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.
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