WEATHER
Hail peppers Alishan visitors
A rare barrage of hailstones yesterday fell on Alishan, stunning visitors at the Alishan National Forest Recreation Area in southern Chiayi County. Ice pellets of about 0.9cm fell unexpectedly between 2:04pm and 2:18pm, the Central Weather Administration’s Alishan observation station said. The hail near the Jhaoping station on the Alishan Forest Railway line lasted until about 2:40pm, the station said. Many visitors and train passengers were quick to take pictures and film the rare scene, Alishan Forest Railway and Cultural Heritage Office workers said. The station, which said the temperature on Alishan at the time was 19.7°C, attributed the hail to a cold-core low pressure system passing over Taiwan. The presence of the system increased the temperature difference between the upper atmosphere and warm surface temperatures, leading to the development of convective currents that can lead to thunderstorms and the formation of hail, it said.
SPORTS
Taiwan wins e-sports title
Taiwanese e-sports team Ban Mei Gaming (BMG) on Sunday defeated a team from Thailand to win this year’s Arena of Valor Premier League championship title in Bangkok. BMG routed Thailand’s Buriram United Esports 4-1 in Arena of Valor, a multiplayer online game, to walk home with US$200,000 of prize money. BMG member Wu Cheng-yen (吳承晏) was also named the Finals’ Most Valuable Player after the tournament. Wu said he first started playing Arena of Valor with friends in elementary school, and later dreamed of becoming a professional player in junior-high school. His parents were against the idea of him trying to make a living in gaming, but soon acquiesced when he convinced them his e-sports skills had surpassed his abilities at school, he said. “They became supportive even before I had won anything,” he added. The tournament, which ran from June 12 to Sunday, featured teams from Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and Hong Kong.
SOCIETY
Fewer balloon festival visitors
The annual Taiwan International Balloon Festival on Saturday opened in Taitung County’s Luye Township (鹿野) with fewer visitors than usual, as tourism has been significantly affected after a massive earthquake in April in neighboring Hualien County. About 15,000 visitors attended the opening, the Taitung County Government said. Officials estimated the number of visitors at this year’s opening was about 30 percent lower than in previous years. Pan Kuei-lan (潘貴蘭), vice chairperson of Taitung’s Luminous Hot Spring Resort & Spa and former Taitung Tourism Association head, said that although the crowds were smaller than in previous years, tourists are gradually returning, adding that she hopes that the 45-day event would help bring tourists back to the county. After the opening ceremony, 21 hot air balloons of different designs, including a panda-shaped balloon from Japan and a Matsu (媽祖) balloon created by the county government and Taitung City Tianhou Temple were launched. The festival is to feature more than 40 hot air balloons from 14 countries, Taitung County Commissioner Yao Ching-ling (饒慶鈴) said. In addition, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Hello Kitty, the festival was collaborating with Sanrio Taiwan to present 12 Night Glow Concerts, the most ever in the festival’s history, Taitung County Transportation and Development Department head Pu Ming-cheng (卜敏正) said.
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Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as
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