Newborns contract Legionnaires’ disease for first time in 10 years

Newborns contract Legionnaires’ disease for first time in 10 years

2023-11-24

Legionnaires’ disease, a serious form of pneumonia, has been reported among newborns for the first time in 10 years. The Taiwan CDC says that four infants contracted it between this February and October. The cases were all reported from different hospitals, but they involved the same bacterial strain. All four infants have since been discharged from the hospital.

Legionnaires’ disease can be contracted by drinking water containing the Legionella bacteria. In the four cases reported this year, the source of infection is suspected to be water dispensers or water faucets. On Friday, the Taiwan CDC urged regular cleaning and disinfection of water systems. It said that when preparing baby formula, it’s best to use water that’s been boiled and then cooled, to avoid risks associated with unboiled water.

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4名新生兒染"退伍軍人病" 專家:泡奶粉要用沸水

2023-11-24

退伍軍人菌相隔10年，再度找上新生兒！疾管署一口氣公布4名新生兒個案，今年2月至10月，陸續在不同院所，感染同源菌株的退伍軍人病，症狀分別有肺炎和呼吸窘迫合併呼吸衰竭等，不排除個案感染來源可能分別與其照顧單位之飲水機或水龍頭等管路相關，所幸4人都已出院。

疾管署呼籲民眾確保用水安全，除了定期清洗及消毒用水設備，飲用水也應澈底煮沸，配製新生兒或嬰幼兒之配方奶時，用品應清潔消毒，使用煮沸且冷卻至不低於70℃的水沖泡，避免直接添加冷水降溫。

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Joint-ticket bid collapses as KMT, TPP register separately

The drama of the KMT-TPP alliance has come to an end. Each party registered for the election separately on Friday, meaning that there won’t be a joint ticket on the ballot. The TPP’s Ko Wen-je signed up with his running mate Wu Hsin-ying, a lawmaker from his own party. KMT presidential candidate Hou Yu-ih registered with media personality Jaw Shaw-kong. Although no deal was reached on the joint ticket, Ko says he still hopes to ally with the KMT in the months ahead.

TPP presidential candidate Ko Wen-je and his running mate, lawmaker Wu Hsin-ying, registered at the Central Election Commission on Friday. Ko says Wu complements his areas of expertise.

Ko Wen-je
TPP presidential candidate
Wu Hsin-ying’s life and background are completely different from mine. She studied in the U.K. and in the U.S., and has worked in public welfare. Meanwhile, I was born and raised in Taiwan. The most complementary figure to me in our party is Wu Hsin-ying. I also wanted a younger face.

Wu Hsin-ying
TPP vice presidential candidate
When I became lawmaker last November, I said I would cram three days of work into each day. Now I have just 50 days left. So for these last 50 days, I will try to do five days of work each day, to help the TPP grow stronger.

Ko’s registration marked the official collapse of joint-ticket talks between the TPP and KMT. In a Central Standing Committee meeting on Friday, the KMT announced Broadcasting Corporation of China Chair Jaw Shaw-kong as its VP candidate.

Eric Chu
KMT chair
Hou Yu-ih and I were humiliated. We offered sincerity and got none back. We defended our integrity and got no real cooperation. As the chair of the KMT, I’m issuing a call to everyone in our party. We have to mobilize and come together to support our candidate Hou Yu-ih.

Jaw was reportedly suggested as VP candidate by the head of Hou’s campaign office, King Pu-tsung.

Hou Yu-ih
KMT presidential candidate
Actually, Shaw-kong needs no recommendation. He and I were very close already. We have a very clear vision for the country. He is straightforward, sensible, and honest. I was the one who asked him. Nobody had to suggest him to me.

Jaw Shaw-kong
KMT vice presidential candidate
I’m actually not particularly interested in being a government official. President Ma Ying-jeou once asked me to be vice premier, but I declined. He phoned me six times in one day. But the situation is different now. We’re in a desperate situation and we need to save our nation. I’ll cancel all my shows.

Despite the fate of the joint presidential ticket, Ko still says there is room for cooperation between the KMT and TPP.

Ko Wen-je
TPP presidential candidate
I believe that after the elections are done, there will be plenty of opportunities for cooperation between the legislative speaker, the deputy speaker and all the committee heads as well as the premier and members of the Cabinet. This is what it has come down to. We have the same goal, but we’re carving our own path. I think that’s how it will go. I will still abide by the principle of not attacking each other. We need to focus on beating Lai Ching-te, not each other.

The twists and turns of the KMT-TPP alliance seem to have finally reached an end. But with 50 days to go until Election Day, anything can happen.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
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2023-11-24

KMT, TPP expected to court votes from each other’s support base

2023-11-24

DPP’s Lai reacts to breakdown of KMT-TPP negotiations

Amid chaos in the opposition camp, DPP presidential candidate Lai Ching-te has ramped up his campaign. He spent Thursday on a whirlwind tour of Kaohsiung. The vice president will spend this weekend visiting five cities and counties to boost support, not just for his own victory but for a DPP legislative majority. Speaking at a Kaohsiung rally, Lai took a dig at the splintered opposition, asking voters if they dared to hand over the nation to such people.

Lai Ching-te
DPP presidential candidate
They spent an entire day bickering about it. They spent a whole morning bickering about where to meet. They spent hours to decide on where to hold the meeting and how many participants to have. And in the end, did it all result in anything? It didn’t. I’d like to ask all parents, neighbors and elders. Dare we hand over our national affairs to that lot?

After chaos engulfed their joint ticket discussions, the TPP and KMT forged ahead, each registering its own presidential candidate. At a campaign event for Kaohsiung legislative candidate Huang Chieh, Lai Ching-te heaped scorn on the opposition.

Lai Ching-te
DPP presidential candidate
If we don’t have a team of experienced and seasoned people leading the country, if we let inexperienced people take the lead, what will we do if something bad happens? Taiwan can’t afford experiments like that.

The DPP slammed the KMT’s vice presidential pick Jaw Shaw-kong, saying the KMT ticket was now overtly pro-China and pro-unification. It also criticized Ko Wen-je’s choice of Wu Hsin-ying, saying the TPP ticket stood for plutocracy.

Chang Chih-hao
DPP news head
Hou Yu-ih has turned on his tracks and appointed Jaw Shaw-kong as his deputy. He’s trying to court people who support unification with China under the R.O.C. and people who support unification under the PRC. All while holding Taiwan back. Meanwhile, Ko Wen-je is looking out for himself, appointing Wu Hsin-ying as his VP. That’s plutocracy. It’s allowing money to further interfere in politics. Ko Wen-je has referred to his vision as “new politics.” Is all that about having power in one hand and money in the other?

The coalition’s collapse could add to the DPP’s lead, but Lai is still powering ahead in his campaign. On Friday, the DPP released a new campaign video about, quote, voting for the right people.

The video shows Lai in his days as Tainan mayor, joining a group of volunteers on a project to fix up the houses of disadvantaged people.

Chen Mei-ching
Union of Associations of Tainan City
Back when he was mayor, Lai was very kindhearted. He said, “You are working so hard, you should be getting funds for this, let me think of something.” We didn’t know what he’d do. In the end he did a fundraiser for us. He told the Labor Affairs Bureau head, Mr. Wang, “Here’s NT$3.5 million we raised for you all.”

Campaigning is in full swing and Lai has a packed itinerary this coming weekend. He’s set to campaign for legislative candidates in five cities and counties, with the aim of winning a majority in the Legislative Yuan.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

2023-11-24

Hon Hai founder Terry Gou drops out of presidential race

2023-11-24

Biden highlights efforts with China, Mexico to combat fentanyl

U.S. President Joe Biden highlighted on Tuesday his administration’s efforts to halt the flow of fentanyl and the ingredients used to produce the deadly drug, following deals with leaders of China and Mexico last week. However, as VOA chief White House correspondent Patsy Widakuswara tells us, observers say past efforts to control production and export from outside of the country have proved ineffective.

The deadly drug fentanyl can be shipped undetected via airport cargo, border crossings and even through the postal system.

Following counternarcotics deals with China and Mexico reached on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco last week, on Tuesday President Joe Biden vowed to boost his administration’s efforts to combat the drug that has killed more than 200 thousand Americans in recent years.

Joe Biden
US president
This challenge also has roots outside our borders, outside the borders of the United States. It’s a global challenge that demands global action.

Fentanyl is mass-produced in Mexico using precursor chemicals largely from China and trafficked via cartels into the U.S. While China has agreed to reduce the flow of precursor chemicals, implementation remains to be seen, and other sources may open up.

Peter Reuter
University of Maryland
We always worry about displacement. That is that if China stops sending the precursors, that the very large, poorly regulated, corruptly regulated, Indian industry will replace China.

Experts praise Biden’s comprehensive approach but say that a heavy focus on limiting fentanyl’s entry can be counter-productive to the positive steps in harm reduction the administration has taken.

Brandon Marshall
Brown University
Many of these efforts to restrict the supply lead traffickers to identify substances which are more potent. So that means a smaller quantity for the same effect, which are easier to traffic.

Biden urged Congress to tighten laws to make fentanyl a Schedule One drug. But advocates say such a move is dangerous.

Mary Sylla
National Harm Reduction Coalition
Maintaining the scheduling of fentanyl as Schedule One means that people are going to be stigmatized, they’re going to go to jail and prison, and actually get pulled out of their communities and be more likely to overdose.

Sylla argued that more focus and resources should be placed instead on efforts to reduce the negative impacts of substance use, including syringe services, overdose prevention and drug treatments.

Patsy Widakuswara, VOA News, Washington.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
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2023-11-24

DPP’s Top 10 party list candidates register for election

The registration deadline has passed for the 2024 presidential and legislative elections. Hours before the deadline, the DPP’s secretary-general led 10 party list candidates to the Central Election Commission. Wearing yellow crossing guard vests, they emphasized that their goal in parliament would be to safeguard the future for Taiwan’s children.

On the last day of campaign registration, the DPP’s secretary-general headed to the election commission with party list candidates. They included Jing Chuan Child Safety Foundation CEO Lin Yue-chin; Puma Shen, head of the Graduate School of Criminology at National Taipei University; and entertainer Jean Kuo.

Hsu Li-ming
DPP secretary-general
What we are doing right now is actually deciding the future of the next generation. So the defining characteristic of the DPP’s party list is that they were chosen to safeguard Taiwan’s next generation.

Puma Shen
Party list candidate
Since April, how many YouTube channels linked to Chinese influence operations has Google deleted? It’s taken down 38,000 channels. Let me ask you this, how many views did those 38,000 channels have? Such is the threat to our democracy and freedom.

Jean Kuo
Party list candidate
Actually I was asked about joining the party list in early November. Coincidentally, two days before I was invited by the DPP, I had been chatting with my family – I said, “Dad, in two years, if this country needs me, I’m willing to enter politics.” Then it turned out to be two days, not two years.

The group comprised the DPP’s first 10 candidates, who are so high up on the list that their election is nearly ensured. The 10 urged voters to “rescue” civil engineering professor Wang Yi-chuan with their party ballot. At No. 14, Wang is listed just outside the DPP’s “safe zone.”

Jean Kuo
Party list candidate
Send the right people into the Legislative Yuan. Vote in Wang Yi-chuan. Yi-chuan is a powerful force. I believe that with him in that strategic position, we have a shot at a legislative majority.

Lin Chu-yin
DPP lawmaker
There are 50 days left till the election. If we can secure 20,000 votes each day, then in 50 days, on Jan. 13, we will have more than a million votes. That will be enough to send Wang Yi-chuan into the Legislative Yuan, giving the DPP a legislative majority.

Over in the opposition camp, the KMT and TPP also registered for the election – separately. Ko Wen-je and Hou Yu-ih appeared at the Central Election Commission with their respective running mates. The DPP’s Lai Ching-te now faces a three-way race.

Hsu Li-ming
DPP secretary-general
Surely the Taiwanese people won’t entrust the country to these people. Whether the race is one-to-one or one-to-many, the DPP will keep moving forward on a steady path, to lead Taiwan.

With less than two months before the election, the presidential contenders have emerged at last and are set for a heated showdown.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

2023-11-24

Musician Hsiao Hung-jen describes transition from pop star to jazz crooner

Today we take you to meet Taiwanese pop singer Hsiao Hung-jen. He is known for eclectically mixing Taiwanese, Mandarin, and English lyrics in his pop ballads. Now he is venturing into the world of jazz. Our very own FTV reporter Stephany Yang spoke to Hsiao to find out more about his career and how managed to persevere despite several hardships.

This is Hsiao Hung-jen. He has collaborated with many prominent Taiwanese music artists, such as Jay Chou and Ian Chen of F.I.R., a Taiwanese rock band. Besides being known for his romantic pop ballads, Hsiao’s lyrics often evoke his Taiwanese roots and social criticism. In September, he wrote a song with his wife.

Hsiao Hung-jen
Singer
I collaborated with my wife to write the lyrics. I’m very grateful to her. She helped me complete it. This song is completely different from my previous works. It has a lower-pitched vocal. I discovered that I quite like the melody and the direction of the music is different from before.

Hsiao first got his foot in the door in the music industry when he was 11 years old. He won first place at a Taiwanese singing competition called "Five Light Awards.” Hsiao was later nominated for "Best Newcomer" at Taiwan’s 20th Golden Melody Awards in 2009. Having been in the music industry for almost 20 years, Hsiao is now venturing into the world of jazz. He says it was not an easy feat to transition from pop to jazz and he had to train and make adjustments. He also recently underwent lung surgery, but that hasn’t hindered him from pursuing his passion for music.

Hsiao Hung-jen
Singer
My voice is now a bit softer. In the past, I sang at a higher pitch. This time the key will be adjusted. I underwent throat treatment earlier, and it seemed that my voice suddenly changed. I hope I can make a jazz album. That is the goal. I want to learn more jazz or blues in the future and add them to my own pop music in live performances.

Hsiao has been busy writing songs for his new jazz album. He says the songs are inspired by his daily life and also difficulties that he faced, such as being the victim of a car accident.

Hsiao Hung-jen
Singer
I have also been composing recently, and I will collaborate with Su Sheng-yu to produce a jazz album. This is my first jazz album. I think it is quite challenging because I am known for my pop music and he is known for his jazz music. When we collaborate together, it is a very unique experience. There are already several songs. The most special thing is that the jazz album is in Taiwanese. It was inspired by many things that I have experienced myself. I was in a car accident and I wrote a song about it. I think life is very precious, so I wrote a song about it. We must seize the moment.

Hsiao hopes that his music can inspire others and bring joy to all.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

2023-11-24

Northeasterlies bring lower temps and air pollution

Brace yourselves, Northern Taiwan. A chilly weekend is in store as northeasterly winds pick up strength. In Miaoli County, temperatures dropped to a bracing 12.8 degrees Friday morning. This cold wave is coupled with strong winds, and it’s set to last until Sunday. Pollution from China will also be with us this weekend, as the northeasterlies sweep in air from across the strait.

The northeasterly winds are picking up strength, bringing down temps in Northern Taiwan. The lowest temperature in the country was recorded Friday morning in Miaoli, at just 12.8 degrees. Warm coats and scarves were the order of the day.

Brace for brief downpours in windward parts of Greater Taipei, Yilan, Hualien and Taoyuan’s mountains. On Friday, heavy winds destroyed hairdos and threatened to turn umbrellas inside out. The Central Weather Administration issued a strong wind advisory for the area from Taoyuan’s coast to Yunlin, and for the Hengchun Peninsula, which could see gusts could of up to 102 kilometers per hour. The northeasterly winds are carrying pollution from China. In Northern Taiwan and the outlying islands, the air quality alert flashed red for “hazardous.” Central Taiwan, Yunlin, Chiayi, Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Pingtung saw an orange alert, meaning that the air was unhealthy for sensitive groups.

Hsu Chung-yi
CWA forecaster
The cloud colors in areas affected by the northeasterly winds are clearly different from the cloud colors to the south and to the north. They are less opaque, which indicates air pollutants. As the northeasterly winds pick up strength, pollution is being blown into Taiwan. Today, it’s mostly affecting the western half of the island.

This wave of northeasterlies will bring wet weather mainly to windward areas. By Sunday, the rains will taper off and temperatures will briefly rise. On Monday, the northeasterly winds will return, bringing in cold and dry weather. The impact will be more intense than the current wave, with lows expected to reach 14 or 15 degrees islandwide. Radiative cooling could make certain areas even colder in the early mornings.

Hsu Chung-yi
CWA forecaster
Starting Monday evening, we’ll see the next wave of northeasterly winds pick up strength. They’ll have an impact over a longer period of time, all the way until Thursday or Friday. That means there will be big day-night temperature swings all over Taiwan, and we may see radiative cooling in the early hours of the morning. Over in central and southern Taiwan, the change won’t be as significant, although we will see bigger day-night temperature swings. Mornings and nights will be cool, and temperatures will climb back up during the day.

Cold weather is expected from next Monday to Saturday. So if you’re heading outdoors, be sure to dress accordingly.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

2023-11-24