WEATHER
First cold front arrives
An incoming cold front pushed temperatures in parts of northern Taiwan down into the low single digits early yesterday, and it is expected to bring crisp, sunny weather to much of the nation over the weekend, forecasters said. According to Central Weather Administration (CWA) data, the temperature hit a low of 3.6°C in Yilan County’s mountainous Datong Township (大同) and 8.0°C in Beitou (北投) in northwest Taipei overnight. In low-lying areas, Gongguan Township (公館) in Miaoli County recorded the lowest overnight temperature of any non-mountainous area at 12.7°C, while Shiding Township (石碇) in New Taipei City reported a low of 13.7°C. The arrival of the dry, cold air mass is expected to bring a spell of crisp, sunny weather to much of the country through Sunday morning, independent meteorologist Wu Der-rong (吳德榮) said. During that period, daytime temperatures would climb to about 23°C in the north, and 27°C to 28°C in central and southern areas, but would drop quickly overnight, Wu said. The weather system would likely qualify as the winter’s first “continental cold air mass,” Wu said. The CWA’s seven-day forecast showed temperatures dropping to 11°C to 13°C as far south as Chiayi County tomorrow. As the cold front lifts on Sunday through the early part of next week, the weather would gradually turn rainy in the east, while the western half of the nation would continue to experience clear weather and large day-night temperature gaps, Wu said.
DIPLOMACY
Chiang bullish on forum
Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) yesterday said that the city government is confident about holding the Taipei-Shanghai Twin-City Forum this year. The forum is scheduled to be held on Dec. 17 and the Taipei City Government is reportedly planning to receive a delegation from Shanghai between Dec. 16 and Dec. 18. It has not yet been confirmed whether Shanghai Mayor Gong Zheng (龔正) or a vice mayor would be among the delegation. Attending the 50-year anniversary celebration of Taipei Agricultural Products Marketing Corp yesterday, Chiang was asked to comment on the issue. He told reporters that communication is ongoing and the two cities have reached the later stages of arranging this year’s forum. Taipei and Shanghai already have a foundation of mutual exchanges and the cooperation would be beneficial for both cities and both sides of the Taiwan Strait, Chiang said. “We believe that we absolutely must host the forum, and have every confidence that we will be able to do so,” he said. Chiang said an official announcement would be made once the arrangements are finalized.
CRIME
Norwegian man indicted
A Norwegian national has been indicted for possession of marijuana while transiting in Taiwan, the Aviation Police Bureau said on Tuesday. At a news conference, Chen Po-chuan (陳博全), head of the Second Investigation Team of the bureau’s Criminal Investigation Brigade, said the man in his 30s was arrested in September after using a seven-hour layover to visit Taipei. The Norwegian was arrested at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport early in the morning after visiting a night club in Taipei’s Xinyi District (信義), Chen said. The arrest was made after aviation police investigators and Taipei Customs officers found 25.5kg of marijuana in the man’s check-in luggage during safety checks at the airport, Chen said. The Category II drug had a market value of more than NT$10 million (US$307,371), Chen added.
Hong Kong-based American singer-songwriter Khalil Fong (方大同) has passed away at the age of 41, Fong’s record label confirmed yesterday. “With unwavering optimism in the face of a relentless illness for five years, Khalil Fong gently and gracefully bid farewell to this world on the morning of February 21, 2025, stepping into the next realm of existence to carry forward his purpose and dreams,” Fu Music wrote on the company’s official Facebook page. “The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to his luminous spirit, a timeless treasure for generations to come,” it said. Although Fong’s
China’s military buildup in the southern portion of the first island chain poses a serious threat to Taiwan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply, a defense analyst warned. Writing in a bulletin on the National Defense and Security Research’s Web site on Thursday, Huang Tsung-ting (黃宗鼎) said that China might choke off Taiwan’s energy supply without it. Beginning last year, China entrenched its position in the southern region of the first island chain, often with Russia’s active support, he said. In May of the same year, a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) force consisting of a Type 054A destroyer, Type 055 destroyer,
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was questioned by prosecutors for allegedly orchestrating an attack on a taxi driver after he was allegedly driven on a longer than necessary route in a car he disliked. The questioning at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office was ongoing as of press time last night. Police have recommended charges of attempted murder. The legally embattled actor — known for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代) — is under a separate investigation for allegedly using fake medical documents to evade mandatory military service. According to local media reports, police said Wang earlier last year ordered a
Taiwan is planning to expand the use of artificial intelligence (AI)-based X-ray imaging to customs clearance points over the next four years to curb the smuggling of contraband, a Customs Administration official said. The official on condition of anonymity said the plan would cover meat products, e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, large bundles of banknotes and certain agricultural produce. Taiwan began using AI image recognition systems in July 2021. This year, generative AI — a subset of AI which uses generative models to produce data — would be used to train AI models to produce realistic X-ray images of contraband, the official
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