HEALTH
Tainan sees dengue fatality
A 73-year-old man in Tainan died of dengue fever, the first death reported in the nation this summer due to the mosquito-borne disease, health officials said yesterday. The man, who had a history of diabetes, high blood pressure and chronic kidney disease, died on Monday, three days after developing dengue symptoms, officials said. His wife and son were infected at about the same time, accounting for three out of four confirmed cases in the neighborhood, Tainan Department of Health Director Lin Sheng-che (林聖哲) said. According to the Centers for Disease Control, as of Tuesday there had been 775 indigenous dengue fever cases this year, the highest figure since 2010. Dengue fever is an infectious tropical disease spread by mosquitoes. In a small proportion of cases, the disease can develop into hemorrhagic dengue fever, which can be fatal.
AGRICULTURE
COA targets young farmers
The Council of Agriculture (COA) said it is planning to introduce 30,000 young workers into the agricultural sector over a 10-year period to deal with the problem of dwindling agricultural production and an aging population in the sector. The council said it is important to bring younger people into agriculture as way of dealing with issues such as declining production, aging agricultural workers and a lack of efficiency on small farms. As part of a project to create a better farming environment, the council said, it will seek to attract greater interest in agriculture to bring the young farmers into the sector. Premier Mao Chi-kuo (毛治國) said the council should also plan to create specific markets for different agricultural products and devise strategies for the development of those sub-sectors.
AGING: While Japan has 22 submarines, Taiwan only operates four, two of which were commissioned by the US in 1945 and 1946, and transferred to Taiwan in 1973 Taiwan would need at least 12 submarines to reach modern fleet capabilities, CSBC Corp, Taiwan chairman Chen Cheng-hung (陳政宏) said in an interview broadcast on Friday, citing a US assessment. CSBC is testing the nation’s first indigenous defense submarine, the Hai Kun (海鯤, Narwhal), which is scheduled to be delivered to the navy next month or in July. The Hai Kun has completed torpedo-firing tests and is scheduled to undergo overnight sea trials, Chen said on an SET TV military affairs program. Taiwan would require at least 12 submarines to establish a modern submarine force after assessing the nation’s operational environment and defense
Yangmingshan National Park authorities yesterday urged visitors to respect public spaces and obey the law after a couple was caught on a camera livestream having sex at the park’s Qingtiangang (擎天崗) earlier in the day. The Shilin Police Precinct in Taipei said it has identified a suspect and his vehicle registration number, and would summon him for questioning. The case would be handled in accordance with public indecency charges, it added. The couple entered the park at about 11pm on Thursday and began fooling around by 1am yesterday, the police said, adding that the two were unaware of the park’s all-day live
The coast guard today said that it had disrupted "illegal" operations by a Chinese research ship in waters close to the nation and driven it away, part of what Taipei sees a provocative pattern of China's stepped up maritime activities. The coast guard said that it on Thursday last week detected the Chinese ship Tongji (同濟號), which was commissioned only last year, 29 nautical miles (54km) southeast of the southern tip of Taiwan, although just outside restricted waters. The ship was observed lowering ropes into the water, suspected to be the deployment of scientific instruments for "illegal" survey operations, and the coast
A former soldier and an active-duty army officer were yesterday indicted for allegedly selling classified military training materials to a Chinese intelligence operative for a total of NT$79,440. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office indicted Chen Tai-yin (陳泰尹) and Lee Chun-ta (李俊達) for contravening the National Security Act (國家安全法) and the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例). Chen left the military in September 2013 after serving alongside then-staff sergeant Lee, now an army lieutenant, at the 21st Artillery Command of the army’s Sixth Corps from 2011 to 2013, according to the indictment. Chen met a Chinese intelligence operative identified as “Wang” (王) through a friend in November
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