WEATHER
Colder winter forecast
Taiwan is likely to experience a colder and drier winter in the coming months due to a potential La Nina episode, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. It said there was a 50 percent chance of La Nina development, characterized by stronger northerly and northeasterly winds, with conditions expected to normalize around spring. As a result, slightly lower temperatures and reduced rainfall are forecast between this month and February. This month, average temperatures are projected to range from 17.6°C to 18.9°C in northern Taiwan, 18.1°C to 19.3°C in central Taiwan, 19.0°C to 20.2°C in the south, and 19.1°C to 20.1°C in the east, it said. As for the weather in the short term, temperatures are expected to gradually rise from yesterday, but would drop again with the arrival of stronger winds on Thursday and a cold air mass on Sunday next week, the CWA said.
ANIMAL WELFARE
Pit bull kills pet dog
The owner of a pit bull could be subject to a fine of up to NT$225,000 after the animal mauled to death a pet dog in Hsinchu County, the local animal protection and health inspection office said on Thursday. The incident took place on Sept. 30, when the pit bull, unaccompanied by its owner, was wandering around a residential community and fatally attacked the pet dog of a local resident, the office said. The owner’s negligence contributed to the animal killing the other dog, an incident that could result in a fine of NT$45,000 to NT$225,000 under the Animal Protection Act (動物保護法), it said. The office said it has instructed the owner to take preventive measures, adding that if a similar incident occurs, authorities could place the pit bull in a shelter for public safety reasons.
CRIME
Wildlife worker killed
Authorities are investigating an incident in which a man was fatally shot as he returned from a remote mountainous area of Nantou County. The Nantou Police Department’s Renai Precinct said the shooting occurred late Tuesday night, after the victim, a 50-year-old indigenous man surnamed Chang (張), and two indigenous companions went to change the battery of a Formosan black bear surveillance camera. On the return trip, Chang was struck in the head by a bullet, police said. Following the incident, Chang’s companions notified the police, who found him dead early on Wednesday. Multiple news outlets reported on Thursday that Chang was a member of a local group that receives government funds to conduct black bear conservation work. Chang’s companions have been listed as witnesses, rather than suspects, pending a forensic examination and autopsy, authorities said.
CRIME
Child sex suspect arrested
A Pingtung man has been indicted after he was arrested and held incommunicado for allegedly luring minors into producing explicit photos and videos of themselves, the Pingtung District Prosecutors Office said Thursday. The 27-year-old man, surnamed Tsai (蔡), has been detained and charged with committing 31 sexual offenses against 26 minors. The case was brought to light after one of the victims went to the police. Photos of Tsai having sex with boys under the age of 14 or engaging in other obscene acts were discovered on his cellphone, prosecutors said. Tsai was charged with violating the Child and Youth Sexual Exploitation Prevention Act (兒童及少年性剝削防制條例) and the Criminal Code.
A relatively large earthquake may strike within the next two weeks, following a magnitude 5.2 temblor that shook Taitung County this morning, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. An earthquake struck at 8:18am today 10.2km west of Taitung County Hall in Taitung City at a relatively shallow depth of 6.5km, CWA data showed. The largest intensity of 4 was felt in Taitung and Pingtung counties, which received an alert notice, while areas north of Taichung did not feel any shaking, the CWA said. The earthquake was the result of the collision between the Philippine Plate and the Eurasian Plate, the agency said, adding
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
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