■ Health
More dengue cases seen
Health workers sprayed insecticide and inspected homes in Pingtung yesterday after three new cases of dengue fever were reported. The latest cases in Pingtung raised the nation's total number of infections this year to 15, said Lee Tsui-chung (李翠瓊), a section chief with the Center for Disease Control. TV reports showed officials checking homes for buckets, tubs and other containers that might be holding standing water that's ideal for mosquito breeding. Officials were also spraying yards and wooded areas with clouds of insecticide. Lee said 14 cases have been reported in Pingtung so far this year and one in Taichung
■ Diplomacy
FSC chief sets US speech
Finance Supervision Commission Chairman Kung Chao-sheng (龔照勝) will attend the Financial Service Roundtable in Washington on Sept. 29 and Sept. 30. Kung is scheduled to deliver a speech in the Global Financial Issue Forum of the roundtable. US Vice President Dick Cheney will also address the roundtable. The roundtable has nearly 100 famous corporate members, including Citigroup, HSBC North America Holding Co, JP Morgan Chase & Co, ING group, Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America and Merrill Lynch & Co.
■ Trade
TAITRA to go to bike fair
The Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) will lead a delegation to the International Bicycle Trade Exhibition in Friedrichshafen, Germany, from Sept. 2 to Sept. 5. TAITRA officials said that in the past few years, Taiwan's bicycles have gained a reputation for high technology, high quality and multifunctionality in Europe, and the delegation's participation in the show will continue to strengthen the good image of Taiwan-made bikes. The delegation will be composed of 150 bike and component companies with some showcasing their environmentally friendly electric foldable bikes and electric mountain bikes. A total of 790 brand names from 37 countries will be shown at the bike fair, the largest in Europe, according to TAITRA officials.
■ Tourism
Kuijen hosts fruit festival
A two-day Buddha-head fruit festival began yesterday in Kuijen township, Tainan County, officials said. Visitors can visit the Tainan County office's south service center to shop and taste Buddha-head fruit. There was also Buddha-head fruit-flavored ice cream sold by the county's Farmers Association. The annual Buddha-head fruit festival is being presided over by Tainan County Commis-sioner Su Huan-chih (蘇煥智).
■ Diplomacy
S Africa keeps visa rule
South Africa's three-month visa-free privilege for Taiwanese will remain valid for the time being, a South African parliamentarian of Taiwanese origin said yesterday. Chen Chien-hui (陳阡蕙) of South Africa's main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, made the remarks after the South African legislature passed amendments to the nation's immigration law. Chen said the revised immigration law, which will be formally enacted late this month, does not address immigration and visa issues concerning any specific country. Therefore, Chen said, South Africa will maintain its three-month visa-free privilege for Taiwan at least for the time being.
STAY AWAY: An official said people should avoid disturbing snakes, as most do not actively attack humans, but would react defensively if threatened Taitung County authorities yesterday urged the public to stay vigilant and avoid disturbing snakes in the wild, following five reported snakebite cases in the county so far this year. Taitung County Fire Department secretary Lin Chien-cheng (林建誠) said two of the cases were in Donghe Township (東河) and involved the Taiwan habus, one person was bit by a Chinese pit viper near the South Link Railway and the remaining two were caused by unidentified snakes. He advised residents near fields to be cautious of snakes hiding in shady indoor areas, especially when entering or leaving their homes at night. In case of a
ENERGY RESILIENCE: Although Alaska is open for investments, Taiwan is sourcing its gas from the Middle East, and the sea routes carry risks, Ho Cheng-hui said US government officials’ high-profile reception of a Taiwanese representative at the Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference indicated the emergence of an Indo-Pacific energy resilience alliance, an academic said. Presidential Office Secretary-General Pan Men-an (潘孟安) attended the conference in Alaska on Thursday last week at the invitation of the US government. Pan visited oil and gas facilities with senior US officials, including US Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy and US Senator Daniel Sullivan. Pan attending the conference on behalf of President William Lai (賴清德) shows a significant elevation in diplomatic representation,
Credit departments of farmers’ and fishers’ associations blocked a total of more than NT$180 million (US$6.01 million) from being lost to scams last year, National Police Agency (NPA) data showed. The Agricultural Finance Agency (AFA) said last week that staff of farmers’ and fishers’ associations’ credit departments are required to implement fraud prevention measures when they serve clients at the counter. They would ask clients about personal financial management activities whenever they suspect there might be a fraud situation, and would immediately report the incident to local authorities, which would send police officers to the site to help, it said. NPA data showed
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck off the coast of Hualien County in eastern Taiwan at 7pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter of the temblor was at sea, about 69.9km south of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 30.9km, it said. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake’s intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County’s Changbin Township (長濱), where it measured 5 on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 4 in Hualien, Nantou, Chiayi, Yunlin, Changhua and Miaoli counties, as well as
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