The cold air mass hovering over the country is bringing with it strong winds that are mixing dust particles in the air, the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) said, adding that those with respiratory and heart diseases should avoid performing strenuous activities outdoors.
“Starting on Nov. 27, Taiwan has been under the influence of a strong cold air mass and temperatures have been dropping,” said Chu Yu-chi (朱雨其), director-general of the EPA’s department of environmental protection monitoring and information management. “Combined with a strong northeastern seasonal wind, dust particles are being blown into the air and affecting areas in central and southern Taiwan.”
On Friday, the pollution standard index (PSI) in Yunlin, Chiayi and Tainan counties was at more than 100 and fell into the “poor” category as monitored by the administration, which meant the air was unhealthy for human health and could cause sneezing, coughing, eye irritation and aggravations of chronic heart or lung ailments, Chu said.
On the same day, a record-high pollutant particle concentration was recorded in Yunlin County at 743 micrograms per cubic meter, Chu said, adding that the value was eight to 10 times normal. Though the PSI in the area marginally subsided to 91 yesterday — bringing it in the realm of acceptable health — the polluted air seemed to have shifted southward to Kaohsiung and Pingtung, where a PSI of 104 was recorded at 3pm, the EPA Web site said.
Taiwan would benefit from more integrated military strategies and deployments if the US and its allies treat the East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea as a “single theater of operations,” a Taiwanese military expert said yesterday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a researcher at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said he made the assessment after two Japanese military experts warned of emerging threats from China based on a drill conducted this month by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Eastern Theater Command. Japan Institute for National Fundamentals researcher Maki Nakagawa said the drill differed from the
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
A rally held by opposition parties yesterday demonstrates that Taiwan is a democratic country, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, adding that if opposition parties really want to fight dictatorship, they should fight it on Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) held a protest with the theme “against green communists and dictatorship,” and was joined by the Taiwan People’s Party. Lai said the opposition parties are against what they called the “green communists,” but do not fight against the “Chinese communists,” adding that if they really want to fight dictatorship, they should go to the right place and face
A 79-year-old woman died today after being struck by a train at a level crossing in Taoyuan, police said. The woman, identified by her surname Wang (王), crossed the tracks even though the barriers were down in Jhongli District’s (中壢) Neili (內壢) area, the Taoyuan Branch of the Railway Police Bureau said. Surveillance footage showed that the railway barriers were lowered when Wang entered the crossing, but why she ventured onto the track remains under investigation, the police said. Police said they received a report of an incident at 6:41am involving local train No. 2133 that was heading from Keelung to Chiayi City. Investigators
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