MOTC to standardize pedestrian signalsBy Wu Liang-yi and Hollie Younger / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe Ministry of Transportations and Communications (MOTC) today said it is to standardize pedestrian signals nationwide instead of abolishing the "little green man" signal. Pedestrians cross the road on a green signal in Taipei in an undated photograph. Photo: Taipei TimesThe ministry yesterday announced amendments to Article 207 of the Regulations on Establishing Traffic Signs and Indicating Lines (道路交通標誌標線號誌設置規則) that would clarify the meaning of a flashing green pedestrian signal. According to Article 207 of the regulations, a steady green pedestrian signal indicates that pedestrians may cross, while a flashing green light means the remaining time is short. Contravening the regulations can result in a fine of NT$500 under Article 78 of the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例).

Majority of Taiwanese willing to ‘resist at all costs’ in China invasion without US help: surveyBy Hollie Younger / Staff writer, with CNAAround 60 percent of Taiwanese would be willing to resist “at all costs” if China attacks Taiwan and the US does not deploy its military to help, according to Academia Sinica’s Institute of European and American Studies’ “American Portrait” survey. The survey showed that 58.7 percent of respondents would be willing to resist Chinese invasion “at all costs” even if the US does not deploy any military forces to help Taiwan. Among them, the percentage of respondents who responded “definitely” was 41.2 percent, while those who responded “probably” were 17.5 percent, data showed. However, if the US were to deploy military forces, 56.5 percent would then be willing to “resist at all costs,” the survey showed. Among them, 34.4 percent of respondents would “definitely” resist at all costs, while 22.1 percent responded “probably,” it showed.

Philippines potato chip boxes stopped at border for banned chemicalStaff writer, with CNAA batch of cylindrical paper boxes from the Philippines, used for packing potato chips, was recently stopped at the border as the boxes contained a banned chemical, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on Tuesday. The FDA said the shipment would have to be returned to the vendor or destroyed. Two seized boxes from the Philippines used to package potato chips are seen in this undated photo. The FDA also reported that 13 other imports were stopped at the border for failing safety inspections, including fresh hallabongs from South Korea and dried red dates from China. Those items would also be returned to the vendor or destroyed.

Visiting Spanish lawmaker delegation hopes to promote ties: MOFAStaff writer, with CNAA group of visiting Spanish lawmakers yesterday called for the promotion of closer bilateral relations with Taiwan, during a meeting with Deputy Foreign Minister François Wu (吳志中), according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). Led by Mikel Legarda Uriarte, the six-member cross-party delegation is visiting Taiwan from Tuesday through Saturday, the ministry said in a press release. Deputy Foreign Minister François Wu, front right, greets Spanish lawmaker Mikel Legarda Uriarte, front left, at a luncheon in Taipei yesterday. The Spanish delegation includes lawmakers Cristina Valido García, Nerea Ahedo Ceza, and Idoia Sagastizabal, and it is the second such group from Spain to visit Taiwan since January 2023, MOFA said. While in Taiwan, the delegation is scheduled to meet with Deputy Legislative Speaker Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) and National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Lin Fei-fan (林飛帆), MOFA said.

Sunny skies, cold nights forecast for next weekStaff writer, with CNASunny weather is expected across Taiwan next week, with significant temperature drops at night, independent meteorologist Wu Der-rong (吳德榮) said today. The cold air mass would weaken over the weekend, but radiative cooling would keep nighttime temperatures cold, with some non-mountainous areas recording lows of around 10°C, he said. Photo: Taipei TimesDaytime temperatures would gradually rebound next week, through to Thursday, but large day-night temperature gaps would persist, Wu said in his forecast. Temperatures would continue to rise next Monday through Thursday, with daytime highs of 23-25°C in the north, 25-27°C in central Taiwan, and 27-29°C in the south, the CWA said. Nighttime lows would remain between 13-15°C in northern regions, 14-16°C in central parts of the country, and 17-18°C in the south, its data shows.

Two found dead after fire in TainanStaff writer, with CNATwo people have been found dead after a fire broke out in a tin-sheet single-story structure in Tainan's Yongkang District (永康) and later spread to adjacent houses yesterday night, according to local authorities. The Tainan City Government Fire Department said it received a report of a fire at 6:19pm on Erwang Road and dispatched 25 vehicles and 54 personnel to the scene. After arriving, firefighters found that a tin-sheet structure was on fire and that the flames had spread to eight neighboring houses. A fire breaks out in a single-story tin-sheet structure in Tainan's Yongkang District yesterday night. Photo courtesy of a readerFirefighters extinguished the fire at 7:04pm and later found a man and a woman, believed to be a couple in their 40s, dead in one of the houses.

Four juvenile white dolphins identified: OCABy Fion Khan / Staff writer, with CNAThe Ocean Conservation Administration (OCA) has added four juvenile Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins to its individual identification catalog after the young dolphins gradually developed distinguishable features. The OCA on Tuesday announced the results of last year’s monitoring of the species, commonly known as Chinese white dolphins (Sousa chinensis), along Taiwan’s western coast. Juvenile Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins are seen near Santiaogang Fishing Harbour, Miaoli County in an undated photograph. Photo courtesy of the Ocean Conservation AdministrationThere were 17 sightings of white dolphins, with eight instances of cows caring for young calves, it said. White dolphins primarily inhabit nearshore and estuarine waters along the western coast, ranging from Miaoli to Tainan, it said.

US launches Section 301 probe into 16 trading partners including TaiwanStaff writer, with CNAThe US yesterday launched a series of new investigations into the manufacturing policies and practices of 16 trading partners, including Taiwan, citing concerns about excess capacity and overproduction. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer is seen in this undated photograph. Photo: CNAEconomies subject to the latest probe include Taiwan, China, Japan, South Korea, the EU, Singapore, Switzerland, Norway, Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Mexico and India, according to the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR). Section 301 allows Washington to impose retaliatory tariffs over perceived unfair trade practices, including running large trade surpluses. Following the launch of the investigations, the USTR said it has requested consultations with the governments of the 16 trading partners.

Economic Democracy Union convener Lai Chung-chiang, front, center, gestures alongside others at a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Tu Chien-rong, Taipei TimesThe Laulupidu festival was first held in 1869 during a period of Estonian national awakening, he said. Economic Democracy Union deputy secretary-general Chen Ku-hsiung (陳估熊) said that the Taipei festival consists of three major components: a Democracy Street Tank Stage and Life Festival in the afternoon, followed by a Formosa Music Stage at 6pm. The Life Festival would have events and stalls arranged by civil defense training groups, parent-child education groups, community aid groups, vendors and others, Chen said. The Formosa Music Stage would focus on storytelling that promotes national unity, diversity, civil defense and resistance, democracy and resiliency, Chen added.

Lifestyle, family could predict prostate riskBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterHaving a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test result above 4.0 ng/mL is considered abnormal and it is worth closer testing, a physician said yesterday, as he suggested individuals with a family history of prostate cancer begin regular screening from an earlier age. Shu Tien Clinic Department of Urology director Chou Ku holds a placard on information about prostate cancer at a news conference in Taipei yesterday. However, men with a family history or lifestyle risk factors, including smoking or high consumption of alcohol or processed meat, risk of developing the disease at a younger age, he added. “Prostate cancer in younger men tends to be more aggressive, faster-growing and poses a higher risk of spreading [metastasis],” Chou saidYounger people have more remaining life expectancy, so active treatment is recommended, he added. Meanwhile, men with a family history — particularly if a first-degree relative (father or brother) has had the disease — are recommended to start getting PSA tests regularly from 10 years before the age that their family member was diagnosed with it and avoid lifestyle risk factors to better prevent prostate cancer, Chou said.

Photo: BloombergCunningham raises the important issue of whether Taiwan can afford the special defense budget, presented as a defense of the KMT’s actions. Like almost all commentators outside Taiwan, Cunningham treats the KMT’s special budget obstructionism as if it exists in a bubble of space-time all its own. To put that in perspective, the 2024 defense budget as proposed in 2023 was NT$440.6 billion (roughly US$13.8 billion). That one year supplemental budget was greater than the average annual special budget currently proposed by the DPP. To reach the DPP’s goals, the base defense budget will also have to rise over the next few years as well.

Libo Pharma starts drug project with Japan universityStaff writerTaipei-based Libo Pharma on Tuesday led a delegation to Japan’s Fukushima Prefecture to launch a collaborative project with Fukushima Medical University in emergency radiation medicine. The collaboration would be based on LIB-101, Libo Pharma’s core investigational drug, which is under development, with the researchers to conduct an investigator-initiated trial (IIT) to study its application in medical management following major radiation accidents. Members of a Libo Pharma delegation pose for a photograph in Fukushima, Japan, yesterday after attending a ceremony commemorating the 15th anniversary of the Tohoku earthquake disasters. Photo courtesy of Libo Pharma CoFollowing the disaster, Japan established a comprehensive nuclear disaster medical and radiation accident response system, and has become a hub for global nuclear disaster medical research and policy development. Lin Shih-chia (林世嘉), executive director of the Foundation of Medical Professionals Alliance in Taiwan, said that Fukushima Medical University is a leading research institution in nuclear disaster medicine and radiation science.

A stronger work ethic cannot fix advanced economiesGerman Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s claim that the German people simply need to work harder to keep up with China is met with resistanceBy Jun DuGerman Chancellor Friedrich Merz returned from his recent visit to China visibly rattled. Worse, over one-third of German industrial firms are considering relocating production abroad. However, Merz’s prescription — to work harder — reflects a misdiagnosis of the problem. None of this has anything to do with the German work ethic. As Mehdi put it, telling Germans to work harder is like telling a horse to run faster when the other side has already built the internal combustion engine.

Australian man testifies in rat poison attempted murder caseStaff Writer, with CNAAn Australian man who became seriously ill after ingesting rat poison that prosecutors allege was fed to him by his Taiwanese romantic partner testified in the woman’s trial for attempted murder in Taipei yesterday. Australian Alex Shorey appears in Taipei District Court in Taipei yesterday. According to Shorey, Yang subsequently took his passport, making it impossible for him to withdraw money sent by his family, and giving her more control over his daily life. In the hospital, Shorey said that Yang had cut off his doctors when they tried to communicate with him in English. After being released from hospital, Shorey said he had stayed with Yang, as he was still in poor health.

Ukraine hits key Russian missile plantReuters, KYIVUkrainian forces on Tuesday struck a key plant producing missile components in Russia’s border region of Bryansk, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said. Smoke rises amid explosions from a Ukrainian strike on a Russian missile plant in Bryansk, Russia, on Tuesday. “The plant produced electronics and components for Russian missiles. Meanwhile, Russian drone strikes on the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv killed two people and wounded seven more, local authorities said yesterday. He also accused Ukraine of using “increasingly sophisticated attack methods” and said that “more technologically advanced countermeasures are needed” to counter them.