■ DIPLOMACY
You Ching may go to Berlin
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator You Ching (尤清) has been tapped to serve as the nation's representative to Germany, Executive Yuan spokesman Shieh Jhy-wey (謝志偉) said. Shieh, who just ended a two-year stint as representative to Germany, took office as Executive Yuan spokesman and Government Information Office minister on Monday. You earned a doctoral degree in law from Germany's Heidelberg University, Shieh said, adding that his formation of a good social network during his study in Germany was sure to help him. You has been a Control Yuan member, a National Chengchi University associate professor, a Presidential Office national policy adviser and an ambassador-at-large.
■ AGRICULTURE
Produce labels to ease fears
The first batch of Taiwan-grown tomatoes labeled with "produce traceability" recently entered the market, Council of Agriculture (COA) officials said yesterday. The officials said that the tomatoes were cultivated on a farm in Taichung County with the assistance of the council's research center in central Taiwan. Given growing concern among consumers about the hygiene standards of agricultural products, quality inspection labeling on the packaging of such products has become a global trend, the officials said, adding that this was why council Chairman Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全) made implementing the "produce traceability" system his top priority when he assumed his post in January last year. The council's efforts in this regard have borne fruit, with more Taiwanese produce bearing "produce traceability" labels.
■ POLITICS
Farmers' party founded
The Taiwan Farmers' Party was established yesterday in Kaohsiung County, with the aim of better representing the rights and interests of local farmers and fishermen, party officials said. Kaohsiung County Commissioner Yang Chiu-hsing (楊秋興) attended the ceremony and congratulated Yang Cheng-chi (楊政治), chief of the Kaohsiung Farmers' Association, who was chosen as party chairman by representatives from local farmers' and fishermen's associations across the country. Addressing the ceremony, Yang Chiu-hsing said he was happy to see such a party established -- the first of its kind dedicated to grassroots farmers and fishermen in the country. Yang Chiu-hsing said he hoped that the new party could help the government work out sound policies to attend to the needs of farmers and fishermen. For his part, Yang Cheng-chi said that the party, as a representative of grassroots workers, would work hard to win public recognition.
■ DIPLOMACY
Ties with Nicaragua steady
Minister of Foreign Affairs James Huang (黃志芳) said yesterday that diplomatic relations with Nicaragua were stable. Huang made the remarks after presiding over a swearing-in ceremony at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of new officials and representatives of overseas offices. Commenting on media reports that relations between Taiwan and Nicaragua were shaky, Huang said that given current difficulties, he could not guarantee that relations with every ally would be problem-free. "Taiwan has limited resources and cannot compete with China's checkbook diplomacy," he said. "What we can do is to be on guard and do everything possible to cement ties with our allies," he said, adding that "Taiwan's relations with Nicaragua are solid at present."
■ JUSTICE
Dog owner sentenced
A Taipei County man was sentenced to 30 days in detention for an injury his dog caused to a passerby, Taipei District Court officials said on Wednesday. The 57-year-old dog owner, surnamed Wu, did not have his door completely closed on Jan. 17, when his dog, unleashed and unmuzzled, ran out on to the street and attacked a passing woman. The court ruled that Wu should have been aware that dogs can be aggressive in certain situations, and that owners should leash their dogs or muzzle them to prevent their animals from assaulting others. The sentence may be commuted to a fine at a rate of NT$1,000 per day.
■ POLITICS
Mayor dismisses allegation
Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌), who once served as secretary-general of the Red Cross Society of the Republic of China, yesterday dismissed an allegation that the organization had embezzled funds from its government-allotted budget over the past 20 years. Hau, who served as Red Cross Society secretary-general between April 2005 and February, said he had seen to it during his stint that all income and expenses were audited by certified public accountants, making embezzlement impossible at the public-interest organization. Hau termed it as "immoral" that certain people had "fabricated a wholly untrue story" accusing Red Cross Society management of misusing funds allocated to the organization from government coffers. He was referring to a report by the Chinese-language China Times yesterday that quoted Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wang Jung-chang (王榮璋) as saying that Minister of the Interior Lee Yi-yang (李逸洋) told him recently that an investigation conducted by ministry officials had discovered that the Red Cross Society had misused government subsidies over the past 20 years and that the ministry would work to retrieve the money.
An undersea cable to Penghu County has been severed, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said today, with a Chinese-funded ship suspected of being responsible. It comes just a month after a Chinese ship was suspected of severing an undersea cable north of Keelung Harbor. The National Communications and Cyber Security Center received a report at 3:03am today from Chunghwa Telecom that the No. 3 cable from Taiwan to Penghu was severed 14.7km off the coast of Tainan, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) upon receiving a report from Chunghwa Telecom began to monitor the Togolese-flagged Hong Tai (宏泰)
A cat named Mikan (蜜柑) has brought in revenue of more than NT$10 million (US$305,390) for the Kaohsiung MRT last year. Mikan, born on April 4, 2020, was a stray cat before being adopted by personnel of Kaohsiung MRT’s Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station. Mikan was named after a Japanese term for mandarin orange due to his color and because he looks like an orange when curled up. He was named “station master” of Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station in September 2020, and has since become famous. With Kaohsiung MRT’s branding, along with the release of a set of cultural and creative products, station master Mikan
Actor Lee Wei (李威) was released on bail on Monday after being named as a suspect in the death of a woman whose body was found in the meeting place of a Buddhist group in Taipei’s Daan District (大安) last year, prosecutors said. Lee, 44, was released on NT$300,000 (US$9,148) bail, while his wife, surnamed Chien (簡), was released on NT$150,000 bail after both were summoned to give statements regarding the woman’s death. The home of Lee, who has retreated from the entertainment business in the past few years, was also searched by prosecutors and police earlier on Monday. Lee was questioned three
RISING TOURISM: A survey showed that tourist visits increased by 35 percent last year, while newly created attractions contributed almost half of the growth Changhua County’s Lukang Old Street (鹿港老街) and its surrounding historical area clinched first place among Taiwan’s most successful tourist attractions last year, while no location in eastern Taiwan achieved a spot in the top 20 list, the Tourism Administration said. The listing was created by the Tourism Administration’s Forward-looking Tourism Policy Research office. Last year, the Lukang Old Street and its surrounding area had 17.3 million visitors, more than the 16 million visitors for the Wenhua Road Night Market (文化路夜市) in Chiayi City and 14.5 million visitors at Tainan’s Anping (安平) historical area, it said. The Taipei 101 skyscraper and its environs —
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