HEALTHCARE
Flu cases drop 17.4%
The number of new patients seeking medical treatment for influenza-like symptoms dropped 17.4 percent last week, indicating the flu season is coming to an end, a Centers for Disease Control (CDC) official said yesterday. The number of new flu-like infection cases fell to 75,127 in the period from July 30 to Saturday last week from 90,917 the previous week, CDC Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said, citing the agency’s latest statistics.
EDUCATION
Language program launched
The Ministry of Education on Tuesday launched a Fun Taiwan-style Mandarin learning program, inviting people overseas to learn about and experience the nation through a combination of language learning and tours. The Mandarin On-the-Go in Taiwan program was introduced at a news conference at Taipei’s Huashan Creative Park. The program is made of four “learning Mandarin” travel packages that cover Taipei, Kaohsiung, Changhua and Hualien, the ministry said. It said it hopes the program will maximize the effects of Chinese language learning through attractive and cultural tours, while encouraging those interested in visiting the nation to immerse themselves in local culture. The four packages are to available from Sept. 1 until July 31 next year. Details of the program are available on the ministry’s Web site (www.mgt.org.tw), where those interested can also sign up for the packages.
SOCIETY
Iowa inks license deal
Iowa on Monday signed a reciprocal driver’s license agreement with Taiwan in the US state, removing the requirement of a road test for those eligible from either side. With the signing of the deal, Iowa became the 23rd US state to enter into such an agreement. Under the agreement, which took effect immediately, Taiwanese living in Iowa and holding a valid Taiwanese driver’s license will be exempt from the road test when they apply for a license there, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Chicago said. They will be able to get a standard, Class C driver’s license in Iowa after passing a written test and a vision test, the office said. Similarly, Iowans with permission to reside in Taiwan for at least a year will be entitled to reciprocal treatment, it said.
DIPLOMACY
Mayor departs for Japan
Taoyuan Mayor Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦) yesterday departed for Japan on a trip aimed at obtaining ideas for infrastructure and economic development and strengthening friendships. Cheng told reporters at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport before his departure that his delegation would visit several prefectures, paying special attention to their art, culture, tourism, energy systems and agriculture. In Osaka and Kyoto, the delegation is to look at public infrastructure, commerce and culture, with the hope of getting ideas that can be applied in Taoyuan, he said. In Kagawa and Chiba, which have had numerous exchanges with Taoyuan in recent years, the focus will be on their use of art and culture to boost tourism, as well as building relationships, Cheng said. The delegation is also to visit the cities of Chiba and Narita, which have friendly-city agreements with Taoyuan. The group is to observe their development in the areas of logistics, solar energy and tourism, he said.
The US-Japan joint statement released on Friday not mentioning the “one China” policy might be a sign that US President Donald Trump intends to decouple US-China relations from Taiwan, a Taiwanese academic said. Following Trump’s meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Friday, the US and Japan issued a joint statement where they reaffirmed the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and support for Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations. Trump has not personally brought up the “one China” policy in more than a year, National Taiwan University Department of Political Science Associate Professor Chen Shih-min (陳世民)
‘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),
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
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