HEALTH
Dengue cases reach 102
The number of dengue fever cases nationwide reached 102 as of yesterday, after 10 new indigenous cases were confirmed, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said. Six of the 10 new cases were in Taichung, three in Changhua County and one in Kaohsiung, the CDC said, adding that the youngest patient is a teenager and the oldest a septuagenarian. Taichung has been hardest hit by the mosquito-borne disease this year, CDC Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said, attributing the situation to people not reporting their conditions to health authorities in a timely manner. The first dengue fever case in the city this year was traced back to Aug. 3, but city public health officials received no report until Aug. 20, he said.
AVIATION
Taoyuan-HK busiest route
The flight route between Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and Hong Kong International Airport last year recorded the highest number of passengers among international air routes worldwide, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said. The route carried 5.4 million passengers, up 1.8 percent from 2016, the IATA said in its yearly industry performance report last week. It was followed by Jakarta-Singapore (3.3 million) and Bangkok-Hong Kong (3.1 million). The Kuala Lumpur-Singapore route (2.8 million) and the Hong Kong-Seoul route (2.7 million) rounded out the top five, the report said. Airlines in the Asia-Pacific region last year carried the highest number of passengers at 1.5 billion, a 36.3 percent market share and an increase of 10.6 percent from 2016, it said.
TECHNOLOGY
Space tech earns praise
Taiwanese satellites and spacecraft components have proved popular at the Bengaluru Space Expo in India, with several foreign experts expressing an interest in working with Taiwan, a top official said on Saturday. Taiwan demonstrated its strength in space technology at the show, said Henry Chen (陳和賢), director of the Science and Technology Division of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center in India. Taiwan’s locally developed miniature satellites received high praise, while a number of Indian academics and industry experts have begun exploring opportunities to cooperate with Taiwan, Chen said. The biennial space expo, the largest of its kind in Asia, was held from Thursday to Saturday, with more than 100 exhibitors, space agency representatives and delegates from Taiwan, the US, France, Russia and other countries taking part.
EDUCATION
Salvadorean student stays
A Salvadorean student has decided to continue studying in Taiwan, despite the two nations severing diplomatic ties last month. Three Salvadorean students had planned to enroll at Tainan-based National Cheng Kung University this semester, but following the severing of ties between the two nations on Aug. 21, two of them withdrew from their programs. However, Janeth Ramirez said she wanted to keep studying at the university’s department of chemistry, the school said. When asked why she wanted to continue studying in Taiwan, Ramirez said she has become accustomed to the lifestyle in Taiwan and found Taiwanese very approachable and friendly. The Salvadorean government has agreed to pay her food, accommodation and other living expenses until she completes her program, so she only needs to cover her tuition fees, Ramirez said.
ENTERTAINERS IN CHINA: Taiwanese generally back the government being firm on infiltration and ‘united front’ work,’ the Asia-Pacific Elite Interchange Association said Most people support the government probing Taiwanese entertainers for allegedly “amplifying” the Chinese Communist Party’s propaganda, a survey conducted by the Asia-Pacific Elite Interchange Association showed on Friday. Public support stood at 56.4 percent for action by the Mainland Affairs Council and the Ministry of Culture to enhance scrutiny on Taiwanese performers and artists who have developed careers in China while allegedly adhering to the narrative of Beijing’s propaganda that denigrates or harms Taiwanese sovereignty, the poll showed. Thirty-three percent did not support the action, it showed. The poll showed that 51.5 percent of respondents supported the government’s investigation into Taiwanese who have
South Korean K-pop girl group Blackpink are to make Kaohsiung the first stop on their Asia tour when they perform at Kaohsiung National Stadium on Oct. 18 and 19, the event organizer said yesterday. The upcoming performances will also make Blackpink the first girl group ever to perform twice at the stadium. It will be the group’s third visit to Taiwan to stage a concert. The last time Blackpink held a concert in the city was in March 2023. Their first concert in Taiwan was on March 3, 2019, at NTSU Arena (Linkou Arena). The group’s 2022-2023 “Born Pink” tour set a
A Philippine official has denied allegations of mistreatment of crew members during Philippine authorities’ boarding of a Taiwanese fishing vessel on Monday. Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) spokesman Nazario Briguera on Friday said that BFAR law enforcement officers “observed the proper boarding protocols” when they boarded the Taiwanese vessel Sheng Yu Feng (昇漁豐號) and towed it to Basco Port in the Philippines. Briguera’s comments came a day after the Taiwanese captain of the Sheng Yu Feng, Chen Tsung-tun (陳宗頓), held a news conference in Pingtung County and accused the Philippine authorities of mistreatment during the boarding of
88.2 PERCENT INCREASE: The variants driving the current outbreak are not causing more severe symptoms, but are ‘more contagious’ than previous variants, an expert said Number of COVID-19 cases in the nation is surging, with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) describing the ongoing wave of infections as “rapid and intense,” and projecting that the outbreak would continue through the end of July. A total of 19,097 outpatient and emergency visits related to COVID-19 were reported from May 11 to Saturday last week, an 88.2 percent increase from the previous week’s 10,149 visits, CDC data showed. The nearly 90 percent surge in case numbers also marks the sixth consecutive weekly increase, although the total remains below the 23,778 recorded during the same period last year,
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