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.
‘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 High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
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