POLITICS
Minister to stay: sources
Minister of Economic Affairs Chang Chia-juch (張家祝), who tendered his resignation before the Lunar New Year holidays, will continue to serve on the Cabinet, people familiar with the matter said yesterday. The sources said that Chang agreed to stay in the Cabinet after President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) had a meeting with him and praised his performance. Recent rumors said that the president had spoken with Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) during the holidays about a possible Cabinet reshuffle. Jiang yesterday said he had no comment on media speculation about the possible reshuffle and that he would make an announcement on the matter once a decision had been made.
HEALTH
Agency starts cancer drive
The Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Health Promotion Administration launched a program on World Cancer Day yesterday to boost its efforts to fight a disease that has topped the causes of death in the nation for the past three decades. The project focuses on raising awareness of cancer prevention methods by promoting regular health checks and studying possible causes of the disease, health official Wu Chien-yuan (吳建遠) said. Given that cancer accounted for 28 percent of Taiwanese deaths over the past 31 years, the government is committed to continuing its efforts to reduce illness and death caused by the disease, she said. More projects, including those encouraging the public to exercise regularly and cut down on sugary beverages and fast food, are also being planned, since breaking these unhealthy habits can help curb cancer rates, she said.
SCIENCE
Center boosts fungus study
A research center in central Taiwan’s Asia University is stepping up efforts to develop edible and medicinal mushrooms, after its initial investment in the field generated output valued at hundreds of millions of New Taiwan dollars. The center plans to launch more trials on the cultivation of bamboo fungus — a popular ingredient in Taiwanese cuisine — following its success in raising maitake mushrooms and tremellas, known in English as snow fungus. The center hopes its efforts will contribute to the advancement of local mushroom cultivation, particularly of snow fungus, since Taiwan depends heavily on Chinese imports of this mushroom due to local restrictions on pesticides, center head J.Y. Lin (林俊義) said. Lin said the center has figured out a formula for the optimal levels of humidity, temperature and concentration of carbon dioxide required to mass produce several kinds of mushrooms that it wants to develop further in its research.
TECHNOLOGY
ITRI makes super bio plastic
After eight years of research, the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) has managed to develop a plastic made from cereal grains that can withstand temperatures of up to 100?C without deforming in the heat. Polylactic acid (PLA) plastics normally lose their shape when exposed to temperatures of 50?C or above, the institute said. However, PLAs derived from renewable biomass are heat-resistant, it said, adding that the new plastic derived from cereal grains is biodegradable and non-toxic. The state-funded institute said it has shared its findings with companies that plan to use the technology to produce heat-resistant tableware. Other possible uses for the invention include more resilient and eco-friendly bags, disposable cups, lids, food containers and components for electronic devices.
A tropical depression east of the Philippines became a tropical storm early yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, less than a week after a typhoon barreled across the nation. The agency issued an advisory at 3:30am stating that the 22nd tropical storm, named Yinxing, of the Pacific typhoon season formed at 2am. As of 8am, the storm was 1,730km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, with a 100km radius. It was moving west-northwest at 32kph, with maximum sustained winds of 83kph and gusts of up to 108kph. Based on its current path, the storm is not expected to hit Taiwan, CWA
Residents have called on the Taipei City Government to reconsider its plan to demolish a four-decades-old pedestrian overpass near Daan Forest Park. The 42-year-old concrete and steel structure that serves as an elevated walkway over the intersection of Heping and Xinsheng roads is to be closed on Tuesday in preparation for demolition slated for completion by the end of the month. However, in recent days some local residents have been protesting the planned destruction of the intersection overpass that is rendered more poetically as “sky bridge” in Chinese. “This bridge carries the community’s collective memory,” said a man surnamed Chuang
MILITARY AID: Taiwan has received a first batch of US long-range tactical missiles ahead of schedule, with a second shipment expected to be delivered by 2026 The US’ early delivery of long-range tactical ballistic missiles to Taiwan last month carries political and strategic significance, a military source said yesterday. According to the Ministry of National Defense’s budget report, the batch of military hardware from the US, including 11 sets of M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and 64 MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems, had been scheduled to be delivered to Taiwan between the end of this year and the beginning of next year. However, the first batch arrived last month, earlier than scheduled, with the second batch —18 sets of HIMARS, 20 MGM-140 missiles and 864 M30
NEW DESTINATIONS: Marketing campaigns to attract foreign travelers have to change from the usual promotions about Alishan and Taroko Gorge, the transport minister said The number of international tourists visiting Taiwan is estimated to top 8 million by the end of this year, Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shi-kai (陳世凱) said yesterday, adding that the ministry has not changed its goal of attracting 10 million foreign travelers this year. Chen made the remarks at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee to brief lawmakers about the ministry’s plan to boost foreign visitor arrivals. Last month, Chen told the committee that the nation might attract only 7.5 million tourists from overseas this year and that when the ministry sets next year’s goal, it would not include