HEALTH
Holiday snake advisory
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on Tuesday warned people to be cautious of venomous snakes when tomb sweeping outdoors. This year’s four-day Tomb-Sweeping Festival holiday starts today and ends on Sunday. The CDC reminds people to wear long sleeves and pants, shoes that cover the whole foot, and to use a stick to stir grass or bushes to scare away snakes before passing through. If bitten by a snake, people should remain calm, remember the characteristics of the snake, take off accessories, apply a bandage above and around the bite to slow the spread of the venom, and seek medical attention at a hospital as soon as possible, it said.
ENVIRONMENT
Bear pair rescued
A male and female Formosan black bear pair were successfully rescued from snare traps in Taitung County and released back into the wild, the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency said on Tuesday. This marks the first-ever simultaneous rescue of two bears, which occurred at 2pm on Monday when a patrol team from Yanping Township (延平) discovered the animals at the junction of an indigenous reserve and state-owned forest 725m above sea level, the agency said. The male bear weighed 60kg and the female 43kg, the agency said, adding that both animals had their left forelimbs trapped in snares, which were about 10m apart. Fortunately, the bears’ injuries were minor, and after receiving on-site treatment, they were monitored until the anesthesia wore off, it said. Once awake, the bears walked off and safely returned to their natural habitat, the agency said. The rescue represents a significant milestone for the local community, as it is the first time two Formosan black bears have been successfully rescued and returned to the wild at the same time, it said. An indigenous member of the rescue team expressed relief and pride, saying: “We’re happy we did the right thing. We helped our neighbors, the bears, safely return home.” Given the increasing presence of Formosan black bears in lowland and settlement areas, the agency said it would continue to provide improved hunting equipment to local farmers and indigenous people to help manage other wildlife without harming the bears, which are protected.
TRAVEL
Visa-free deal extended
Taiwan and North Macedonia have agreed to extend their bilateral visa-free programs for another five years, from Tuesday until March 31, 2030, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said on Tuesday. Citizens from the two countries can visit each other’s territory without a visa for up to 90 days within any 180-day period, the MOFA said in a statement, adding that information has been updated on the Web sites of Taiwan’s and North Macedonia’s foreign ministries. The arrangement began in 2012. On the Taiwanese side, it still only applies to Taiwanese whose passport contains a national ID card number, according to the MOFA. Having a national ID card number means the passport holder has household registration in Taiwan, which guarantees civil and political rights. Some overseas citizens holding Republic of China (Taiwan) passports do not have household registration in Taiwan. The MOFA reminded nationals traveling to the landlocked country to follow local laws and regulations. For emergency services while in North Macedonia, Taiwanese should call Taiwan’s representative office in Italy in charge of North Macedonia affairs at +39-366-806-6434 or MOFA’s Taipei headquarters 24/7 emergency hotline at 0800-085-095.
‘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 wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
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
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
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