FOOD SAFETY
Wine vinegar import stopped
A batch of wine vinegar imported from France has been halted at customs after being found to contain excessive amounts of sulfur dioxide, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. The 450kg batch was imported by the hypermarket chain Carrefour Taiwan, and was found to have 0.107 grams per kilogram (g/kg) of sulfur dioxide, exceeding the 0.03g/kg limit. It was returned or destroyed at the border according to regulations, the FDA said. The substance is used as an antioxidant, bleach and preservative, and to halt fermentation to prevent red wine from becoming too dark, it said. The importer would be subject to 20 to 50 percent inspection at the border, rather than the standard 2 to 10 percent, the FDA said. Meanwhile, a batch of barley grass powder from China, imported by TCI Co was stopped at the border for containing residue of the banned pesticide fluroxypyr-meptyl, it said. A batch of fresh kumquats imported from Japan by Tong Ho Fruit Co was also intercepted for containing the banned pesticide flubendiamide, it added.
Photo courtesy of the Food and Drug Administration
GOVERNMENT
Taipei adds tableware fee
Businesses operating at Taipei City Government agencies, schools and city venues run by outside contractors would be required to charge for disposable tableware, including cutlery and containers, starting from July 22. A fee of at least NT$1 is to be imposed for each disposable container, plate or cutlery in the about 280 designated venues to reduce waste, the city government said on Monday. The measure is expected to cut the use of disposable tableware items by 27 million pieces per year.
RELIGION
Lai wishes pope recovery
President William Lai (賴清德) has expressed the nation’s concern for Pope Francis’ health and offered his wishes for the pope’s swift recovery, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday. Francis has remained in critical condition since the weekend, having developed pneumonia in both lungs and other complications, after he was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli University Hospital more than a week ago. Ministry spokesman Hsiao Kuang-wei (蕭光偉) said Lai has expressed the concerns of the government and Taiwanese over the pope’s health through the country’s embassy in the Vatican and is praying for his swift recovery. Ambassador Mathew Lee (李世明) took part in a recitation of the Rosary for Pope Francis in St Peter’s Square led by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin beginning on Monday night, Hsiao said.
DIPLOMACY
European delegates arrive
The first group of lawmakers from the European Parliament this year has arrived in Taiwan for five-day trip, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday. Led by Renew Europe vice president Ivars Ijabs of Latvia, the delegation also includes European Parliament members Hannes Heide of Austria, Arkadiusz Mularczyk of Poland and Vladimir Prebilic of Slovenia, the ministry said in a news release. Aside from meeting with senior government officials, the members are also to meet with lawmakers and local non-governmental organizations to exchange views on Taiwan-EU relations, geopolitics and technological innovation, it said. The ministry said it welcomed the group’s visit and thanked the European Parliament for supporting Taiwan, including passing resolutions that voiced concerns over China’s escalation of tensions across the Taiwan Strait. It also expressed support for further deepening the Taiwan-EU partnership.
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
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 —
Taiwan on Friday said a New Zealand hamburger restaurant has apologized for a racist remark to a Taiwanese customer after reports that it had first apologized to China sparked outrage in Taiwan. An image posted on Threads by a Taiwanese who ate at Fergburger in Queenstown showed that their receipt dated Sunday last week included the words “Ching Chang,” a racial slur. The Chinese Consulate-General in Christchurch in a statement on Thursday said it had received and accepted an apology from the restaurant over the incident. The comment triggered an online furor among Taiwanese who saw it as an insult to the
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