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.

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

The kill line is a dangerous place to be. Illustration: Mountain PeopleIn the past few months, Chinese media have been flooded with discussion of the so-called “kill line” in US society. The social media posts, news articles, podcasts and blogs describe a vision of the US as a dystopian capitalist hell. Promoting the supposed “kill line” in the US could be one helpful distraction. Commentators who have tried to draw a more explicit link between the kill line meme and China’s domestic problems have been swiftly censored.

Sri Lanka declares four-day weekCONSERVING FUEL: State institutions are to operate only four days a week starting tomorrow, with the measures also applying to schools and universitiesAFP, COLOMBOSri Lanka on Monday announced a shorter working week to conserve its scarce fuel reserves as it prepares for a prolonged war in the Middle East. Sri Lankan Commissioner-General of Essential Services Prabath Chandrakeerthi said state institutions would operate only four days a week starting tomorrow. Sri Lanka imports all of its oil and also buys coal for electricity generation. Sri Lanka buys refined petroleum products from Singapore, Malaysia and South Korea, while crude oil for its Iran-built refinery is sourced from the Middle East. Sri Lanka defaulted on its US$46 billion foreign debt in 2022 after the country ran out of foreign exchange.

Taiwan’s overdue name changeBy Rath Wang 王健智Taiwanese pragmatism has long been praised when it comes to addressing Chinese attempts to erase Taiwan from the international stage. “Taipei” and the even more inaccurate and degrading “Chinese Taipei,” imposed titles required to participate in international events, are loathed by Taiwanese. Not only does it hamper Taiwan’s efforts to project its soft power, it also warps the international perception of Taiwan, severely restricting countries from aiding Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack. Throughout history the power of public perception has influenced democracies. That was evident at the World Baseball Classic, where Taiwan must compete as “Chinese Taipei” at the behest of China.

As Trump acts with open contempt for international law, China is taking notes. The Cuba model, in particular, offers a useful blueprint for Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) to apply in pursuing his “historic mission” of “reunification” with Taiwan. The suffering is the point: It is the lever Trump is using to apply pressure to the regime, whose fall, Trump glibly maintains, is imminent. Like Cuba, Taiwan would face blackouts, which would disrupt its water and healthcare systems. Each step appears insufficient to justify a major military response.

Andrew and Mandelson pictured with EpsteinSCANDAL: Other images discovered earlier show Andrew bent over a female and lying across the laps of a number of women, while Mandelson is pictured in his underpants A photograph of former British prince Andrew and veteran politician Peter Mandelson sitting in bathrobes alongside late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was unearthed on Friday in previously published documents. The image is believed to be the first known photograph of the two men with Epstein. They are currently engulfed in scandal in the UK over their ties to their mutual friend. The undated photograph, first reported by ITV News, shows King Charles III’s disgraced brother and former British ambassador to the US sitting barefoot outside on a wooden deck. They appear to have mugs with a US flag on them

Traffic fines going the wrong directionBy Lin Chin-kuo 林進國From 2022 to last year, traffic fine revenues from the six special municipalities have continued to rise, news reports said. New Taipei collected a total of NT$3.65 million, Taipei NT$3.1 billion, Taichung NT$3.05 billion, Tainan NT$1.75 billion and Kaohsiung NT$2.5 billion. Traffic fines imposed in Taiwan exceed NT$30 billion annually. Finally, the issue of traffic fines being incorporated as a source of local government revenue should be reassessed. The central government has a responsibility to revise and reform this system so that traffic enforcement refocuses on maintaining safety and order.

Trump’s war jolts global central banksDAMAGE REPORT: Global central banks are assessing war-driven inflation risks as the law of unintended consequences careens around the world, spiking oil prices Central banks from Washington to London and from Jakarta to Taipei are about to make their first assessments of economic damage after more than two weeks of conflict between the US and Iran. Decisions this week encompassing every member of the G7 and eight of the world’s 10 most-traded currency jurisdictions are likely to confirm to investors that the specter of a new inflation shock is already worrying enough to prompt heightened caution. The US Federal Reserve is widely expected to do exactly what everyone anticipated weeks ahead of its March 17-18 policy gathering: hold rates steady. The narrative surrounding that

Memory chip crunch to persist until 2030, SK Group chairman saysBloombergA global shortage of memory chips is likely to persist another four to five years because of endemic constraints in semiconductor production, SK Group chairman Chey Tae-won said on Monday. Leading players such as SK Hynix Inc are expanding capacity but they’re unlikely to fully sate demand till around 2030, said Chey, whose company controls the chipmaker. SK Hynix, Samsung Electronics Co and Micron Technology Inc together dominate the supply of memory chips globally. Nvidia Corp chief executive officer Jensen Huang, left, and SK Group chairman Chey Tae-won attend the Nvidia GTC event in San Jose, California, on Monday. SK Hynix is preparing to outline measures to help stabilize prices, Chey added, without elaborating.

Order visibility unaffected by Mideast war, Eclat saysBy Chen Cheng-hui / Staff reporterEclat Textile Co (儒鴻) yesterday said it has an order visibility of about six months, with the next quarter relatively clear, despite rising uncertainty over conflicts in the Middle East. Geopolitical tensions have triggered fluctuations in raw material prices, a situation the company continues to monitor closely, Eclat president Hung Jui-ting (洪瑞廷) told an earnings conference in Taipei. Eclat Textile Co president Hung Jui-ting, right, speaks next to vice president of finance and accounting Tiffany Lin at an earnings conference in Taipei yesterday. Eclat aims to maintain monthly revenue above NT$3 billion this year and is “cautiously optimistic” about achieving full-year revenue of NT$39.74 billion, a record set in 2022, Hung said. The company guided its gross margin to between 28 and 32 percent this year, compared with 28.64 percent last year.