WEATHER
Mercury to fall further
A cold air mass affecting the nation is forecast to continue, with temperatures expected to fall further today and tomorrow, the Central Weather Bureau said yesterday. The cold air was moving southward, it said, adding that daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan yesterday fell to 17°C to 18°C, down from about 23°C a day earlier, with nighttime temperatures of 13°C to 14°C. In central and southern areas, highs yesterday were 24°C to 30°C with low of 15°C to 17°C at night, it said. Meanwhile, Typhoon Wutip was about 3,360km east-southeast of Taiwan’s southernmost tip as of 2am yesterday, the bureau said. The storm was moving in a west-northwesterly direction toward Japan and is unlikely to affect Taiwan directly, it said.
DIPLOMACY
Delegation lands in St Lucia
Legislative Speaker Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全) yesterday was to attend events to mark St Lucia’s 40th anniversary of independence as President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) special envoy after departing from Taiwan on Wednesday evening. Su and his delegation embarked on a seven-day trip, during which they are also to meet with top St Lucian officials, including Prime Minister Allen Chastanet, Senate President Jeannie Giraudy-McIntyre and House Speaker Andy Daniel, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Su is also to attend a groundbreaking ceremony for the Hewanorra International Airport redevelopment project, which is financed with a loan from Taiwan. St Lucia celebrates its Independence Day on Feb. 22, the date in 1979 when it became an independent state of the Commonwealth of Nations.
CRIME
Brother suspected of murder
The Keelung Police Bureau yesterday said it suspected that a squabble between two brothers led to an apparent homicide. A man surnamed Chen (陳), 44, called police yesterday morning saying he had killed his younger brother, police said, adding that when officers arrived at their home, they found the older Chen holding a knife splattered with blood and muttering to himself, while the younger brother, 42, lay dead in a bedroom with multiple stab wounds. Chen was saying: “Why does he not work? It bothers me,” police said, adding that both men had a history of mental illness. Forensic evidence indicated that the younger brother was stabbed in the bathroom before he was dragged to the bedroom, where he bled to death, police said. Preliminary investigations suggest that the suspect was angry because his brother was unemployed, frequently drunk and was physically abusing their sexagenarian mother, who also lives at the home, police said.
SOCIETY
Gay surrogacy event planned
The world’s largest “boot camp” to help gay men become parents is to stage its first Asia event in Taipei next month to address demand for surrogates in the region, organizers said on Thursday. New York-based non-profit Men Having Babies stages events around the world to provide advice and support to LGBT people who want to become parents and plans to stage its first annual Asian event on March 9 and March 10. “We have been witnessing over the last three years a growing interest from Asia — mostly Chinese — intended parents coming to the United States for surrogacy,” Men Having Babies founder and executive director Ron Poole-Dayan said.
PROCEDURE: Although there is already a cross-strait agreement in place for the extradition of criminals, ample notice is meant to be given to the other side first Ten Taiwanese who were involved in fraud-related crimes in China were extradited back to Taiwan via Kinmen County on Wednesday, four of whom are convicted fraudsters in Taiwan. The 10 people arrived via a ferry operating between Xiamen and Kinmen, also known as the “small three links.” The Kinmen County Prosecutors’ Office yesterday said that four of the 10 extradited people were convicted in Taiwan for committing fraud and contravening the Money Laundering Control Act (洗錢防制法), and were on the wanted list. They were immediately arrested upon arrival and sent to Kinmen Prison to serve their sentences following brief questioning, the office said.
Taipei and Kaohsiung have extended an open invitation to Japanese pop star Ayumi Hamasaki after Chinese authorities abruptly canceled her scheduled concert in Shanghai. Hamasaki, 47, had been slated to perform on Saturday before organizers pulled the show at the last minute, citing “force majeure,” a move widely viewed as retaliation for Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s recent remark that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could draw a military response from Tokyo. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) yesterday said the city “very much welcomes” Hamasaki’s return and would continue to “surprise” her. Hamasaki, who has a large global fan base, including
‘REGRETTABLE’: Travelers reported that Seoul’s online arrival card system lists Taiwan as ‘China (Taiwan),’ the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday urged South Korea to correct the way Taiwan is listed in its newly launched e-Arrival card system, saying the current designation downgrades the nation’s status. South Korea rolled out the online system on Feb. 24 to gradually replace paper arrival cards, which it plans to phase out by next year. Travelers must complete the electronic form up to 72 hours before entering the country. The ministry said it has received multiple complaints from Taiwanese travelers saying that the system lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan)” in dropdown menus for both “place of departure” and “next
VIGILANT: Enterovirus activity remains in the epidemic phase, with the CDC urging caregivers of infected children to be on the lookout for signs of severe illness Influenza activity is rising in neighboring countries, and, with temperatures forecast to drop this week, flu cases are expected to increase in the next two weeks, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. Hospitals reported 87,162 visits for flu-like illnesses between Nov. 23 and Saturday, which remained about the same level as the previous week, but nine deaths and 24 cases with serious flu complications were also confirmed last week, CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) said. Flu activity reached a peak in late September before declining for eight consecutive weeks, CDC Deputy Director-General and spokesman Lin Min-cheng (林明誠)
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