Seasonal winds from the northeast are expected to lower temperatures starting this weekend, with northern and eastern Taiwan likely to see daytime lows of about 20°C and highs between 26°C and 28°C through Thursday, the Central Weather Bureau said. An increase in humidity could bring showers during the period.
The cold air should have less of an effect on central and southern Taiwan, where temperatures are expected to range from 22°C to 32°C with slightly cloudy to sunny skies, the bureau said.
The bureau added that Typhoon Phanfone is unlikely to directly affect the nation in the coming days, as it would likely move northeast toward the main islands of Japan after passing Okinawa.
Those planning to travel to Japan over the weekend should watch the storm’s development for possible flight disruptions, it said.
In other news, the Taipei Astronomical Museum said next week would be a significant one for stargazers, as a total lunar eclipse, the peak of a meteor shower and the brightening of a planet are all expected on Tuesday.
The Draconid meteor shower peaks late on Tuesday night, producing up to 10 shooting stars per hour, the museum said.
The Draconid meteor shower is created each year when Earth passes through a trail of dust left over by the comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner, an icy wanderer of the solar system that orbits the sun once every 6.6 years.
In addition, the planet Uranus is to be at its brightest for the year on Tuesday when it reaches opposition, which occurs when Earth passes between Uranus and the sun.
Meanwhile, a total lunar eclipse is to be visible between 6:30pm and 7:30pm on Tuesday, weather permitting, the museum said.
The last time a lunar eclipse and a Uranus opposition occurred simultaneously was in September, 2006, the museum said, adding that such a coincidence is not due to take place again until November 2022.
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday said it is fully aware of the situation following reports that the son of ousted Chinese politician Bo Xilai (薄熙來) has arrived in Taiwan and is to marry a Taiwanese. Local media reported that Bo Guagua (薄瓜瓜), son of the former member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, is to marry the granddaughter of Luodong Poh-Ai Hospital founder Hsu Wen-cheng (許文政). The pair met when studying abroad and arranged to get married this year, with the wedding breakfast to be held at The One holiday resort in Hsinchu
The Taipei Zoo on Saturday said it would pursue legal action against a man who was filmed climbing over a railing to tease and feed spotted hyenas in their enclosure earlier that day. In videos uploaded to social media on Saturday, a man can be seen climbing over a protective railing and approaching a ledge above the zoo’s spotted hyena enclosure, before dropping unidentified objects down to two of the animals. The Taipei Zoo in a statement said the man’s actions were “extremely inappropriate and even illegal.” In addition to monitoring the hyenas’ health, the zoo would collect evidence provided by the public
‘SIGN OF DANGER’: Beijing has never directly named Taiwanese leaders before, so China is saying that its actions are aimed at the DPP, a foundation official said National Security Bureau (NSB) Director-General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥) yesterday accused Beijing of spreading propaganda, saying that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) had singled out President William Lai (賴清德) in his meeting with US President Joe Biden when talking about those whose “true nature” seek Taiwanese independence. The Biden-Xi meeting took place on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Peru on Saturday. “If the US cares about maintaining peace across the Taiwan Strait, it is crucial that it sees clearly the true nature of Lai and the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in seeking Taiwanese independence, handles the Taiwan question with extra
A decision to describe a Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement on Singapore’s Taiwan policy as “erroneous” was made because the city-state has its own “one China policy” and has not followed Beijing’s “one China principle,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Tien Chung-kwang (田中光) said yesterday. It has been a longstanding practice for the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to speak on other countries’ behalf concerning Taiwan, Tien said. The latest example was a statement issued by the PRC after a meeting between Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (黃循財) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) on the sidelines of the APEC summit
RSS