DEFENSE
Deputy’s Facebook hacked
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday said that Deputy Minister of National Defense Bo Hong-hui’s (柏鴻輝) Facebook page had been hacked and was used to post an advertisement for a secondhand dehumidifier. “I am selling a dehumidifier, which I hardly use. The machine is well-preserved and functions normally,” the post said. The ministry took firewall security measures as soon as it was informed of the matter, it said, adding that military personnel do not handle confidential matters on Facebook or other social media.
WEATHER
More heat, rain this week
More hot weather is forecast for this week with a high chance of afternoon thundershowers, the Central Weather Bureau said. Temperatures yesterday reached 32°C across the nation, while highs in Hualien, Kaohsiung and Pingtung were expected to hit 36°C, bureau forecaster Chen I-hsiu (陳伊秀) said. Although the high-pressure system over Taiwan is expected to weaken, weather conditions are likely to remain the same in the early part of the week, with high temperatures and a chance of afternoon thunderstorms, she said. As the system begins to move northward on Wednesday, the south and east of Taiwan could experience showers, she said. Chen added that the bureau is also monitoring the possibility of a tropical disturbance in the South China Sea, east of the Philippines, between Thursday and Saturday.
ASTRONOMY
July a treat for stargazers
There are to be several promising celestial events next month, including the largest “super” full moon of the year and five meteor showers, the Taipei Astronomical Museum said. The super moon is to take place on July 14, reaching its fullest at 2:38am, the museum said, adding that it would be the second and last “super” full moon of the year. Four small to medium-sized meteor showers are also to peak between July 28 and 30 — the Southern Delta Aquariids, the Alpha Capricornids, the Alpha Pisces Australids and the Gamma Draconids. The most prolific among these is the Southern Delta Aquariids, which could produce 25 shooting stars per hour, the museum said, adding that the best time to view the meteor showers is between 10pm and sunrise. The museum encouraged astronomy buffs to also follow the Perseids, one of the largest meteor showers of the year, which becomes active on Thursday next week and peaks on Aug. 13.
CULTURE
Ipay Wilang recognized
A posthumous citation from President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) was presented to Ipay Wilang, the last preserver of indigenous facial tattoos designated by the government, at a memorial service in her home village of Tawsay, Hualien County, on Saturday. Tsai praised the late Sediq elder’s contribution to preserving indigenous facial tattoos and enriching the country’s intangible cultural heritage. Ipay Wilang died on June 18. Although her registered birthday was April 1, 1922, Lo Mei-ching (羅美菁), head of the New Taipei City Indigenous Peoples Department, said Ipay Wilang was 106 years old, because many newborns were in the past registered long after birth. Ipay Wilang was also awarded a First Class Award for Contributions to Indigenous Peoples by the Council of Indigenous Peoples in recognition of her status as a living cultural treasure, a title she was given in 2016. The citation and award were received by Ipay Wilang’s daughter, Kimi Uwy.
A strong continental cold air mass and abundant moisture bringing snow to mountains 3,000m and higher over the past few days are a reminder that more than 60 years ago Taiwan had an outdoor ski resort that gradually disappeared in part due to climate change. On Oct. 24, 2021, the National Development Council posted a series of photographs on Facebook recounting the days when Taiwan had a ski resort on Hehuanshan (合歡山) in Nantou County. More than 60 years ago, when developing a branch of the Central Cross-Island Highway, the government discovered that Hehuanshan, with an elevation of more than 3,100m,
Death row inmate Huang Lin-kai (黃麟凱), who was convicted for the double murder of his former girlfriend and her mother, is to be executed at the Taipei Detention Center tonight, the Ministry of Justice announced. Huang, who was a military conscript at the time, was convicted for the rape and murder of his ex-girlfriend, surnamed Wang (王), and the murder of her mother, after breaking into their home on Oct. 1, 2013. Prosecutors cited anger over the breakup and a dispute about money as the motives behind the double homicide. This is the first time that Minister of Justice Cheng Ming-chien (鄭銘謙) has
TRANSPORT CONVENIENCE: The new ticket gates would accept a variety of mobile payment methods, and buses would be installed with QR code readers for ease of use New ticketing gates for the Taipei metro system are expected to begin service in October, allowing users to swipe with cellphones and select credit cards partnered with Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC), the company said on Tuesday. TRTC said its gates in use are experiencing difficulty due to their age, as they were first installed in 2007. Maintenance is increasingly expensive and challenging as the manufacturing of components is halted or becoming harder to find, the company said. Currently, the gates only accept EasyCard, iPass and electronic icash tickets, or one-time-use tickets purchased at kiosks, the company said. Since 2023, the company said it
Ferry operators are planning to provide a total of 1,429 journeys between Taiwan proper and its offshore islands to meet increased travel demand during the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday, the Maritime and Port Bureau said yesterday. The available number of ferry journeys on eight routes from Saturday next week to Feb. 2 is expected to meet a maximum transport capacity of 289,414 passengers, the bureau said in a news release. Meanwhile, a total of 396 journeys on the "small three links," which are direct ferries connecting Taiwan's Kinmen and Lienchiang counties with China's Fujian Province, are also being planned to accommodate
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