EDUCATION
Taipei launches AI course
Taipei’s Department of Education yesterday announced the launch of a cloud-based programming course created with the assistance of the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn). The course incorporates an artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted learning system developed by UPenn with a Python course taught by Kung Ling-chieh (孔令傑), an associate professor at National Taiwan University’s College of Management, the department said. The AI-assisted coding course would reach more than 1,100 students from 14 high schools in Taipei that have joined the city’s cloud-based learning and teaching platform, the department said. High-school students who complete the course and its supplementary assignments and tests would receive a certificate jointly issued by the city’s education department and the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), it said. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) and Arend Zwartjes, the AIT’s public affairs officer, attended yesterday’s public launch. Chiang said he hoped the course would bolster students’ competitiveness in the age of AI and pledged that the city would continue to improve information technology education.
Photo: CNA
WEATHER
Cardiac deaths rise in cold
Two continental cold air masses have swept Taiwan since New Year’s Day, during which 437 nontraumatic out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) deaths were reported as of Friday, with an emergency physician warning that the cold weather could increase health risks for people with chronic diseases. From Jan. 1 to Friday last week, a total of 437 nontraumatic, internal medicine-related OHCA deaths were recorded, including 54 on Friday, statistics from the National Fire Agency showed. National Taiwan University Hospital’s Department of Emergency Medicine acting director Chang Wei-tien (張維典) said that cold temperatures or drastic weather changes often result in a rise in cardiovascular emergencies. Although patients are admitted to the emergency department at all hours, clinical experience has shown that the most severe cases tend to occur in the early morning, when temperatures are lowest, he said. Chang urged people with cardiovascular diseases or risk factors, particularly older adults, to take extra precautions during the early hours of the day.
DIPLOMACY
Minister to visit Palau
Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) would represent Taiwan at Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr’s inauguration on Thursday, a diplomatic source said yesterday. Lin would lead Taiwan’s delegation on behalf of President William Lai (賴清德) to congratulate Whipps on winning a second term in office, the unnamed source said. The foreign minister would be joined by a business and trade delegation headed by Lee Hsien-yi (李賢義), chair of the state-owned Taiwan International Ports Corp, the source added. The business and trade delegation would also include representatives from Chunghwa Telecom, Shin Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Hospital, the Taipei-based Chinese International Economic Cooperation Association and the government-funded Taiwan International Cooperation and Development Fund. Palau is one of 12 states that maintain diplomatic relations with Taipei instead of Beijing. Whipps has been supportive of Taiwan since he first took office in 2021 and has repeatedly accused China of pressuring Palau to switch sides by weaponizing tourism.
‘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
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off Tainan at 11:47am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Tainan and Chiayi County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and County, and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Taitung County and offshore Penghu County, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of
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
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