■Media
GIO asks help in SARS fight
The media could help fight severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) by res-ponsible reporting and by providing useful prevention information, Government Information Office (GIO) Deputy Director-General Hung Chun-chuan (洪瓊娟) said yesterday in a meeting with media professionals. Hung specifically mentioned television stations and their ability to quell signs of panic by broadcasting ways the public can avoid contracting SARS, including the benefits of hand washing and staying away from enclosed and crowded places. Hung also cautioned journalists to protect themselves from contamination while reporting on SARS.
■ Transportation
Taxi drivers to wear masks
In an effort to curb the spread of SARS, the Taipei City Government's Trans-portation Bureau yesterday called on the city's taxi drivers to wear masks and keep air circulating in the cab while transporting passengers. The city's
Motor Vehicles Office will provide taxi drivers with diluted bleach water at Chienkou, Chungshan,
Tachi and Reikuang taxi service centers to disinfect their cabs. The office will offer the lotion free of charge until the SARS outbreak is completely under control.
■ Entertainment
CAA to discuss SARS impact
The Council for Cultural Affairs will call a meeting tomorrow of leaders of cultural organizations to discuss ways of cushioning the impact of SARS on various cultural activities nationwide. Council Chairwoman Tchen Yu-chiou (陳郁秀) said many cultural activities have been canceled out of concerns that parti-cipants could contract or transmit the disease. Tchen said the council will help cultural centers with dis-infecting performance venues and offices. How-ever, there is no plan to give financial grants to dance troupes or theater com-panies that are unable to perform because of SARS, Tchen said. She said she hopes the problem will be under control by June, the peak season for cultural activities.
■ Police
Taipei officer falls ill
The first suspected SARS case in the police was reported yesterday after a Taipei officer, surnamed Wang, began to suffer fever and coughing last night. Wang has been quarantined at Neihu Cathay General Hospital. Since Wang is working at Tungtsun Police Substation of the Sungshan police station, all those working in the substation were recalled for tempera-ture checks. The substation's offices have also been disinfected and its work has been taken over temporarily by the Peace Preservation Corps.
■ Wildlife
Endangered birds found
In their largest haul of endangered species ever, CKS International Airport police seized 27 extremely rare birds earlier this month. The red-and-blue lories were found alongside other non-endangered birds in a shipment from Singapore on April 11, according to the Chinese-language media. It is not known whether police have detained anyone in connection with the case. As of 1990, only 2,000 red-and-blue lories remained in the wild. It is listed as an endangered species by the Washington Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). They can fetch more than NT$100,000 a head in Taiwan.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) departed for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark. Tsai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday night, but did not speak to reporters before departing. Tsai wrote on social media later that the purpose of the trip was to reaffirm the commitment of Taiwanese to working with democratic allies to promote regional security and stability, upholding freedom and democracy, and defending their homeland. She also expressed hope that through joint efforts, Taiwan and Europe would continue to be partners building up economic resilience on the global stage. The former president was to first
The brilliant blue waters, thick foliage and bucolic atmosphere on this seemingly idyllic archipelago deep in the Pacific Ocean belie the key role it now plays in a titanic geopolitical struggle. Palau is again on the front line as China, and the US and its allies prepare their forces in an intensifying contest for control over the Asia-Pacific region. The democratic nation of just 17,000 people hosts US-controlled airstrips and soon-to-be-completed radar installations that the US military describes as “critical” to monitoring vast swathes of water and airspace. It is also a key piece of the second island chain, a string of
Taiwan will now have four additional national holidays after the Legislative Yuan passed an amendment today, which also made Labor Day a national holiday for all sectors. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) used their majority in the Legislative Yuan to pass the amendment to the Act on Implementing Memorial Days and State Holidays (紀念日及節日實施辦法), which the parties jointly proposed, in its third and final reading today. The legislature passed the bill to amend the act, which is currently enforced administratively, raising it to the legal level. The new legislation recognizes Confucius’ birthday on Sept. 28, the
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