WHOLESALE
Tissue costs spike
Wholesale prices for popular tissue brands Mayflower, Delight and Tender would rise 8 percent next year amid a reported 40 percent-plus spike in raw material costs. The brands’ producer, Yuen Foong Yu Consumer Products Co, announced plans for the price hike yesterday, with the increase set to take effect after the Lunar New Year Holiday. The prices of pulp, packaging and power, which account for the bulk of its production costs, had increased more than 40 percent this year, with some nearly doubling, the company said. Hypermarkets Pxmart and Carrefour said that there are no plans at this time to pass the wholesale price increase on to consumers.
WILDLIFE
Cane toads face restrictions
Owners of cane toads are to face restrictions on breeding, sale and display of the amphibians, which are to be listed as a foreign invasive species, the Forestry Bureau said on Thursday. The cane toad, which is native to the Americas, is a foreign species that poses a risk to the local environment, the safety of other animals and the public, the bureau said, adding that restrictions are to take effect in the next 60 days and owners must register their cane toads with local authorities in accordance with the Wildlife Conservation Act (野生動物保育法). Failure to do so could result in a fine of NT$10,000 to NT$50,000, it said. Owners who want to give up their cane toads should take them to a local animal shelter or pass them to authorities for disposal, the bureau said, warning that deserting an animal could lead to fine of NT$30,000 to NT$150,000.
WEATHER
Christmas to bring cold
A cold air mass is set to push temperatures downward across Taiwan, with snow likely above 3,000m on Monday, the Central Weather Bureau said yesterday. Temperatures are to drop in northern areas as a cold air mass arrives on Christmas Day today, before dropping in other parts of the country from tomorrow to Tuesday, the bureau said, adding that temperatures could dip as low as 12°C. Coastal areas near Keelung, mountainous areas in and around Taipei and in northeastern Taiwan might have heavy rain from today to Monday, it added. The combination of low temperatures and rain would make it feel particularly cold, the bureau said. However, it also forecast that the cold air mass would become weaker from Tuesday morning, leading to warmer weather.
CRIME
Men charged over beating
Local prosecutors yesterday charged three men accused of beating a university student in Taichung last month with attempted murder and intentionally causing bodily harm. Lee Wei-lin (李韋霖), 25, Chang Tun-liang (張敦量), 23, and Chen Chin-hao (陳勁豪), 19, were indicted over the Nov. 7 incident, which took place after a vehicle driven by an 18-year-old university student surnamed Sung (宋) clipped a Maserati while changing lanes at the intersection of Taiwan Boulevard and Henan Road, a Taichung District Prosecutors’ Office release said. Dashboard camera footage shows Lee — the driver of the Maserati — and two passengers, Chen and Chang, force Sung out of his car before assaulting him with a metal stick, despite Sung repeatedly apologizing after being pushed to the ground, prosecutors said, adding that the footage also showed Chang kicking Sung multiple times in the head as he lay on the ground. Sung was rendered unconscious and spent nearly three weeks in hospital before being discharged on Nov. 25.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off Tainan at 11:47am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Tainan and Chiayi County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and County, and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Taitung County and offshore Penghu County, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
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