WEATHER
Cold alerts issued
Snow fell on Hehuanshan (合歡山) in Nantou County on Friday night and early yesterday morning, accumulating to 2cm to 3cm, while the nation’s highest mountain, Yushan (Jade Mountain, 玉山), also saw snowfall accumulate to as thick as 3cm, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The Highway Bureau’s Central Region Branch Office cautioned drivers heading up the mountains to be mindful of slippery roads and that parts of some paths are restricted to vehicles with snow chains. Yilan County’s Taipingshan (太平山) saw sleet early yesterday morning. After patrolling the area, the Yilan branch of the Forest and Nature Conservation Agency reported no icy roads and the area opened for visitors from 4am. The CWA yesterday issued an “orange” alert for northern Taiwan, which warn of sustained temperatures around or below 10°C, or dropping below 6°C. The agency also issued “yellow” alerts for Taoyuan, Taichung, Tainan, Kaohsiung and Chiayi cities, as well as Hsinchu, Miaoli, Changhua, Nantou, Yunlin, Chiayi and Kinmen counties, warning of temperatures dropping below 10°C and significant day-night temperature differences.
Photo courtesy of Taipingshan National Forest Recreation Area
WILDLIFE
Conservation succeeding
The Shei-pa National Park Administration yesterday published a census showing that while the multiple earthquakes and typhoons that struck Taiwan last year had affected the Oncorhynchus masou formosanus population, the impact was minimal. The endemic fish species’ population is 16,897, the second-highest in history, the census showed. The park administration said that it has collaborated with St. Stone Gold Co in an adoption drive for the fish species, marking the beginning of what could be an official template for public and private sector collaboration. The majority of the fish population was found in the Cijiawan (七家灣) and Hehuan River (合歡溪) areas, at 8,684 and 7,300 respectively, according to the census. The census was initiated not only to monitor the population of the fish, but also to gauge the efficacy of fish stocking, the park administration said. The park administration said it had released 1,000 fish fry of the Oncorhynchus masou formosanus into the llyung Sqeran (司界蘭溪) in an attempt to expand living habitats and better conserve the species.
DIPLOMACY
Donation pledged to Bucha
Taiwan has pledged to donate US$560,000 to the Ukrainian city of Bucha to help rebuild roads connecting the Kyiv Regional Center for Mental Health to surrounding areas. The agreement to donate the money was signed via a Webinar on Friday by Representative to Poland Jeff Liu (劉永健) and Bucha Mayor Anatoliy Fedoruk. Liu emphasized Taiwan’s commitment to collaborating with democracies, saying that rebuilding the roads not only improves access to the health center, but also symbolizes a path to recovery for the war-torn country. Taiwan would continue providing humanitarian aid to Ukraine to demonstrate support and respect for its people, he said. Fedoruk expressed gratitude for Taiwan’s humanitarian assistance and said its swift support of Ukraine following Russia’s invasion in 2022 means a lot to his city. Located in Bucha, a city in Kyiv Oblast, the Kyiv Regional Center for Mental Health is the largest institution of its kind in Ukraine, Ukraine’s Renovation League said. The center provides inpatient and outpatient care for people with mental health issues and has served over 150,000 people since its founding in 1978.
Twenty-four Republican members of the US House of Representatives yesterday introduced a concurrent resolution calling on the US government to abolish the “one China” policy and restore formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Led by US representatives Tom Tiffany and Scott Perry, the resolution calls for not only re-establishing formal relations, but also urges the US Trade Representative to negotiate a free-trade agreement (FTA) with Taiwan and for US officials to advocate for Taiwan’s full membership in the UN and other international organizations. In a news release announcing the resolution, Tiffany, who represents a Wisconsin district, called the “one China” policy “outdated, counterproductive
Actress Barbie Hsu (徐熙媛) has “returned home” to Taiwan, and there are no plans to hold a funeral for the TV star who died in Japan from influenza- induced pneumonia, her family said in a statement Wednesday night. The statement was released after local media outlets reported that Barbie Hsu’s ashes were brought back Taiwan on board a private jet, which arrived at Taipei Songshan Airport around 3 p.m. on Wednesday. To the reporters waiting at the airport, the statement issued by the family read “[we] appreciate friends working in the media for waiting in the cold weather.” “She has safely returned home.
ON PAROLE: The 73-year-old suspect has a criminal record of rape committed when he was serving in the military, as well as robbery and theft, police said The Kaohsiung District Court yesterday approved the detention of a 73-year-old man for allegedly murdering three women. The suspect, surnamed Chang (張), was arrested on Wednesday evening in connection with the death of a 71-year-old woman surnamed Chao (趙). The Kaohsiung City Police Department yesterday also unveiled the identities of two other possible victims in the serial killing case, a 75-year-old woman surnamed Huang (黃), the suspect’s sister-in-law, and a 75-year-old woman surnamed Chang (張), who is not related to the suspect. The case came to light when Chao disappeared after taking the suspect back to his residence on Sunday. Police, upon reviewing CCTV
TRUMP ERA: The change has sparked speculation on whether it was related to the new US president’s plan to dismiss more than 1,000 Joe Biden-era appointees The US government has declined to comment on a post that indicated the departure of Laura Rosenberger as chair of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT). Neither the US Department of State nor the AIT has responded to the Central News Agency’s questions on the matter, after Rosenberger was listed as a former chair on the AIT’s official Web site, with her tenure marked as 2023 to this year. US officials have said previously that they usually do not comment on personnel changes within the government. Rosenberger was appointed head of the AIT in 2023, during the administration of former US president Joe
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