FOOD
FDA to relax beef rule
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a draft revision to regulations on Japanese bovine imports that would allow the importation of beef from cattle of any age. Currently, Japanese beef must meet several conditions, including being derived from cattle younger than 30 months, inspected by a veterinary officer and produced by a registered factory. FDA Deputy Director-General Lin Chin-fu (林金富) on Wednesday said the beef would still require official veterinary certificates and be produced by “approved factories” to be allowed into Taiwan. Taiwan banned the importation of beef from Japan and other countries affected by bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or “mad cow disease,” in 2003. The ban was partially lifted in 2017.
HEALTH
Doctor warns about EV71
A doctor on Wednesday warned that an enterovirus epidemic could break out at “any time,” referring to enterovirus 71 (EV71). China Medical University Hospital Infection Control Center deputy dean Hwang Kao-pin (黃高彬) said that in 1998, there were 405 severe cases and 78 deaths, mostly children below the age of five. Since then, there has been an EV71 epidemic every three to four years, when the number of children without antibodies reaches a certain number, he said. However, COVID-19 prevention measures changed the trends, Hwang said. As Taiwan has not seen a large-scale spread of EV71 since 2012, almost none of the people in the high-risk groups have antibodies, which is “extremely dangerous,” he said. He urged parents to have their children vaccinated as soon as possible. The vaccines have to be paid for out-of-pocket, Hwang said. Centers for Disease Control spokesperson Tseng Shu-huai (曾淑慧) said that the Taiwan Center for Drug Evaluation would include the vaccine in its welfare policy assessment for this year.
CRIME
Seven indicted over theft
Taipei prosecutors yesterday indicted seven people for allegedly stealing credit card details to buy high-speed rail (HSR) tickets for resale. The suspects, five men and two women, were identified by their family names Huang (黃), Shih (施), Hsieh (謝), two people surnamed Chen (陳) and two others whose last name is Lin (林), the Shilin District Prosecutors’ Office said. The suspects texted random numbers and tricked them into believing they had outstanding parking tickets or fines, and then phished their credit card information, the office said. The suspects used the credit cards to buy HSR tickets, valued at NT$1,490 per trip, and advertised and sold the tickets on Line group chats for NT$1,192, prosecutors said. The activity spanned from June 2023 to January last year, during which 29 people were defrauded. The criminal ring allegedly profited more than NT$13 million (US$395,690), which was converted into cryptocurrency and transferred to an overseas cold wallet, prosecutors said.
NATURE
Flowers continue to bloom
People who want to see cherry blossoms at Wuling and Fushoushan farms in Taichung can still visit this month, despite the disappointing rain-dampened view on Tuesday, the farms said on Wednesday. Visitors who went to the two farms experienced cool, wet weather, but were unable to see the cherry blossoms in full bloom. Wuling Farm said other cherry tree varieties are expected to blossom soon. Fushoushan Farm said more cherry blossoms are expected in the coming weeks, if the weather improves.
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was questioned by prosecutors for allegedly orchestrating an attack on a taxi driver after he was allegedly driven on a longer than necessary route in a car he disliked. The questioning at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office was ongoing as of press time last night. Police have recommended charges of attempted murder. The legally embattled actor — known for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代) — is under a separate investigation for allegedly using fake medical documents to evade mandatory military service. According to local media reports, police said Wang earlier last year ordered a
President William Lai (賴清德) should protect Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), and stop supporting domestic strife and discord, former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) wrote on Facebook yesterday. US President Donald Trump and TSMC on Monday jointly announced that the company would invest an additional US$100 billion over the next few years to expand its semiconductor manufacturing operations in the US. The TSMC plans have promoted concern in Taiwan that it would effectively lead to the chipmaking giant becoming Americanized. The Lai administration lacks tangible policies to address concerns that Taiwan might follow in Ukraine’s footsteps, Ma wrote. Instead, it seems to think it could
A man in Tainan has been cleared on charges of public insult after giving the middle finger during a road rage incident, as judges deemed the gesture was made “briefly to express negative feelings.” In last week’s ruling at the High Court’s Tainan branch, judges acquitted a driver, surnamed Cheng (程), for an incident along Tainan’s Nanmen Road in September 2023, when Cheng had spotted a place to park his car in an adjacent lane. Cheng slowed down his vehicle to go into reverse, to back into the parking spot, but the car behind followed too closely, as its driver thought Cheng
DEFENSE: The purpose of the exercises is to identify strategies for the government to control risks during tensions, prevent war and bolster national resilience A tabletop exercise series has begun simulating possible scenarios if the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) launched a war against Taiwan in the guise of a military exercise. The exercise series is jointly organized by National Chengchi University’s Institute of International Relations, Taiwan Center for Security Studies and Asia-Pacific Policy Research Association. Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chen Yeong-kang (陳永康), former American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) director William Stanton and Taiwan Center for Security Studies director Liu Fu-kuo (劉復國) attended the event in Taipei yesterday. Scenarios that would be simulated include changing political circumstances in the US during US President Donald Trump’s tenure
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