AGRICULTURE
Ducks culled in Changhua
More than 1,500 ducks were culled on Sunday at a farm in Changhua County, which was confirmed to be infected with avian flu, the Changhua Animal Disease Control Center said. The Animal Health Research Institute on Saturday confirmed the presence of the highly pathogenic subtype H5N2 avian flu virus at the farm, which led to the culling of 1,531 ducks, followed by disinfection of the farm and surrounding areas, center director Tung Meng-chih (董孟治) said. To prevent the virus spreading further, county personnel have been carrying out checks at local poultry farms since July 12.
SOCIETY
Students win science golds
Taiwanese students won three gold medals and one silver at the International Biology Olympiad in Hungary, finishing fourth overall, the Ministry of Education said. Taiwan was represented by four high-school students who were selected and trained by Cheng Jiin-tsuey (陳錦翠), a professor at National Sun Yat-sen University’s department of biological sciences, and 19 other professors. The team finished fourth behind China, South Korea and Hungary at the event, which began on July 14 and ended on Sunday in Szeged, the ministry said in statement. In the individual category, Tseng Chih-chen (曾治蓁) of National Taichung First Senior High School finished 12th, the best performance by a Taiwanese student, the ministry said. It would grant each of the gold medal winners NT$200,000, while each of the silver medal winners would receive NT$100,000, the ministry said. Since Taiwan began participating in the event in 1999, it has won 61 gold, 20 silver and three bronze medals, ranking fifth for the history of the olympiad.
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
Typhoon Krathon, a military airshow and rehearsals for Double Ten National Day celebrations might disrupt flights at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport in the first 10 days of next month, the airport’s operator said yesterday. Taoyuan International Airport Corp said in a statement that it has established a response center after the Central Weather Administration issued a sea warning for Krathon, and urged passengers to remain alert to the possibility of disruptions caused by the storm in the coming days. Flight schedules might also change while the air force conducts rehearsals and holds a final airshow for Double Ten National Day, it added. Although
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
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