HEALTH
Birds culled at three farms
About 58,000 birds were culled after animals at three poultry farms in Tainan were confirmed to have the highly pathogenic H5N1 subtype of the influenza A virus, the Council of Agriculture (COA) said on Saturday. The latest infections brought the number of farms hit by bird flu outbreaks this year to 10, the council said. The number of avian influenza cases has been rising worldwide, the agency added. Infection clusters have been reported in South Korea and Japan, where migratory birds stop before transiting to Taiwan, it said. The risk of wild birds infecting poultry is high as Taiwan approaches the peak period for winter bird migration, the council said. Poultry farm owners have been urged to ensure adequate heating for their birds as temperatures are expected to drop during the Lunar New Year holiday, prevent poultry coming into contact with wild birds, and sterilize vehicles, personnel and equipment on farms, it said.
CULTURE
French office screens film
The French Office in Taipei on Friday hosted a special screening of the animated movie The Crossing to mark the start of MyFrenchFilmFestival, an online film festival that runs until Feb. 13. The film tells the dramatic journey of two young siblings who run away from an unspecified country in eastern Europe to find a place they belong. It is one of the 29 movies selected for this year’s edition of the festival. Twenty-eight of the films are to be available in Taiwan with English and Chinese subtitles on seven video-on-demand platforms, including Catchplay, HamiVideo, MUBI and Apple TV. One of the 29 films is not available due to copyright issues, Catchplay said. Viewers in Taiwan can also the visit the festival’s Web site to view the films at a fixed price, or watch short films for free.
SOCIETY
Police officer fined
A New Taipei City police officer has been fined NT$2,000 for failing to yield to pedestrians crossing a street while driving a patrol car, the New Taipei City Police Department’s Haishan Precinct has said. The incident late last month was caught on a motorist’s dashcam and uploaded to the Professional Technology Temple, the nation’s largest online bulletin board system. A member of the public then filed a complaint with the New Taipei City mayor’s office. Following an investigation, the precinct said the incident took place on Lane 193, Hansheng E Road at 7:25am on Dec. 27. The police officer, surnamed Liu (劉), did not stop to let pedestrians cross the road before turning right on Lane 331, Changan Street, it said.
DIPLOMACY
SVG donates books
The Embassy of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) on Thursday donated 11 English-language books, mostly by authors from the Caribbean country, to the National Central Library to promote English language and literature in Taiwan. SVG Ambassador and Dean of the Diplomatic Corps Andrea Bowman said the donation followed a proposal by ambassadors from Taiwan’s English-speaking Caribbean allies to create a platform for the promotion and enhancement of the English language and literature in Taiwan. Two of the donated books were written by SVG Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves, who made his 11th visit to Taiwan as prime minister in August last year. Other books written by SVG authors include Peggy Carr’s poetry collection Honey and Lime, and young adult historical fiction novel Shape of a Warrior.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
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