■ HEALTH
IML picks ‘Taiwan’ theme
Taiwan, which has a long history of participation in activities organized by the IML Walking Association — formerly the International Marching League — was selected as the theme country of this year’s International Blankenberge Two-Day Walk of Flanders, organizers said on Wednesday. The annual event, to be held from May 2 to May 3 in the city of Blankenberge in Belgium, will coincide with a “Walk for Peace” that will be attended by city mayors from around the world, organizers said. Describing Taiwan’s participation in the event as “significant,” the organizers said it “symbolizes a stride forward toward peace across the Taiwan Strait.” The event includes 6km, 14km, 24km and 42km walks and is expected to attract thousands of walkers from around the world. Taiwan’s Hope Foundation will prepare programs to introduce Taiwan that will be screened during the event, and foundation chairwoman Chi Cheng (紀政), a 1968 Olympic bronze medalist, will lead a 150-member Taiwanese delegation.
■ MEDICINE
Twu calls for HIV privacy
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Twu Shiing-jer (?? yesterday called for the nation’s main hospitals to conduct HIV testing anonymously. Saying that there are still 12 cities and counties in the country where hospitals do not conduct anonymous HIV tests, Twu urged the Department of Health to swiftly promote measures that would protect patients’ privacy. Meanwhile, recent statistics showed there were 17,000 HIV-infected patients in the country as of last month. Twu said he suspected the real number could be double that and called for better measures to prevent HIV infection.
■ POLITICS
Commissioner injured
Tainan County Commissioner Su Huan-chih (蘇煥智) of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was injured by firecrackers yesterday morning while presiding over a ceremony for a local temple god pilgrimage. The accident happened when Su was setting off firecrackers for a ceremony to start a three-day gods pilgrimage in six of the county’s townships. The firecrackers were positioned in the wrong direction and exploded in front of Su, slightly wounding his cheek near his right eye. Su was rushed to a hospital for treatment. The hospital said fortunately Su eye was not injured. Following medical treatment, Su was well enough to carry on with his work schedule later yesterday.
■ CULTURE
Hakka books on display
Working with a museum specializing in collecting Hakka family books in western Fujian Province, China, the Taiwan Hakka Association for Public Affairs has organized a Hakka family book exhibition on display in the Taipei County Hakka Museum in Sansia Township (三峽) from now until next Friday. Huang Tzu-yao (黃子堯), chairman of the Hakka association, said that as western Fujian is seen as the origin of all Hakka, Taiwanese Hakka may find the long-lost history of their ancestors during the exhibition. Items on display include 200-year-old Hakka family books from both Taiwan and China — many of which were hidden in walls of family houses to escape destruction during the Cultural Revolution in China. After Taipei, the exhibition will be held at Chaoyang University of Technology in Taichung from March 29 to April 4, at the Kaohsiung Hakka Museum from April 7 to April 15 and at Miaoli County’s International Cultural and Tourism Bureau from April 18 to April 25.
‘NEVER!’ Taiwan FactCheck Center said it had only received donations from the Open Society Foundations, which supports nonprofits that promote democratic values Taiwan FactCheck Center (TFC) has never received any donation from the US Agency for International Development (USAID), a cofounder of the organization wrote on his Facebook page on Sunday. The Taipei-based organization was established in 2018 by Taiwan Media Watch Foundation and the Association of Quality Journalism to monitor and verify news and information accuracy. It was officially registered as a foundation in 2021. National Chung Cheng University communications professor Lo Shih-hung (羅世宏), a cofounder and chairman of TFC, was responding to online rumors that the TFC receives funding from the US government’s humanitarian assistance agency via the Open Society Foundations (OSF),
An alleged US government plan to encourage Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) to form a joint venture with Intel to boost US chipmaking would place the Taiwanese foundry giant in a more disadvantageous position than proposed tariffs on imported chips, a semiconductor expert said yesterday. If TSMC forms a joint venture with its US rival, it faces the risk of technology outflow, said Liu Pei-chen (劉佩真), a researcher at the Taiwan Industry Economics Database of the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research. A report by international financial services firm Baird said that Asia semiconductor supply chain talks suggest that the US government would
ANNUAL LIGHT SHOW: The lanterns are exhibited near Taoyuan’s high-speed rail station and around the Taoyuan Sports Park Station of the airport MRT line More than 400 lanterns are to be on display at the annual Taiwan Lantern Festival, which officially starts in Taoyuan today. The city is hosting the festival for the second time — the first time was in 2016. The Tourism Administration held a rehearsal of the festival last night. Chunghwa Telecom donated the main lantern of the festival to the Taoyuan City Government. The lanterns are exhibited in two main areas: near the high-speed rail (HSR) station in Taoyuan, which is at the A18 station of the Taoyuan Airport MRT, and around the Taoyuan Sports Park Station of the MRT
Starlux Airlines on Tuesday announced it is to launch new direct flights from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to Ontario, California, on June 2. The carrier said it plans to deploy the new-generation Airbus A350 on the Taipei-Ontario route. The Airbus A350 features a total of 306 seats, including four in first class, 26 in business class, 36 in premium economy and 240 in economy. According to Starlux’s initial schedule, four flights would run between Taoyuan and Ontario per week: Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Flights are to depart from Taoyuan at 8:05pm and arrive in California at 5:05pm (local time), while return flights