We discussed his work in Taiwan over the years, and the tough decisions involving spent nuclear fuel currently facing Taiwan’s policymakers. Michael Turton: You got in touch with me to discuss the problem of Taiwan’s spent nuclear fuel. Can the [Democratic Progressive Party] DPP government solve, in a smart way, the disputed issue of Taiwan’s spent fuel disposal, far away from Jinshan and Guosheng? As you know, besides the AIEA’s [International Atomic Energy Agency] own controls, the country of origin of nuclear reactors has the obligation of control over the spent nuclear fuel. Mark agreed that the best possible ultimate fate for Taiwan’s spent fuel would be reprocessing in France, leaving no plutonium in Taiwan.

Leave rules might change for new parentsBy Chen Yun and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writerAn amendment proposed by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Wan Mei-ling (萬美玲) would allow a new parent to take partially paid leave for a full year. Wan has proposed amending the Employment Insurance Act (就業保險法) to allow one parent to take a year of leave at 60 percent of their regular salary. Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei TimesSince 2009, only 18.1 percent of dual-income families have applied for one year of leave, Wan said, adding that it is evidence that the current policy does not meet the needs of most families. “It is not easy raising kids, and most families today are dual-income households, but of the 616,958 dual-income families that had babies last year, only 136,476 applied for one year of leave,” she said. It is better to loosen the regulations and let couples decide themselves who will take leave,” she said.

INTERVIEW: Algal reef vote could save endangered speciesCome August, a campaign to protect algal reefs off the coast of Taoyuan is poised to become the nation’s first ecological issue to be put to a vote. Pan: The algal reef is like the “nourishing room of maritime life,” providing a similar function to that of corals. Taoyuan has two fishing ports, Chuwei (竹圍) and Yunan (永安), whose fishing industries are made possible because of the algal reefs. They had grown to about 70cm, evidence that the algal reef is a healthy ecosystem, where the fish eggs incubated... TT: You describe the Datan algal reefs as a world-class ecological asset.

TWSE-listed companies post 28 percent aggregate sales growthStaff writer, with CNAProduct sales by 946 companies listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE) rose 28.12 percent to NT$2.48 trillion (US$87.98 billion) last month from a year earlier, as many of them escaped of the doldrums caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, exchange data showed last week. Among the 946 firms, 639 reported year-on-year sales growth, while 307 reported a decline, the exchange said. Photo: Chen Yung-chi, Taipei TimesElectronics firms with wide product portfolios recorded the highest year-on-year sales growth to NT$436.3 billion, or an aggregate growth of 79.4 percent, the data showed. Shipping companies posted sales of NT$90 billion last month, up 55.71 percent from a year earlier, on the back of increased freight rates, the exchange said. In the electronic components industry, aggregate sales rose 45.85 percent to NT$124.4 billion, the data showed.

More firms to file reports in EnglishBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterA total of 657 companies listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE) and the Taipei Exchange (TPEX) are this year required to upload their annual reports in English before their annual shareholders’ meetings, the Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) said on Thursday. The requirements are stricter than last year, when the commission demanded that only companies with paid-in capital of NT$10 billion or more must prepare reports in English. Securities and Futures Bureau Deputy Director-General Tsai Li-ling speaks at a news conference in Taipei on Feb. 13, 2018. Photo: Kelson Wang, Taipei TimesAs a result, 657 firms — 518 TWSE-listed companies and 139 TPEX-listed firms — need to provide English-language reports this year, from 351 firms last year, the commission said. From 2023, all TWSE-listed companies and TPEX-listed firms with paid-in capital of NT$600 million would be required to have their annual reports in English for investors, Securities and Futures Bureau Deputy Director-General Tsai Li-ling (蔡麗玲) said.

Woman apologizes over faking pregnancy onlineStaff writer, with CNAA transgender Internet celebrity on Saturday apologized for faking a pregnancy, after weeks of controversy surrounding a photograph she posted on Instagram showing her with a protruding stomach. “I wish to express my deepest apologies to anyone who was misled by my actions,” Wang Yao (罔腰) wrote on Facebook, adding that she would be more careful in what she posts online. The entrance of the Kaohsiung Department of Health is pictured on Saturday. The Kaohsiung Department of Health launched an investigation to determine whether any hospital had breached the nation’s Regulations on Human Trials (人體試驗管理辦法) by carrying out an illegal uterine transplant. Despite the apology, the couple is being investigated for possible breaches of the Social Order Maintenance Act (社會秩序維護法), the department said.

Rules to release positive cases to be relaxed todayASYMPTOMATIC: People who test positive for COVID-19 overseas and those who test positive in quarantine may get out of isolation early, public health authorities said Modified standards to allow people who have tested positive for COVID-19, but have no symptoms, to be released from isolation after arriving from overseas are to be implemented today, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said yesterday. Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center, said that from today, asymptomatic individuals who test positive for COVID-19 after arriving in Taiwan would be divided into two groups. The first group is “arriving travelers who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 in other countries and later tested negative twice before entering Taiwan,” Chen said. He said that they would be released fromBy Lee I-chia

EDITORIAL: Lessons from the pineapple sagaIncreased orders for Taiwanese pineapples have helped the government overcome a crisis sparked by China’s ban on the fruit, but healthier agricultural policies are needed as “pineapple nationalism” ends. By comparison, the Australian Office Taipei was quiet, despite Wu’s reference to “freedom wine” promoted by Australia when he launched the pineapple initiative. Despite the Council of Agriculture’s subsidies for shipments and air cargo, it is never easy to sell agricultural products to markets other than China, which remains the main destination of Taiwan’s agricultural exports. Taiwan is known for its exceptional work developing cultivars, such as mango pineapples and peach wax apples introduced last year. To minimize the effect of market fluctuations, authorities should plan with growers in mind, rather than getting lost in agricultural politics.

Joint water shortage drill to be held in TaichungBy Su Meng-chuan and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe Taichung City Government and the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ Water Resources Agency are to hold a joint water shortage drill tomorrow, as it aims to prepare city residents to deal with possible water shortages. The decline in water levels nationwide due to a lack of rainfall has led to increasingly dire water shortage situations across the nation, prompting Taichung’s response. The drill would focus on establishing temporary water stations and systems that would guarantee that hospitals have emergency access to water, as well as filtering water sourced from construction sites, the city government said. Starting on Feb. 1, industrial water use has been reduced, while companies that continue to use a lot of water have been subject to weekly monitoring to clamp down and conserve water, the city government said. The city government urged residents to observe water-use guidelines and to use potable or tap water for cooking and drinking, and reclaimed water for general-purpose cleaning.

Chen, who heads the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC), made the remarks on the sidelines of the Taipei Traditional Chinese Medicine International Forum. Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung talks to reporters in Taipei yesterday. Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei TimesNoting that Palau has not had any confirmed COVID-19 cases, Chen said that all travelers from Taiwan would have to present a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test result from a Taiwanese hospital before boarding a plane to Palau. Chen reiterated that only group travel would be allowed to reduce contact with local residents. Taiwan yesterday reported no new domestic or imported COVID-19 cases.

Former presidential adviser Chiou Chwei-liang diesBy Lee Hsin-fang and Lin Chia-nan / Staff reportersThe government yesterday expressed grief over the death of former Presidential Office policy adviser Chiou Chwei-liang (邱垂亮), while highlighting his contributions to democracy as well as Taipei-Canberra ties. President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) was sorrowful to learn of Chiou’s passing, Presidential Office spokesman Xavier Chang (張惇涵) said in a statement. Former Presidential Office policy adviser Chiou Chwei-liang, who died in Australia yesterday, is pictured on May 27, 2004. Chiou was also committed to fostering talent and conserving Hakka culture, while contributing to advancing the Taiwan-Australia friendship, Chang said. In 2003, the Australian government awarded Chiou a medal, marking his special contributions, the ministry said.

Its faded, yellow exterior looks quite garish today, but in 1977 the design won first place in a national architectural competition. The temple had long ceased to be a place of worship by then, and until 1967 it was used by the Taiwan Garrison Command as a detention and interrogation center, mostly for political prisoners. PALACE OF HELLAn illustration of the Indian-style Higashi Honganji, which was built in 1936 and demolished in the 1970s to make way for the Shizilin Commercial Building. The first iteration of Higashi Honganji lasted just two years, burning down in 1930. The classical Indian-style structure, rarely seen in Taiwan, was erected in its place in 1936.

Businesses in Taipei tourist area refocus amid visitor slumpBy Yang Hsin-hui and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writerBusinesses in Taipei’s Shilin Night Market are planning to shift their focus to catering to students, after several businesses closed amid plummeting visitor numbers, the Taipei City Government said. Many businesses in the area are increasingly offering products and services to students at the area’s several schools and universities with a total of more than 100,000 students, Chen said. Photo: Yang Hsin-hui, Taipei Times“We are planning a management system for market vendors. The system would include a designated area for their stalls,” he said, adding that it would also include measures to increase pricing transparency. It is also working with the businesses to promote the area for domestic tourism, he added.

Dementia groups urge action amid surging incidentsBy Cheng Ming-hsiang and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerDementia advocacy groups yesterday urged the government and the public to take action against the rising number of incidents of people with dementia going missing, citing Taipei City Government statistics showing 179 incidents last year. Fang urged people with relatives with dementia to outfit them with tracker bracelets and install devices that prevent them from leaving home unaccompanied. There are about 8,700 people with dementia in Taipei, but the Taipei Department of Health has only received 1,751 applications for tracker bracelets, or a 20 percent uptake, the department said. Taiwan Alzheimer Disease Association secretary-general Tang Li-yu (湯麗玉) said that the families of people with dementia should adopt multiple measures, including updating the family member’s ID card with a recent photograph. Federation for the Welfare of the Elderly secretary-general Chang Shu-ching (張淑卿) said that tracker bracelets have over the past few years become safer and more fashionable.

Fees for rescues caused by neglect mulledBy Chien Hui-ju and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe Ministry of the Interior might support fees for people who are rescued by air in mountainous areas after minor or preventable hiking accidents, the ministry told lawmakers on Thursday. Hikers watch as a helicopter rescues a fellow hiker who fell down a slope and broke a leg in Nantou County on Feb. 17. “While there should not be a general charge for the services, those who abuse them should pay for it,” she said. DPP Legislator Lo Mei-ling (羅美玲) urged a user-pays principle, saying that this would help deter ill-prepared people from going into mountainous areas. DPP Legislator Wang Mei-hui (王美惠) said that the government should draft a bill introducing fees for hikers who neglectfully necessiate rescue missions.