HEALTH
Dengue cases total 25,379
The nation reported another 248 cases of dengue fever, bringing the total number of infections since the start of May to 25,379, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. As of Sunday, Kaohsiung and Tainan, where the dengue fever outbreak is concentrated, had reported 125 and 119 new cases respectively. It appears that the dengue fever outbreak is intensifying in Kaohsiung and abating in Tainan, the CDC said, adding that the two southern cities have accumulated 4,544 and 20,400 cases so far respectively. While 23,076 dengue patients have recovered nationwide, 43 are still being treated in intensive care units, CDC statistics showed. In addition, Tropical Storm Koppu could bring rain as it approaches the nation, which is favorable for vector breeding.
CULTURE
Museum to be renovated
The Juming Museum (朱銘美術館), a popular indoor and outdoor showcase for dramatic sculptures located on the nation’s northern coast, is to close for three months from Nov. 2 for a renovation of the museum’s interior and restoration of some of its artworks. It is to be the first time the museum has closed for such a long period of time since it was established by Ju Ming (朱銘), the nation’s best-known sculptor, in 1999 to house his works, the museum said. Before the museum gets its facelift, it is to be open to the public free of admission between 6pm and 9pm on Oct. 31, and music is to be performed in the outdoor space to entertain visitors, it said. The museum added that the huge Living World Series collage of works displayed in the central hall of the main building are to be taken down during the three-month closure to be maintained and restored.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
A pro-Russia hacker group has launched a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack on the Taiwanese government in retaliation for President William Lai’s (賴清德) comments suggesting that China should have a territorial dispute with Russia, an information security company said today. The hacker group, NoName057, recently launched an HTTPs flood attack called “DDoSia” targeting Taiwanese government and financial units, Radware told the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times). Local tax bureaus in New Taipei City, Keelung, Hsinchu and Taoyuan were mentioned by the hackers. Only the Hsinchu Local Tax Bureau site appeared to be down earlier in the day, but was back
PROXIMITY: Prague is closer to Dresden than Berlin is, so Taiwanese firms are expected to take advantage of the Czech capital’s location, the Executive Yuan official said Taiwan plans to boost cooperation with the Czech Republic in semiconductor development due to Prague’s pivotal role in the European IC industry, Executive Yuan Secretary-General Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) said. With Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) building a wafer fab in the German city of Dresden, a Germany-Czech Republic-Poland “silicon triangle” is forming, Kung said in a media interview on the weekend after returning from a visit to Prague. “Prague is closer to Dresden than Berlin is, so Taiwanese firms are expected to take advantage of the Czech capital’s location,” he said. “Taiwan and Prague have already launched direct flights and it is
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