The heads of two new ministries, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of the Environment, have been selected and are to take office when they officially launch next month, Executive Yuan spokesman Lin Tze-luen (林子倫) said yesterday.
Council of Agriculture Minister Chen Chi-chung (陳吉仲) is set to lead the agriculture ministry from its inauguration on Aug. 1, while National Chung Hsing University (NCHU) president Hsueh Fu-cheng (薛富盛) is to lead the environment ministry when it launches on Aug. 22.
Environmental Protection Administration Minister Chang Tzi-chin (張子敬) is not to assume the upgraded version of his post, as he believes he has achieved all he wanted to with the administration and has no intention of taking up the new post, Lin said.
Photo: Hua Meng-ching, Taipei Times
Instead, he is to become a minister without portfolio, he said.
Lin said that Hsueh’s credentials for the job include a doctorate in Materials Science and Engineering from Cornell University, alongside his previous positions such as heading NCHU’s College of Engineering and Office of Research and Development.
Hsueh has also served as a materials engineering convener for the National Science and Technology Council’s Department of Engineering and Technologies, Lin said.
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A cat named Mikan (蜜柑) has brought in revenue of more than NT$10 million (US$305,390) for the Kaohsiung MRT last year. Mikan, born on April 4, 2020, was a stray cat before being adopted by personnel of Kaohsiung MRT’s Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station. Mikan was named after a Japanese term for mandarin orange due to his color and because he looks like an orange when curled up. He was named “station master” of Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station in September 2020, and has since become famous. With Kaohsiung MRT’s branding, along with the release of a set of cultural and creative products, station master Mikan
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