HEALTH
Third brucellosis case found
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on Tuesday confirmed a new case of highly contagious zoonosis brucellosis — the third this year — and warned the public not to consume raw milk or meat when traveling in high-risk countries. A 60-year-old woman who visited Malaysia in April began complaining of light muscle pain, a typical symptom of the disease, said Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥), head of the CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Center. The incubation period for the disease can be several months, and anyone returning from brucellosis-prone areas such as the Mediterranean, Africa, the Middle East and Central and South America who experience fatigue, stomach ache and profuse sweating should advise their doctors about their travel history, Chuang said. Two cases were reported earlier this year — a 54-year-old woman and a 72-year-old woman, who consumed raw meat and dairy products during their trip in May to North Africa and Southeast Asia respectively.
TOURISM
Flora pavilions reopening
The Taipei City Government said yesterday that three of the pavilions at the Taipei International Flora Expo’s Xinsheng Park would reopen next month. The two most popular pavilions — the Pavilion of Dreams and the Pavilion of Future — as well as the Pavilion of Angel Life will open to the public on Aug. 1, with tickets priced at NT$100, NT$50 and NT$100 respectively. To avoid huge crowds and long lines at the pavilions, people can buy tickets in advance at 7-Eleven, FamilyMart and Hi-Life convenience stores. Sales of tickets for visits next month will start on Wednesday, while those for September will be available next month, the Department of Economic Development Commissioner Cheng Hsiung-wen (陳雄文) said.
SOCIETY
Retirement assets low: poll
Taiwan has the second-lowest individual retirement assets in Asia, according to a survey released on Tuesday by a global investment services firm. Each adult has only about NT$900,000 (US$31,000) in assets when he or she retires, HSBC Direct in Taiwan said. The figure is much lower than the regional average of more than NT$1.05 million and is only ahead of India. However, the survey also found that 60 percent of Taiwanese polled said they had financial plans for their retirement, which is behind only China and India in the region.
POLITICS
DPP might sue for Tsai story
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday that it has not ruled out filing a lawsuit against a publication questioning DPP Chairperson and presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) sexual orientation. Taiwan People Power News (TPPN, 台灣公論報) on Monday questioned Tsai’s relationship with an aide in a story titled “Unveiling the secret of Tsai Ing-wen’s sexual orientation.” “We will definitely file a lawsuit against the groundless and false content in the report,” said DPP spokesman Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁). TPPN publisher Wu Hsiao-tien (巫曉天) is married to Hou Hui-hsien (侯惠仙), a member of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) Central Committee. TPPN was founded in 1947 and re-launched in 2006, according to its Web site. Given the relationship of Wu and Hou and their close connection with the KMT, it raises suspicions that the story could be “part of a series of dirty election tricks against Tsai,” Chen said.
AGRICULTURE
Hualien pork prices soaring
Officials of the Hualien County Meat Market Corp said the county is experiencing soaring pork prices because of a supply shortage of local meat. The pork shortage has led to wholesale pork prices reaching NT$75 per kilogram, up NT$10 from the same period last year, according to Hualien County Councilor Kung Wen-chun (龔文俊), who runs a pig farm. Kung said pigs usually have low appetites in the summer because of the hot weather, which means they put on weight more slowly. Meanwhile, the prices of imported feed, such as soybeans and corn, have doubled, forcing farmers to raise fewer animals, he added. Teng Kuo-hsiang (鄧國祥), the company’s marketing manager, said he will invite local farmers’ associations and pig farmers to discuss the issue of how to balance the pork market.
EDUCATION
Kinmen seeks China pupils
Four schools on the outlying island of Kinmen have invited children of Taiwanese businesspeople in China to study there, offering free tuition as an incentive. The children would have to pay as little as NT$2,000 for their dormitory accommodations and would enjoy the same resources as other students, according to the officials. The four schools signed sister-school agreements with three private schools founded by Taiwanese businesspeople in China on Tuesday at the Ministry of Education. The three schools in China now have about 3,500 students and the ministry subsidizes each student with NT$30,000 each year. However, education officials are encouraging students to enroll in the Kinmen schools, which use the same curricula as the rest of Taiwan. They said this would help the students get used to the education system in their home country.
Costa Rica sent a group of intelligence officials to Taiwan for a short-term training program, the first time the Central American country has done so since the countries ended official diplomatic relations in 2007, a Costa Rican media outlet reported last week. Five officials from the Costa Rican Directorate of Intelligence and Security last month spent 23 days in Taipei undergoing a series of training sessions focused on national security, La Nacion reported on Friday, quoting unnamed sources. The Costa Rican government has not confirmed the report. The Chinese embassy in Costa Rica protested the news, saying in a statement issued the same
Taiwan’s Liu Ming-i, right, who also goes by the name Ray Liu, poses with a Chinese Taipei flag after winning the gold medal in the men’s physique 170cm competition at the International Fitness and Bodybuilding Federation Asian Championship in Ajman, United Arab Emirates, yesterday.
A year-long renovation of Taipei’s Bangka Park (艋舺公園) began yesterday, as city workers fenced off the site and cleared out belongings left by homeless residents who had been living there. Despite protests from displaced residents, a city official defended the government’s relocation efforts, saying transitional housing has been offered. The renovation of the park in Taipei’s Wanhua District (萬華), near Longshan Temple (龍山寺), began at 9am yesterday, as about 20 homeless people packed their belongings and left after being asked to move by city personnel. Among them was a 90-year-old woman surnamed Wang (王), who last week said that she had no plans
TO BE APPEALED: The environment ministry said coal reduction goals had to be reached within two months, which was against the principle of legitimate expectation The Taipei High Administrative Court on Thursday ruled in favor of the Taichung Environmental Protection Bureau in its administrative litigation against the Ministry of Environment for the rescission of a NT$18 million fine (US$609,570) imposed by the bureau on the Taichung Power Plant in 2019 for alleged excess coal power generation. The bureau in November 2019 revised what it said was a “slip of the pen” in the text of the operating permit granted to the plant — which is run by Taiwan Power Co (Taipower) — in October 2017. The permit originally read: “reduce coal use by 40 percent from Jan.
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