WEATHER
CWB issues cold warnings
The Central Weather Bureau (CWB) has issued warnings for cold temperatures in 20 cities and counties, with a strong continental cold front to linger until at least early this morning. An “orange” alert was issued for New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Taichung, Chiayi City and Tainan, as well as Hsinchu, Miaoli, Changhua, Nantou, Yunlin, Chiayi and Yilan counties, warning of temperatures of below 6°C last night into this morning. The CWB also issued a “yellow” alert, saying temperatures of below 10°C were expected in Keelung, Taipei, Hsinchu and Kaohsiung, as well as Pingtung, Hualien, Taitung and Kinmen counties. In November last year, the bureau adopted a color-coded alert system to warn of low temperatures across Taiwan, with “yellow,” “orange” and “red” warnings denoting “cold,” “very cold” and “frigid” temperatures respectively in non-mountainous areas.
DIPLOMACY
Visa program extended
Taiwan and North Macedonia have agreed to extend their bilateral visa-free programs for five years through March 31, 2025, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday. Passport holders from both sides can visit each other’s territory without a visa for up to 90 days within an 180-day period, the ministry said in a statement, adding that information has been updated on the Web site of each nation’s foreign ministry. However, the privilege only applies to Republic of China passport holders whose document contains their national ID number, the Taiwanese ministry said. Having the ID number means the passport holder is a Taiwanese national and has household registration in Taiwan, which guarantees their civil and political rights, it said.
DIPLOMACY
Ministry thanks US senator
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday thanked US Senator Marco Rubio for urging the US to fully implement the Taiwan Travel Act, negotiate a bilateral trade agreement and increase military support for Taiwan. In an opinion piece published in the Washington Examiner on Thursday, Rubio said that Beijing would likely redouble its efforts to isolate Taiwan in the run-up to the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party’s founding next year. Ship visits and face-to-face meetings between senior military and government officials are opportunities for US engagement, while the US should “fully implement the Taiwan Travel Act,” he wrote. The ministry said in a statement that the nation would continue working with the US administration and the US Congress with a pragmatic attitude, and steadily deepen bilateral partnerships around the world.
SOCIETY
Fire dog carer sought
The Taipei Fire Department is to accept applications to take care of its rescue dog, a five-year-old German shepherd named Humble, until Feb 17. Applicants should live on the first floor of a building with open space of at least 10m2, with Taipei residents preferred, the department said. The dog’s food is to be paid for by the department, it said, adding that if veterinarian services are required, the carer should inform the department first, but if there is an emergency, the carer can seek help first and apply for reimbursement from the department afterward on provision of medical certificates. Since 2015, six of its retired rescue dogs have been adopted by animal lovers, the department said.
HASTY PLAN: Instructors must teach in a language they are not fluent in, while students are forced to learn new subjects in a tongue they do not know, teachers said The National Federation of Teachers Unions (NFTU) yesterday urged the government to thoroughly review its Bilingual 2030 policy, saying it has caused problems in elementary and high schools, and might affect the quality of education in other subjects. The government on March 28 changed its original “Bilingual Nation 2030” plan to the “Bilingual 2030” plan, no longer aiming to turn Taiwan into a Mandarin-English bilingual nation by 2030, NFTU president Hou Chun-liang (侯俊良) told a news conference in Taipei. Despite the change, the policy’s budget, resources and most of its content remain the same, causing unusual scenes on campuses, he said. Cheng Chi-yi
‘STILL RISKY’: The quarantine requirement for arrivals cannot be lifted, as COVID-19 cases have been rising in Europe and the US, the minister of health and welfare said The government might consider dropping a negative COVID-19 test result requirement for travelers from low-risk countries, but lifting the quarantine requirement for inbound travelers is still risky, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said yesterday. The CECC on Monday said it does not plan to further loosen border controls soon. National Taiwan University Children’s Hospital superintendent Huang Li-min (黃立民) said the “3+4” quarantine policy separates inbound travelers from family members for only three days, which is not enough to block the spread of the virus, so the government might consider changing it to a “0+7” policy. He also said that it might
Taiwanese singer Miu Chu (朱俐靜) passed away over the weekend after a battle with breast cancer, her family announced yesterday. She was 40 years old. The family wrote on Chu’s Facebook fan page that she died peacefully. “Thank you all for your concern. Miu, who was always full of laughter and always brought people positive energy with her music, left us peacefully on July 3,” the family said. The family asked for privacy at this time and said that details of a memorial service would be announced later. Chu was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020. She was an alumna of the TV reality show
VIRUS TRACES: Macau is not following international standards, with the WHO saying that COVID-19 cannot be transmitted on packaging, the Council of Agriculture said Macau on Saturday placed a ban on mango imports from a Taiwanese company after traces of the COVID-19 virus were allegedly detected in a shipment, the second such ban in two days. The Macau Municipal Affairs Bureau placed a one-week suspension on the unnamed company’s imports after samples collected from external packaging of its products allegedly tested positive for the nucleic acid of SARS-CoV-2. The batches of mangoes from which the samples were collected have been destroyed, the bureau said, adding that the ban is “aimed at protecting Macau residents instead of targeting specific countries or regions.” However, there is “currently no evidence
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