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.
‘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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