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Taiwan News Quick Take

■ CONSERVATION

Rare cranes stop roadworks

A construction project to broaden the roads in Jinshan Township (金山), Taipei County, has been suspended recently in order to protect endangered red-crowned cranes wintering in the area, the Ministry of the Interior's Construction and Planning Agency said. Planning for the roadworks started in 1990, but the agency did not begin the actual work until December, whereupon it almost immediately encountered unexpected problems when the four cranes were spotted in the area, having migrated there to spend the winter. The red-crowned crane is found only in eastern Asia and is traditionally considered by Chinese and Japanese people to be a propitious bird, representing longevity and fidelity. It is now on the "red list" of endangered species compiled by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, which estimates that only 2,400 of the birds remain in the wild. "We must try to find a win-win solution for both ecological conservation and traffic needs," Taipei County Commissioner Chou Hsi-wei (周錫瑋) said after approving the suspension.



■ EDUCATION

Alliance Francaise relocates

Alliance Francaise, which has moved its Taiwan branch to the National Taiwan University (NTU) in Taipei, inaugurated it yesterday and vowed to provide better educational services to attract more students to learn French. Established in Taipei in 2000, the branch of Alliance Francaise had already relocated twice before it settled down on NTU's campus. With a more spacious library and classrooms, it is calling for more people to participate in francophone cultural activities and learn French. To celebrate the event, Alliance Francaise invited people to join an outdoor concert featuring Kayoumin, a French DJ and singer, Rue d'la Gouaille, a band from Nantes in France and Thierry Nkeli Faha, a singer from Togo.



■ FISHERIES

Penghu task force set up

A Council of Agriculture task force was set up on Friday to help the Penghu Island chain recover from the effects of the persistent cold weather, which has dealt a heavy blow to its fish farming industry and the eco-marine system. A council statement said the task force, composed of experts and professors from Academia Sinica and local universities, would monitor marine recovery on the island county. The task force will be divided into six units to periodically monitor ocean productivity off Penghu's coasts, covering six species of sea creatures and plants, such as seaweeds, spineless animals, coral and fish.



■ HEALTH

Police promote exercise

The National Police Agency's (NPA) Aviation Police Office is promoting a weight loss campaign in an effort to encourage overweight police officers to slim down for the sake of their health. Yin Yung-jen (伊永仁), the new director of the office, is helping promote the campaign launched by the NPA earlier this year to press overweight officers to exercise. Obese officers are encouraged to jog, cycle, hike or run marathons. Playing badminton, table tennis or basketball are also recommended activities, Yin said. He recently began leading a group of overweight officers on an after-work daily 6km jog in the vicinity of the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport. He also plans to head a police team that will compete in this year's Taipei County International Marathon next Sunday in Wanli Township (萬里).
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