EPA warns over high UV
The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) yesterday warned the public to avoid outdoor activities due to high levels of UV rays because of clear skies and high temperatures. The UV reading across the nation could reach 8, the agency said. A UV index of 8 or above is considered high, while a reading of 11 or higher is considered dangerous. Yesterday’s weather conditions were a result of a strong Pacific high pressure system above Taiwan, which sent temperatures to above 36°C in most regions, the Central Weather Bureau said. In addition, southeastern parts of the country have seen Foehn winds, warm and dry gusts that sent the mercury soaring to 36.9°C at 9:40am. According to the WHO, limited exposure to UV light is essential for vitamin D production in people, but overexposure may result in acute and chronic health problems.
Dengue fever on the rise
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday urged the public to take precautions against dengue fever, after more cases of the mosquito-borne disease were reported. The nation has reported 149 indigenous dengue fever cases this year, about twice the number seen in the same period last year, the CDC said. From Tuesday last week to Monday, nine indigenous cases were confirmed, it said, adding that the outbreak could increase in summer months, which are favorable for vector breeding. The threat from abroad is increasing as well, with Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand and Malaysia recording more cases this year, it said. Health officials said people should keep their homes free of standing water and take steps to avoid mosquito bites.
BASKETBALL
Jeremy Lin to host camp
Jeremy Lin (林書豪), the first NBA player of Taiwanese descent, who enjoys tremendous popularity in the nation, is scheduled to arrive in Taipei on Monday for a week-long visit. Similar to his trip last year to Taiwan, Lin is to host a basketball camp at which 60 high-school and junior-high players will have the opportunity to be coached by the NBA player. On Saturday next week, 600 fans will have the opportunity to meet Lin at event at the National Taiwan University Sports Center. Before coming to Taiwan, Lin made a week-long visit to China for basketball camps and television interviews. Lin is to become an unrestricted free agent on Wednesday. In an interview in China, Lin disclosed that he wants to sign with a team compatible with his style of play and where he would be among the starting lineup. He added that he has not ruled out any of the NBA teams.
ENTERTAINMENT
Jackson to present awards
US producer and musician Randy Jackson is to present two awards with TV travel show host Janet Hsieh (謝怡芬) at the 26th Golden Melody Awards ceremony today, the organizers said. The two are to hand out the awards for Best Instrumental Album Producer and Best Instrumental Album at the ceremony, Taiwan’s biggest music event. Jackson, a former judge on popular show American Idol, earlier this week expressed interest in Taiwanese Mandopop king Jay Chou’s (周杰倫) music and invited the singer to contact him. He said he also enjoys the music of pop diva Jolin Tsai (蔡依林) and band Mayday (五月天). Other presenters at today’s ceremony include Chou, Taiwanese-American singer-songwriter Wang Lee-hom (王力宏), Singaporean singer-songwriter J.J. Lin (林俊傑) and Cantonese singer and actress Karen Mok (莫文蔚), the organizers said.
A group of Taiwanese-American and Tibetan-American students at Harvard University on Saturday disrupted Chinese Ambassador to the US Xie Feng’s (謝鋒) speech at the school, accusing him of being responsible for numerous human rights violations. Four students — two Taiwanese Americans and two from Tibet — held up banners inside a conference hall where Xie was delivering a speech at the opening ceremony of the Harvard Kennedy School China Conference 2024. In a video clip provided by the Coalition of Students Resisting the CCP (Chinese Communist Party), Taiwanese-American Cosette Wu (吳亭樺) and Tibetan-American Tsering Yangchen are seen holding banners that together read:
UNAWARE: Many people sit for long hours every day and eat unhealthy foods, putting them at greater risk of developing one of the ‘three highs,’ an expert said More than 30 percent of adults aged 40 or older who underwent a government-funded health exam were unaware they had at least one of the “three highs” — high blood pressure, high blood lipids or high blood sugar, the Health Promotion Administration (HPA) said yesterday. Among adults aged 40 or older who said they did not have any of the “three highs” before taking the health exam, more than 30 percent were found to have at least one of them, Adult Preventive Health Examination Service data from 2022 showed. People with long-term medical conditions such as hypertension or diabetes usually do not
POLICE INVESTIGATING: A man said he quit his job as a nurse at Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital as he had been ‘disgusted’ by the behavior of his colleagues A man yesterday morning wrote online that he had witnessed nurses taking photographs and touching anesthetized patients inappropriately in Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital’s operating theaters. The man surnamed Huang (黃) wrote on the Professional Technology Temple bulletin board that during his six-month stint as a nurse at the hospital, he had seen nurses taking pictures of patients, including of their private parts, after they were anesthetized. Some nurses had also touched patients inappropriately and children were among those photographed, he said. Huang said this “disgusted” him “so much” that “he felt the need to reveal these unethical acts in the operating theater
Heat advisories were in effect for nine administrative regions yesterday afternoon as warm southwesterly winds pushed temperatures above 38°C in parts of southern Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 3:30pm yesterday, Tainan’s Yujing District (玉井) had recorded the day’s highest temperature of 39.7°C, though the measurement will not be included in Taiwan’s official heat records since Yujing is an automatic rather than manually operated weather station, the CWA said. Highs recorded in other areas were 38.7°C in Kaohsiung’s Neimen District (內門), 38.2°C in Chiayi City and 38.1°C in Pingtung’s Sandimen Township (三地門), CWA data showed. The spell of scorching