Taiwan braces for strong wind and rain as Typhoon Koinu approaches the island

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan has issued a weather alert as Typhoon Koinu is approaching and may make landfall later this week, bringing gales and downpours to the southeastern parts of the island. The weather bureau put out a land warning on Tuesday after issuing a sea alert late Monday. Koinu was moving northwest with sustained winds of 101 mph near its center, according to the bureau. Forecasters expected it to bring strong winds and downpours to southern and eastern parts of Taiwan early Wednesday and potentially make landfall in the southeastern part of the island on Thursday.