Taiwan orders near-total shutdown ahead of Typhoon Champi

Taiwan on Thursday ordered a near-total shutdown for Friday as Typhoon Champi approached the island. Work and classes were suspended for the full day in 20 of 22 counties and cities, while airlines canceled domestic flights as well as 40 international flights, according to local broadcaster TVBS. Kinmen County, an offshore island group near China's Fujian coast, and most of Taitung County in southeastern Taiwan will operate normally Friday as they are outside the typhoon's main impact zone. Champi, now downgraded to a moderate typhoon, is expected to pass closest to Taiwan around 2 am Saturday (1800GMT Friday). Taiwan's Central Weather Administration has not ruled out a landfall. It warned that the storm's strongest impacts would be felt from Friday through Saturday morning, with conditions expected to improve Saturday afternoon. As of Thursday evening, Champi was about 450 kilometers (280 miles) east of Taiwan's southernmost point, Eluanbi, moving northwest at 18 kilometers per hour (11 miles per hour). Heavy rain advisories were also issued for several areas, with rainfall expected to intensify from Thursday evening through Saturday morning.