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.
Proposed legislation in the US outlines three conditions in which Washington would be authorized to protect Taiwan were China to invade, a report said yesterday. US Representative Ted Yoho this month said he would introduce a Taiwan Invasion Prevention Act, which would authorize US military force if China were to invade Taiwan-controlled areas, including its outlying islands. According to a version of the bill obtained by the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the sister paper of the Taipei Times), the bill lists three conditions in which a US president would be authorized to use military force to protect Taiwan: If China uses military force
The Supreme Court on Tuesday found four men guilty of attempted murder in the 2017 stabbing of Spanish surfer Ignacio Prio on a Pingtung County beach in the final ruling in the case, sentencing them to three-and-a-half to six years in prison. The defendants had appealed their convictions for attempted murder in the first and second rulings, which had also led to prison sentences ranging from three-and-a-half years to six years. The then-42-year-old Prio went to Jialeshui Beach (佳樂水) near Kenting (墾丁) on March 31, 2017, was attacked after he asked four men to remove their fishing lines from an area
Two new commuter trains are scheduled to be launched in January next year, the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) said yesterday. The acquisition of EMU-900 commuter train cars is part of the railway operator’s plan to replace 589 train cars that have been in operation for more than three decades. The agency has also placed orders to buy 600 intercity train cars. The first batch of 20 EMU-900 cars is to be delivered to the nation in September, although delivery might be delayed until October due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the agency said. The batch would be formed into two trains of 10
‘IMMORAL, INSINCERE’: Huang Kun-huei said that Ma was ‘distorting history’ in claiming that Lee Teng-hui laid the foundation for the so-called ‘1992 consensus’ Former Presidential Office secretary-general Huang Kun-huei (黃昆輝) on Saturday rejected former president Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) claim that former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) had been a proponent of Beijing’s “one China” principle. Lee, who served as president from 1988 to 2000, died in Taipei on Thursday last week. After visiting the Taipei Guest House on Saturday to pay his respects to Lee, Ma posted on Facebook that “28 years ago on this day” Lee hosted a session of the now-defunct National Unification Council, during which he passed a resolution on the “one China” principle. That resolution became the basis of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s
RSS