WEATHER
Cool and rain for 228
Cooler temperatures and scattered rain showers are forecast for northern and central Taiwan for the 228 Peace Memorial Day weekend, beginning today, independent meteorologist Daniel Wu (吳德榮) said. The arrival of a front last night should bring occasional showers and cooler temperatures to northern and central Taiwan today, he said. Similar conditions are expected tomorrow. From Sunday afternoon through Monday, there should be drier and warmer weather across Taiwan, he said. According to the Central Weather Administration (CWA), temperatures in northern and central Taiwan should remain in the low to mid-20s today and tomorrow, before rising into the upper-20s on Sunday. In the south, temperatures should hover in the upper-20s throughout the three-day holiday weekend, the CWA forecast showed.
Photo courtesy of the Central Weather Administration
HOLIDAYS
Pingsi readies for festival
Traffic controls are in place for crowds during the Pingsi Sky Lantern Festival at Pingsi Junior High School today and Shihfen Square next Tuesday, according to authorities. As the annual festival is expected to draw large crowds, traffic controls would be enforced on City Route 106 and the Shihfen (十分) section of Provincial Highway 2C from 10am to 11pm on both days, the New Taipei City Transportation Department said. All vehicles would be subject to the restrictions, with exemptions granted to residents with a valid permit and vehicles transporting lanterns, it added. The department advised taking a train to Pingsi or Shihfen stations or using shuttle buses, which depart from Taipei Zoo, Keelung Station and Shuangsi Station, among others. Shuttle services begin at 9am on the event days. One-way fares range from NT$15 to NT$50 depending on the route, while the return trip is free of charge, Lee said.
DIPLOMACY
New ambassador picked
The government has approved the appointment of Amino Chi (紀欽耀), formerly representative to Los Angeles, as its ambassador to Belize, replacing Lily Hsu (徐儷文). Chi, director-general of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Los Angeles since 2023, returns to Belize for the third time in his diplomatic career, after previously serving as first and third secretary at the embassy there, an announcement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. His other overseas postings have included the UK, Malaysia and Miami. Hsu, who has headed the embassy in Belize since 2023, returns to serve at the Institute of Diplomacy and International Affairs. Jason Ma (馬博元), deputy head of mission at Taiwan’s representative office in the EU and Belgium since 2024, fills the representative position in LA.
The Grand Hotel Taipei on Saturday confirmed that its information system had been illegally accessed and expressed its deepest apologies for the concern it has caused its customers, adding that the issue is being investigated by the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau. The hotel said that on Tuesday last week, it had discovered an external illegal intrusion into its information system. An initial digital forensic investigation confirmed that parts of the system had been accessed, it said, adding that the possibility that some customer data were stolen and leaked could not be ruled out. The actual scope and content of the affected data
DO THEY BITE IT? Cats have better memories than people might think, but their motivation is based entirely around the chance of getting fed Cats can remember the identity of the people who fed them the day before, Taipei-based veterinarians said on Friday, debunking a popular myth that cats have a short memory. If a stray does not recognize the person who fed them the previous day, it is likely because they are not carrying food and the cat has no reason to recognize them, said Wu Chou Animal Hospital head Chen Chen-huan (陳震寰). “When cats come to a human bearing food, it is coming for the food, not the person,” he said. “The food is the key.” Since the cat’s attention is on the food, it
Taiwan must act to preempt potential Section 301 investigations as US President Donald Trump moves to a new tariff strategy, following a US Supreme Court ruling that voided tariff measures, an academic said yesterday. Countries running the largest trade surpluses with the US face a growing likelihood of Section 301 investigations, Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research president Lien Hsien-ming (連賢明) said. Section 301 refers to a provision of the Trade Act of 1974 that allows Washington to impose retaliatory tariffs over perceived unfair trade practices, including the running of large trade surpluses. Because Taiwan has become the fourth-largest source of the US’ trade
People hold incense and pray with offerings in front of Taipei’s Kuanghwa Market yesterday. The fifth day of the Lunar New Year is traditionally about welcoming the God of Wealth, during which companies and shops set off firecrackers to celebrate their reopening and pray for good business in the new year.
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