SCIENCE
LayV test developed
Taiwanese researchers have developed a polymerase chain reaction-based test to diagnose Langya henipavirus (LayV), a recently discovered animal-derived virus that has been detected in eastern China, the Centers for Disease Control said yesterday. LayV, which was first described by Chinese scientists in an Aug. 4 article in the New England Journal of Medicine, has infected dozens of people, mainly farmers, in China’s Shandong and Henan provinces. Many patients had symptoms such as a fever, fatigue and coughing. The virus is believed to have been transmitted to humans from shrews, but there is no evidence that it can be spread from person to person.
AVIATION
Tsai inaugurates R&D center
The research and development (R&D) of uncrewed aerial vehicles is crucial for the nation to achieve self-reliance and boost its asymmetric defense capabilities, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said on Saturday as she inaugurated a government-run drone R&D facility in Chiayi County. As part of the government’s efforts to develop drone technology, expand the market and foster talent, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications in March established an alliance of drone manufacturers to grow the industry and expand the scope of drone applications, she said. Chiayi is home to plains, mountains and coastal areas, making it the perfect testing ground for drones, Tsai added. Twenty companies have set up offices in the R&D center, and there are plans to establish a testing site, a drone operator licensing facility, a drone-related academy and a national arena for drone-related competitions, she said.
CRIME
Man held over murder
Police in Hsinchu County’s Jhubei City (竹北) early yesterday arrested a man on suspicion of killing his girlfriend after she rejected his marriage proposal. The Philippine man, who was identified only as Dioni, had previously dated the victim in the Philippines, although they broke up before traveling separately to Taiwan for work, police said. The pair resumed their relationship after a chance encounter in Taiwan, although the victim repeatedly refused Dioni’s proposals, they added. The couple were staying in a hotel in Jhubei on Saturday night, when the topic of marriage came up again, police said. They argued after the victim turned down Dioni’s marriage proposal and he allegedly strangled her in a fit of anger, they said. Dioni later called the emergency services, but paramedics arriving at the scene at about 6am yesterday found that the victim had died and reported the incident to the police.
SOCIETY
Student wins gold medal
A Taiwanese high-school student on Wednesday won a gold medal at the International Economics Olympiad. It was Taiwan’s first gold in the annual competition that began in 2019. This year’s Olympiad — a competition that tests high-school students’ knowledge of economics, business and finance — was hosted by China, but took place online. Other Taiwanese contestants won two silver, one bronze and a special award for best economic theory, placing the country in 11th place globally and fifth in Asia, said SimEd Taiwan, a group that promotes simulation-based learning in education. Gold medal winner Shih Chun-yu (施俊佑) is a student at the Taipei-based Dominican International School.
The inspection equipment and data transmission system for new robotic dogs that Taipei is planning to use for sidewalk patrols were developed by a Taiwanese company, the city’s New Construction Office said today, dismissing concerns that the China-made robots could pose a security risk. The city is bringing in smart robotic dogs to help with sidewalk inspections, Taipei Deputy Mayor Lee Ssu-chuan (李四川) said on Facebook. Equipped with a panoramic surveillance system, the robots would be able to automatically flag problems and easily navigate narrow sidewalks, making inspections faster and more accurate, Lee said. By collecting more accurate data, they would help Taipei
TAKING STOCK: The USMC is rebuilding a once-abandoned airfield in Palau to support large-scale ground operations as China’s missile range grows, Naval News reported The US Marine Corps (USMC) is considering new sites for stockpiling equipment in the West Pacific to harden military supply chains and enhance mobility across the Indo-Pacific region, US-based Naval News reported on Saturday. The proposed sites in Palau — one of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies — and Australia would enable a “rapid standup of stored equipment within a year” of the program’s approval, the report said, citing documents published by the USMC last month. In Palau, the service is rebuilding a formerly abandoned World War II-era airfield and establishing ancillary structures to support large-scale ground operations “as China’s missile range and magazine
A 72-year-old man in Kaohsiung was sentenced to 40 days in jail after he was found having sex with a 67-year-old woman under a slide in a public park on Sunday afternoon. At 3pm on Sunday, a mother surnamed Liang (梁) was with her child at a neighborhood park when they found the man, surnamed Tsai (蔡), and woman, surnamed Huang (黃), underneath the slide. Liang took her child away from the scene, took photographs of the two and called the police, who arrived and arrested the couple. During questioning, Tsai told police that he had met Huang that day and offered to
A British man was arrested for attempting to smuggle 14.37kg of marijuana into Taiwan through Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taipei Customs said late yesterday. The man, who arrived from Bangkok at 9pm on Friday, was asked by customs officers to open his luggage during a random inspection, Taipei Customs said in a news release. The passenger, whose identity was not disclosed, refused to open his suitcase and tried to flee the restricted area. He was eventually subdued by three customs officials and an Aviation Police Bureau officer. A later search of his checked luggage uncovered 14.37kg of marijuana buds. The case was handed over
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