Tue, May 07, 2024 page3

• Taiwan News Quick Take

  • Staff writer, with CNA
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  SEISMOLOGY

  Two 5.9 quakes hit Hualien

  Two earthquakes measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale yesterday afternoon shook eastern Taiwan seven minutes apart, the Central Weather Administration, said. The first quake hit at 5:45pm, with its epicenter 26km south of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 15.6km, agency data showed. The temblor’s intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, was greatest in Hualien, Taitung and Nantou counties, where it measured 4 on Taiwan’s seven-tier scale. The intensity was 3 in Taichung, Tainan, Chiayi City, and Yilan, Chiayi, Yunlin and Changhua counties. The second quake occurred at 5:52pm, with its epicenter 27.8km south of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 16.1km. Its intensity was greatest in Hualien and Nantou counties, where it measured 4. No immediate damage or injuries were reported.

  POLITICS

  Itu Aba visit postponed

  Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ma Wen-chun (馬文君), convener of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, yesterday said that a visit by 20 opposition lawmakers to Itu Aba Island (Taiping Island, 太平島) planned for Thursday next week would be postponed due to concerns that weather conditions might prevent them from returning for a plenary session the following day. The visit might be rescheduled to Saturday next week, she said. A number of bills including legislation proposed by KMT lawmakers to make contempt of the legislature a punishable offense and institutionalize an annual “state of the nation” address by the president to the Legislative Yuan are slated for review on Friday next week and might be put to a vote that day.

  TRANSPORTATION

  MRT repairs to cost NT$400m

  Independent reviewers estimate it would cost more than NT$400 million (US$12.37 million) to reinforce sections of the MRT Circular Line (Yellow Line) after damage from a massive earthquake on April 3, the New Taipei City Government said yesterday. During the quake, which measured 7.2 on the Richter scale, 11 sections of the rail line between Jhonghe (中和) and Banciao (板橋) districts shifted up to 92cm. Damage was more serious than initial estimates, with city officials late last month saying it would take at least a year to repair. Reinforcements have been put in place to ensure stability, as frequent aftershocks continue, New Taipei City Department of Rapid Transit Systems Director Lee Cheng-an (李政安) said. Experts estimate that an additional NT$400 million is needed to reinforce the line, Lee said.

  TECHNOLOGY

  ITRI wins at Edison Awards

  The Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) won four medals — one gold and three silver — at last month’s Edison Awards, which honor the world’s most innovative new products, services and business leaders. In the Health, Medical and Biotech category, its novel dual-targeted therapy for glaucoma won gold, the institute said, adding that its drug is about three times more effective than current medications. The ITRI’s “key functional cell identity” technology, which helps to identify potent therapeutic cells to create a stem-cell bank won silver, it said. The bank can be used to develop cell therapy products able to treat more than 40 medical conditions, such as myocardial infarction and diabetes, it said. The two other silver medals were won in the Engineering and Robotics and the Resilient and Sustainable Solutions categories.
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