WEATHER
Warmer weather ahead
The current wet weather across the nation might continue today before warm, sunny conditions return over the two following days, the Central Weather Bureau said yesterday. Under the influence of a cold front, the lowest temperature recorded in the nation’s low-lying areas yesterday morning was 12.5oC in New Taipei City’s Tamsui District (淡水), the bureau said. The cold air mass is forecast to weaken today, allowing temperatures to rise gradually and climb above 20oC tomorrow and on Friday, up about 10oC from yesterday, the bureau said. Due to moisture brought by the cold front, heavy fog is forecast in some areas as the weather warms, it added. However, a northeast monsoon would bring rain to parts of northern and eastern Taiwan from Saturday through Monday next week, the bureau said.
AVIATION
Bird strikes jump to 226
The number of incidents involving birds colliding with airplanes in the nation jumped to 226 last year, the highest in three years, the Flight Safety Foundation said. The figure was a significant increase from 145 in 2014 and 110 in 2013, the foundation said on Sunday. The number of bird strikes that resulted in damage to aircraft also rose last year to 14, compared with seven in 2014 and one in 2013, it said. About 90 percent of the bird strikes took place at airports, with Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport reporting 113 incidents last year. Bird strikes are more frequent between April and October, when migratory birds are on the move and non-migratory birds are breeding, the foundation said, adding that the number of incidents usually peaks between July and September. There were no known fatalities related to bird strikes in recent years.
CIVIL AFFAIRS
Taoyuan allows gay partners
The Taoyuan City Government on Monday said that it has decided to allow same-sex couples to register their relationships at household registration offices. The Department of Civil Affairs said that Taoyuan Mayor Cheng Wen-tsang (鄭文燦) has said on several occasions that, out of respect and understanding, “any true love should be blessed.” The department has been taking stock of other cities’ practices in adopting the measure. Anyone who is older than 20 and single, with one or both parties having a household registration in Taoyuan, can go to household registration offices to be registered as “same-sex partners,” the department said, adding that those who have completed the process at offices would be issued same-sex partner papers for both parties.
CHARITY
TAS club to hold book sale
The Taipei American School’s (TAS) Orphanage Club is to hold its annual book sale on Saturday from 10am to 5pm in the school’s forecourt and lobby. The club has collected thousands of books, magazines and comic books, as well as games and DVDs. The books include classics, best-sellers, biographies, English-language teaching books and young adult titles. The club said the selection of children’s books is the largest in the sale’s 35-year history, and that there are also a significant amount of Chinese-language books and magazines available. Money raised from the event is to be used to assist orphans and needy children in Taiwan, including outlying islands. Admission to the book fair is free, and the fair is to be held rain or shine. The school is at 800 Zhongshan N Rd Sec 6 in Taipei’s Tianmu neighborhood.
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
The long-awaited Taichung aquarium is expected to open next year after more than a decade of development. The building in Cingshui District (清水) is to feature a large ocean aquarium on the first floor, coral display area on the second floor, a jellyfish tank and Dajia River (大甲溪) basin display on the third, a river estuary display and restaurant on the fourth, and a cafe and garden on the fifth. As it is near Wuci Fishing Port (梧棲漁港), many are expecting the opening of the aquarium to bring more tourism to the harbor. Speaking at the city council on Monday, Taichung City Councilor
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese