HEALTH
Dengue cases reach 102
The number of dengue fever cases nationwide reached 102 as of yesterday, after 10 new indigenous cases were confirmed, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said. Six of the 10 new cases were in Taichung, three in Changhua County and one in Kaohsiung, the CDC said, adding that the youngest patient is a teenager and the oldest a septuagenarian. Taichung has been hardest hit by the mosquito-borne disease this year, CDC Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said, attributing the situation to people not reporting their conditions to health authorities in a timely manner. The first dengue fever case in the city this year was traced back to Aug. 3, but city public health officials received no report until Aug. 20, he said.
AVIATION
Taoyuan-HK busiest route
The flight route between Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and Hong Kong International Airport last year recorded the highest number of passengers among international air routes worldwide, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said. The route carried 5.4 million passengers, up 1.8 percent from 2016, the IATA said in its yearly industry performance report last week. It was followed by Jakarta-Singapore (3.3 million) and Bangkok-Hong Kong (3.1 million). The Kuala Lumpur-Singapore route (2.8 million) and the Hong Kong-Seoul route (2.7 million) rounded out the top five, the report said. Airlines in the Asia-Pacific region last year carried the highest number of passengers at 1.5 billion, a 36.3 percent market share and an increase of 10.6 percent from 2016, it said.
TECHNOLOGY
Space tech earns praise
Taiwanese satellites and spacecraft components have proved popular at the Bengaluru Space Expo in India, with several foreign experts expressing an interest in working with Taiwan, a top official said on Saturday. Taiwan demonstrated its strength in space technology at the show, said Henry Chen (陳和賢), director of the Science and Technology Division of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center in India. Taiwan’s locally developed miniature satellites received high praise, while a number of Indian academics and industry experts have begun exploring opportunities to cooperate with Taiwan, Chen said. The biennial space expo, the largest of its kind in Asia, was held from Thursday to Saturday, with more than 100 exhibitors, space agency representatives and delegates from Taiwan, the US, France, Russia and other countries taking part.
EDUCATION
Salvadorean student stays
A Salvadorean student has decided to continue studying in Taiwan, despite the two nations severing diplomatic ties last month. Three Salvadorean students had planned to enroll at Tainan-based National Cheng Kung University this semester, but following the severing of ties between the two nations on Aug. 21, two of them withdrew from their programs. However, Janeth Ramirez said she wanted to keep studying at the university’s department of chemistry, the school said. When asked why she wanted to continue studying in Taiwan, Ramirez said she has become accustomed to the lifestyle in Taiwan and found Taiwanese very approachable and friendly. The Salvadorean government has agreed to pay her food, accommodation and other living expenses until she completes her program, so she only needs to cover her tuition fees, Ramirez said.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as
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