WEATHER
Rainy days ahead: bureau
More rain is expected in the next few days as the nation comes under the influence of consecutive weather fronts, the Central Weather Bureau said yesterday. Unstable weather was forecast to hit northern, eastern and central Taiwan beginning yesterday, followed by higher chances of rain between tomorrow and Sunday, when another front is expected to pass over the country, the bureau said. Temperatures should remain around 18°C to 24°C in the north and between 20°C and 28°C in the south until Saturday, it said. However, a significant drop in the mercury is likely over the weekend and into Monday due to the arrival of a cold air mass. Daily lows could plummet to 13°C in coastal areas, it added.
FISHERIES
Rare shark catch probed
Coast guard officials in Taitung yesterday said they were investigating a fishing boat suspected of violating a ban on catching a rare shark species. The officials said they were checking a fish market when they found the 31kg shark on the deck of a Singang Harbor-registered fishing boat. The shark was identified as an oceanic whitetip, a large pelagic species that inhabits tropical and warm temperate seas. They reported that it was the third incident this year of fishermen being caught with this kind of shark. Oceanic whitetip numbers are low and the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission announced a complete ban on their catch beginning on Jan. 1. Inspections have been stepped up to implement the ban.
TRAVEL
American dies in accident
An American woman was killed and another injured when the scooter they were riding ran off the road on Tuesday on Green Island (綠島), police said. The deceased, identified as Anna Rosemary Harris, 18, died of a neck injury at the scene. Roberta Maria Preisinger, 54, suffered a broken wrist and facial injuries and was taken to a hospital in Taitung County. Her injuries were described as not life-threatening. The rental scooter that they were riding veered off the road when going downhill and fell about 9m down a ravine, the police said. Four other people were traveling in the group, but a police officer answering press inquiries late on Tuesday said that details about the accident had yet to be established, because there was no one on hand to interpret for the Americans.
SOCIETY
Nation has fewer children
The number of children in the nation has fallen dramatically over the past five years, the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) said yesterday, a day before Children’s Day. Children under 12 accounted for 11 percent of the nation’s total population last year, down from 13.3 percent in 2007, it said. The DGBAS said the government would continue to carry out child-related social welfare measures to ensure that children receive basic financial support and live a healthy life while easing Taiwanese couples’ angst over having and raising a child. According to DGBAS statistics, 314,000 people received parental leave subsidies totaling NT$5.33 billion (US$178.39 million) last year, up from 233,000 people receiving NT$3.92 billion a year earlier. Under the policy, new parents can take parental leave of up to two years before their child turns three, and they can receive 60 percent of their monthly salary during the first six months of the leave period.
Restaurants in New Taipei City, Hsinchu City and Hsinchu County are to be included in the Michelin Guide’s review for the first time this year, alongside existing entries from Taipei, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung, the France-based culinary publication said yesterday. This year’s edition of the Michelin Guide Taiwan is to be unveiled on Aug. 19 in Taipei. In addition to the coveted star ratings, Michelin Taiwan would announce its “Bib Gourmand” selections — a distinction awarded to establishments offering high-quality food at moderate prices — on Aug. 12. This year’s Bib Gourmand list would also feature restaurants in New Taipei City, Hsinchu
A firefighter yesterday died after falling into New Taipei City's Xindian River when a rescue dinghy capsized during a search mission for a man who was later found dead. The New Taipei City Fire Department said that it received a report at 4:12pm that a 50-year-old man, surnamed Chen (陳), had fallen into the river. A 32-year-old firefighter, surnamed Wu (吳), was among the rescuers deployed to look for Chen, the fire department said, adding that he and five other rescue personnel were in the dinghy when it capsized. Wu had no vital signs after being pulled from the water to the
Organizing one national referendum and 26 recall elections targeting Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators could cost NT$1.62 billion (US$55.38 million), the Central Election Commission said yesterday. The cost of each recall vote ranges from NT$16 million to NT$20 million, while that of a national referendum is NT$1.1 billion, the commission said. Based on the higher estimate of NT$20 million per recall vote, if all 26 confirmed recall votes against KMT legislators are taken into consideration, along with the national referendum on restarting the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant, the total could be as much as NT$1.62 billion, it said. The commission previously announced
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday welcomed NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte’s remarks that the organization’s cooperation with Indo-Pacific partners must be deepened to deter potential threats from China and Russia. Rutte on Wednesday in Berlin met German Chancellor Friedrich Merz ahead of a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of Germany’s accession to NATO. He told a post-meeting news conference that China is rapidly building up its armed forces, and the number of vessels in its navy outnumbers those of the US Navy. “They will have another 100 ships sailing by 2030. They now have 1,000 nuclear warheads,” Rutte said, adding that such
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