Man arrested after injuring 7 in hot dog heist, knife rampageStaff writer, with CNAA Thai migrant worker was arrested early yesterday in eastern Taiwan after stealing hot dogs from a convenience store and carrying out a series of knife attacks while fleeing police, injuring three civilians and four officers. Police said the 46-year-old suspect robbed a convenience store in Sincheng Township (新城), Hualien County, at about 5am, taking two hot dogs at knifepoint before fleeing on foot. A man runs from police in Hualien County's Sincheng Township yesterday. At one point, he climbed onto a truck, where he brandished a knife and a stick as police threw traffic cones at him. Police said the man has been referred to prosecutors on suspicion of attempted murder, public endangerment, assault and property damage.

Taoyuan expresses concern after fire dancer incidentBy Hollie Younger / Staff writer, with CNAThe Taoyuan Department of Cultural Affairs today expressed concern after a fire dancer slipped while igniting flames and caught on fire at a festival. Event organizers should better evaluate performance safety and ensure there are adequate emergency response measures in place, the department said. A fire dancer slips during a performance in Taoyuan on Saturday. After the incident, the dancer followed the appropriate training procedures to quickly exit the stage and undergo treatment to cool herself down, it said. The Taoyuan Fire Department said it did not receive any emergency reports.

Man on run for 18 years arrested following suspected illegal boat entryStaff writer, with CNAA Taiwanese fugitive who had been on the run in China for 18 years was arrested on Saturday after allegedly entering Taiwan illegally by motorboat days earlier, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) Southern Branch said today. The man, surnamed Lee (李), was apprehended in Keelung for suspected contravention of the Immigration Act (入出國及移民法). The Tainan District Prosecutors’ Office building is pictured in an undated photograph. The case is being investigated by the Tainan District Prosecutors' Office, with the motorboat taken as evidence, the CGA said. Lee's previous case would be transferred to the New Taipei District Prosecutors' Office, which listed him as wanted 18 years ago, the agency said.

Taiwan regains African swine fever-free statusBy Yang Yuan-ting and Sam Garcia / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) again classified Taiwan as free from African swine fever (ASF), returning Taiwan to its status as the only country in Asia to be free of all three major swine diseases, the Ministry of Agriculture said today. A case of African swine fever broke out on a farm in Wuci District (梧棲), Taichung, on Oct. 21 last year. The achievement marks Taiwan as the only country in the world to regain ASF-free status after an outbreak in domestic pigs, he said. The nation also regained its status as the only country in Asia to be free of all three major swine diseases: ASF, classical swine fever and foot-and-mouth disease, he added. With Taiwan’s return to disease-free status, pork exports to countries that previously imported Taiwanese pork such as Singapore and the Philippines are expected to resume within the latter half of the year, Fu said.

Fuel to be subsidized for domestic flights: CabinetBy Sam Garcia / Staff writer, with CNAThe government has been instructed to subsidize aviation fuel amid a shortage caused by unrest in the Middle East, prioritizing domestic flights, the Cabinet said today. The fuel subsidies would primarily be for domestic flights, Executive Yuan spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) said. Aircraft of domestic carriers are pictured at Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) on Jan. 27. To maintain stable prices, the top priority is to ensure normal production and market order, Cho said. The Ministry of Agriculture would continue implementing measures to stabilize the supply of fertilizers and fuel for agricultural and fishing use, he added.

There are therefore 97.55 percent more elderly households in the north compared to the south, and when encompassing Taichung, the north still has 35.55 percent more than the southern and central municipalities. Photo: Hsu Yi-ping, Taipei TimesMany young Taiwanese from the south migrate northward for job opportunities, which in theory should leave many households in the south with only elderly residents, real-estate experts said. Of the 370,600 households of only elderly people in the north, about 288,800, or 77.93 percent, were single-occupant elderly households, data show. Therefore, the number of elderly leveraging property ownership for pension benefits has increased, with the scheme a significant contributor to the large number of elderly households in the north, he added. Single-resident elderly households are a common occurrence and a result of the rural-urban divide, Sinyi Realty research center manager Tseng Ching-te (曾敬德) said.

134 in Kaohsiung fall ill after eating spring rollsBy Huang Liang-chieh and Hollie Younger / Staff reporter, with staff writerA total of 134 people have sought medical treatment across 10 hospitals in Kaohsiung for suspected food poisoning linked to a stall in Zhengyi Market (正義市場), the Kaohsiung Department of Health said today. A health inspector takes samples from a stall selling spring rolls in Zhengyi Market in Kaohsiung's Lingya District yesterday. Photo courtesy of the Kaohsiung Department of HealthAs of 9am today, 134 cases were reported across 10 hospitals, it said. Ninety-six have been discharged to recover at home, seven remain under observation, two are undergoing medical treatment and 29 are hospitalized, it added. The vendors failed to disclose to investigators that the spring rolls contained eggs and meat, and had not purchased product liability insurance, it said.

China reserves offshore airspace for 40 days without explanation: WSJBy Sam Garcia / Staff writerChina has reserved offshore airspace in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea from March 27 to May 6, issuing alerts usually used to warn of military exercises, although no such exercises have been announced, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported yesterday. Reserving such a large area for 40 days without explanation is an “unusual step,” as military exercises normally only last a few days, the paper said. The reserved airspace has no vertical ceiling, which is designated within Notams as SFC-UNL. If the reserved airspace is in fact linked to exercises, it “would represent a meaningful shift in how Beijing uses airspace control as a tool of military signaling,” he said. The airspace reservation is “clearly aimed at Japan,” as China attempts to deter US allies and erode US military influence in the Indo-Pacific region, the official told the paper.

Holiday traffic expected to peak this afternoonStaff writer, with CNANorthbound traffic on Taiwan's major highways is expected to peak this afternoon, the final day of the Tomb Sweeping holiday, with severe congestion already reported on parts of the east coast route. As of 11am, traffic on western national freeways remained mostly smooth, with only sporadic congestion and speeds generally above 40kph. 5 could persist until after 10pm, while traffic on western freeways is expected to increase from about 2pm and ease after 9pm. Heavy return traffic is also expected on provincial highways, particularly near freeway interchanges. 61 in Hsinchu and Changhua County, the Suhua Highway and South-Link Highway along the east coast, and sections of Provincial Highway No.

Heavy rain expected in north, central TaiwanStaff writer, with CNAThe Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a heavy rain alert for several cities and counties in central and northern Taiwan as a weather front approaches. At least 80mm of rain could fall within 24 hours, or 40mm within an hour, the CWA said. Photo courtesy of the Central Weather AdministrationThe alert covers Keelung, Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Hsinchu City and County, Miaoli County and Taichung. Rain is expected to ease in the north later today, but another front tomorrow could bring more showers and thunderstorms to areas north of central Taiwan. Conditions are to stabilize from Wednesday, with hotter weather expected from Thursday, Wu said.

Delegation of US House Republicans visiting Taiwan, to meet LaiStaff writer, with CNAA Republican congressional delegation led by Zach Nunn, chair of the Republican Study Committee's National Security Task Force, is visiting Taiwan this week and is to meet with President William Lai (賴清德), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs logo is pictured in Taipei in an undated photograph. Photo: Taipei TimesThe delegation would also meet other senior Taiwanese officials to discuss Taiwan-US relations, regional security, economic and trade cooperation, and developments in the Taiwan Strait, it added. The Republican Study Committee is a caucus of conservative Republican members in the US House of Representatives. Its National Security Task Force leads policy efforts on national defense and promotes a "peace through strength" approach, according to the committee Web site.

EDITORIAL: Beijing’s calculated KMT invitationA delegation of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) officials led by Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) is to travel to China tomorrow for a six-day visit to Jiangsu, Shanghai and Beijing, which might end with a meeting between Cheng and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). Earlier that day, a group of bipartisan US senators arrived in Taiwan to show support for the Cabinet’s eight-year NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.1 billion) special defense budget. In the interview, Lu cited a poll that showed that 61 percent of the public support increasing defense procurement, especially from the US. It is reasonable for the special defense budget to be between NT$800 billion to NT$1 trillion, she said, adding that the legislature should pass it as quickly as possible to secure arms for Taiwan. Her views run counter to the increasingly China-leaning and US-skeptic stance of Cheng and KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (?

Expanded civil resilience drills start this monthPREPARING THE NATION: This year’s drills would incorporate for the first time drones for transporting supplies in Chiayi and Pingtung counties, a minister saidBy Chung Li-hua and Fion Khan / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe Urban Resilience Exercises are to begin this month in coordination with the Han Kuang military drills, focusing on protecting critical infrastructure and civil-military integration, Minister Without Portfolio Chi Lien-cheng (季連成) said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense last week announced that the 42nd Han Kuang exercises would begin with tabletop war games to be held from Saturday to April 24 and live-fire drills planned for August. Of the nation’s 22 administrative regions, 11 of them are to conduct urban resilience drills this year, while the remaining would hold disaster-prevention exercises in the second half of the year, rotating every two years, Chi said. The remaining seven regions, including Taoyuan, are to conduct two-day drills between this month and August, he added. The Urban Resilience Exercises have been expanded from one day last year to two days this year, with the first day dedicated to tabletop simulations and the second to field operations, he said.

Iran war could further erode US support for Ukraine: ZelenskiyAP and AFP, ISTANBUL, Turkey, and MOSCOWA Ukrainian drone attacked an oil pipeline near the key Russian port of Primorsk early yesterday, with fuel leaking into the Baltic Sea, a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he was afraid a prolonged war in the Middle East could further erode US’ support for Ukraine. Ukraine confirmed it staged the latest strike on the port, near the border with Finland, which plays an important role in Russia’s oil exports. “That’s why I am afraid a long [Iran] war will give us less support.”The latest US-brokered talks between envoys from Moscow and Kyiv ended in February with no sign of a breakthrough. His most immediate concern are the Patriots — essential for intercepting Russian ballistic missiles — as Ukraine still lacks an effective alternative, Zelenskiy said. The US systems were never delivered in sufficient quantities to begin with, and if the Iran war does not end soon, “the package — which is not very big for us — I think will be smaller and smaller day by day,” Zelenskiy said.

CCP hijacks Tomb Sweeping with propagandaBy Chen Fu-yu / Staff reporterThe Chinese Communist Party (CCP) using the Tomb-Sweeping Festival with a public ceremony to honor the Yellow Emperor (黃帝) is a “united front” activity, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The Yellow Emperor is said to be the first ancestor of the Chinese nation and the founder of Chinese civilization. Shaanxi Governor Zhao Gang reads a eulogy at a Tomb-Sweeping Day public ceremony in China’s Shaanxi Province yesterday in honor of the legendary Yellow Emperor. However, the CCP has been holding a public memorial ceremony on that day, politicizing the holiday, it said. It also introduced the Siyuan Tomb (思源陵) at the Huangdi Mausoleum, as a symbol of the “common ancestry and shared heritage” of people across the Taiwan Strait.