Biting midges are found all over the country except in Pingtung and Taitung in the south, while three areas in Taichung City, Changhua County and Tainan County have been found to have the highest concentrations of the insect, the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) said on Tuesday.
The EPA listed the areas worst-affected by the blood-sucking insects, citing a nationwide field survey on midge concentrations conducted by National Chung Hsing University and Central Taiwan University of Science and Technology last month.
The survey found that the highest concentration — calculated by the number of midge bites on a naked leg within a 20-minute period — was at an earth god temple in the Mingzheng neighborhood of Taichung City's Dakeng District (大坑), with 587 bites detected.
Yienchu Village in Changhua County's Huatan Township (花壇) and Shalun Village (沙崙) in Tainan County's Gueijen Township (歸仁) were also in the top three places for midge concentrations.
Yuan Shao-ying (袁紹英), director-general of the Department of Environmental Sanitation and Toxic Substances, said humans had introduced midges from remote townships and villages to urban areas, probably by unwittingly bringing them home in their cars after visiting infested areas.
The EPA urged the public to keep their homes free of moss and wet soil to reduce the chances of the insects breeding.
Four factors led to the declaration of a typhoon day and the cancelation of classes yesterday, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. Work and classes were canceled across Taiwan yesterday as Typhoon Krathon was forecast to make landfall in the southern part of the country. However, northern Taiwan had only heavy winds during the day and rain in the evening, leading some to criticize the cancelation. Speaking at a Taipei City Council meeting yesterday, Chiang said the decision was made due to the possibility of landslides and other problems in mountainous areas, the need to avoid a potentially dangerous commute for those
SEMICONDUCTORS: TSMC is able to produce 2-nanometer chips and mass production is expected to be launched by next year, the company said In leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing China is behind Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) by at least 10 years as the Taiwanese chipmaker’s manufacturing process has progressed to 2 nanometers, National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Minister Wu Cheng-wen (吳誠文) said yesterday. Wu made the remarks during a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Education and Culture Committee when asked by Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) about a report published in August by the Chinese version of Nikkei Asia that said Taiwan’s lead over China in chip manufacturing was only three years. She asked Wu Cheng-wen if the report was an accurate
PRO-CHINA SLOGANS: Two DPP members criticized police officers’ lack of action at the scene, saying that law enforcement authorities should investigate the incident Chinese tourists allegedly interrupted a protest in Taipei on Tuesday held by Hong Kongers, knocked down several flags and shouted: “Taiwan and Hong Kong belong to China.” Hong Kong democracy activists were holding a demonstration as Tuesday was China’s National Day. A video posted online by civic group Hong Kong Outlanders shows a couple, who are allegedly Chinese, during the demonstration. “Today is China’s National Day, and I won’t allow the displaying of these flags,” the male yells in the video before pushing some demonstrators and knocking down a few flagpoles. Radio Free Asia reported that some of the demonstrators
There are 77 incidents of Taiwanese travelers going missing in China between January last year and last month, the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) said. More than 40 remain unreachable, SEF Secretary-General Luo Wen-jia (羅文嘉) said on Friday. Most of the reachable people in the more than 30 other incidents were allegedly involved in fraud, while some had disappeared for personal reasons, Luo said. One of these people is Kuo Yu-hsuan (郭宇軒), a 22-year-old Taiwanese man from Kaohsiung who went missing while visiting China in August. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office last month said in a news statement that he was under investigation
RSS