SEISMICITY
Quake rattles Hualien
An earthquake measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale struck off Hualien County at 3:45pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.8km northeast of Hualien County Hall at a depth of 10km, CWA data showed. The earthquake’s intensity, which gauges the shaking, was highest where Hualien and Yilan counties meet, measuring 4 on Taiwan’s seven-tier scale. No immediate damage or injuries were reported. Earlier in the day, three earthquakes struck off Hualien county five minutes apart. The first of the three smaller quakes, a magnitude 5.1 quake, hit at 9:35am, with its hypocenter 31.2km south of Hualien County Hall at a depth of 10km, CWA data showed. A magnitude 5.0 quake occurred at 9:37am 15.2km south of the county hall at a depth of 10km and a magnitude 4.1 event occurred at 9:40am 14.7km south of the hall at a depth of 4.2km, the data showed.
AGRICULTURE
Hualien vouchers announced
The Ministry of Agriculture is to issue vouchers for agricultural products from Hualien County as part of the government’s post-quake recovery effort following an earthquake measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale that hit Taiwan on April 3, the ministry said yesterday. More than 700,000 vouchers would be issued on July 1 to boost the county’s agricultural sales and revitalize the quake-battered local economy, ministry official Lin Chang-li (林長立) said. Each voucher would be valued at NT$250 (US$7.71), but the amount might be increased, Lin said. The government-run Rural Rejuvenation Fund would provide NT$183 million to finance the vouchers, he said. An app would be released for people to access the vouchers, he said.
SOLAR ACTIVITY
Flare disruption not expected
People in Taiwan are not expected to be affected by a severe solar flare, which is expected to hit Earth early today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The solar flare — a sudden burst of brightness in localized areas of the sun’s atmosphere — could last for a day and disrupt high-frequency radio communications, the CWA said in a report. However, the space event is not likely to affect the public, as everyday communication devices such as mobile phones, wireless networks and Bluetooth use different frequency bands, it said. Still, the disruptions could potentially affect aviation, navigation and positioning systems, it said.
CRIME
Two juveniles charged
Two juveniles, a boy and a girl, allegedly involved in a homicide case at a New Taipei City junior-high school, on Thursday were charged with murder following an investigation by the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office. On Dec. 25 last year, a male student was seriously injured by a male student wielding a switchblade knife. The injured boy died in a hospital. He had apparently had an argument with the girl, who asked the alleged attacker to help her confront him, investigators said. Initially, a juvenile court placed the suspects in protective custody. However, on March 21, the court transferred the case to the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office. Due to provisions of juvenile law, prosecutors will not disclose further information about the case beyond saying that both juveniles are being prosecuted for their alleged involvement in a serious crime carrying penalties of at least five years in prison.
VIGILANCE: The military is paying close attention to actions that might damage peace and stability in the region, the deputy minister of national defense said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) might consider initiating a hack on Taiwanese networks on May 20, the day of the inauguration ceremony of president-elect William Lai (賴清德), sources familiar with cross-strait issues said. While US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s statement of the US expectation “that all sides will conduct themselves with restraint and prudence in the period ahead” would prevent military actions by China, Beijing could still try to sabotage Taiwan’s inauguration ceremony, the source said. China might gain access to the video screens outside of the Presidential Office Building and display embarrassing messages from Beijing, such as congratulating Lai
Four China Coast Guard ships briefly sailed through prohibited waters near Kinmen County, Taipei said, urging Beijing to stop actions that endanger navigation safety. The Chinese ships entered waters south of Kinmen, 5km from the Chinese city of Xiamen, at about 3:30pm on Monday, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement later the same day. The ships “sailed out of our prohibited and restricted waters” about an hour later, the agency said, urging Beijing to immediately stop “behavior that endangers navigation safety.” Ministry of National Defense spokesman Sun Li-fang (孫立方) yesterday told reporters that Taiwan would boost support to the Coast Guard
GLOBAL: The slogan would be advertised in popular tourist destinations in North America and Europe, such as Champs-Elysees and Times Square, the agency said “Taiwan: Waves of Wonder” is to be the country’s new tourism slogan for the next 10 years, the Tourism Administration said yesterday, adding that it would be showcased in commercials at the Olympic Games in Paris and other major cities and travel fairs around the world. The new slogan, logo and theme song, which were unveiled at a news conference in Taipei, marked the agency’s latest effort to attract 10 million international visitors to Taiwan this year, a goal that it readjusted earlier this year, as China has yet to lift its travel ban to Taiwan. The administration created the “Taiwan: Touch
BOOST TO SPORTS? The Executive Yuan said that the amendment was introduced to attract professionals to Taiwan, and increase the incentives for naturalization The Legislative Yuan yesterday passed on third reading an amendment to the Nationality Act (國籍法) that would reduce the minimum residency period required for highly skilled professionals to apply for naturalization from three to two continuous years, with a minimum of 183 days in Taiwan each year. The 183-day requirement does not apply if an eligible applicant has lived legally in the territory of the Republic of China for more than five continuous years. Taiwan’s professional basketball leagues are expected to benefit from the amendments, which would allow them to recruit more players from overseas. Prior to the passage of the amendment, the