MILITARY
Launch no threat: MND
A Chinese launch vehicle carrying a satellite flew over southern Taiwan yesterday afternoon, but it presented no threat to the country, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said. The rocket was launched at 3pm from Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan, China, and it had already left the atmosphere when it passed over Taiwan, the ministry said, adding that it had been closely monitoring the launch, and tracking the real-time information using its intelligence and surveillance systems. It made the information public on Friday to inform Taiwanese about the imminent launch, it said. On Jan. 8, the ministry for the first time sent out a nationwide alert about a Chinese satellite launch. However, the message over the national SMS alert system caused alarm due to an English mistranslation saying: “Missile flyover Taiwan airspace.” The text message advised the public to report any debris to authorities. The ministry later apologized for failing to indicate in English that it was a satellite, not a missile.
SOCIETY
Leave program draws 89
A total of 89 public and private-sector units have joined a pilot program for flexible parental leave, which allows employees to apply for leave five or seven days beforehand, the Ministry of Labor said yesterday. At the launch of the small-scale program on May 9, the ministry invited entities from the public and private sectors to submit their plans by the end of last month to offer flexible leave rules. Ministry official Huang Wei-chen (黃維琛) yesterday said that 89 small and medium-sized enterprises had signed up and plan to stay with the program until the end of the year. Most of those that registered allow employees to apply for parental leave five or seven days prior, but a few companies allow leave to be decided on a daily basis, Huang said. To address human resources issues that could arise from short notice, the program stipulates that employees should submit applications for parental leave in writing at least five days in advance, but some participants are able to be much more flexible, he said. The ministry would collect feedback from the participants on insights gained during the pilot program and any difficulties encountered, he added.
HEALTHCARE
Panadol prices to rise
The price of Panadol, an over-the-counter painkiller, would increase by NT$10 to NT$15 from next month, the General Medical Practitioners’ Association said on Friday. GlaxoSmithKline, the manufacturer of the product, attributed the price hike to the rising cost of raw materials and increased transportation costs, association chairwoman Shen Tsai-ying (沈采穎) told reporters at a media event. Panadol is one of GlaxoSmithKline’s trade names for paracetamol or acetaminophen, a non-opioid analgesic and antipyretic agent used to treat fever, and mild to moderate pain. With the price hike, other major drugmakers are likely to follow suit, Shen said. People looking to buy painkillers often choose Panadol at their local drugstores, but do not have to stick to a certain brand, she said, adding that other brands that contain acetaminophen, but are not big on marketing, usually cost 50 percent less. The Panadol price hike does not affect the National Health Insurance’s pricing policy, she said. Shen said that she has not heard of other companies looking to hike the price of their drugs next month, but with increases in Taiwan’s electricity rates and the salary of pharmacists, local consumers will likely have to pay more for medicine.
A relatively large earthquake may strike within the next two weeks, following a magnitude 5.2 temblor that shook Taitung County this morning, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. An earthquake struck at 8:18am today 10.2km west of Taitung County Hall in Taitung City at a relatively shallow depth of 6.5km, CWA data showed. The largest intensity of 4 was felt in Taitung and Pingtung counties, which received an alert notice, while areas north of Taichung did not feel any shaking, the CWA said. The earthquake was the result of the collision between the Philippine Plate and the Eurasian Plate, the agency said, adding
Snow fell in the mountainous areas of northern, central and eastern Taiwan in the early hours of yesterday, as cold air currents moved south. In the northern municipality of Taoyuan, snow started falling at about 6am in Fusing District (復興), district head Su Tso-hsi (蘇佐璽) said. By 10am, Lalashan National Forest Recreation Area, as well as Hualing (華陵), Sanguang (三光) and Gaoyi (高義) boroughs had seen snowfall, Su said. In central Taiwan, Shei-Pa National Park in Miaoli County and Hehuanshan National Forest Recreation Area in Nantou County saw snowfall of 5cm and 6cm respectively, by 10am, staff at the parks said. It began snowing
HOLIDAY EXERCISE: National forest recreation areas from north to south offer travelers a wide choice of sights to connect with nature and enjoy its benefits Hiking is a good way to improve one’s health, the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency said, as it released a list of national forest recreation areas that travelers can visit during the Lunar New Year holiday. Taking a green shower of phytoncides in the woods could boost one’s immunity system and metabolism, agency Director-General Lin Hwa-ching (林華慶) cited a Japanese study as saying. For people visiting northern Taiwan, Lin recommended the Dongyanshan National Forest Recreation Area in Taoyuan’s Fusing District (復興). Once an important plantation in the north, Dongyanshan (東眼山) has a number of historic monuments, he said. The area is broadly covered by
COMMUNITY SPIRIT: As authorities were busy with post-typhoon cleanups elsewhere, residents cleaned fallen leaves and cut small fallen trees blocking the hiking trails All hiking trails damaged by Typhoon Kong-rey have been repaired and has reopened for people who want a refreshing hike in Taipei during the Lunar New Year holiday, a city official said. The Taipei Basin is known for its easily accessible hiking trails. It has more than 130 trails combined into the 92km-long Taipei Grand Trail, which was divided into seven major routes when it was launched by the Taipei City Government in 2018. Last year, a part of the sixth route of the Grand Trail collapsed due to Typhoon Kong-rey, which hit Taiwan in October. The damaged section belongs to one
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