Good Morning World: Meiyu Front Arrives on the 9th Easing Southern Water Woes; VP Hsiao Visits Palau; Chinese Ships Intrude Near Dongsha

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**Central Message**

Taiwan remained within a low-pressure area on the 7th, with slightly strengthening southwesterly winds bringing intermittent rain to central and southern regions. Thunderstorms occurred in the afternoon in northern and eastern regions, as well as mountainous areas across the island, with warnings for heavy rain or short-duration torrential downpours. On the 8th, a Meiyu front will approach, likely bringing significant rain to the southern region throughout the day, while the greater Taipei area is expected to see more noticeable rain after noon. The Weather Administration forecasts the Meiyu front will affect the island from June 9th to after mid-June, with significant rainfall on the 9th and 10th. There are warnings for short-duration torrential rain in the west, northeast, and the mountain areas of Hualien and Taitung. The Ministry of Economic Affairs stated on the 6th that recent rainfall has mostly occurred in reservoir catchment areas, slightly quenching the thirst of southern Taiwan's water supply. Currently, the Tsengwen, Wushantou, and Nanhua reservoirs in Tainan still hold about 83 million tons of water. Coupled with the completion of irrigation for the first agricultural crop, there is about a one-month safety margin for public water supply until the end of June.

Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim led a delegation to the allied nation of Palau on the 6th and was received by Palauan Vice President Uduch Sengebau Senior. Upon hearing that a Taiwanese team was competing locally, Vice President Hsiao immediately added a visit to the baseball field to her itinerary to cheer for Team Taiwan, gifting players commemorative chocolates symbolizing 'Taiwan-Palau Friendship'. This trip aims to deepen Taiwan-Palau ties, witness the results of cooperation projects, and help promote sustainable tourism. Vice President Hsiao will snorkel with Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr. to experience the 'God's Aquarium' and attend a drone donation ceremony, showcasing Taiwan's tourism and technology diplomacy achievements. In her departure speech at Taoyuan Airport, she expressed hope that this visit would further deepen cooperation in multiple fields and build upon the existing foundation for the future.

South Korea held local elections on the 3rd, but a shortage of ballots led to extra ballots being delivered to 67 polling stations nationwide, with some even temporarily halting voting. Protesters gathered for the second consecutive day outside the vote-counting site at Seoul's SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium. Yonhap News Agency, citing unofficial police estimates, reported that about 10,000 citizens had gathered. Protesters chanted slogans like 'Hold the election again', sang the national anthem, and waved national flags. Some protesters sat in front of the gymnasium's main gate, attempting to prevent election officials from leaving.

The World Health Organization (WHO) released data on the 6th showing that the cumulative confirmed cases of the deadly Ebola outbreak raging in Central Africa are approaching 500. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters, 'The outbreak is spreading extremely fast, and we are still in a state of catching up.' A senior official from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned that modeling estimates show that without strong public health intervention, the current outbreak could follow the path of the 2014 West African Ebola epidemic, which infected over 28,000 people and killed more than 11,000.

A Chinese survey ship, for the first time, teamed up with a coast guard vessel to intrude into the restricted waters of Dongsha (Pratas Islands). On the morning of the 5th, Chinese Coast Guard ship '3501' entered the restricted waters. Taiwan's Coast Guard ship 'Hsun Hu No. 9' monitored it in parallel, undeterred by the provocation, and forcefully drove it away, while the 'Changhua' patrol vessel continued the standoff. Early on the 6th, the Chinese oceanic survey ship 'Haisi Lu 6' was detected. The 'Kaohsiung' patrol vessel was urgently dispatched for support, coordinating with two boats from the Dongsha detachment to monitor and expel the vessel in a standoff. During the expulsion, the Chinese Coast Guard ship claimed, 'You should recognize the great cause of the nation. Taiwan's future lies in national unification. Don't misjudge the situation.' The 'Changhua' retorted: 'Your actions prove that China's peace is a sham. You should go back and fight for democracy; that is the right way to serve your country.'

AIT Director Sandra Oudkirk stated on the 6th that the Legislative Yuan's passage of the special defense budget is an important first step in strengthening Taiwan's defense capabilities. She looks forward to Taiwan's continued investment in military deterrence and social resilience, especially in emerging technology fields like unmanned systems. President Lai Ching-te also mentioned at a noon event that the government will continue to strengthen national defense, implement defense self-sufficiency, stand with democratic partners, promote the 'New Top 10 AI Construction Projects', and assist small and medium-sized enterprises in their transformation to develop the economy, making the country safer and its people better cared for.

Now 35, the head of the AI center at Ukraine's Ministry of Defence, Tsvok, said in an exclusive interview with Japan's Kyodo News that to break the deadlock of insufficient troops, 'asymmetric measures are very important, and AI is the best choice.' He stated that many tasks will achieve the goal of being unmanned and autonomous within 3 to 5 years. Ukraine, with its rich combat data, is accelerating the adoption of artificial intelligence in cooperation with U.S. high-tech companies, striving to overcome Russia's numerical superiority. He predicted that in future wars, AI-powered drones will automatically identify and strike targets, and revealed that some of this is already in use in Ukraine's war against Russia.

Volunteers from all over Taiwan rushed to the disaster area in Gungfu, Hualien, last year, becoming one of Taiwan's warmest memories. To prevent this history from being forgotten, the Rotary International and Taiwan Sugar Corporation collaborated to establish the 'Shovel Superman Pavilion' at the Hualien Gungfu Sugar Factory. The pavilion displays over 300 collected rescue shovels, more than 2,100 images and videos, and 97 'Superman Train Tickets'. It opened in Warehouse No. 3 of the sugar factory park. Curator Kuei Ya-wen said that volunteers donated the tools they used during the rescue and wrote down blessings, letting the objects tell their stories.

'Organ donation' links the two ends of the scale of life and death. It is a miracle of rebirth awaited by many, and a brave decision to let go by donors and their families. The path to organ donation is filled with struggles, tears, and also immense pride for the deceased family members. Some people, even if they cannot donate organs due to their physical condition, still choose to donate their bodies for medical research. According to statistics, more than 10,000 patients in Taiwan are on the brink of life and death waiting for organ transplants each year. Dr. Lin Yu-hung, chairman of the organ transplant medical committee at Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, said in an interview with CNA that many people have misconceptions about organ donation, thinking that once they agree to donate, the hospital will give up on saving them, or that the body will be disfigured. In fact, Taiwan's organ donation mechanism is extremely rigorous. After organ removal, the medical team carefully fills and sutures the body using 3D-printed organ models to maintain the integrity of the body's appearance, which provides great comfort to the family. In Pingtung County, which has no organ transplant hospitals, the Ministry of Health and Welfare's Hengchun Tourism Hospital successfully mediated a rare case last year, proving that even remote areas can take the crucial first step by identifying potential organ donors.