WEATHER
Cold front coming
Temperatures across the nation are expected to fall below 20oC over the weekend as a cold front approaches, the Central Weather Bureau reported yesterday. The cold front is forecast to come close to Taiwan tomorrow, bringing strong northeasterly winds that could send the temperature plummeting by between 6oC and 10oC to about 24oC during the daytime and to 19oC or 20oC at night, the bureau said. It advised people to wear warm clothes and carry umbrellas until Tuesday next week, when the front is forecast to leave Taiwan. The Greater Taipei area, along with Yilan and Hualien counties, could also experience sporadic rain, while the rest of the country will have partly sunny skies, it said.
HEALTH
Kaohsiung dengue spikes
Kaohsiung on Tuesday reported the highest number of new dengue fever infections in a single day since May, as the outbreak continues to intensify, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. Kaohsiung had 248 new cases of dengue fever on Tuesday, while 110 new cases were reported in Tainan, where the epidemic is showing signs of abating after having been concentrated there since late August, the agency said. Nationwide, the number of dengue fever patients reached 28,101 after an increase of 365 cases on Tuesday, CDC data showed. Kaohsiung and Tainan accounted for 6,169 and 21,437 cases respectively, or a combined 98.2 percent of the total. The CDC also updated the death toll from the mosquito-borne viral disease to 129, adding that 25,835 people have recovered from the disease, while 26 remain in intensive care units.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong effective from 5:30pm, while local governments canceled school and work for tomorrow. A land warning is expected to be issued tomorrow morning before it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the agency said. Taoyuan, and well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties canceled work and school for tomorrow, as well as mountainous district of Taipei and New Taipei City. For updated information on closures, please visit the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Web site. As of 5pm today, Fung-wong was about 490km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point.
Almost a quarter of volunteer soldiers who signed up from 2021 to last year have sought early discharge, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a report. The report said that 12,884 of 52,674 people who volunteered in the period had sought an early exit from the military, returning NT$895.96 million (US$28.86 million) to the government. In 2021, there was a 105.34 percent rise in the volunteer recruitment rate, but the number has steadily declined since then, missing recruitment targets, the Chinese-language United Daily News said, citing the report. In 2021, only 521 volunteers dropped out of the military, the report said, citing
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck Kaohsiung at 1pm today, the Central Weather Administration said. The epicenter was in Jiasian District (甲仙), 72.1km north-northeast of Kaohsiung City Hall, at a depth of 7.8km, agency data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in Kaohsiung and Tainan, where it measured a 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale. It also measured a 3 in parts of Chiayi City, as well as Pingtung, Yunlin and Hualien counties, data showed.
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
RSS