WEATHER
Koinu land warning lifted
The land warning for Typhoon Koinu was lifted yesterday morning as the storm left Taiwan and headed toward China, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, adding that downpours were still likely in parts of the country. The sea warning was lifted at about 11:30am, it said. However, the CWA continued to issue heavy rain warnings in eastern, northern and southern Taiwan, cautioning against mudslides, falling rocks and flooding. Taitung County and mountainous regions of Pingtung County could be the hardest hit, with more than 200mm of rainfall expected within the day, or more than 100mm within 3 hours, the CWA said. In Yilan and Hualien counties, as well as in the rest of Pingtung and coastal areas in Taipei and New Taipei cities, rainfall could top 80mm during the day or 40mm in an hour, it said. People in the outlying counties of Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties should stay vigilant against the possibility of strong winds, which could reach 88kph, it added.
LITERATURE
Novel translation awarded
A Spain-based academic has won the 2023 PEN Catalan Translation Award with her translation of a work by Taiwanese novelist Wu Ming-yi (吳明益) into Catalan, the Ministry of Culture said yesterday. Autonomous University of Barcelona professor Mireia Vargas-Urpi, who teaches in the school’s Department of Translation and Interpretation and East Asia Studies, was awarded the honor for her translation of Wu’s The Man With the Compound Eyes (複眼人), the PEN Catala announced on Friday last week, the ministry said. Her Catalan translation published last year was the 18th translation of the novel since its publication in 2011.
CRIME
E-cigarette factory raided
An electronic cigarette factory was discovered on Wednesday in New Taipei City, the first illegal facility of its kind discovered in Taiwan since new tobacco control regulations took effect in March, the city government said on Thursday. E-cigarettes were banned in Taiwan starting March 22 as part of amendments to the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act (菸害防治法). Acting on a tip-off, a National Immigration Agency brigade launched a search on Wednesday at a residential unit in Sanchong District (三重) and found four undocumented migrant workers and a foreigner who overstayed their visa at the location. The five individuals were found making and packaging e-cigarettes at the site, the city government said. Authorities found three e-cigarette packaging and filling machines, 84 cartons of finished vaping products, four cartons of semi-finished products and 35 bottles of e-cigarette liquids at the site, with a street value of nearly NT$10 million (US$310,492), which were seized and sealed, it said.
CRIME
Two arrested over drugs
Two suspects linked to an alleged cross-border drug trafficking scheme that involved disguising amphetamines as milk powder were arrested after a shipment of narcotics smuggled into Taiwan was seized earlier this year, the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said on Tuesday. CIB Third Investigation Corps Captain Chang Wen-yuan (張文源) told a news conference that a man surnamed Hsiao (蕭), 35, and an accomplice surnamed Chen (陳), 28, were taken into custody after 10.46kg of amphetamines in 10 cans of milk powder, with a street value of more than NT$10 million, were seized in two raids in April.
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was questioned by prosecutors for allegedly orchestrating an attack on a taxi driver after he was allegedly driven on a longer than necessary route in a car he disliked. The questioning at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office was ongoing as of press time last night. Police have recommended charges of attempted murder. The legally embattled actor — known for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代) — is under a separate investigation for allegedly using fake medical documents to evade mandatory military service. According to local media reports, police said Wang earlier last year ordered a
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
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
President William Lai (賴清德) should protect Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), and stop supporting domestic strife and discord, former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) wrote on Facebook yesterday. US President Donald Trump and TSMC on Monday jointly announced that the company would invest an additional US$100 billion over the next few years to expand its semiconductor manufacturing operations in the US. The TSMC plans have promoted concern in Taiwan that it would effectively lead to the chipmaking giant becoming Americanized. The Lai administration lacks tangible policies to address concerns that Taiwan might follow in Ukraine’s footsteps, Ma wrote. Instead, it seems to think it could
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