■ Health
Mini-cups to have warnings
The government has ordered makers of mini-cup jelly candies to put warning labels on their products after a Taiwanese girl choked to death on the snack in China earlier this year, officials said yesterday. All jelly candies with a diameter of less than 3.1cm, the so-called mini-cup jelly, are required to carry labels warning of a choking hazard from next year, the Department of Health said. Manufacturers should also warn parents not to feed mini-cup jelly to children under five years old, the department said. Violators could faces fines of up to NT$1.5 million (US$47,000) while their products will be recalled or destroyed, it said. The department ordered the recall of all mini-cup jelly candies in March after a Taiwanese businessman living in Shanghai complained to Taipei authorities that his 19-month-old daughter choked after eating the snack. Accidents involving children choking on mini-cup jellies have also been reported in the US and South Korea.
■ Politics
Wang tenders resignation
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Vice Chairman Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) yesterday tendered his resignation to KMT Chairman Lien Chan (連戰). Wang told reporters that a precedent had been set with the resignation of a vice chairman following the election of a new chairman. KMT chairman-elect Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday said he hoped to reappoint Wang as a party vice chairman. Wang and his family will leave for the US today on a private visit.
■ Tourism
Working-holiday spots open
The Ministry of Education said there are still spaces available for young people who are interested in obtaining a working-holiday visa for either New Zealand or Australia. Taiwanese have been eligible for both countries' working-holiday visas since last year. The visas allow young people to stay in the country for 12 months and work for up to three months to supplement their travel funds. Applicants must be aged between 18 and 30, have a return ticket and a bank statement proving they have at least NT$100,000 in funds, ministry officials said. There are 600 openings for Taiwanese this year under New Zealand's program and there have been more than 300 applications so far. Officials said 230 people have applied for a working-holiday visa for Australia since last November. People interested in the programs can contact the New Zealand Commerce and Industry Office at (02) 2757-6411 or the Australian Commerce and Industry Office at (02)8725-4250.
■ Exhibitions
Chinese food fair nears
The 2005 Taipei Chinese Food Festival will open next Thursday at the exhibition hall of the Taipei World Trade Center, offering opportunities for visitors to taste a wide range of gourmet dishes from different countries. The annual festival, one of the most important events for the nation's catering sector since its inception 16 years ago, is expected to draw a crowd of some 160,000 during the four-day exhibition, according to its sponsor, the Taiwan Visitors Association. This year's event will feature demonstrations of culinary skills, lessons by famous cooks and a "street of gourmet food stores." Master chefs and their assistants from the US, Japan, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Taiwan will compete for the title of "culinary god." The exhibition hall will have 10 theme areas, such as vanilla and health and Taiwan rice. Tickets are NT$250 per person.
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
The long-awaited Taichung aquarium is expected to open next year after more than a decade of development. The building in Cingshui District (清水) is to feature a large ocean aquarium on the first floor, coral display area on the second floor, a jellyfish tank and Dajia River (大甲溪) basin display on the third, a river estuary display and restaurant on the fourth, and a cafe and garden on the fifth. As it is near Wuci Fishing Port (梧棲漁港), many are expecting the opening of the aquarium to bring more tourism to the harbor. Speaking at the city council on Monday, Taichung City Councilor
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese