The nearby light rail crossing adds another complication. Drivers said trips that would normally take about 10 minutes have taken more than 30 minutes during peak periods when vehicle queues coincide with passing light rail trains and traffic signals.

There has also been growing cooperation between expat groups in northern and southern Taiwan. Te’Qin Windham, chair of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan (CanCham), told KHT she was looking forward to this weekend’s event and was pleased to work with the American Chamber of Commerce in Kaohsiung to help bring Canada Day activities to southern Taiwan.

An environmental group has criticized the project, saying the sites were originally tree pits and that trees would provide better cooling than umbrellas. The group said the shades block sunlight but do not lower urban temperatures.

Chen said Central Weather Administration (中央氣象署) data available at about 8:30 p.m. Thursday did not meet the standard for suspending work and classes. He said updated information at about 11:30 p.m., combined with expert assessment, showed a higher risk of short-period extreme rainfall.

The Kaohsiung Chung Hwa warehouse (高雄中華店), which opened in 1997, was Costco’s first store in Taiwan. It is scheduled to close at 6 p.m. on July 2 and reopen July 3 at its new location on Jhihke Road (智科路).

On Chinese social platforms, fans have joked that while other countries watch their national teams play, China watches its referee hand out cards. Another popular joke imagined Ma’s luggage for the World Cup packed not with clothes, but with red and yellow cards.

OAC Minister Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) said the incident showed that international marine cooperation platforms could still be disrupted by political factors. She said the handling of Taiwan’s delegation had harmed Taiwan’s right to take part in international ocean cooperation and damaged the credibility of the conference platform, according to the council.

The United Daily News reported that Taichung’s Blue Line has not yet begun main civil construction, but its original budget of NT$161.5 billion is no longer sufficient. The Taichung Mass Rapid Transit Bureau estimates that the project may require nearly NT$100 billion more to complete the 11 underground stations.

KMT Kaohsiung mayoral candidate and Legislator Ko Chih-en (柯志恩) said the popularity of the 2026 Korean campus-conflict drama series known in Chinese as Iron Fist Education (鐵拳教育) reflects a deeper sense of frustration among Taiwan’s teachers.

By KHT Staff. Photo via Liberty Times. KAOHSIUNG — The City Government has upgraded its flood response center to Level 2 as…