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.
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
A Japan Self-Defense Forces vessel entered the Taiwan Strait yesterday, Japanese media reported. After passing through the Taiwan Strait, the Ikazuchi was to proceed to the South China Sea to take part in a joint military exercise with the US and the Philippines, the reports said. Japan Self-Defense Force vessels were first reported to have passed through the strait in September, 2024, with two further transits taking place in February and June last year, the Asahi Shimbun reported. Yesterday’s transit also marked the first time since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office that a Japanese warship has been sent through the Taiwan
‘SAME OLD TRICK’: Even if Beijing resumes individual travel to Taiwan, it would only benefit Chinese tourism companies, the Economic Democracy Union convener said China’s 10 new “incentives” are “sugar-coated poison,” an official said yesterday, adding that Taiwanese businesses see them clearly for what they are, but that Beijing would inevitably find some local collaborators to try to drums up support. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, made the remark ahead of a news conference the General Chamber of Commerce is to hold today. The event, titled “Industry Perspectives on China’s Recent Pro-Taiwan Policies,” is expected to include representatives from industry associations — such as those in travel, hotels, food and agriculture — to request the government cooperate with China’s new measures, people familiar with
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