Researchers say plastic issue may be generationalBy Yang Yuan-ting and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerExposure to microplastics might drastically reduce the survivability of marine organisms through harm done to subsequent generations, Taipei-based researchers said yesterday. The paper, titled “Intergenerational microplastics impact the intertidal barnacle Amphibalanus amphitrite during the planktonic larval and benthic adult stages,” said that barnacles exposed to microplastics had prominent intergenerational effects, although the researchers found no within-generation effects. Academia Sinica researcher Benny Chan, left, poses for a photograph with other researchers in Taipei yesterday. “Adverse intergenerational effects of microplastics might drastically reduce larval recruitment and threaten long-term zooplankton sustainability,” the researchers wrote. An additional 28 percent stems from tire wear and 24 percent is contributed by plastic waste floating at sea, he said.

Study traces ancient Taiwanese sailorsTAIWAN TO RYUKYU: Paleolithic seafarers might have deliberately set sail, as drifting in the ocean would not have led them to Japan’s Ryukyu Islands, a new study foundBy Lin Chia-nan / Staff reporterAbout 30,000 years ago, ancient inhabitants of Taiwan might have intentionally crossed the Kuroshio, one of the world’s strongest currents, researchers found. Then, I ... came across the idea of using the tracking buoys,” Kaifu wrote in an e-mail to the Taipei Times. Of the 16 buoys that drifted past the Philippine main island of Luzon, only one drifted toward the Ryukyu Islands, they found. The ancient sailors could not have reached the Ryukyu Islands through random drifting, whereas bad weather conditions, although occasionally bringing some buoys closer to the islands, are unlikely to have been used by the ancient seafarers, Jan said. Yonaguni Island, the westernmost of the Ryukyu Islands, is in good weather conditions visible from some mountains in eastern Taiwan, he added.

KMT lawmaker files charges with police against SuBy Liu Ching-hou, Huang Hsin-po and Jake Chung / Staff reporters, with staff writerChinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislative Yuan Convener Lin Wei-chou (林為州) yesterday filed charges against Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) for allegedly spreading false information related to statements on US pork imports, police said. Premier Su Tseng-chang gestures while speaking at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday. Su does not have legislative immunity and his comments constitute spreading false information, Lin said. The Executive Yuan yesterday issued a statement calling for the KMT not to twist Su’s words and mislead the public. “They never mentioned ‘pork importers support the importation of pork with ractopamine,’” Li said, adding that Legislative Yuan recordings would be opened for review.

Executive Yuan looks to rein in real-estate marketBy Lee Hsin-fang and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe Executive Yuan yesterday proposed measures to help rein in real-estate prices, which have spiked due to “hot money” pouring into the local market. Su said that housing is for residential purposes and should not become a commodity, Executive Yuan Secretary-General Li Meng-yen (李孟諺) told a news conference after the meeting. The ministry has also been tasked with amending the registration system of actual real-estate transaction prices to include individual units, instead of just general transactions, it said. Measures to evade real-estate sales or purchasing taxes should also be investigated, it added. If necessary, the central bank should intervene, while the Financial Supervisory Commission should also step up its reviews of real-estate loans to prevent speculation, the Executive Yuan said.

Ten win NT$10m in lotteryStaff writer, with CNATen people won the NT$10 million (US$348,821) special prize in the September-to-October uniform invoice lottery, the Ministry of Finance said on Wednesday. Sixteen people won the grand prize of NT$2 million. Photo: Allen Wu, Taipei TimesThe winning number for the NT$10 million prize was 42024723, and the NT$2 million grand prize number was 64157858. As for the July-to-August uniform invoice lottery, six winners of the NT$10 million special prize and 10 for the NT$2 million prize have yet to claim their winnings, the ministry said, adding that the deadline for claiming the money is Jan. 5. The uniform invoice lottery system, which draws winning numbers every two months, is aimed at encouraging people to collect their receipts as part of the ministry’s efforts to prevent tax evasion by retailers.

President praises Facebook for help amid the pandemicStaff writer, with CNAFacebook Inc has played an “important” role in Taiwan’s epidemic prevention efforts, which has contributed to a stable domestic economy, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday. Speaking at the virtual launch of the Facebook Made by Taiwan 2020 program, Tsai said that it has been five years since the US company established its Taiwan headquarters. During that time, Facebook has become an “important partner” of the government and an “indispensable part” of many people’s lives, Tsai said. The company’s social media platforms have helped promote Taiwan’s epidemic prevention model abroad and “let people all over the world know that ‘Taiwan can help,’” she said. The launch of Facebook Made by Taiwan 2020 follows a talent cultivation initiative — Made by Taiwan, Loved by the World — which the company launched in 2016.

The joint venture consists of a hotel with 260 guestrooms under the Nikko Hotel brand and a residential building with 227 apartments, company officials said. “It is the first time Continental Development will have a presence in Kaohsiung and it will not be the last time, as the southern city has gained rapid headway in attracting business,” Continental Development chairman Christopher Chang (張良吉) told a signing ceremony in Kaohsiung. Continental Development Corp chairman Christopher Chang, third right, Hiyes International Co chairman Huang Hsi-wen, second right, and Hiyes president Wang Chun-chieh, right, pose at a news conference in Kaohsiung yesterday. Okura Nikko Hotel Management Co, which manages properties under the Okura Hotels & Resorts, Hotel JAL City and Nikko Hotels International brands, has agreed to launch the Nikko Hotel Kaohsiung, which might start operations in 2023. The Nikko Hotel Kaohsiung and top-grade but affordable apartments would become the port city’s next spotlight, Chang said.

Noise pollution fines for vehicles start on Jan. 1Staff writer, with CNAEffective Jan. 1, vehicle owners can be fined if they breach new noise pollution standards, the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) said on Tuesday. New noise pollution controls using high-tech fixed and mobile “noise cameras” are being installed nationwide, the agency said. Tsai Meng-yu, director-general of the Environmental Protection Administration’s Department of Air Quality Protection and Noise Control, speaks at a news conference in Taipei on Tuesday about the government’s plan to install vehicle noise detection cameras. Noise control punishments would not apply to emergency vehicles, such as fire trucks and ambulances, Tsai said. There are currently 36 “noise cameras” across the nation, he said, adding that the agency is to deploy more in vehicle noise “hot spots” next year, Tsai said.

TWSE, TPEx to launch two new trading boardsBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterThe Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE) and the Taipei Exchange (TPEx) are to launch two new trading boards in July at the earliest to help local and foreign start-ups, as well as biotech companies with great potential, raise capital and gain public awareness, the Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) said yesterday. From left, Securities a nd Futures Bureau Deputy Director Sam Chang, Financial Supervisory Commission chairman Thomas Huang and Taiwan Stock Exchange president Chien Lih-chung attend a news conference in New Taipei City yesterday. STRATEGIC BOARDThe TPEX is to launch its Strategic Board, with companies allowed to apply to list if they receive recommendations from two securities brokers, TPEX chief executive officer Edith Lee (李愛玲) said. Securities brokers would be punished by the TPEX if they help applicants hide information or give false statements in a public prospectus, Lee said. The FSC aims to have 10 companies listed on each of the two boards within a year of their launches, Chang said.

Health firms showcase innovationsTECH FOCUS: AU Optronics unveiled a high-resolution surgery display and Taipei Medical University Hospital presented a contactless COVID-19 treatment platformBy Angelica Oung / Staff reporterMore than 500 exhibitors are showcasing their latest innovations at the Taiwan HealthCare Expo, which began at the Nangang Exhibition Center in Taipei yesterday. Tech companies developing smart medicine products are represented alongside medical supply and pharmaceutical companies, and hospitals. A Hiwin Technologies Co representative, left, introduces the company’s robotic gait training system to visitors at the Nangang Exhibition Center’s Hall 1 on the opening day of the Taiwan Healthcare Expo yesterday. President Tsai Ing-wen speaks at the Taiwan Healthcare Expo at the Nangang Exhibition Center’s Hall 1 in Taipei yesterday. “The supply chain realignments we have seen this year present a chance for Taiwan to become better positioned,” she said.

Pork importers say no to ractopamineWINNING SOLUTION? Hua Han Frozen Food Co Ltd (華漢冷凍食品) manager Lee Chun-lai (李春來) told the news conference that the companies would only import ractopamine-free pork and pork products, so consumers could rest easy. Representatives of nearly 80 pork importers hold placards at a news conference in Taipei yesterday pledging not to import any US pork products containing traces of ractopamine. The importers’ statement was a “win-win-win scenario” for consumers, hog farmers and pork importers, Council of Agriculture Deputy Minister Huang Chin-cheng (黃金城) told reporters when asked for comment. Most of Taiwan’s imports of pork and pork products come from Canada, followed by Spain, the US (without ractopamine residue) and Denmark, government data showed.

Skipped quarantine sees EVA crew axedRULES IGNORED: CDC Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang said that crew members who break the rules would be required to complete the full 14-day quarantineBy Shelley Shan / Staff reporterThree EVA Airways flight attendants were fired last month and this month after they failed to follow the government’s quarantine requirements. While on flight duty, crew members must wear nitrile medical gloves, protective gear, masks and goggles, it said, adding that they are prohibited from interacting with locals at their destination, but must stay in their hotel and dine with other crew members. Airline supervisors at overseas destinations randomly check on the crew at their hotel and remind them to compy with the government’s disease prevention measures, EVA Air said, adding that crew must undergo a five-day home quarantine upon their return to Taiwan. As a result, cabin crew members do not need to quarantine for 14 days whenever they re-enter Taiwan, it added. Due to the special nature of their jobs, prevention measures for crew members on Taiwanese carriers are managed by the airline, he said.

Analysts positive on King Yuan Electronics’ outlookBy Chen Cheng-hui / Staff reporterAnalysts are positive on IC testing service provider King Yuan Electronics Co’s (京元電子) outlook due to its customers’ commitment to communication chips and complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) image sensors. King Yuan also counts Qualcomm Inc, Xilinx Inc and Nvidia Corp among its customers. A car is parked outside the headquarters of King Yuan Electronics Co in Hsinchu in an undated photograph. King Yuan shares closed 2.05 percent higher at NT$34.9 in Taipei on Friday, hitting its highest since Aug. 18. King Yuan reported cumulative revenue of NT$24.26 billion (US$842.04 million) in the first 10 months of the year, up 16.83 percent from NT$20.76 billion a year earlier.

Chen, who heads the center, was speaking to the media on the sidelines of a Taiwan Foundation for Rare Disorders scholarship award ceremony in Taipei. Passengers from the Philippines wait to go through border quarantine measures carried out by Centers for Disease Control staff at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport yesterday. Asked to comment on public concern that travelers would need to take another PCR test if their scheduled flight is suddenly canceled, Chen said that would be an exceptional condition, so the traveler would not need to take another test or face a fine. Meanwhile, Chuang said that three Indonesian women who came to Taiwan to work have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the number of cases in the country to 651. Two of them did not experience symptoms in Taiwan, but tested positive in a mandatory test taken on Friday before leaving centralized quarantine, Chuang said.

KMT warns Tsai, weighs more anti-US pork protest‘PUBLIC ANGER’: The party is united in opposing the government, but respects different opinions on what forms of protest are appropriate, the KMT chairman saidBy Sherry Hsiao / Staff reporterThe Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday called on the government to reverse course on the lifting of a ban on US pork imports containing residues of ractopamine, warning that its supporters would otherwise again take to the streets. Chiang’s comments came after the KMT and its supporters on Sunday last week participated in a labor rights protest in Taipei, calling on the government to not allow imports of US pork containing residues of the animal feed additive. Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Johnny Chiang, front row third left, cuts a cake at the party’s Taichung chapter office yesterday. Photo: Su Meng-chuan, Taipei TimesTens of thousands of people marched on the street that day, Chiang said. Chiang last week also invited President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to a televised debate on the issue.