Some 200 students from Taipei Medical University (TMU) held a march yesterday in downtown Taipei to raise awareness of AIDS-related human rights issues.
The students, including some from the US, Haiti, Finland, Japan and Kenya, chanted slogans as they marched from the university, past Taipei 101 and back to their campus.
The march was held to recognize International Human Rights Day tomorrow and World AIDS Day on last Tuesday.
Lin I-lun (林億倫), head of TMU’s foreign student association, said the major purpose of the activity was to heighten public awareness of AIDS prevention and help promote the concept of a global village and a non-discriminatory coexistence of all peoples.
Chang Wu-shou (張武修), director of the TMU’s foreign affairs department, said that the university is keen to see students develop an interest in international affairs and acquire a global perspective.
The TMU, as part of its efforts to help combat the spread of AIDS in Africa, has sent two volunteer medical service groups to provide service to HIV carriers in Swaziland and Sao Tome and Principe, Chang said.
Some 40 percent of people in Swaziland’s 25 to 45 age group are affected by HIV, he said, so the TMU is keen to accept students from African countries who wish to pursue advanced medical studies and AIDS management.
Monicah Nthumbi, a Kenyan exchange student at TMU, said AIDS-related management is an important issue in her country and she expressed the hope that she would be able to learn modern management skills to help contain the spread of the fatal disease in Kenya.
Tropical depression TD22, which was over waters south of the Ryukyu Islands, is likely to develop into a tropical storm by this morning and pose a significant threat to Taiwan next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The depression is likely to strengthen into a tropical storm named Krathon as it moves south and then veers north toward waters off Taiwan’s eastern coast, CWA forecaster Hsu Chung-yi (徐仲毅) said. Given the favorable environmental conditions for its development, TD22’s intensity would reach at least typhoon levels, Hsu said. As of 2pm yesterday, the tropical depression was about 610km east-southeast of Taiwan proper’s
RESTRICTIONS: All food items imported from the five prefectures must be accompanied by radiation and origin certificates, and undergo batch-by-batch inspection The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Wednesday announced that almost all produce from five Japanese prefectures affected by the 2011 Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant disaster would now be allowed into Taiwan. The five are Fukushima, Gunma, Chiba, Ibaraki and Tochigi. The only items that would still be blocked from being imported into the nation are those that are still banned from being circulated in Japan, the FDA added. With the removal of the ban, items including mushrooms, the meat of wild birds and other wild animals, and koshiabura” (foraged vegetables) would now be permitted to enter Taiwan, along with the other
A new tropical storm is expected to form by early tomorrow morning, potentially developing into a medium-strength typhoon that is to affect Taiwan through Wednesday next week, the Central Weather Administration said today. There are currently two tropical systems circulating to the east of Taiwan, agency forecaster Hsu Chung-yi (徐仲毅) said. The one currently north of Guam developed into Tropical Storm Gebi this afternoon and is expected to veer toward Japan without affecting Taiwan, Hsu said. Another tropical depression is 600km from the east coast and is likely to develp into the named storm Krathon either late tonight or early tomorrow, he said. This
Typhoon Krathon, a military airshow and rehearsals for Double Ten National Day celebrations might disrupt flights at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport in the first 10 days of next month, the airport’s operator said yesterday. Taoyuan International Airport Corp said in a statement that it has established a response center after the Central Weather Administration issued a sea warning for Krathon, and urged passengers to remain alert to the possibility of disruptions caused by the storm in the coming days. Flight schedules might also change while the air force conducts rehearsals and holds a final airshow for Double Ten National Day, it added. Although