■ Health
Fake medicine found in raid
A raid on a Shilin (士林) area pharmacy uncovered packages of counterfeit sleep medication sold as "Stilnox," but which did not contain the correct active ingredients, the Taipei City Department of Health said. The raid, conducted in conjunction with the bureau of investigation, took place in may, a department release said. Some of the counterfeit pills were sold in packaging that is hard to distinguish from real packages of Stilnox, it said. However, instead of containing zolpidem, the active ingredient in popular sleep medications such as Stilnox and Ambien, the tests conducted by the department uncovered diazepam and lorazepam. The raid also uncovered a batch of pills containing nimetazepam, a more tightly controlled drug with potential for abuse, the release said.
■ Agriculture
Center hands out bananas
The Executive Yuan's service center in southern Taiwan distributed free bananas in Kaohsiung yesterday in a bid to help ease a glut of the fruit. Southern Taiwan Joint Service Center Executive Director You Hung (尤宏) also led a squad of military policemen as they gave away bananas. The official and soldiers urged passers-by to eat a banana each day to help the farmers. A total of 600kg of bananas was given away in less than 20 minutes. Chang Chin-yi (張清義), director of the Kaohsiung office of the Agriculture and Food Agency under the Council of Agriculture, lauded the health benefits of bananas and expressed hope that the public would eat more of them to mitigate the growers' losses. He said that there are 5,000 hectares dedicated to growing bananas in Kaohsiung City, Kaohsiung County and neighboring Pingtung County. Overproduction has resulted in a sharp drop in banana prices. The government has also spent NT$45 million (US$1.36 million) to buy substandard bananas to help reduce stockpiles, he added.
■ Health
Smokes sold to kids: survey
Nearly a decade after the sale of tobacco products to minors was outlawed, a high percentage of stores continue to sell cigarettes to people under the age of 18, the results of a survey released yesterday said. The survey, conducted by the Tainan City Department of Health between June 16 and July 20, found that about 90 percent of the mom-and-pop shops in residential communities in Tainan sell cigarettes to teens. A total of 136 stores that sell tobacco products were surveyed, including convenience stores, supermarkets, mom-and-pop shops and betel-nut vending stands. The survey said some 40 percent of Family Mart and 7-Eleven convenience stores sell cigarettes to teens, while about 50 percent of Hi-Life convenience stores do so.
■ Events
No Games changes: Chang
Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) said yesterday that there will be no change in Kaohsiung's right to host the 2009 World Games, reiterating that the central government fully backs the city's plan to host the event. Chang made the remarks in response to concerns that China might boycott the games to be held in July 2009, which could lead to the revocation of Kaohsiung's right to host the largest international sporting event ever held in Taiwan. After inspecting progress in the construction of the main stadium for the games, Chang said International World Games Association officials are scheduled to visit Taiwan in a few days, when he will meet with them to exchange views on the issue.
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
Tropical Storm Fung-Wong would likely strengthen into a typhoon later today as it continues moving westward across the Pacific before heading in Taiwan’s direction next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 8am, Fung-Wong was about 2,190km east-southeast of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving westward at 25kph and possibly accelerating to 31kph, CWA data showed. The tropical storm is currently over waters east of the Philippines and still far from Taiwan, CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said, adding that it could likely strengthen into a typhoon later in the day. It is forecast to reach the South China Sea
WEATHER Typhoon forming: CWA A tropical depression is expected to form into a typhoon as early as today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the storm’s path remains uncertain. Before the weekend, it would move toward the Philippines, the agency said. Some time around Monday next week, it might reach a turning point, either veering north toward waters east of Taiwan or continuing westward across the Philippines, the CWA said. Meanwhile, the eye of Typhoon Kalmaegi was 1,310km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, as of 2am yesterday, it said. The storm is forecast to move through central
Almost a quarter of volunteer soldiers who signed up from 2021 to last year have sought early discharge, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a report. The report said that 12,884 of 52,674 people who volunteered in the period had sought an early exit from the military, returning NT$895.96 million (US$28.86 million) to the government. In 2021, there was a 105.34 percent rise in the volunteer recruitment rate, but the number has steadily declined since then, missing recruitment targets, the Chinese-language United Daily News said, citing the report. In 2021, only 521 volunteers dropped out of the military, the report said, citing
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