HEALTHCARE
Flu cases drop 17.4%
The number of new patients seeking medical treatment for influenza-like symptoms dropped 17.4 percent last week, indicating the flu season is coming to an end, a Centers for Disease Control (CDC) official said yesterday. The number of new flu-like infection cases fell to 75,127 in the period from July 30 to Saturday last week from 90,917 the previous week, CDC Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said, citing the agency’s latest statistics.
EDUCATION
Language program launched
The Ministry of Education on Tuesday launched a Fun Taiwan-style Mandarin learning program, inviting people overseas to learn about and experience the nation through a combination of language learning and tours. The Mandarin On-the-Go in Taiwan program was introduced at a news conference at Taipei’s Huashan Creative Park. The program is made of four “learning Mandarin” travel packages that cover Taipei, Kaohsiung, Changhua and Hualien, the ministry said. It said it hopes the program will maximize the effects of Chinese language learning through attractive and cultural tours, while encouraging those interested in visiting the nation to immerse themselves in local culture. The four packages are to available from Sept. 1 until July 31 next year. Details of the program are available on the ministry’s Web site (www.mgt.org.tw), where those interested can also sign up for the packages.
SOCIETY
Iowa inks license deal
Iowa on Monday signed a reciprocal driver’s license agreement with Taiwan in the US state, removing the requirement of a road test for those eligible from either side. With the signing of the deal, Iowa became the 23rd US state to enter into such an agreement. Under the agreement, which took effect immediately, Taiwanese living in Iowa and holding a valid Taiwanese driver’s license will be exempt from the road test when they apply for a license there, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Chicago said. They will be able to get a standard, Class C driver’s license in Iowa after passing a written test and a vision test, the office said. Similarly, Iowans with permission to reside in Taiwan for at least a year will be entitled to reciprocal treatment, it said.
DIPLOMACY
Mayor departs for Japan
Taoyuan Mayor Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦) yesterday departed for Japan on a trip aimed at obtaining ideas for infrastructure and economic development and strengthening friendships. Cheng told reporters at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport before his departure that his delegation would visit several prefectures, paying special attention to their art, culture, tourism, energy systems and agriculture. In Osaka and Kyoto, the delegation is to look at public infrastructure, commerce and culture, with the hope of getting ideas that can be applied in Taoyuan, he said. In Kagawa and Chiba, which have had numerous exchanges with Taoyuan in recent years, the focus will be on their use of art and culture to boost tourism, as well as building relationships, Cheng said. The delegation is also to visit the cities of Chiba and Narita, which have friendly-city agreements with Taoyuan. The group is to observe their development in the areas of logistics, solar energy and tourism, he said.
Former Czech Republic-based Taiwanese researcher Cheng Yu-chin (鄭宇欽) has been sentenced to seven years in prison on espionage-related charges, China’s Ministry of State Security announced yesterday. China said Cheng was a spy for Taiwan who “masqueraded as a professor” and that he was previously an assistant to former Cabinet secretary-general Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰). President-elect William Lai (賴清德) on Wednesday last week announced Cho would be his premier when Lai is inaugurated next month. Today is China’s “National Security Education Day.” The Chinese ministry yesterday released a video online showing arrests over the past 10 years of people alleged to be
THE HAWAII FACTOR: While a 1965 opinion said an attack on Hawaii would not trigger Article 5, the text of the treaty suggests the state is covered, the report says NATO could be drawn into a conflict in the Taiwan Strait if Chinese forces attacked the US mainland or Hawaii, a NATO Defense College report published on Monday says. The report, written by James Lee, an assistant research fellow at Academia Sinica’s Institute of European and American Studies, states that under certain conditions a Taiwan contingency could trigger Article 5 of NATO, under which an attack against any member of the alliance is considered an attack against all members, necessitating a response. Article 6 of the North Atlantic Treaty specifies that an armed attack in the territory of any member in Europe,
LIKE FAMILY: People now treat dogs and cats as family members. They receive the same medical treatments and tests as humans do, a veterinary association official said The number of pet dogs and cats in Taiwan has officially outnumbered the number of human newborns last year, data from the Ministry of Agriculture’s pet registration information system showed. As of last year, Taiwan had 94,544 registered pet dogs and 137,652 pet cats, the data showed. By contrast, 135,571 babies were born last year. Demand for medical care for pet animals has also risen. As of Feb. 29, there were 5,773 veterinarians in Taiwan, 3,993 of whom were for pet animals, statistics from the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency showed. In 2022, the nation had 3,077 pediatricians. As of last
XINJIANG: Officials are conducting a report into amending an existing law or to enact a special law to prohibit goods using forced labor Taiwan is mulling an amendment prohibiting the importation of goods using forced labor, similar to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) passed by the US Congress in 2021 that imposed limits on goods produced using forced labor in China’s Xinjiang region. A government official who wished to remain anonymous said yesterday that as the US customs law explicitly prohibits the importation of goods made using forced labor, in 2021 it passed the specialized UFLPA to limit the importation of cotton and other goods from China’s Xinjiang Uyghur region. Taiwan does not have the legal basis to prohibit the importation of goods