HEALTH
One dies of food poisoning
Another person died of last month’s food poisoning outbreak at the Xinyi branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, bringing the number of deaths to three, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said yesterday. As of Friday, 35 people were reported to have fallen ill after dining at the Xinyi restaurant from March 19 to 24, including two deaths reported late last month. The latest death was one of the four severe cases under intensive care. The patient died of multiple organ failure, Wang said. Taipei Medical University Hospital in a text message said that the patient was transferred to the hospital on March 24 and died yesterday. Wang said that the condition of the remaining three severe cases remains the same. One person has received a liver transplant and is in the process of recovering, while others have had severe infection, he added. It is clear that this incident is a case of bongkrek acid-led poisoning, Wang said.
SEISMICITY
Aftershocks normal: CWA
An earthquake measuring magnitude 6.1 on the Richter scale that struck off the coast of eastern Taiwan early yesterday is an aftershock of the April 3 Hualien earthquake that claimed at least 18 lives, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The quake, which struck at 2:21am, was the largest aftershock since a magnitude 6.3 earthquake rattled the eastern county early on Tuesday. People in 13 administrative regions received emergency alerts, the agency said. Two more aftershocks of stronger than magnitude 4.5 on the Richter scale followed the quake yesterday within half an hour, including one of magnitude 5.8 at 2:49am. Their epicenter was in Hualien County’s Sioulin Township (秀林), near the epicenter of the April 3 quake. CWA Seismological Center Director Wu Chien-fu (吳健富) said that large earthquakes tend to be followed by aftershocks over a long period. The CWA has observed no anomalies in terms of the aftershocks, he added. As of 6am yesterday, Taiwan has experienced 1,303 aftershocks since the April 3 quake, with six registering at least magnitude 6, and 63 between magnitudes 5 and 6, the CWA data showed.
SCIENCE
Bacterial strain discovered
A research team from National Taiwan Ocean University’s (NTOU) Institute of Marine Biology has discovered a bacterial strain with the potential to degrade plastic, the university said in a statement on Monday. The team, led by assistant professor Ho Ying-ning (何攖寧), said that it has found a marine bacterial strain isolated from marine sediment on Taiwan’s northern coast, which they named Oceanimonas pelagia NTOU-MSR1. The bacterium, possibly a new member of the Oceanimonas genus, was able to biodegrade 10 to 15 percent of polyethylene, which is one of the most commonly used plastics worldwide, in 120 days. The strain was also able to produce a biosurfactant that emulsified 40 percent of diesel fuel within two weeks, the statement said. Genomic analysis of the bacteria showed genes associated with the biosynthesis of polyhydroxybutyrate, a substance considered a biodegradable plastic alternative, it added. Ho said the strain’s potential for environment restoration and commercial use would be explored with plans to use it in environmental protection. The findings were last month published in Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, an international scientific journal covering microbiology.
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
A Japan Self-Defense Forces vessel entered the Taiwan Strait yesterday, Japanese media reported. After passing through the Taiwan Strait, the Ikazuchi was to proceed to the South China Sea to take part in a joint military exercise with the US and the Philippines, the reports said. Japan Self-Defense Force vessels were first reported to have passed through the strait in September, 2024, with two further transits taking place in February and June last year, the Asahi Shimbun reported. Yesterday’s transit also marked the first time since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office that a Japanese warship has been sent through the Taiwan
‘SAME OLD TRICK’: Even if Beijing resumes individual travel to Taiwan, it would only benefit Chinese tourism companies, the Economic Democracy Union convener said China’s 10 new “incentives” are “sugar-coated poison,” an official said yesterday, adding that Taiwanese businesses see them clearly for what they are, but that Beijing would inevitably find some local collaborators to try to drums up support. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, made the remark ahead of a news conference the General Chamber of Commerce is to hold today. The event, titled “Industry Perspectives on China’s Recent Pro-Taiwan Policies,” is expected to include representatives from industry associations — such as those in travel, hotels, food and agriculture — to request the government cooperate with China’s new measures, people familiar with
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