WEATHER
Unstable weather forecast
A front north of Taiwan is forecast to bring unstable weather to the country for a week, the Central Weather Bureau said yesterday. Much of Taiwan could see intermittent rain or thundershowers in the next few days, with parts of the country likely to experience heavy or torrential rain, the bureau said. People should take an umbrella or raincoat when going outdoors, it said. Hot weather is also forecast, with temperatures across the country expected to reach 30°C to 33°C, it said. Mountainous areas in the south could have even higher temperatures, it said. Typhoon Guchol, the third so far this year, as of 2am yesterday was 1,050km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving northward, the bureau said, adding that its trajectory indicated it would not directly affect Taiwan. However, Keelung, the Hengchun Peninsula and Lienchiang County would likely have high swells, it said.
EMERGENCY SERVICES
Couple rescued from sea
A Taiwanese man and his Singaporean partner were rescued unharmed after being dragged out to sea while paddleboarding in Taitung County yesterday, the Coast Guard Administration said. It is suspected that the pair, both in their early 40s, were caught in a current and were unable to make it back to shore due to exhaustion, the coast guard said. The woman was about 10m from shore and her partner 50m out when they were rescued, it said. Rescue personnel threw a lifebuoy to the woman and swam to the man, it said, adding that the two were brought back to shore by 7:06am. They were not sent to hospital, it said.
SPORTS
Fourth grader wins gold
Cheng Yu-chieh (鄭宇傑), a fourth-grade student on the taekwondo team of Hualien County’s Jiali Elementary School, won gold at the National Junior Taekwondo Championship on Saturday last week. The school’s taekwondo coach, Yen Hsiang-ping (閻祥玶), on Tuesday said that Cheng only received his black belt at the beginning of this year. He performed really well in his first performance at a national competition and demonstrated maturity beyond his years, Yen said. He showed no fear, even after losing the first engagement in the final, he said. His calm in the face of an initial setback and his ability to follow instructions demonstrated that he can perform well under duress, he said, adding that Cheng had made the final by winning two bouts without dropping a point.
ENTERTAINMENT
‘Dao V2.0’ announced
U Theatre is to mark its 35th anniversary this year with a new version of its 2017 piece Dao, showcasing the troupe’s signature tai chi-infused moves and visceral drumming. Dao was inspired by the “vivid and energetic” strokes that make up the collection of works by calligrapher Tong Yang-tze (董陽孜), titled The Sayings of Laozi and Zhuangzi, said Huang Chih-chun (黃誌群), U Theatre’s artistic and musical director. The revamped version, Dao V2.0, is an “upgraded” version of the original, featuring two completely revamped acts that focus on tai chi to better embody the philosophies of Chinese philosophers Zhuangzi (莊子) and Laozi (老子), U Theatre founder and director Liu Ruo-yu (劉若瑀) said. Dao V2.0 is scheduled to be performed at the National Theater in Taipei from Sept. 22 to 24, at the National Taichung Theater on Nov. 25 and 26, and at the National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying) on Dec. 9 and 10.
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
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
There have been clear signs of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) attempts to interfere in the nationwide recall vote on July 26 in support of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators facing recall, an unnamed government official said, warning about possible further actions. The CCP is actively involved in Taiwanese politics, and interference in the recall vote is to be expected, with multiple Chinese state media and TAO attempts to discredit the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and undermine public support of their recall movement, the official said. This interference includes a smear campaign initiated this month by a pro-Beijing Hong Kong news outlet against
A week-long exhibition on modern Tibetan history and the Dalai Lama’s global advocacy opened yesterday in Taipei, featuring quotes and artworks highlighting human rights and China’s ongoing repression of Tibetans, Hong Kongers and Uighurs. The exhibition, the first organized by the Human Rights Network for Tibet and Taiwan (HRNTT), is titled “From the Snowy Ridges to the Ocean of Wisdom.” “It would be impossible for Tibetans inside Tibet to hold an exhibition like this — we can do it. because we live in a free and democratic country,” HRNTT secretary-general Tashi Tsering said. Tashi Tsering, a Taiwan-based Tibetan who has never