CONSERVATION
Water-saving plan unveiled
The government yesterday said that it is working with eight chain stores to offer a 10 percent discount on water conservation products over the next four months. The promotion is part of the government’s efforts to encourage conservation in light of the low reserves in many resevoirs, the Water Resources Agency said. A 10 percent discount will be available on water-saving products until the end of July at 941 outlets of Hola, Homebox, Taiwan Sugar, A-Mart, E-life Mall, Carrefour, Tsann Kuen and Tatung, the agency said. Daily water consumption averages 273 liters per person, with showers, toilets and laundry facilities accounting for the heaviest use, the agency said. In a three-member household, annual savings on water bills could total NT$1,328 if conservation devices are used in bathrooms and on faucets, it said. Last year, the government allocated NT$770 million (US$25.2 million) in subsidies for conservation products, but has changed its approach this year to partner with chain stores on discounts. The initiative was announced in the wake of the nation’s second-worst water shortage in 70 years, which lasted from December last year to February. Although water reserves are low, the agency said it is hoping to hold off on second-phase rationing in any areas until at least the end of this month and on third-phase rationing until the end of next month.
HEALTH
Dinner time linked to obesity
Nearly 30 percent of schoolchildren who have dinner after 8pm are obese or overweight, according to a survey released yesterday by the Cancer Care Foundation. The survey found that more than 70 percent of schoolchildren who have dinner after 8pm usually eat out, while 60 percent go to sleep after 10pm. Seventy-five percent of schoolchildren have dinner containing less than one helping of vegetables, while 67 percent have dinner with less than one helping of fruit, it said. Nearly 25 percent of those who consume little or no vegetables or fruit for dinner are not only obese or overweight, they also eat snacks every night, the survey found. Foundation chairwoman Chen Yueh-ching (陳月卿) said that bad eating habits are associated with numerous diseases, and children should refrain from foods that are known to cause bloating or are high in fat and calories, but low in fiber. They should also avoid sugary drinks, she said. Lin Yu-ting (林郁婷), a dietitian with the foundation, said it takes four hours for the body to fully digest a meal and if children eat dinner too late at night, their body does not have enough time to digest the food properly.
EDUCATION
NTUST ranked 59th
Eight educational institutions have been included in this year’s Times Higher Education rankings of the world’s top 100 universities under 50 years old, led by National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (NTUST) in 59th place. Chang Gung University, National Sun Yat-sen University and National Yang Ming University were rated in the 101st to 150th bracket, while Asia University, Feng Chia University, National Chung Cheng University and Yuan Ze University were in the 151st to 200th bracket. Universities ranking lower than 100 are not assigned individual rankings. The rankings are designed to highlight universities that have joined the ranks of the world’s finest thanks to rapid development over a short period. Switzerland’s Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne topped the list for the third consecutive year.
Former Czech Republic-based Taiwanese researcher Cheng Yu-chin (鄭宇欽) has been sentenced to seven years in prison on espionage-related charges, China’s Ministry of State Security announced yesterday. China said Cheng was a spy for Taiwan who “masqueraded as a professor” and that he was previously an assistant to former Cabinet secretary-general Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰). President-elect William Lai (賴清德) on Wednesday last week announced Cho would be his premier when Lai is inaugurated next month. Today is China’s “National Security Education Day.” The Chinese ministry yesterday released a video online showing arrests over the past 10 years of people alleged to be
THE HAWAII FACTOR: While a 1965 opinion said an attack on Hawaii would not trigger Article 5, the text of the treaty suggests the state is covered, the report says NATO could be drawn into a conflict in the Taiwan Strait if Chinese forces attacked the US mainland or Hawaii, a NATO Defense College report published on Monday says. The report, written by James Lee, an assistant research fellow at Academia Sinica’s Institute of European and American Studies, states that under certain conditions a Taiwan contingency could trigger Article 5 of NATO, under which an attack against any member of the alliance is considered an attack against all members, necessitating a response. Article 6 of the North Atlantic Treaty specifies that an armed attack in the territory of any member in Europe,
LIKE FAMILY: People now treat dogs and cats as family members. They receive the same medical treatments and tests as humans do, a veterinary association official said The number of pet dogs and cats in Taiwan has officially outnumbered the number of human newborns last year, data from the Ministry of Agriculture’s pet registration information system showed. As of last year, Taiwan had 94,544 registered pet dogs and 137,652 pet cats, the data showed. By contrast, 135,571 babies were born last year. Demand for medical care for pet animals has also risen. As of Feb. 29, there were 5,773 veterinarians in Taiwan, 3,993 of whom were for pet animals, statistics from the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency showed. In 2022, the nation had 3,077 pediatricians. As of last
XINJIANG: Officials are conducting a report into amending an existing law or to enact a special law to prohibit goods using forced labor Taiwan is mulling an amendment prohibiting the importation of goods using forced labor, similar to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) passed by the US Congress in 2021 that imposed limits on goods produced using forced labor in China’s Xinjiang region. A government official who wished to remain anonymous said yesterday that as the US customs law explicitly prohibits the importation of goods made using forced labor, in 2021 it passed the specialized UFLPA to limit the importation of cotton and other goods from China’s Xinjiang Uyghur region. Taiwan does not have the legal basis to prohibit the importation of goods