TRADE
Innovation rewarded
Taiwan bagged 32 gold medals, 44 silvers and 10 special awards on Friday at the 29th Invention and New Product Exposition (INPEX) held from Wednesday to Friday in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Taiwan’s 97 inventions were among nearly 700 inventions. By number of medals, Taiwan was the biggest winner for the third consecutive year. TCI Co’s sealwort abstract, a chemical that is expected to help balance androgenic hormones and ease manic depression, earned the Best Invention of the Far East award, a special prize of INPEX. Among the other Taiwanese winners is a technology that can separate gold from wasted electronic components without producing harmful chemicals. INPEX is the US’ largest invention trade show, which is held every year in Pittsburgh.
HEALTH
Third encephalitis case
The Centers for Disease Control announced yesterday the year’s third case of Japanese encephalitis. The other two were also confirmed this week. The patient is a 50-year-old man in Chiayi City, who remains in critical condition after being taken to hospital on Wednesday. He follows a 52-year-old man in Greater Taichung and a 46-year-old man in Greater Tainan. Among the 16 confirmed cases last year, 11 were identified in June, while 15 of the 32 cases in 2012 were also identified that month. The centers advise the public to get vaccinated and to avoid mosquito bites. Personal preventive measures include using repellents, mosquito coils and vaporizers, and wearing pants and long-sleeved shirts.
TOURISM
S Korean visitor goal set
The nation has set a goal with South Korea of increasing the number of visitors both ways to 1 million this year, through more customized travel packages. Taiwan Visitors Association and the Korea Association of Travel Agents agreed on the goal on Friday in Miaoli County. Both sides hope to build on last year’s momentum, when bilateral visits hit a record high of nearly 870,000, Tourism Bureau director-general David Hsieh (謝謂君) said, adding that of this number, about 351,000 South Korean tourists traveled to Taiwan. To further boost inbound tourism, the bureau said it will develop more diverse travel packages to target female travelers or those who prefer in-depth tourism — the two main categories of tourists to South Korea. Tourist-friendly campaigns, including Korean language services, are to be offered more comprehensively, so that visitors can more easily venture outside metropolitan areas to rural scenic spots, the bureau said.
DEVELOPMENT
New cultural park touted
The Taoyuan County Government said it plans to convert a former military dependents’ community into a cultural park. Since 2012, Matsu New Village (馬祖新村) has been designated by the Ministry of National Defense as one of 13 culture zones featuring military dependents’ villages, a county government official said. About 20 years ago, the number of veterans and their families in Taoyuan exceeded 100,000, the official said, adding that few communities have been well-preserved. The new park is expected to feature locations and facilities for research and development, education and performance. The remodeling plan is to focus on preserving the culture of military dependents’ villages, but it will also be made available for the filming of TV or movies, the official said.
Taiwan was listed in 14th place among the world's wealthiest country in terms of GDP per capita, in the latest rankings released on Monday by Forbes magazine. Taiwan's GDP per capita was US$76,860, which put it at No. 14 on the list of the World's 100 Richest Countries this year, one spot above Hong Kong with US$75,130. The magazine's list of the richest countries in the world is compiled based on GDP per capita data, as estimated by the IMF. However, for a more precise measure of a nation's wealth, the magazine also considers purchasing power parity, which is a metric used to
Taipei’s Ximending (西門町) shopping area welcomed the most international visitors, followed by Taipei 101, Songshan Cultural and Creative Park and Yangmingshan National Park (陽明山國家公園), a list of the city’s most popular tourist attractions published by the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism showed. As of August, 69.22 million people had visited Taipei’s main tourism spots, a 76 percent increase from 39.33 million in the same period last year, department data showed. Ximending had 20.21 million visitors, followed by Taipei 101 at 8.09 million, Songshan Cultural and Creative Park at 6.28 million, Yangmingshan at 4.51 million and the Red House Theater (西門紅樓) in
NINTH MONTH: There were 11,792 births in Taiwan last month and 15,563 deaths, or a mortality rate of 8.11 per 1,000 people, household registration data showed Taiwan’s population was 23,404,138 as of last month, down 2,470 from August, the ninth consecutive month this year that the nation has reported a drop, the Ministry of the Interior said on Wednesday. The population last month was 162 fewer than the same month last year, a decline of 0.44 per day, the ministry said, citing household registration data. Taiwan reported 11,792 births last month, or 3.7 births per day, up 149 from August, it said, adding that the monthly birthrate was 6.15 per 1,000 people. The jurisdictions with the highest birthrates were Yunlin County at 14.62 per 1,000 people, Penghu County (8.61
WARNING: Domestic coffee producers mainly grow arabica beans, as they self-pollinate, but they are more likely to have consistency issues, an expert said Taiwan ranks third in coffee consumption per capita in Asia, the latest Ministry of Agriculture data showed. Taiwanese consume 1.77kg, or 177 cups of coffee, per person each year, less only than Japan and South Korea, at 600 cups and 400 cups respectively, the ministry’s Tea and Beverage Research Station said. Although the nation mainly relies on imported coffee, there has been an increase in home-grown coffee bean production, the ministry said. Cuttings and other techniques are commonly used to ensure domestic beans have stronger floral and fruity flavors, it said. It is a fast-expanding market with Taiwan’s coffee consumption
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