Several government measures and special offers from different divisions are to be launched on Wednesday.
The Department of Health (DOH) will begin administering free shots of Pneumococcus vaccine for children under age five. Approximately 6,500 children are expected to benefit from the new measure.
The DOH will also start implementing its new labeling system for vegetarian food. It has divided vegetarian food into five categories, including food containing eggs, milk, or both milk and eggs, as well as those containing green onions, garlic, green leeks, red leeks and white onions, and those containing none of the ingredients above.
Food manufacturers must follow the categories and label their products appropriately.
Meanwhile, to reward those who save electricity, Taiwan Power Co (Taipower, 台電) will give a 20 percent discount to those who use 10 percent less electricity compared with the same time period last year. Those who cut consumption by 10 percent for two consecutive years will receive a discount of 30 percent.
Also starting on Wednesday, Republic of China passports holders can travel to Ireland visa-free, however those going to work or study must still apply for visas.
The National Youth Commission will also begin taking applications for internships at overseas non-profit organizations starting on Wednesday. Successful applicants will receive flight subsidies and NT$18,000 in spending money every month.
Both the Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) and the Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp will start offering special deals for summer travelers.
The TRA will start selling a “TR-Pass” next month to encourage backpacking around the country. Taiwanese students can choose either a five-day or seven-day TR-Pass, which cost NT$599 and NT$799 respectively, while foreign students can also purchase 10-day passes for NT$1,089.
TR-Pass holders will have unlimited access to several TRA train services, including the Chukuang Express, Fuxing Express and commuter trains. However, they will not be able to use the pass on Tzuchiang Express trains, the most expensive service.
Groups traveling on the Taiwan High Speed Rail may be eligible for free tickets. The company is offering a buy-four, get-one-free deal on tickets.
AirAsia, which offers low-priced flights, meanwhile, will launch its service at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport starting on Wednesday
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