HEALTH
CECC reports 23,718 cases
The nation yesterday recorded 23,718 local COVID-19 cases and 32 deaths from the disease, the Central Epidemic Command Center said. Two of the newly reported deaths were men in their 40s, one of whom was unvaccinated and had a chronic liver condition, it said. The other man, who had no history of chronic illness and had received three COVID-19 vaccine shots, tested positive on July 24 and was found dead in his house three days later, it said. The man died of pneumonia and respiratory failure, it said, adding that the case was under investigation. Among 36 new severe COVID-19 cases reported yesterday were two one-year-old boys, who were diagnosed with encephalitis and multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children respectively, but have since recovered and been discharged from hospital, the CECC said.
YOUTH AFFAIRS
Join working holidays: MOFA
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on Tuesday encouraged young Taiwanese to join the working holiday programs in 12 European countries with which Taiwan has signed agreements, with about 2,300 slots still available this year. The programs were signed to encourage young Taiwanese to participate in international exchanges, Department of European Affairs Director-General Remus Chen (陳立國) said. The 12 are Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia and the UK. Each year, a total of 3,315 slots are opened for young Taiwanese to go on working holidays in these 12 countries, he said, adding that each person can only participate in the program once in a lifetime. Those who are interested in applying for the programs can go to the ministry’s Working Holiday Program Web site at www.youthtaiwan.net/WorkingHoliday or contact the target country’s office in Taiwan for more information, he said.
WAGES
Gender pay gap narrows
Taiwanese men earned about 1.5 times more than Taiwanese women in 2020, the smallest gender income gap since 2009, the Ministry of Finance said. Based on the 2021 Yearbook of Gender Statistics published by the ministry on Monday, Taiwanese men earned an average income of NT$650,000 in 2020, compared with NT$420,000 on average for Taiwanese women. That translates into the men’s income being 1.547 times higher than that for women. It is the first time the gender wage gap has fallen to about 1.5, as Taiwanese men earned 1.6 to 1.7 times more income than women in 2006, when the ministry started to record the statistics, the yearbook showed. In 2019, the wage difference was 1.55.
CULTURE
Summer Jazz event starts
An exhibition at the National Theater and Concert Hall (NTCH) in Taipei commemorating the 20th anniversary of its Summer Jazz event and the history of jazz in Taiwan opened on Monday. The monthlong free exhibition in the Concert Hall’s ground floor and basement was curated by musician Shawna Yang (楊曉恩), the NTCH said in a statement. In addition to photos tracing the history of jazz music and its impact on the local music industry, the exhibition features documentary films and 50 jazz records, it said. Meanwhile, two free Big Jazz Jam Sessions are to take place on Saturday afternoon, it said. A series of six concerts are also to be held at the Experimental Theater from Wednesday to Sunday next week, followed by a concert at the Concert Hall on Aug. 19 of music by US jazz musician Miles Davis.
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was sentenced to six months in prison, commutable to a fine, by the New Taipei District Court today for contravening the Personal Data Protection Act (個人資料保護法) in a case linked to an alleged draft-dodging scheme. Wang allegedly paid NT$3.6 million (US$114,380) to an illegal group to help him evade mandatory military service through falsified medical documents, prosecutors said. He transferred the funds to Chen Chih-ming (陳志明), the alleged mastermind of a draft-evasion ring, although he lost contact with him as he was already in detention on fraud charges, they said. Chen is accused of helping a
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
SECURITY: Starlink owner Elon Musk has taken pro-Beijing positions, and allowing pro-China companies to control Taiwan’s critical infrastructure is risky, a legislator said Starlink was reluctant to offer services in Taiwan because of the nation’s extremely high penetration rates in 4G and 5G services, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said yesterday. The ministry made the comments at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, which reviewed amendments to Article 36 of the Telecommunications Management Act (電信管理法). Article 36 bans foreigners from holding more than 49 percent of shares in public telecommunications networks, while shares foreigners directly and indirectly hold are also capped at 60 percent of the total, unless specified otherwise by law. The amendments, sponsored by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ko
‘SAME OLD TRICK’: Even if Beijing resumes individual travel to Taiwan, it would only benefit Chinese tourism companies, the Economic Democracy Union convener said China’s 10 new “incentives” are “sugar-coated poison,” an official said yesterday, adding that Taiwanese businesses see them clearly for what they are, but that Beijing would inevitably find some local collaborators to try to drums up support. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, made the remark ahead of a news conference the General Chamber of Commerce is to hold today. The event, titled “Industry Perspectives on China’s Recent Pro-Taiwan Policies,” is expected to include representatives from industry associations — such as those in travel, hotels, food and agriculture — to request the government cooperate with China’s new measures, people familiar with
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