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.
Taipei and New Taipei City government officials are aiming to have the first phase of the Wanhua-Jungho-Shulin Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line completed and opened by 2027, following the arrival of the first train set yesterday. The 22km-long Light Green Line would connect four densely populated districts in Taipei and New Taipei City: Wanhua (萬華), Jhonghe (中和), Tucheng (土城) and Shulin (樹林). The first phase of the project would connect Wanhua and Jhonghe districts, with Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Chukuang (莒光) being the terminal stations. The two municipalities jointly hosted a ceremony for the first train to be used
MILITARY AID: Taiwan has received a first batch of US long-range tactical missiles ahead of schedule, with a second shipment expected to be delivered by 2026 The US’ early delivery of long-range tactical ballistic missiles to Taiwan last month carries political and strategic significance, a military source said yesterday. According to the Ministry of National Defense’s budget report, the batch of military hardware from the US, including 11 sets of M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and 64 MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems, had been scheduled to be delivered to Taiwan between the end of this year and the beginning of next year. However, the first batch arrived last month, earlier than scheduled, with the second batch —18 sets of HIMARS, 20 MGM-140 missiles and 864 M30
Representative to the US Alexander Yui delivered a letter from the government to US president-elect Donald Trump during a meeting with a former Trump administration official, CNN reported yesterday. Yui on Thursday met with former US national security adviser Robert O’Brien over a private lunch in Salt Lake City, Utah, with US Representative Chris Stewart, the Web site of the US cable news channel reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter. “During that lunch the letter was passed along, and then shared with Trump, two of the sources said,” CNN said. O’Brien declined to comment on the lunch, as did the Taipei
A woman who allegedly attacked a high-school student with a utility knife, injuring his face, on a Taipei metro train late on Friday has been transferred to prosecutors, police said yesterday. The incident occurred near MRT Xinpu Station at about 10:17pm on a Bannan Line train headed toward Dingpu, New Taipei City police said. Before police arrived at the station to arrest the suspect, a woman surnamed Wang (王) who is in her early 40s, she had already been subdued by four male passengers, one of whom was an off-duty Taipei police officer, police said. The student, 17, who sustained a cut about
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