WEATHER
Two weather fronts coming
Two weather fronts are set to bring precipitation to the nation from today, but the rain would do little to relieve a drought in central and southern Taiwan, the Central Weather Bureau (CWB) said on Sunday. The first front would pass through Taiwan between today and tomorrow, CWB forecaster Lin Ting- yi (林定宜) said. Northeasterly seasonal winds would increase, driving down temperature highs from 28oC to 22oC, and lows to 19oC, he said, adding that sporadic showers are set to hit the north and northeast, as well as mountainous areas in central and southern Taiwan. A second front is to arrive between Saturday night and Sunday, Lin said. While the second front is likely to destabilize the weather in the north and northeast, its actual effect could only be gauged as it gets closer to the nation next week, he said.
HEALTH
Mpox vaccine filled
As of yesterday morning, the 30,000 slots for the second round of mpox vaccination had all been booked, so the online registration platform has been temporarily closed, Centers for Disease Control Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞) said. The next batch of about 60,000 shots is expected to arrive in the middle of next month, and registration is expected to begin either late next month or in early June, he said. The first round of mpox vaccination registration began on March 21 and the 3,000 slots were filled within 10 minutes, while the second round of registration started in the afternoon of April 10 and the 30,000 slots were filled by 10:39am yesterday. As of yesterday, Taiwan had 40 mpox cases — 31 local and nine imported.
MILITARY
Military reshuffle announced
Navy Commander Mei Chia-shu (梅家樹) is to take over as chief of the general staff, the top commanding post in the military, on Monday next week, the Ministry of National Defense announced last week. Mei is to replace Chen Pao-yu (陳寶餘), who reached the retirement age for servicemen, 64, last year. However, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) extended his service last year, making Chen the first chief of the general staff to prolong his duty. Vice Chief of General Staff Tang Hua (唐華) is to be the new navy commander, the ministry said. Vice Minister of National Defense in charge of armaments Wang Hsin- lung (王信龍) is to serve as one of the military strategy advisers at the Presidential Office. His position is to be filled by army Commander Hsu Yen-pu (徐衍璞), while army Vice Commander Chung Shu- ming (鍾樹明) is to be promoted to take over Hsu’s post. All assignments are to take effect on Monday next week, it said.
HEALTH
Two noodle brands banned
Two types of instant noodles made by Southeast Asian brands have been found to contain a cancer-inducing substance, the Taipei Department of Health said yesterday as it released the results of its inspection of instant noodles in the city. The department said it found a batch of “Ah Lai White Curry Noodles” from Malaysia and a batch of “Indomie: Special Chicken Flavour” noodles from Indonesia contained ethylene oxide, a chemical compound associated with lymphoma and leukemia. Ethylene oxide was detected in the noodles and flavor packet of the Malaysian product, and in the flavor packet of the Indonesian product. The unspecified retailer from which the samples were collected have been told to pull the two products from their shelves, and the products’ importers could be fined between NT$60,000 and NT$200 million (US$1,958 and US$6.5 million), it said.
Snow fell in the mountainous areas of northern, central and eastern Taiwan in the early hours of yesterday, as cold air currents moved south. In the northern municipality of Taoyuan, snow started falling at about 6am in Fusing District (復興), district head Su Tso-hsi (蘇佐璽) said. By 10am, Lalashan National Forest Recreation Area, as well as Hualing (華陵), Sanguang (三光) and Gaoyi (高義) boroughs had seen snowfall, Su said. In central Taiwan, Shei-Pa National Park in Miaoli County and Hehuanshan National Forest Recreation Area in Nantou County saw snowfall of 5cm and 6cm respectively, by 10am, staff at the parks said. It began snowing
Global bodies should stop excluding Taiwan for political reasons, President William Lai (賴清德) told Pope Francis in a letter, adding that he agrees war has no winners. The Vatican is one of only 12 countries to retain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, and Taipei has watched with concern efforts by Beijing and the Holy See to improve ties. In October, the Vatican and China extended an accord on the appointment of Catholic bishops in China for four years, pointing to a new level of trust between the two parties. Lai, writing to the pope in response to the pontiff’s message on Jan. 1’s
HOLIDAY EXERCISE: National forest recreation areas from north to south offer travelers a wide choice of sights to connect with nature and enjoy its benefits Hiking is a good way to improve one’s health, the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency said, as it released a list of national forest recreation areas that travelers can visit during the Lunar New Year holiday. Taking a green shower of phytoncides in the woods could boost one’s immunity system and metabolism, agency Director-General Lin Hwa-ching (林華慶) cited a Japanese study as saying. For people visiting northern Taiwan, Lin recommended the Dongyanshan National Forest Recreation Area in Taoyuan’s Fusing District (復興). Once an important plantation in the north, Dongyanshan (東眼山) has a number of historic monuments, he said. The area is broadly covered by
A Vietnamese migrant worker on Thursday won the NT$12 million (US$383,590) jackpot on a scratch-off lottery ticket she bought from a lottery shop in Changhua County’s Puyan Township (埔鹽), Taiwan Lottery Co said yesterday. The lottery winner, who is in her 30s and married, said she would continue to work in Taiwan and send her winnings to her family in Vietnam to improve their life. More Taiwanese and migrant workers have flocked to the lottery shop on Sec 2 of Jhangshuei Road (彰水路) to share in the luck. The shop owner, surnamed Chen (陳), said that his shop has been open for just
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