Author: Phillip Charlier

Taiwan’s rainy season expected to start Sunday with stationary front, tropical disturbance

weather map Taiwan with stationary front
Weather 
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Meteorologists say that Taiwan is about to enter the summer rainy season with the first stationary (plum rain) front forecast to descend on northern Taiwan Sunday, May 1, combined with a tropical disturbance approaching from the south. Peng Chi-ming (彭啟明), General-Manager of WeatherRisk said that northern Taiwan will come under the influence of a stationary front Sunday, along with a northeast wind turning the weather rainy and cool, with the temperature dropping to 17°C to 20°C. Furthermore, a low pressure

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Freighter that sank off east coast has more than 80,000 liters of oil and petroleum products aboard: too deep to salvage

composite image of ship and oil containers
Marine and Fisheries 
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Taiwan port and maritime authorities are monitoring an area off the coast of Taitung County after a freighter carrying 81,000 liters of oil and petroleum products sank after a collision with another ship two days ago. The Taitung-based freighter Dafa No.1 sank 16.2 nautical miles southeast of Fugang Harbor after a collision with the Liberian-flagged oil tanker, Lia, shortly after midnight April 26. See previous story: Taiwanese freighter sinks after collision with oil tanker: crew of 9 rescued Yesterday, it

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Woman survives falling 70 meters after motorcycle accident on mountain road

composite image showing location and lifting patient
Traffic Accidents 
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A motorcyclist was rescued after crashing her motorcycle, flying over a guardrail, and falling 70 meters down a steep, rocky slope in Pingtung County, Wednesday, April 27. The 19-year-old woman, named Zeng, was riding a motorcycle on Provincial Highway 24 in Wutai Township when she hit a fallen rock and crashed shortly after noon, according to reports. A friend riding on another motorcycle immediately called emergency services. Firefighters used ropes to abseil down the cliff to reach Zeng, and found

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Taiwanese freighter sinks after collision with oil tanker: crew of 9 rescued

crew in lifeboat and coast guard personnel
Marine and Fisheries 
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Taiwan’s coast guard rescued 9 people who were aboard a freighter that sank off Taiwan’s east coast after being hit by a oil tanker shortly after midnight this morning, April 26. The Taiwanese cargo ship Dafa No.1 was carrying supplies from Fugang Harbor, Taitung to Orchid Island when it was hit by the 42,010 gross-ton Liberian-registered oil tanker Lia (IMO: 9417751) traveling between Kuwait and South Korea. Keelung Coastal Radio picked up a distress call from the Dafa No.1 saying that

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Foreign pilot spotted after Chinese air force jet crash suspected to be Russian

composite image showing plane wreckage, Chinese pilot, foreign pilot
Regional 
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Pictures circulating on Chinese social media sites show that one of two pilots who parachuted from a People’s Liberation Army Air Force jet that crashed in Henan Province, China, two days ago, is a foreigner suspected to be of Russian nationality. The L-15 Falcon advanced trainer aircraft allegedly crashed in Caolou Village, Zhangji Township, Yucheng County on April 23. However, some sources report that the crash occurred in Huoshan County, Lu’an City, Anhui Province. Video footage of the incident showed

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Northeast tuna season opens with first bluefin sold for more than NT$1.8 million

first Pacific bluefin tuna for 2022 season at Port of Su'ao Nanfang Harbor
Marine and Fisheries 
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The first Pacific bluefin tuna caught off Taiwan’s northeast coast this year sold at auction for a total price of NT$1,897,000 million at Nanfang Harbor, Port of Su’ao, in Yilan County this morning, April 21. The 271 kilogram fish opened with starting bid of NT$5,600 per kilogram, and was finally sold at NT$7,000 per kilogram to Taipei restaurant Sando House. The price was considerably lower than the NT$8,600 per kilo paid for the first catch last year, also purchased by

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Biotech company prosecuted for selling filthy fish farm water as cure-all health drink

composite image of fish pond and elixir
Breaking News 
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The owner of a biochemical product company has been charged with offences against health food regulations after an investigation into a cure-all product that was found to be made from filtered, but unsterilized water from a fish farm in Nantou County. According to the investigation, the 73-year-old man, named Guo, raised freshwater grouper at a fish farm in Nantou County and opened an office of a biochemical technology company in Taichung City. Guo filtered feed residue and excrement out of

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Pit bull almost sentenced to death after killing child now a pampered pooch

composite image showing pit bull with thick chain, and being pampered indoors
Animals 
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An American pit bull terrier that mauled a 3-year-old boy to death in rural Pingtung County in December is now living the life of a pampered pooch in Taipei City after being adopted by a couple last month. Animal lovers flooded Pingtung County Magistrate Pan Men-an’s (潘孟安) Facebook page pleading to save the life of the dog after it was handed over to the Pingtung County Agriculture Department following the fatal mauling on December 2, 2021. Agriculture department personnel placed

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Taiwan TV station apologizes to South Korea for “covidizing” national flag

Republic of Korea flag with covid-19
International Relations 
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Taiwan news channel TVBS issued an apology to the people of Korea today, April 19, after using an image that combined the national flag of the Republic of Korea with a CGI depiction of the COVID-19 virus during a TV news report last month. On March 16, TVBS “FOCUS Global News Program” used the image as a background during a news report about South Korea recording 600,000 COVID cases in a single day. A screenshot of the image eventually spread

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Law amended to reduce penalty for growing marijuana for own use

cannabis seedlings in pots
Society 
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Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan passed the third reading of a bill today, approving amendments to the Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act to reduce sentences for growing small amounts of cannabis for self use. Under the current law, the manufacture of drugs, including cultivating marijuana, carries a minimum sentence of five years in prison. However, recent judgements have interpreted this as being not commensurate with the principle of proportionality when it comes to small amounts grown by an individual for personal use. As

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Evergreen Marine ship EVER FORWARD finally moving after one month stuck aground in Chesapeake Bay

Evergreen Marine Corp. container ship Ever Forward being pushed by tugs in Chesapeake Bay
Business and Economy 
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A container ship belonging to Taiwan shipping giant Evergreen Marine Corp. has finally been refloated after running aground in Chesapeake Bay on the US east coast more than one month ago. The 334-meter-long, 117,340 gross ton Ever Forward ran aground on a muddy bottom after leaving the Port of Baltimore and “missing a turn” on March 13. The grounding came just 10 days short of the anniversary of Evergreen’s Ever Given getting stuck and blocking the Suez Canal from March

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