be aware of their safety when traveling abroad, especially in countries that are friendly to China. China in June last year issued 22 guidelines that allow its courts to try in absentia and sentence to death so-called “diehard” Taiwanese independence activists, even though Chinese courts have no jurisdiction in Taiwan. Late last month, a senior Chinese official gave closed-door instructions to state security units to implement the guidelines in countries friendly to China, a government memo and a senior Taiwan security official said, based on information gathered by Taiwan’s intelligence agency. The
The National Immigration Agency (NIA) said yesterday that it will revoke the dependent-based residence permit of a Chinese social media influencer who reportedly “openly advocated for [China’s] unification through military force” with Taiwan. The Chinese national, identified by her surname Liu (劉), will have her residence permit revoked in accordance with Article 14 of the “Measures for the permission of family- based residence, long-term residence and settlement of people from the Mainland Area in the Taiwan Area,” the NIA said in a news release. The agency explained it received reports that Liu made “unifying Taiwan through military force” statements on her online
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said yesterday that it is looking to hire 8,000 people this year, at a time when the tech giant is expanding production capacity to maintain its lead over competitors. To attract talent, TSMC would launch a large-scale recruitment campaign on campuses across Taiwan, where a newly recruited engineer with a master’s degree could expect to receive an average salary of NT$2.2 million (US$60,912), which is much higher than the 2023 national average of NT$709,000 for those in the same category, according to government statistics. TSMC, which accounted for more than 60 percent
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck off Taitung County at 1:09pm today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 53km northeast of Taitung County Hall at a depth of 12.5km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Taitung County and Hualien County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Nantou County, Chiayi County, Yunlin County, Kaohsiung and Tainan, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage following the quake.
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