Car goes flying into hotpot restaurant in Taichung, Taiwan

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/04/23
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — In what appears to be a crazy day for car wrecks in Taichung, a man lost control of his vehicle while turning left and sailed into a hotpot restaurant.

Early this morning, while making a hard left turn, a 27-year-old man surnamed Chiang (江) lost control of his black sedan and plowed into a hotpot eatery in Taichung, reported China Times. Fortunately, the shop had already closed and no injuries were reported.

Residents in Taichung’s Tanzi District heard a loud crashing sound on Zhongshan Road. When they ventured out to check on the source of the sound, they found a hotpot shop at a corner of the street with a huge hole punched through its corner window by a black sedan.

Remains of door (foreground) smashed by sedan. (Taichung Police Department photo)

The car had plunged deep inside the restaurant, shattering windows, smashing tables chairs, and obliterating a metal door. In the process, the right side of the sedan had sustained serious damage.

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/04/23
By: Tsai Peng-min and Evelyn Kao

Taipei, April 23 (CNA) A soaring mercury pushed peak electricity consumption in Taiwan to 33.18 million kilowatts Tuesday, setting a record high for the second consecutive day this year and for any April over the past few years, according to state-run Taiwan Power Co. (Taipower).

The record high occurred at 2:15 p.m. and was the first time electricity consumption in April had surpassed 33 million kW, leaving the country with an operating reserve margin of 6.11 percent, Taipower said.

The reserve margin triggered a yellow light, indicating a tight power supply, denoted by operating reserves falling between 6 percent and 10 percent, according to the Taipower website.

The top electricity consumption peak was 37.35 million kW, recorded Aug. 1, 2018.
[FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International 
Date: 22 April, 2019
By: Natalie Tso

The Green Party released results of a poll on who the public favored for president and

Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu came out on top. Han is of the opposition Kuomintang and has not yet joined the race though he could announce his decision as early as Tuesday.

The poll did not list any names and asked participants to name the candidate they would like to be president. It found that 19% chose Han, 14% said President Tsai Ing-wen, 12% said Foxconn CEO Terry Gou, 10% said former Premier William Lai and 9.5% mentioned Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je. Only 10% would support former New Taipei City Mayor Eric Chu and less than 1% would vote for former legislative president Wang Jin-Pyng.

The poll also found that in the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), Tsai is coming ahead of her challenger Lai. In a race between Han and Tsai, Tsai would lose by 5%. If Han and Lai faced off, Lai would lose by 6%. Analysts say that Tsai’s increasing popularity is due to her recent comments about the KMT presidential hopefuls.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/04/22
By: Wang Cheng-chung and William Yen 

Taipei, April 22 (CNA) China may intensify its psychological and legal warfare to influence public opinion leading up to Taiwan’s presidential election in 2020, according to a National Security Bureau (NSB) report.

In the NSB assessment submitted to the Legislative Yuan at the request of legislators, it said China may use the media to create suspicion and hostilities between Taiwan’s people and government as Taiwan will hold presidential and legislative elections in 2020.

It could also use new technology to further sway public opinion and monitor new media as a reference for its research on Taiwan policy, the NSB said in the assessment, which offered projections of what could happen without providing supporting evidence.

Furthermore, China may cultivate online influencers who may be able to sway public opinion on new media platforms to influence young people and scholars, the assessment said.    [FULL  STORY]

Nutritionist lists Taiwanese staple foods packed with cancer-causing sugar

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/04/22
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Beyond super, sugary drinks, common staple foods in the Taiwanese diet may also increase the risk of developing pancreatic cancer.

A recent study by Academia Sinica has confirmed that abnormal glucose metabolism is a major risk factor for pancreatic cancer. In addition to the obvious culprits in the Taiwanese diet such as sweet beverages, there are other commonly consumed foods that many may not realize are chock-full of sugar or will cause blood sugar levels to skyrocket.

A research study by Academica Sinica has found that more than 90 percent of pancreatic cancer patients have a genetic mutation called KRAS and that sugar is one of the main causes of this mutation. Sugary drinks have been singled out as a major culprit for the excessive levels of sugar in the Taiwanese diet.

However, nutritionist at Neihu Cathay Clinic told SETN that white rice, bread, white noodles, pastries, and thickening agents, are all refined starches which can easily stimulate the secretion of insulin. The nutritionist also said foods that contain complex mixtures of seasonings such as barbecues, spaghetti sauce, or soups often include high levels of sugar for flavoring.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/04/21
By:  Central News Agency

TAIPEI (CNA) — Weather throughout Taiwan will be unstable and wet on Sunday, with rain warnings issued for western Taiwan and offshore islands, according to the Central Weather Bureau.

Brief showers or thunderstorms have been forecast for regions north of central Taiwan and Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu islands due to moisture introduced by a wet front from southern Taiwan, the bureau said.

Rain will ease during the day time, with highs throughout Taiwan ranging from 29-31 degrees Celsius and lows between 21 and 26 degrees at night and in the early hours of Monday, it forecast, adding that foggy conditions are expected in some areas of the islands of Kinmen and Matsu.    [FULL  STORY]