As rescuers struggled to save people still trapped in the ruins of the collapsed Weiguan Jinlong building in Tainan’s Yongkang District (永康) amid a cold snap, volunteers set up soup kitchens nearby to provide hot food for rescue workers and relatives of the missing.
The Central Weather Bureau forecast that nighttime and early-morning temperatures in most parts of the nation would dip below 10°C until tomorrow.
Kuo Cheng-chang (郭政樟) and eight members of his family were distributing free bowls of hot pot and noodles to first responders, who eagerly lined up for something hot to replenish their energy after hours of working in the cold.
The proprietor and chef of a hot-pot restaurant in Tainan, Kuo said he and his sister left their family restaurant in the hands of their employees to handle a fully booked Lunar New Year’s Eve.
“I do not know how to save people, but I know a lot about making a good stew. This is the part where my professional skills can help,” he said.
“My stoves will be kept on for as long as there is a rescue operation. I am keeping everybody fed and warm, regardless of costs,” he said.
Other volunteers began arriving at the site on Saturday to provide aid and succor to the rescue workers and police officers.
A restaurant owner on Saturday set up a temporary kitchen that provided 500 servings of the traditional holiday pork stew known as Buddha Jumps Over the Wall (佛跳牆) to rescue workers, while a charity group distributed hot baozi (包子) buns.
Volunteers from groups as well as individuals also distributed hand warmers and heat pads to police officers stationed at checkpoints to maintain a cordon and traffic control around the collapsed building.
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
A total lunar eclipse, an astronomical event often referred to as a “blood moon,” would be visible to sky watchers in Taiwan starting just before midnight on Sunday night, the Taipei Astronomical Museum said. The phenomenon is also called “blood moon” due to the reddish-orange hue it takes on as the Earth passes directly between the sun and the moon, completely blocking direct sunlight from reaching the lunar surface. The only light is refracted by the Earth’s atmosphere, and its red wavelengths are bent toward the moon, illuminating it in a dramatic crimson light. Describing the event as the most important astronomical phenomenon
UNDER PRESSURE: The report cited numerous events that have happened this year to show increased coercion from China, such as military drills and legal threats The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to reinforce its “one China” principle and the idea that Taiwan belongs to the People’s Republic of China by hosting celebratory events this year for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the “retrocession” of Taiwan and the establishment of the UN, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in its latest report to the Legislative Yuan. Taking advantage of the significant anniversaries, Chinese officials are attempting to assert China’s sovereignty over Taiwan through interviews with international news media and cross-strait exchange events, the report said. Beijing intends to reinforce its “one China” principle
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