■ WEATHER
Cold front arrives
A cold front will approach Taiwan today, followed by the arrival of a cold continental air mass tomorrow with temperatures plunging to as low as 11ºC in central and northern parts of the country until Sunday, the Central Weather Bureau said yesterday. Meteorologists said the cold front would bring rain to almost all parts of the country in the next three days, with the exception of southern Taiwan. Starting on Thursday, most parts of the country will see cold, dry weather under sunny skies, while showers are expected for northeastern areas and cloudy skies in the east. On the outlying islands of Matsu and Kinmen, temperatures between Thursday and Sunday will drop to 6ºC and 10ºC respectively, the bureau said.
■ SOCIETY
Democracy hall holds auction
A charity auction of artwork by 52 local artists opens today and will run until Jan. 16 at the National Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall art gallery to help the Chou Ta-kuan Cultural and Educational Foundation raise operating funds, foundation officials said yesterday. Among the 52 artists who donated work for the auction are renowned painters Au Ho-nien (歐豪年) and Lee Chi-mao (李奇茂). Management at the National Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall sought help from the artists after its executives learned that the foundation had exhausted its funds. The foundation was down to just NT$565 in October, prompting its members to take to the streets to seek donations from the public for its Melody of Hope Awards and Scholarships. The foundation was established in 1997 by the parents of Chou Ta-kuan (周大觀), a young poet who died of cancer at the age of 10, to commemorate his love for life and unwavering spirit in his fight against cancer.
■ SOCIETY
Yeh to get monument
The Kaohsiung City Government will erect a monument in memory of late Taiwanese writer Yeh Shih-tao (葉石濤), Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊) said yesterday. During a memorial service for Yeh, who died of cancer in Kaohsiung on Dec. 11 at the age of 84, Chen said that although Yeh was persecuted during the White Terror era, he had been able to uphold his moral standards. “He was able to maintain a free and noble literary mind, just like he said in his brief account of himself: ‘I am determined to fight for Taiwanese literature for the rest of my life. Such a resolution has helped me disregard fame and wealth so that I can always write what I want to,’” Chen said. Yeh was noted as a premier writer of modern Taiwanese literature.
■ CRIME
Student falsifies deaths
A college student has been indicted for falsifying the death of his grandfather, granduncle and grandaunt to claim funeral subsidies from a senior citizens’ club, the Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper) reported on Saturday. The report said a law student, surnamed Chang, claimed the funeral subsidy for her grandfather, granduncle and grandaunt in June because she was short of money. Chang’s grandfather, granduncle and grandaunt had paid a fee to join the Evergreen Club in Taichung City. When a member dies, the club offers NT$600,000 in funeral subsidy. Chang used her computer to falsify death certificates for her elderly relatives, claiming they had died from illnesses at three different hospitals. Chang took the death certificates to the club to claim a total of NT$180,000. Staff at the club found the death certificates suspicious because they had not been stamped with seals from the three hospitals and reported her to police.
Aftershocks from a magnitude 6.2 earthquake that struck off Yilan County at 3:45pm yesterday could reach a magnitude of 5 to 5.5, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Seismological Center technical officer Chiu Chun-ta (邱俊達) told a news conference that the epicenter of the temblor was more than 100km from Taiwan. Although predicted to measure between magnitude 5 and 5.5, the aftershocks would reach an intensity of 1 on Taiwan’s 7-tier scale, which gauges the actual effect of an earthquake, he said. The earthquake lasted longer in Taipei because the city is in a basin, he said. The quake’s epicenter was about 128.9km east-southeast
GENSLER SURVEY: ‘Economic infrastructure is not enough. A city needs to inspire pride, offer moments of joy and foster a sense of belonging,’ the company said Taipei was named the city with the “highest staying power” in the world by US-based design and architecture firm Gensler. The Taiwanese capital earned the top spot among 65 cities across six continents with 64 percent of Taipei respondents in a survey of 33,000 people saying they wanted to stay in the city. Rounding out the top five were Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City (61 percent), Singapore (59 percent), Sydney (58 percent) and Berlin (51 percent). Sixth to 10th place went to Monterrey, Mexico; Munich, Germany; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Vancouver; and Seoul. Cities in the US were ranked separately, with Minneapolis first at
The New Taipei City Government today warned about the often-overlooked dangers of playing in water, and recommended safe swimming destinations to cool off from the summer heat. The following locations in the city as safe and fun for those looking to enjoy the water: Chienshuiwan (淺水灣), Baishawan (白沙灣), Jhongjiao Bay (中角灣), Fulong Beach Resort (福隆海水浴場) and Sansia District’s (三峽) Dabao River (大豹溪), New Taipei City Tourism and Travel Department Director-General Yang Tsung-min (楊宗珉) said. Outdoor bodies of water have variables outside of human control, such as changing currents, differing elevations and environmental hazards, all of which can lead to accidents, Yang said. Sudden
Tropical Storm Podul has formed over waters north-northeast of Guam and is expected to approach the seas southeast of Taiwan next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. The 11th Pacific storm of the year developed at 2am over waters about 2,660km east of Oluanpi (歐鑾鼻), Pingtung County — Taiwan's southernmost tip. It is projected to move westward and could have its most significant impact on Taiwan on Wednesday and Thursday next week, the CWA said. The agency did not rule out the possibility of issuing a sea warning at that time. According to the CWA's latest update, Podul is drifting west-northwest
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