■ Politics
Premier confirms promotion
Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) yesterday confirmed that deputy minister of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Winston Dang (陳重信) will be promoted to become the minister of the agency, a post which was left vacant after former minister Chang Kow-lung (張國龍) resigned along with former premier Su Tseng-chang's (蘇貞昌) Cabinet last month. Former Democratic Progressive Party legislator Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯) will serve as the deputy chairman of the National Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, Chang said. Minister without Portfolio Ho Mei-yueh (何美玥) will double as the chairwoman of the Council for Economic Planning and Development, he said.
■ Travel
UK visa changes on the way
Starting next month, all applicants for a UK visa will have to provide fingerprint scans and personal digital photos, the British Trade and Cultural Office (BTCO) announced yesterday. The British government is introducing the collection of biometric data for all visa applicants worldwide, it added. The new measures will start on July 26 and all applicants will have to apply for a visa in person at the BTCO so their photo can be taken and they can be fingerprinted. BTCO director Michael Reilly said that biometric visas provide a higher standard of security and will in time make entry clearance into the UK simpler and easier. The changes will help improve security checks and prevent fraudulent visa use and the abuse of the UK's immigration and asylum system, he said.
■ Health
Diverse treatments popular
Over half of the country's families have tried Chinese medicine, Western medicine and folk therapy as medical treatment options have become more diversified, a National Cheng Kung University hospital official said on Wednesday. Huang Ying-hsiang (黃盈翔) said that a study on the medical treatment of 2,000 families around the country found that nearly half of rural families and nearly two-thirds of urban families have sought the three different forms of treatment. Western medicine is still the mainstream therapy although traditional Chinese medicine has become the next-most commonly sought after treatment while the use of alternative therapies have also become popular. The results of a survey conducted in 2003 showed that 75 percent of respondents said they would be willing to seek at least one kind of alternative therapy. Those who have received higher education, are middle class and in poor health, and women suffering from anxiety, chronic pain or urinary problems, are more likely to seek alternative therapy, the study found.
■ Society
Drunk driving killing more
Drunk driving has become the No. 1 cause of deaths on public roads, according to statistics in a report released by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications yesterday. The ministry said 727 people died last year as a result of drunk driving-related road accidents. The report pointed out that in 2001, drunk driving ranked third among all causes of road deaths before becoming the second leading cause in 2002. Since 2004, the number of road accidents due to drunk drinking has increased about 30 percent each year from 2,502 in 2004 to 2,999 last year, accounting for 16.7 percent and 36.5 percent of annual road traffic accidents respectively. The number of deaths caused by drunk driving also rose from 454 in 2004 to 547 in 2005, and to 727 last year.
■ Entertainment
Station to shoot 100 films
Videoland Movie Channel, the country's first cable television channel dedicated to showing Chinese-language films, announced yesterday that it will set aside NT$1 billion (US$30.2 million) to produce 100 digital films over the next five years. Company president Hu Kuan-chen (胡冠珍) told reporters that her company would also spend millions to recruit writing talent. Hu, 38, is a former actress who has starred in 18 films. She made the announcement two days after the channel celebrated its 15th anniversary. Her deputy, Yao Ching-kang (姚慶康) -- who has written 36 plays -- said Videoland would begin to shoot films in different genres in Hong Kong, Taiwan and China this year, and that the company would place more emphasis on good screenplays than on big name stars.
■ Education
Smart house unveiled
National Cheng Kung University yesterday launched an innovative "house of quality life" that brings together advanced technology, user-friendly interfaces and creative interior designs to present a vision of a better living space, the Tainan-based university said. Kevin Yang (楊家輝), director of the university's Institute of Computer and Communications Engineering, explained that the house was the result of a collaboration between seven departments and institutes, and was representative of the university's interdisciplinary capabilities. The house features flexible walls and partitions, a wireless sensing network, a large 3D display, user-oriented lighting and appliance control, and "virtual" windows that can remember user preferences and which adjust automatically to favor "comfortable" conditions, the university said.
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
Taiwanese and US defense groups are collaborating to introduce deployable, semi-autonomous manufacturing systems for drones and components in a boost to the nation’s supply chain resilience. Taiwan’s G-Tech Optroelectronics Corp subsidiary GTOC and the US’ Aerkomm Inc on Friday announced an agreement with fellow US-based Firestorm Lab to adopt the latter’s xCell, a technology featuring 3D printers fitted in 6.1m container units. The systems enable aerial platforms and parts to be produced in high volumes from dispersed nodes capable of rapid redeployment, to minimize the risk of enemy strikes and to meet field requirements, they said. Firestorm chief technology officer Ian Muceus said
MORE FALL: An investigation into one of Xi’s key cronies, part of a broader ‘anti-corruption’ drive, indicates that he might have a deep distrust in the military, an expert said China’s latest military purge underscores systemic risks in its shift from collective leadership to sole rule under Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), and could disrupt its chain of command and military capabilities, a national security official said yesterday. If decisionmaking within the Chinese Communist Party has become “irrational” under one-man rule, the Taiwan Strait and the regional situation must be approached with extreme caution, given unforeseen risks, they added. The anonymous official made the remarks as China’s Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia (張又俠) and Joint Staff Department Chief of Staff Liu Zhenli (劉振立) were reportedly being investigated for suspected “serious
American climber Alex Honnold is to attempt a free climb of Taipei 101 today at 9am, with traffic closures around the skyscraper. To accommodate the climb attempt and filming, the Taipei Department of Transportation said traffic controls would be enforced around the Taipei 101 area. If weather conditions delay the climb, the restrictions would be pushed back to tomorrow. Traffic controls would be in place today from 7am to 11am around the Taipei 101 area, the department said. Songzhi Road would be fully closed in both directions between Songlian Road and Xinyi Road Sec 5, it said, adding that bidirectional traffic controls would
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