Hon Hai teams up with SAP on enterprise AI adoption in Asia PacificStaff writer, with CNAHon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密), also known as Foxconn Technology Group (富士康科技集團), has set up a strategic partnership with business solution provider SAP SE to speed up the adoption of next generation enterprise artificial intelligence (AI) applications in the Asia Pacific region. Under a memorandum of understanding signed by Hon Hai chairman Young Liu (劉揚偉) and SAP chief executive officer Christian Klein, the two sides will bring their respective technologies to accelerate "go-to-market initiatives" across the Asia Pacific region. Hon Hai Precision Industry Co chairman Young Liu, left, and SAP SE chief executive officer Christian Klein pose for a photograph at Nvidia Corp's GPU Technology Conference in San Jose, California on Tuesday. Photo courtesy of Hon Hai Precision Industry CoAccording to Hon Hai, the two companies want to explore new co-innovation applications for physical AI, SAP's supply chain management and Hon Hai's smart manufacturing. At the Nvidia GTC, Hon Hai demonstrated its full-system AI server racks for Nvidia's Vera Rubin NVL72 platform and unveiled details about its industrial humanoid robots and scalable modular data centers.

Middle East war threatens Taiwan chip industry: BloombergBy Sam Garcia / Staff writer, with CNATaiwan has secured more than half of its liquefied natural gas (LNG) needs for May and crude oil supply through April, ensuring a steady power supply to support its semiconductor industry, which is threatened as the war in the Middle East stretches into a third week, Bloomberg News reported on Monday. Taiwan relies heavily on imports for its fuel, and its LNG reserves are only sufficient for 11 days, leaving it “especially vulnerable to supply disruptions,” Bloomberg said. For Taiwan, the key risk channel is not only oil prices, but physical gas availability, pricing, and delivery timing,” Goldman Sachs analysts told Bloomberg. It also secured crude oil for this month and next month, and is working on May shipments, he added. “Semiconductors is Taiwan’s strategic industry, we will make sure that the power supply to chip plants is stable,” he told Bloomberg.

Taichung mayor says defense, tariffs discussed during US tripStaff writer, with CNATariffs and military preparedness were among the key issues discussed by Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) during her trip to the US, she said yesterday. Taichung Mayor Liu Shiow-yen speaks in an undated photograph. Her meetings during the trip exceeded expectations, with in-depth discussions on a wide range of issues, Lu said. Among those she met with was Ingrid Larson, managing director of the American Institute in Taiwan's Washington office, whom she described as "an old friend." The program aims to provide one-stop services for overseas Taiwanese seeking to invest, purchase property or settle in Taichung, Lu said.

MOFA to retaliate if S Korea does not fix Taiwan’s name on travel systemBy Hollie Younger / Staff writer, with CNAThe Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) today said that if South Korea does not reply appropriately to its request to correct Taiwan’s name on its e-Arrival card system before March 31, it would take corresponding measures to alter how South Korea is labeled on the online Taiwan Arrival Card system. South Korea’s e-Arrival card system lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan)” in the “point of departure” and “next destination” fields. Photo: Taipei Times file photoSouth Korea established the e-Arrival card system in February last year. The ministry and Taiwan’s representative office in South Korea have appealed to Seoul to replace the name as soon as possible. Taiwan and South Korea have long maintained close relations and exchanges in trade, culture and tourism, it added.

Alishan hotel fire forces dozens to evacuateBy Wang Shan-yan and Sam Garcia / Staff reporter, with staff writerA fire broke out at the Kaofeng Hotel in the Alishan National Forest Recreation Area at about 11pm yesterday, prompting more than 180 guests and staff to evacuate it and a neighboring hotel. The blaze reportedly started on the third floor of the hotel and spread quickly, with thick smoke affecting the adjacent Wunsun Hotel. People evacuate from the Kaofeng Hotel in the Alishan National Forest Recreation Area late last night. The fire began in a storage room on the third floor used for hotel supplies, Kaofeng Hotel manager Chen Kun-mao (陳昆茂) said. Although the neighboring Wunsun Hotel did not catch fire, its interior was damaged by high temperatures and smoke, and it would require renovations, Wunsun Hotel manager Liao Ching-tai (廖景泰) said.

Nine meters of fishing net found in dead leatherback turtleStaff writer, with CNAAn autopsy yesterday found that a 280kg leatherback turtle that died following surgery on Monday had 9m of fishing net in its digestive tract and showed conditions consistent with an internal obstruction. The turtle was on Saturday rescued from a set-net fishing ground near Gengfang Fishing Harbor in Yilan County, the Taiwan Cetacean Society said. A leatherback turtle, found in Yilan County, undergoes surgery to remove a fishing net from its digestive tract on Monday. Veterinary surgeons performed endoscopic surgery on it on Monday evening, removing a 1.6m section of net from the turtle's digestive tract. Leatherback turtles are the world's largest sea turtles and are listed as an endangered species in Taiwan.

PLA sends 8 vessels, 24 aircraft across median lineBy Hollie Younger / Staff writer, with CNAEight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. A Chinese fighter jet flies in an undated photograph. Photo courtesy of the Ministry of National DefenseEight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.

Hsinchu substation fire death toll rises to twoStaff writer, with CNAA second person has died after a fire at the Zhuyuan Extra High Voltage Substation in Hsinchu City on Monday, police and fire personnel said yesterday. Three people working at the site were injured and sent to hospital, and two of them have now been pronounced dead. Prosecutors, fire investigators and police yesterday collected evidence at the site, Hsinchu District Prosecutors’ Office head prosecutor Huang Chen-lun (黃振倫) said. Authorities yesterday inspect the Zhuyuan Extra High Voltage Substation in Hsinchu City following a deadly fire the previous day. Firefighting operations have been completed and crews have withdrawn, with follow-up work handed over to fire investigators, authorities said.

Iran war not delaying US weapons shipments to Taiwan, officials sayReutersThe war on Iran has not delayed shipments of weapons to Taiwan or changed US policy toward the nation, officials from US President Donald ‌Trump's administration told US Congress members yesterday, despite the demands of the intense air campaign. A Taiwan national flag flies on an overpass ahead of National Day celebrations in Taipei on Oct. 8 last year. Photo: ReutersThere was already a multibillion-dollar backlog of US arms shipments to Taiwan before the Iran war started. Taiwan was one of the issues expected to be discussed by the two leaders. At the hearing, committee Chairman Brian Mast and other Republicans accused Democrats of delaying crucial assistance to important allies as they face international threats.

Cannabis of little benefit for mental disorders: researchReutersCannabis-based medicines have shown little evidence of effectiveness for treating most mental health and substance-use disorders, according to a large review of past studies published in a major medical journal on Monday. Photo: ReutersThe studies assessed cannabinoids as a primary treatment for mental disorders or substance-use disorders. Overall, the review found no significant benefit for several conditions commonly cited as reasons for medical cannabis use, including anxiety disorders, psychotic disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder and opioid-use disorder. The study authors found no randomized controlled trials evaluating cannabinoids for depression, highlighting a major gap in the evidence base, they said. “We clearly need to do more research on medical cannabis, particularly for those conditions that have limited alternative treatments,” Wilson said.

Gene variant leads to faster cognitive decline: researchBy Lin Chih-yi and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerOlder people who carry the apolipoprotein E epsilon-4 allele (APOE e4) gene experience a significantly faster decline in cognitive function, particularly after the age of 70, research released on Monday by the National Health Research Institutes said. The study found that cognitive function declines with age regardless of genetic background, but the decline is significantly faster among people who carry the APOE e4 gene. By age 65, most already show abnormal amyloid plaque buildup in the brain, with many beginning to exhibit signs of cognitive decline, she said. The study also found no clear evidence during the observation period that other non-APOE genetic risk factors had a measurable impact on cognitive decline, she added. The study, “APOE e4 and Accelerated Cognitive Decline Among Cognitively Healthy Middle-Aged and Older Adults,” was published on March 6 on the JAMA Network Open.

Venezuela, US to clash in WBC final‘THAT’S US’: Before each WBC game, Venezuelan players gather around a drum in the dugout for the tambor, coastal Afro-Venezuelan music and danceAP, MIAMIVenezuelan players on Monday night danced in the dugout before the first pitch, then pranced past Italy and into their nation’s first World Baseball Classic (WBC) final. Players celebrated in the clubhouse before quickly turning focus to the final. Venezuelan players celebrate after defeating Italy in their World Baseball Classic semi-final in Miami on Monday. “We have to show the world who Venezuela is.”Before each WBC game, Venezuelan players gather around a drum in the dugout for the tambor, coastal Afro-Venezuelan music and dance. As Venezuelans jumped and screamed, Italy players spent 10 minutes in front of their dugout hugging each other and saluting fans.

Singapore Airlines adding four more flights to TaipeiINCREASED CAPACITY: The flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays would leave Singapore in the morning and Taipei in the afternoon Singapore Airlines is adding four supplementary flights to Taipei per week until May to meet increased tourist and business travel demand, the carrier said on Friday. The addition would raise the number of weekly flights it operates to Taipei to 18, Singapore Airlines Taiwan general manager Timothy Ouyang (歐陽漢源) said. The airline has recorded a steady rise in tourist and business travel to and from Taipei, and aims to provide more flexible travel arrangements for passengers, said Ouyang, who assumed the post in July last year. From now until Saturday next week, four additional flights would depart from Singapore on Monday, Wednesday, FridayBy Shelley Shan

Study reveals breast cancer-DEHP link20-YEAR STUDY: High exposure to the widely used plasticizer, metabolic susceptibility and onset of menstruation before age 14 increases breast cancer risks by seven timesBy Yang Mien-chieh / Staff reporterA 20-year follow-up study showed that high exposure to the plasticizer di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), metabolic susceptibility and early menarche can increase breast cancer risk by up to seven times among women, Academia Sinica said yesterday. A graphic from Academia Sinica’s Genomics Research Center’s research on breast cancer risk is pictured in an undated photograph. Women with high MEHP% and high exposure to DEHP are 2.68 times more likely to develop breast cancer, she said. When combined with the risk factor of early onset of menstruation (under 14 years old), the risk of developing breast cancer rises to 7.52 times, she said. Local and international studies have not yet recognized the importance of MEHP%, so this discovery offers a new entry point for future breast cancer risk assessment, she added.

Supreme Court upholds two-year sentence for man in infant son’s deathStaff writer, with CNAThe Supreme Court yesterday upheld a two-year prison sentence for a man who caused the death of his four-month-old son by putting a pillow on his face to stop him from crying and then hid the baby’s body for six years. The Supreme Court in Taipei is pictured in an undated photograph. The pair did not report the baby’s death and instead kept his body in a suitcase in their home. The High Court said the lower court’s ruling had overlooked Huang’s harmful behavior and his likely intent to obstruct authorities regarding his son’s death. Although Huang appealed the ruling, the Supreme Court’s dismissal means that the verdict is final.