DIPLOMACY
Eswatini ties stable: Lin
Diplomatic relations with Eswatini remain “stable,” Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday in response to reports that the nation’s only African ally is pivoting toward China. Taiwan’s relations with Eswatini are “stable” and “solid,” Lin told reporters at a ceremony in Taipei, dismissing media speculation. Lin said Eswatini’s King Mswati III visited the nation in May to attend President William Lai’s (賴清德) inauguration, which was followed by the signing of a joint statement reaffirming bilateral ties. In addition, the two countries have developed “wide” and “multifaceted” collaborations over the past 56 years in areas such as medicine, agriculture and communications, Lin said. Lin’s comments came a few days after Semafor Africa cited the Eswatini business community as reporting that the kingdom’s authorities were thawing relations with Beijing, in line with the increasing presence of Chinese businesses in the country.
DEFENSE
Pilot leaves hospital
An air force pilot who ejected to safety from a Mirage 2000 jet that later crashed was discharged from hospital yesterday. Captain Hsieh Pei-hsun (謝沛勳), who is now able to move around on his own, left Tungs’ Taichung MetroHarbor Hospital at 9:40am, accompanied by his family. The contusions and bruises on his neck and waist have greatly improved, but follow-up treatment is still advised, doctors said. Hsieh, who was rescued from the waters off Hsinchu County’s coast on Tuesday night, has been cleared of aspiration pneumonia after an X-ray examination, the hospital said. The incident took place at 8:05pm on Tuesday, when Hsieh’s aircraft lost power over waters off Hsinchu County. Hsieh has logged 795 flight hours, including 509 hours with the Mirage 2000, the air force said.
SOCIETY
Teacher suspended
A preschool teacher in Taichung has been suspended following accusations of student mistreatment, the city government said on Thursday. The teacher at a preschool in Nantun District (南屯) is under investigation for allegedly causing multiple bruises on a child on Sept. 2, government officials said in a news release. The parents of the child filed a complaints with a city councilor and the city’s Education Bureau on Sept. 3. Statements by the parents and surveillance footage appeared to show the teacher pinching the boy’s cheeks and grabbing him by the upper arm to drag him into the classroom, causing bruises on his neck and chest. Although the teacher admitted to her actions, the parents said the preschool was too lenient with the teacher.
FOOD
Peracetic acid use eased
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has amended a regulation to allow food industry operators the option to use peracetic acid as a cleanser in ready-to-eat fresh produce. The inclusion of peracetic acid in the Sanitation Standard for Food Cleansers comes after referencing international practices and other relevant safety assessments, the FDA said in a news release on Thursday. Peracetic acid, also known as peroxyacetic acid or PAA, is a type of oxidizing agent that is used in numerous applications, including as a chemical disinfectant in healthcare and as a sanitizer to control water quality in aquaculture. Prior to the amendment, sodium chlorite solutions, chlorine dioxide, hypochlorous acid and sodium hypochlorite were the only four industrial chemical agents permitted for use as cleansers in ready-to-eat raw food in the nation, Food Safety Division head Tsai Shu-jean (蔡淑貞) said.
Peracetic acid was originally used for disinfecting containers or packages that come in direct contact with food, but local industry operators requested that its use be expanded, Tsai said. Food cleansers are primarily used in fresh vegetables and fish that can be consumed uncooked, such as salads, sashimi or fruits sold in supermarkets and restaurants, she said. The addition of peracetic acid will give operators a new option for disinfecting raw edible food, as this oxidizing agent typically evaporates without leaving any residue, the FDA said. However, if residue does remain, it must not exceed 1 part per million (ppm), as stipulated in the revised food cleanser regulation that came into effect on Thursday, it said.
‘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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