WEATHER
Mercury drops in cold snap
Temperatures began to drop yesterday afternoon because of an approaching continental Arctic air mass moving in from China, the Central Weather Bureau said. The mercury in northern Taiwan was forecast to dip to 10oC today and tomorrow after hitting a high of 19oC over the weekend, with showers expected in mountainous areas, meteorologists said. The cold front was expected to bring temperatures down to as low as 11oC in central parts of the nation today and tomorrow morning and between 12oC and 13oC in the south, after having risen above 20oC recently in both areas. The cold spell was expected to subside by Wednesday before another cold front arrives on Jan. 28, the bureau said.
ANIMALS
Pet food meets standards
Random checks on animal food last year found no safety violations, a Council of Agriculture official said yesterday. Hsu Kuei-sen (許桂森), director of the Animal Industry Department, said that to safeguard animal health, his department conducted the checks on 402 samples, of which 313 were for dogs and 89 were for cats. Hsu said that among the tests, one for aflatoxin — a toxic and highly carcinogenic substance — was conducted on all 402 pet foods. “The results showed that aflatoxin levels in all of the tests were below the international norm of 20 parts per billion,” Hsu said. He also said the results of random checks on 50 samples for salmonella and T-2 toxins, on 51 of them for melamine and on 31 of them for heavy metals also met international standards.
SOCIETY
Poor woman returns money
A woman in Yilan County returned a backpack containing more than NT$1 million (US$34,350) in cash to the person who lost it despite her family’s financial woes, police said on Saturday. Yang Huang Mu-dan (黃牡丹), who collects recyclable materials for a living, found a backpack at a temple early on Saturday morning that contained NT$1.1 million. She took the money to a police station after discussing the authenticity of the bills with her daughter, arriving there just as the person to whom the money belonged was at the station on the verge of bursting into tears. “I was pretty tempted to take it when I picked up that much money,” said the 67-year-old Yang, who has an income of about NT$10,000 a month and a jobless son. She decided to return the money, however, because she thought the owner would be anxious and could lose his or her job. Yang also refused to take 3 percent of the money as a reward, which she was entitled to ask for, and only accepted a NT$3,000 gift for her troubles. The woman who lost the bag, who works as an accountant at a recycling company, said she put the backpack on top of the trunk of her car and then absent-mindedly drove off.
HEALTH
Holiday food leads to fat
Taiwanese are expected to gain an average of 2kg over the Lunar New Year holiday, doctors said yesterday, adding that people with chronic illnesses should adopt a restrained approach toward eating to prevent relapses. High-fat foods and a lack of exercise are the main reasons why people put on weight during the holiday season, said Chu Nain-feng (祝年豐), a professor with the School of Public Health at National Defense Medical Center. He said that during the vacation, more time is spent indoors chatting with friends and relatives, especially with bad weather, reduces people’s willingness to travel or walk outside.
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday thanked Palau for its continued support of Taiwan's international participation, as Taipei was once again excluded from the World Health Assembly (WHA) currently taking place in Switzerland. "Palau has never stopped voicing support for Taiwan" in the UN General Assembly, the WHO and other UN-affiliated agencies, Lai said during a bilateral meeting with visiting Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. "We have been profoundly touched by these endorsements," Lai said, praising the Pacific island nation's firm support as "courageous." Lai's remarks came as Taiwan was excluded for the ninth consecutive year from the WHA, which is being held in
RESOLUTIONS DEBATE: Taiwan’s allies said that UN and WHA resolutions cited by China and other nations ‘do not determine Taiwan’s participation in WHO activities’ A proposal to invite Taiwan to this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA) was rejected on Monday, resulting in Taipei’s absence from the annual meeting for a ninth consecutive year, although partners spoke up for Taiwan’s participation at the first day of the meeting. The first agenda item after the opening was a “two-on-two debate” on a proposal to invite Taiwan to participate at the WHA as an observer. Similar to previous years, two countries made statements in favor of the proposal, while two others expressed their opposition. Philippine Secretary of Health Teodoro Herbosa, president of the 78th WHA, accepted the WHA General Committee’s
At least three people died and more than a dozen were injured yesterday afternoon when a vehicle struck a group of pedestrians in New Taipei City’s Sansia District (三峽). The incident happened at about 4pm when a car rammed into pedestrians at an intersection near Bei Da Elementary School. Witnesses said the sedan, being driven at a high speed, ran a red light, knocking scooters out of the way and hitting students crossing the road before careening into a median near the intersection of Guocheng and Guoguang streets. The incident resulted in three deaths and 13 injuries, including the driver, a 78-year-old man
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