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.
ANOTHER EMERGES: The CWA yesterday said this year’s fourth storm of the typhoon season had formed in the South China Sea, but was not expected to affect Taiwan Tropical Storm Gaemi has intensified slightly as it heads toward Taiwan, where it is expected to affect the country in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 8am yesterday, the 120km-radius storm was 800km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving at 9kph northwest, the agency said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued tonight at the earliest, it said, adding that the storm is projected to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday. Gaemi’s potential effect on Taiwan remains unclear, as that would depend on its direction, radius and intensity, forecasters said. Former Weather Forecast
As COVID-19 cases in Japan have been increasing for 10 consecutive weeks, people should get vaccinated before visiting the nation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said. The centers reported 773 hospitalizations and 124 deaths related to COVID-19 in Taiwan last week. CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) on Tuesday said the number of weekly COVID-19 cases reported in Japan has been increasing since mid-May and surpassed 55,000 cases from July 8 to July 14. The average number of COVID-19 patients at Japan’s healthcare facilities that week was also 1.39 times that of the week before and KP.3 is the dominant
The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) working group for Taiwan-related policies is likely to be upgraded to a committee-level body, a report commissioned by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said. As Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is increasingly likely to upgrade the CCP’s Central Leading Group for Taiwan Affairs, Taiwanese authorities should prepare by researching Xi and the CCP, the report said. At the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the CCP, which ended on Thursday last week, the party set a target of 2029 for the completion of some tasks, meaning that Xi is likely preparing to
US-CHINA TRADE DISPUTE: Despite Beijing’s offer of preferential treatment, the lure of China has dimmed as Taiwanese and international investors move out Japan and the US have become the favored destinations for Taiwanese graduates as China’s attraction has waned over the years, the Ministry of Labor said. According to the ministry’s latest income and employment advisory published this month, 3,215 Taiwanese university graduates from the class of 2020 went to Japan, surpassing for the first time the 2,881 graduates who went to China. A total of 2,300 graduates from the class of 2021 went to the US, compared with the 2,262 who went to China, the document showed. The trend continued for the class of 2023, of whom 1,460 went to Japan, 1,334 went to