Minister of National Defense Kao Hua-chu (高華柱), who has been diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma, has had surgery and could be discharged from hospital in a few days, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said yesterday
Ministry spokesman Major General Yu Sy-tue (虞思祖) said Kao’s cancer was discovered in the early stages and he was recovering well following the surgery. The minister does not require chemotherapy after the operation and he is expected to return to work soon, the spokesman said.
Yu added that whether Kao hosts a military drill scheduled for next week would be evaluated by his doctor, Hsu-Wen-hu (許文虎), at Taipei Veterans General Hospital.
Local media speculated that since Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) has announced that the government would have a minor Cabinet reshuffle in the coming days, Kao’s health might play a role as to whether he remains in the post.
Kao’s last public appearance was at the flag-raising ceremony in front of the Presidential Office on New Year’s Day.
The ministry said Kao was diagnosed with lung cancer during a regular health exam last month.
Local media have said that former chief of general staff Huo Shou-yeh (霍守業) has been queried by the Presidential Office about his interest in taking up the ministerial post, while also speculating that Deputy Minister of National Defense Andrew Yang (楊念祖) might have a chance of becoming the first civilian to serve in the post during President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration.
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
Taiwan's Gold Apollo Co (金阿波羅通信) said today that the pagers used in detonations in Lebanon the day before were not made by it, but by a company called BAC which has a license to use its brand. At least nine people were killed and nearly 3,000 wounded when pagers used by Hezbollah members detonated simultaneously across Lebanon yesterday. Images of destroyed pagers analyzed by Reuters showed a format and stickers on the back that were consistent with pagers made by Gold Apollo. A senior Lebanese security source told Reuters that Hezbollah had ordered 5,000 pagers from Taiwan-based Gold Apollo. "The product was not
COLD FACTS: ‘Snow skin’ mooncakes, made with a glutinous rice skin and kept at a low temperature, have relatively few calories compared with other mooncakes Traditional mooncakes are a typical treat for many Taiwanese in the lead-up to the Mid-Autumn Festival, but a Taipei-based dietitian has urged people not to eat more than one per day and not to have them every day due to their high fat and calorie content. As mooncakes contain a lot of oil and sugar, they can have negative health effects on older people and those with diabetes, said Lai Yu-han (賴俞含), a dietitian at Taipei Hospital of the Ministry of Health and Welfare. “The maximum you can have is one mooncake a day, and do not eat them every day,” Lai