TRAVEL
Passport service launched
The government yesterday launched an online passport renewal service for Taiwanese nationals. Previously, Taiwanese had to visit the Bureau of Consular Affairs’ branch offices to apply to renew their passports. They can now apply online and collect their new passport 14 days later at a bureau office by showing their national identity card and online application receipt. Only Taiwanese who have a household registration in Taiwan and whose personal records on their expired passport do not need to be changed are eligible to use the online application system. Taiwanese who need to renew an expired passport can enter their natural person certificate number to begin their application at www.boca.gov.tw/mp-1.html, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The service would run on a trial basis, accepting a maximum of 500 applications daily. After it is fully open, the ministry said it expects the site to fulfill 200,000 to 300,000 passport renewal applications each year.
Photo: CNA
FOOD SAFETY
Spices rejected at border
Two shipments of mixed spices from India have been rejected at the border for containing Sudan I, a banned toxic dye, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. The batches have been destroyed according to regulations and did not enter the market, it said. As the toxic substance has recently been found in numerous products such as spices and chili powder imported from China and India, spices and seasoning imports from those countries would be subject to batch-by-batch inspections, it said. The inspection standards would continue until March next year for China and August next year for India. An import of “Horseradish White Prepared X Hot” from the US was also rejected for containing 0.034 grams per kilogram of sulfur dioxide, a bleach with a legal limit of 0.03 grams per kilogram, the FDA said. Condiments from the US are currently subject to a 100 percent inspection rate due to repeated contraventions of food safety laws. Thirteen others items were also seized at the border, including produce and kitchenware from Vietnam, kitchenware and spices from China, aquatic products from Japan, fresh produce from France and spices from Turkey, the agency said. The items were intercepted for excessive pesticide residues, heavy metals or failing to pass dissolution tests, it said.
SOCIETY
National day logo unveiled
A government planning committee yesterday unveiled the official logo for this year’s Double Ten National Day celebrations. The emblem, posted to social media by the National Day Preparation Committee, uses the Chinese character for “10” (shi, 十) twice, symbolizing Oct. 10, in the colors of the national flag (red, blue and white). The characters are joined by a plum blossom, Taiwan’s national flower. Beneath the logo, a line of text in Mandarin reads: “Republic of China” and “Happy Birthday” on either side of the national flag. A second line in English reads: “A Beautiful Taiwan Today, A Better Taiwan Tomorrow.” The Double Ten National Day design often attracts political controversy. From 2016 to last year, when the Democratic Progressive Party controlled both the legislature and the presidency, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) politicians frequently criticized the design for omitting the words “Republic of China.” This year’s logo does not include the phrase “Taiwan National Day” in English, a departure from the previous two years.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
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