WEATHER
Cold weekend forecast
A frontal system yesterday brought rain across the nation, with northern and central parts of the country seeing regional showers and southern regions experiencing occasional rainfall, the Central Weather Bureau said. Daytime highs were about 19oC to 20oC in the north, but temperatures were forecast to drop as night fell. Roads in mountainous areas were likely to be frosty, and snow might fall in northern and central regions more than 3,500m above sea level, the bureau said. Meteorologist Wu Der-rong (吳德榮) said the first cold snap of this winter would start driving down temperatures across the nation from last night until Monday. Temperatures are forecast to reach the lowest level early tomorrow morning and on Monday, plunging as low as 8oC in Taipei and 6oC in low-lying areas elsewhere, Wu said, cautioning people to stay warm. The weather is expected to become warmer and more comfortable by Tuesday, he added.
POLITICS
Ko visits Singapore
Outgoing Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) exchanged views about city development with Singaporean officials during his visit to the city-state on Thursday and yesterday, holding discussions on topics such as bilingualism and digitalization. Ko told reporters late on Thursday that he visited the Singaporean Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ministry of Education and a popular food court, Lau Pa Sat, to learn from Singapore’s experience and share with local officials ongoing projects in Taipei aimed at making the city more vibrant and international. Among those programs is Taipei’s bilingual curriculum to create an English-friendly environment, which Ko said he learned from Singapore during a visit in 2016. In terms of digitalization, Ko praised Singapore for using the pandemic to accelerate industrial transformation. Singaporean Minister of Trade and Industry Low Yen Ling (劉燕玲) yesterday wrote on Facebook that both sides “exchanged some of our own best practices in our respective education systems.” Low said she learned from Ko that a bilingual curriculum first piloted in three schools had since been expanded to 70. She added that she shared with Ko how Singapore’s issuance of digital vouchers during the pandemic helped boost the local economy.
HEALTH
COVID-19 cases rise 7.36%
The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported 15,416 new COVID-19 infections, including 100 imported cases, and 24 deaths. The figure represented a 7.36 percent increase from the same day a week earlier, CECC data showed. The deceased ranged in age from their 50s to their 90s, the center said in a statement, adding that 21 had underlying health conditions and 12 had not received any COVID-19 vaccine. The CECC also reported 48 new cases classified as moderate and 19 as severe. Regionally, New Taipei City recorded the highest number of new cases, with 2,889, followed by Taichung with 1,978 and Taoyuan with 1,875. Kaohsiung reported 1,736 new cases, Taipei 1,487, Tainan 1,191, Changhua County 725, Hsinchu County 549, Hsinchu City 449, Pingtung County 423, Miaoli County 415 and Yunlin County 316. Chiayi County had 224 cases, Nantou County 223, Keelung 182, Yilan County 174, Hualien County 148, Chiayi City 126, Taitung County 91, Kinmen County 66, Penghu County 47 and Lienchiang County 2, the CECC said.
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