WEATHER
Cold front on the way
Temperatures across Taiwan are forecast to plummet with the arrival of a cold front tomorrow, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Northern Taiwan is expected to have chilly weather tomorrow, with lows of 13°C, the CWA said. The cold would be more severe on Monday and Tuesday, when northern areas can expect lows of 7 to 9°C, it said. From Taichung to Tainan and in Hualien County, lows would fall to 8 to 10°C, while Kaohsiung, as well as Pingtung and Taitung counties, would have lows of 11 to 13°C, the CWA said. Sporadic showers are expected in the north, east and mountainous areas of central and southern Taiwan, while other areas would be mainly cloudy tomorrow, it said. On Monday and Tuesday, rain is expected in central regions. Snow might fall at altitudes higher than 1,000m to 1,500m in the north from Monday night, and in areas higher than 2,500m in central, southern and eastern Taiwan on Tuesday. Icy roads and rime ice can be expected in areas likely to have snow, it added.
MILITARY
Taiwan ranked No. 24
Taiwan has the 24th-most powerful military in the world, down one place from last year, an annual survey published on Jan. 9 by Global Firepower showed. Taiwan had a “Power Index” of 0.3302, with a “perfect score” being 0.0, said Global Firepower, a Web site that keeps track of global defense information. The ranking of 145 states was based on their potential war-making capability across land, sea and air fought by conventional means, it said. The results incorporate values related to personnel, equipment, natural resources, finances and geography, with more than 60 individual factors used to calculate the final ranking, it said. Taiwan has 2.58 million military personnel, including 215,000 active-duty troops and 2.31 million reserve soldiers, it said. The US topped the list with a score of 0.0699, followed by Russia (0.0702), China (0.0706), India (0.1023) and South Korea (0.1416), the Web site showed. The UK (0.1443), Japan (0.1601), Turkey (0.1697), Pakistan (0.1711) and Italy (0.1863) were sixth to 10th. Taiwan, which dropped one place after Germany rose from 25th last year to 19th this year, was one below Saudi Arabia. Taiwan’s highest placing in the rankings — which go back to 2005 — was in 2011, when it was 14th.
FARMING
Geese culled over H5N1
A goose farm in Yunlin County on Thursday was confirmed to have been infected with the H5N1 avian influenza virus, leading to the culling of 1,477 geese, the Yunlin County Animal Disease Control Center said. Inspections were carried out after the farm in Dongshi Township (東石) on Jan. 14 reported to authorities that its geese had died in an abnormal manner, the center said. The culling began immediately after results of sample testing confirmed that geese at the farm had the H5N1 virus, the center said. It was the second report of avian flu in Dongshi this month after a chicken farm, at which 19,100 birds were culled. The two farms are just 1km apart, the center said, adding that it suspects the two reports are linked. Liao Pei-chih (廖培志), head of the Yunlin center, said the risk of poultry farms being exposed to H5N1 brought by migratory birds is relatively high. Farmers should reduce risks by tightening access to their property, and enhancing disinfection of personnel and vehicles, Liao said.
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) today condemned the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) after the Czech officials confirmed that Chinese agents had surveilled Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) during her visit to Prague in March last year. Czech Military Intelligence director Petr Bartovsky yesterday said that Chinese operatives had attempted to create the conditions to carry out a demonstrative incident involving Hsiao, going as far as to plan a collision with her car. Hsiao was vice president-elect at the time. The MAC said that it has requested an explanation and demanded a public apology from Beijing. The CCP has repeatedly ignored the desires
Many Chinese spouses required to submit proof of having renounced their Chinese household registration have either completed the process or provided affidavits ahead of the June 30 deadline, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said on Thursday. Of the 12,146 people required to submit the proof, 5,534 had done so as of Wednesday, MAC deputy head and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. Another 2,572 people who met conditions for exemption or deferral from submitting proof of deregistration — such as those with serious illnesses or injuries — have submitted affidavits instead, he said. “As long as individuals are willing to cooperate with the legal
The Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant’s license has expired and it cannot simply be restarted, the Executive Yuan said today, ahead of national debates on the nuclear power referendum. The No. 2 reactor at the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant in Pingtung County was disconnected from the nation’s power grid and completely shut down on May 17, the day its license expired. The government would prioritize people’s safety and conduct necessary evaluations and checks if there is a need to extend the service life of the reactor, Executive Yuan spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) told a news conference. Lee said that the referendum would read: “Do
The Ministry of Environment yesterday held a seminar in Taipei for experts from Taiwan and Japan to exchange their experiences on the designs and development of public toilets. Japan Toilet Association chairman Kohei Yamamoto said that he was impressed with the eco-toilet set up at Daan Forest Park, adding that Japan still faces issues regarding public restrooms despite the progress it made over the past decades. For example, an all-gender toilet was set up in Kabukicho in Tokyo’s Shinjuku District several years ago, but it caused a public backlash and was rebuilt into traditional men’s and women’s toilets, he said. Japan Toilet Association
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