DEFENSE
Chopper refit plan dropped
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday told the Legislative Yuan that it is abandoning plans to refit old UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters or obtain new ones, and would instead use the EC-225 Eurocopter or the Sikorsky S-70 for nighttime search-and-rescue operations. Air force Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Huang Chih-wei (黃志偉) said the cancelation stems from outstandingcosts for a refit or purchase. The US gave a NT$4.3 billion (US$148 million) quote for the refitting procedure, far outstripping the ministry’s planned NT$1.96 billion budget, Huang said, adding that purchasing new helicopters would cost NT$18 billion. The navy has set aside classified funding for the purchase of MH-60R Seahawks for anti-submarine purposes, navy Chief of Staff Chiang Cheng-kuo (蔣正國) said. Deputy Minister of National Defense Tu Hung-hui (杜鴻輝) said that the ministry has received and is reviewing the letter of request.
WEATHER
Front to bring cool weather
The arrival of a weather front late tomorrow would send temperatures down by 7°C to 8°C and bring rain to parts of Taiwan, the Central Weather Bureau said. The weather is expected to remain stable until tomorrow evening, when strengthening northeasterly winds and the arrival of the weather front would send temperatures down in the north and east, and by a slightly smaller margin in other regions, bureau forecaster Lin Ting-yi (林定宜) said. Conditions would become slightly drier from Friday through the weekend, but would remain on the cool side, Lin said, with temperatures in most parts of the country ranging from 17°C to 23°C. Separately, a pair of tropical storms churning in waters southeast of Taiwan could merge as they move over waters south of Japan, but are unlikely to directly affect Taiwan, he said.
EARTHQUAKE
Quake hits off Hualien
A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck off the coast of Hualien County at 13:17pm yesterday, the Central Weather Bureau said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The quake hit at a depth of 30.1km. Its epicenter was about 61.5km south of Hualien County Hall, the bureau’s Seismology Center said. The earthquake’s intensity, which gauges its actual effect, was highest in Taitung County, where it reached 3 on Taiwan’s 7-tier intensity scale. It had an intensity of 2 in Hualien and Nantou counties, the bureau said. On Sunday at 00:43am, a magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck off southern Taiwan, the bureau said, adding that the quake hit at a depth of 29.7km and its epicenter was 124km south of Taitung County Hall. No damage or injuries were reported.
SPORTS
Brett Su to coach Leopards
Taoyuan Leopards general manager Brett Su (蘇翊傑), a former guard on Taiwan’s national basketball team, has taken over as the Leopards’ acting head coach after Wang Chih-chun (王志群) resigned due to the team’s poor record. The club made the announcement on Sunday, a day after losing 139-121 to the New Taipei CTBC DEA. It was the team’s third consecutive loss and dropped it to 5-17, 12.5 games behind the league-leading Kaohsiung Aquas in the T1 League. Su, who represented Taiwan in numerous FIBA Asia tournaments before retiring from professional basketball in 2019, said Wang played an important role in building the Leopards in the league’s inaugural year and teaching young players key concepts on how to become professional athletes.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
RSS