WEATHER
Snow falls on Yushan
Snow fell on Taiwan’s tallest mountain, Yushan (Jade Mountain, 玉山), in Nantou County, amid freezing temperatures early yesterday morning, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 6am, 5mm of snow had accumulated at the weather station on the highest peak of the mountain, on the northern ridge, at an elevation of 3,952m, the CWA said. It estimated that the snow had fallen on Yushan between midnight and 1am, after which the temperature there dipped to a low of minus-3.1°C at about 2am. On Hehuanshan (合歡山), the heaviest snowfall of this winter season was recorded, the Highway Bureau said. Rime ice and snow pellets fell intermittently from about 8pm on Sunday to early yesterday morning, it said.
Photo courtesy of Huang Tu-feng
HEALTH
Train riders warned
High-speed rail passengers who traveled between Kaohsiung and Taichung late last month in the same train cars with a man diagnosed with measles should contact the Kaohsiung Department of Health, the department said yesterday. It said the Centers for Disease Controls (CDC) on Friday confirmed that the man who traveled on the high-speed rail late last month had been infected with measles. The man traveled from Zuoying to Taichung on Dec. 28 in Car 2 of train No. 160 and went from Taichung to Zuoying on Tuesday last week in Car 4 of train No. 153, it said. The department urged those who traveled in the same cars as the man to contact it at (07)-723-0250 or call the CDC toll-free hotline 1922 as quickly as possible given that measles is highly contagious four days before or after its onset. People who have not been vaccinated or are not immune could be infected with the measles virus within two hours if they were in an enclosed space with an infected person, regardless of duration of exposure, it added.
GUATEMALA
Ambassador visits Lai
Newly appointed Guatemalan Ambassador to Taiwan Luis Raul Estevez Lopez yesterday pledged to enhance 90 years of diplomatic relations, as he presented his credentials to President William Lai (賴清德). Estevez said Taiwan and Guatemala’s long-term friendship is based on shared values of peace-loving, fighting for democracy, a mutually beneficial partnership and respect for international laws. Lai praised Estevez as the perfect man for the position, given the veteran diplomat’s 32 years of experience with Guatemala’s foreign service. Estevez previously served as Guatemala’s representative to the Organization of American States, and to the International Court of Justice, and his appointment as ambassador reflected the high priority Guatemalan President Bernardo Arevalo has given to his country’s ties with Taiwan, Lai said.
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
A Japan Self-Defense Forces vessel entered the Taiwan Strait yesterday, Japanese media reported. After passing through the Taiwan Strait, the Ikazuchi was to proceed to the South China Sea to take part in a joint military exercise with the US and the Philippines, the reports said. Japan Self-Defense Force vessels were first reported to have passed through the strait in September, 2024, with two further transits taking place in February and June last year, the Asahi Shimbun reported. Yesterday’s transit also marked the first time since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office that a Japanese warship has been sent through the Taiwan
‘SAME OLD TRICK’: Even if Beijing resumes individual travel to Taiwan, it would only benefit Chinese tourism companies, the Economic Democracy Union convener said China’s 10 new “incentives” are “sugar-coated poison,” an official said yesterday, adding that Taiwanese businesses see them clearly for what they are, but that Beijing would inevitably find some local collaborators to try to drums up support. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, made the remark ahead of a news conference the General Chamber of Commerce is to hold today. The event, titled “Industry Perspectives on China’s Recent Pro-Taiwan Policies,” is expected to include representatives from industry associations — such as those in travel, hotels, food and agriculture — to request the government cooperate with China’s new measures, people familiar with
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