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.
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) today condemned the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) after the Czech officials confirmed that Chinese agents had surveilled Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) during her visit to Prague in March last year. Czech Military Intelligence director Petr Bartovsky yesterday said that Chinese operatives had attempted to create the conditions to carry out a demonstrative incident involving Hsiao, going as far as to plan a collision with her car. Hsiao was vice president-elect at the time. The MAC said that it has requested an explanation and demanded a public apology from Beijing. The CCP has repeatedly ignored the desires
Many Chinese spouses required to submit proof of having renounced their Chinese household registration have either completed the process or provided affidavits ahead of the June 30 deadline, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said on Thursday. Of the 12,146 people required to submit the proof, 5,534 had done so as of Wednesday, MAC deputy head and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. Another 2,572 people who met conditions for exemption or deferral from submitting proof of deregistration — such as those with serious illnesses or injuries — have submitted affidavits instead, he said. “As long as individuals are willing to cooperate with the legal
The Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant’s license has expired and it cannot simply be restarted, the Executive Yuan said today, ahead of national debates on the nuclear power referendum. The No. 2 reactor at the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant in Pingtung County was disconnected from the nation’s power grid and completely shut down on May 17, the day its license expired. The government would prioritize people’s safety and conduct necessary evaluations and checks if there is a need to extend the service life of the reactor, Executive Yuan spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) told a news conference. Lee said that the referendum would read: “Do
Taiwan's Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) said Saturday that she would not be intimidated by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), following reports that Chinese agents planned to ram her car during a visit to the Czech Republic last year. "I had a great visit to Prague & thank the Czech authorities for their hospitality & ensuring my safety," Hsiao said on social media platform X. "The CCP's unlawful activities will NOT intimidate me from voicing Taiwan's interests in the international community," she wrote. Hsiao visited the Czech Republic on March 18 last year as vice president-elect and met with Czech Senate leadership, including
RSS