WEATHER
Cold weather alerts to start
A user-friendly, color-coded alert system is to be introduced from next month to warn of low temperatures across the nation, the Central Weather Bureau said on Friday. The system has a yellow alert to warn of “cold” temperatures, an orange alert for “very cold” temperatures and a red alert for “frigid” temperatures, the bureau said, adding that the warning system would serve non-mountainous areas throughout the country. A yellow warning would be issued when the temperature in low-altitude areas drops to less than 10?C, the bureau said. If the temperature falls to less than 6?C, or if the forecast is to remain between 10?C and 12?C for more than 24 hours, an orange warning would be issued, it said, adding that a red alert would be used when the forecast is for temperatures of below 6?C for at least 24 hours. For the outlying Matsu Islands, the temperature thresholds for the alerts would be 4?C lower than for the rest of the nation, because the islands’ latitude generally brings cooler temperatures, it said. The aim of the alert system is to make it easier for people to know what to expect, as the warning includes the temperature and the expected duration of the cold spell.
POLITICS
Ma departs for Europe
Former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) last night departed on an eight-day visit to Europe, His office said yesterday. Ma has since last year been an executive fellow of the University of Notre Dame’s Keough School of Global Affairs, so he plans to attend a school event tomorrow in Rome before traveling to London the following day, his office said. On Wednesday, Ma is scheduled to attend a panel discussion with academics and graduate students at the University of Notre Dame’s London Global Gateway, it said, adding that on Thursday, Ma would visit the University of Oxford to meet with university vice-chancellor Louise Richardson and deliver a speech titled “Cross-strait Relations at a Crossroad” at the Oxford Union. During his stay in London, Ma also plans to visit places where Republic of China founder Sun Yat-sen (孫逸仙) set foot when he traveled to England to recruit members for his revolt against the Qing Dynasty, the office said. Ma is scheduled to return to Taiwan on Saturday, it added.
DIPLOMACY
Tuvalu talks target sea levels
Taiwan is to engage in talks with Tuvalu on how to combat climate change, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said last week following an appeal by the Pacific island ally for assistance in dealing with rising sea levels. In a recent interview with Japan’s Kyodo News, Tuvaluan Prime Minister Kausea Natano issued a call for global partners to help his country with a land reclamation plan so that it can cope with rising sea levels. There is a serious risk of Tuvalu losing its land due to rapidly rising sea levels, Natano said, adding that the country is developing the land reclamation project to respond to the emergency. Natano said he hopes that other countries would offer assistance to make the plan possible. Natano became the country’s prime minister in an election last month. He succeeded Enele Sopoaga, who led the country for six years. Speculation has spread about whether Tuvalu would follow the Solomon Islands and Kiribati in switching diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China, but Natano said last month that his government would continue to work closely with Taiwan.
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