WEATHER
CWB warns of 6°C nights
The Central Weather Bureau (CWB) yesterday warned that temperatures in western Taiwan could at times drop below 6°C until tomorrow. Cold weather advisories were released for New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Taichung, Chiayi City, Tainan, and Hsinchu, Miaoli, Changhua, Nantou and Yunlin counties. Lows of about 10°C are forecast for Keelung and Taipei, the CWB said. Cold weather would also affect Hsinchu City, Chiayi County, Kaohsiung, and Pingtung, Yilan, Hualien and Kinmen counties, it said, where the minimum temperature might fall below 10°C through tomorrow. A low of 3.9°C was measured in Miaoli County’s Zaociao Township (造橋) early yesterday morning, while Hsinchu County’s Emei Township (峨眉) and Miaoli’s Gongguan Township (公館) reported 4.1°C, it said.
ENTERTAINMENT
Fuerza Bruta to perform
Fuerza Bruta, an Argentine postmodern theater group, is to perform in Taiwan during the Lunar New Year holiday from Jan. 22 to 29, promoter KHAM Ticket said in a statement yesterday. The show, which is also called Fuerza Bruta, has been a mainstay in New York since 2007, KHAM Ticket said. It delivers a dynamic and immersive theater experience without seats or specific storylines, which encourages the audience to engage with the performers, the promoter said. The group uses the floor, the ceiling and the walls for special effects and stunts, KHAM Ticket said. While in Taiwan, Fuerza Bruta would invite local entertainers to participate in its performances, including singer Yuki Hsu (徐懷鈺) on Jan. 24, singer Koo Jun-yup on Jan. 25, actor George Hu (胡宇威) on Jan. 27, members of boy band Uranus on Jan. 28 and talkshow host Brian Tseng (博恩) on Jan. 29, the promoter said. Fuerza Bruta would hold 18 shows at the Taipei Arena, but would limit attendance to 1,200 people at each performance, it said.
CRIME
Tainan official detained
Chen Kai-ling (陳凱凌), who heads the Tainan Economic Development Bureau, was taken into custody early yesterday morning and was being held incommunicado for allegedly accepting bribes, the Tainan District Court said. Chen told judicial officials that he forged documents and received bribes in the form of cash, banquets and sex, but denied committing property crimes, court spokeswoman Liu Hsiu-chun (劉秀君) said. Prosecutors on Thursday applied to detain Chen after questioning him, and the court approved the request and agreed to allow them to hold him incommunicado, as it considered Chen a flight risk, capable of destroying, forging or colluding to tamper with evidence, Liu said.
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
The long-awaited Taichung aquarium is expected to open next year after more than a decade of development. The building in Cingshui District (清水) is to feature a large ocean aquarium on the first floor, coral display area on the second floor, a jellyfish tank and Dajia River (大甲溪) basin display on the third, a river estuary display and restaurant on the fourth, and a cafe and garden on the fifth. As it is near Wuci Fishing Port (梧棲漁港), many are expecting the opening of the aquarium to bring more tourism to the harbor. Speaking at the city council on Monday, Taichung City Councilor
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese