CRIME
Man caught with cetaceans
Coast Guard Administration personnel yesterday seized 97kg of cetacean meat from a Yunlin County man surnamed Lin (林), 54. They said that they found two heads belonging to cetaceans, but could not determine the species. Lin reportedly loaded the meat onto his truck in Pingtung County’s Donggang Township (東港) and drove along Formosa Freeway (Freeway No. 3). Coast guard personnel stopped him at the rest area in Tainan’s Sinhua District (新化), where city officials collected samples of the meat from his truck and handed him over to police for breaching the Wildlife Conservation Act (野生動物保育法). Coast guard personnel said that Lin might have been planning to sell the meat at seafood stores in Yunlin County. In July last year, Lin was caught transporting cetacean meat in Yilan County. Whales and dolphins are protected under the act, and those caught killing them face six months to five years in prison, or a fine of NT$200,000 to NT$1 million (US$6,599 to NT$32,995).
CULTURE
Eslite auctioning collection
Eslite Bookstore’s Dunnan branch in Taipei is hosting an old book auction until April 15, as the three-decade-old outlet is to close on May 31. Established in 1989, the branch was the chain’s first store and made its name with books on arts and the humanities. The auction features a collection of art by Chinese painter Zhang Xiaogang (張曉剛), The Beatles: The BBC Archives 1962-1970 and US photographer Annie Leibovitz’s collection Annie Leibovitz: The Early Years,1970-1983, which includes the iconic photograph of John Lennon and Yoko Ono cuddling.
HEALTH
New Taipei extends closures
New Taipei City’s public spaces, sports centers and museums are to remain closed for another 14 days, after having been shut on March 20 due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Ahead of the long Tomb Sweeping Day weekend, which begins today, New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) yesterday said that containing the disease is the most important thing right now, especially when the number of people in home isolation or quarantine continues to rise. A total of 9,635 people in the city are in home quarantine, while the number of people using the city government’s online memorial services for ancestors has grown 40 percent from last year, city government data showed.
HEALTH
Doctor warns on screen use
A Taipei City Hospital doctor cautioned against the excessive use of digital devices, citing a case in which a woman, complaining of persistently seeing a shadow out of her left eye, was diagnosed with acute posterior vitreous detachment. Huang Che-hung (黃哲宏), an ophthalmologist at the hospital’s Heping branch, on Sunday said that the vitreous humor is a gel-like substance in the eye that can slowly liquify from age and use. The posterior vitreous, suffering from a lack of support, can then detach from the retina and shrink toward the center of the vitreous cavity. For the most part, posterior vitreous detachment would not affect a person’s vision, but it is irreversible, Huang said. If there are no complications, people should only see small dots like flies, he said. However, if a person experiences vitreomacular adhesion, or the strong adhesion of the vitreous to the retina, the condition could cause them to see lightning-like flashes, he said. If a person experiences any of these symptoms, they should consult a doctor, Huang said.
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
Taiwan’s armed forces have established response protocols for a wide range of sudden contingencies, including the “Wan Chun Plan” to protect the head of state, the Ministry of Defense (MND) said today. After US President Donald Trump on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, concerns have been raised as to whether China would launch a similar “decapitation strike” on Taiwan. The armed forces regularly coordinate with relevant agencies and practice drills to ensure preparedness for a wide range of scenarios, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told reporters before a
EVA Airways on Saturday said that it had suspended a pilot and opened an investigation after he allegedly lost his temper and punched the first officer several times as their plane was taxiing before takeoff at Los Angeles International Airport. According to a report published on Thursday by The Reporter, the incident occurred after the flight’s Malaysian first officer tried to warn the Taiwanese pilot, surnamed Wen (文), that he was taxiing faster than the speed limit of 30 knots (55.6kph). After alerting the pilot several times without response, the first officer manually applied the brakes in accordance with standard operating
NOT AN OPENING: Trump’s violation of international law does not affect China’s consideration in attacking Taiwan; Beijing lacks capability, not precedent, an official said Taiwanese officials see the US’ capture of the president of Venezuela as a powerful deterrent to Beijing’s aggression and a timely reminder of the US’ ability to defeat militaries equipped with Chinese-made weapons. The strikes that toppled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro signaled to authoritarian leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), US President Donald Trump’s willingness to use military might for international affairs core to US interests, one senior official in Taipei’s security circle said. That reassured Taiwan, the person said. Taipei has also dismissed the idea that Trump’s apparent violation of international law could embolden Beijing, said the official, who was not
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