Even though the Dragon Boat festival -- which traditionally marks the start of summer -- is still 19 days away, the country is already feeling the heat.
After three Chiayi County farmers died on three consecutive days from heat exhaustion, the Bureau of Health Promotion warned farmers not to go into their fields in the midday sun, especially if they are wearing heavy protective gear for spraying pesticides and herbicides.
But a Chiayi fourth farmer died on Wednesday -- from pesticide poisoning, not heat exhaustion -- after he sprayed his fields with insecticide in the middle of the day without wearing any protective gear.
"There is no way to spray safely in the midday sun when it is this hot," bureau official Tseng Te-yuan (
For some people, the response to the hot weather has been to crank up the air conditioning. Using more electricity, however, not only hurts the environment, it will be hard on the wallet.
Taiwan Power Co's has raised its electricity rates, effective today, and the summertime pricing program will run through Sept. 30.
Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) sent a message to government officials and the general public on Monday when he appeared without jacket or tie at a press conference. He called on bureaucrats to leave their jackets at home for the summer to beat the heat without cranking up the AC.
The Central Weather Bureau said it was too early know whether the scorching days that ended last month foretold an unusually hot summer. However, on May 24th, the bureau's Taipei station posted a reading of 37.2oC -- the second hottest temperature recorded for that day ever recorded in Taipei.
"It has been warm recently," said Daniel Wu (
"Taiwan is not exempt from the global warming phenomenon," he said, noting that the last 10 years have been generally warmer.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,912) for advertisements that exceed its approved business scope, requiring the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license may be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter enforcement of Chinese e-commerce platforms and measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan in response to US President Donald Trump’s heavy tariffs on China. The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee met today to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Kuo Kuo-wen (郭國文) said
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,900) for advertisements that exceeded its approved business scope and ordered the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license would be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter supervision of Chinese e-commerce platforms and more stringent measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan as US President Donald Trump’s administration cracks down on origin laundering. The legislature’s Finance Committee yesterday met to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report on the matter. Democratic Progressive Party
Taiwan and its Pacific ally Tuvalu on Tuesday signed two accords aimed at facilitating bilateral cooperation on labor affairs, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). The governments inked two agreements in Taipei, witnessed by Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) and visiting Deputy Tuvaluan Prime Minister Panapasi Nelesone, MOFA said in a news release. According to MOFA, the agreements will facilitate cooperation on labor issues and allow the two sides to mutually recognize seafarers’ certificates and related training. Taiwan would also continue to collaborate with Tuvalu across various fields to promote economic prosperity as well as the well-being of their
Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), who led efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), was released on bail of NT$80,000 today amid outcry over his decision to wear a Nazi armband to questioning the night before. Sung arrived at the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office for questioning in a recall petition forgery case last night wearing a red armband bearing a swastika, carrying a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf and giving a Nazi salute. Sung left the building at 1:15am without the armband and covering the book with his coat. Lee said today that this is a serious
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