The Cabinet yesterday approved a bill designed to set up regulations to bring supervision to the implementation of foreign aid projects to prevent problems that have frequently overshadowed the country’s foreign relief efforts.
“In the 21st century, the role our country plays should not only be as a practitioner of a democratic system but also as a participant in humanitarian services,” Executive Yuan Spokesman Su Jun-pin (蘇俊賓) yesterday quoted Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) as saying in a directive issued at the meeting.
MECHANISM
Should the draft bill pass the legislature, the government will be required to create a mechanism for planning international cooperation projects, conducting assessments, monitoring implementation and appraising performance, to make sure that funds for foreign-aid are spent appropriately.
In accordance with the bill, a fair and objective third party could be invited to assess whether an aid project proposed by the government fits in with the receiving country’s development strategy if it is a public construction program of more than US$5 million and is fully financed by the government.
The Cabinet yesterday also approved an amendment to the Fisheries Act (漁業法) that prohibits owners of fishing vessels from operating if their fishery licenses or licenses for fishing vessels are revoked.
Individuals who violate the regulation will be fined between NT$60,000 (US$1,860) and NT$300,000.
ILLEGAL FISHING
If the amendment clears the legislature, it will help the government’s crackdown on illegal fishing vessels, which frequently carry out unlawful fishing activities in international waters, Su said.
Meanwhile, Su said that Wu had asked the Department of Health (DOH) to expand the provision of methadone maintenance therapy after the DOH said that it had proved to be an effective treatment program.
NEW CASES
The DOH report showed that the number of new cases of HIV/AIDS had fallen by 48 percent from 3,384 in 2005 to 1,747 last year, thanks in part to the therapy, Su said.
Su said that the treatment helped reduce the number of heroin addicts contracting HIV/AIDS by 84 percent, from 2,381 in 2005 to 379 last year.
A NT$39 receipt for two bottles of tea at a FamilyMart was among the NT$10 million (US $312,969) special prize winners in the January-February uniform invoice lottery. FamilyMart said that two NT$10 million-winning receipts were issued at its stores, as well as two NT$2 million grand prizes and three NT$200,000 first prizes. The two NT$10 million receipts were issued at stores in Pingtung County and Yilan County’s Dongshan Township (冬山). One winner spent just NT$39 on two bottles of tea, while another spent NT$80 on water, tea and coffee, the company said. Meanwhile, 7-Eleven reported three NT$10 million winners — in New Taipei
Considering that most countries issue more than five denominations of banknotes, the central bank has decided to redesign all five denominations, the bank said as it prepares for the first major overhaul of the banknotes in more than 24 years. Central bank Governor Yang Chin-lung (楊金龍) is expected to report to the Legislative Yuan today on the bank’s operations and the redesign’s progress. The bank in a report sent to the legislature ahead of today’s meeting said it had commissioned a survey on the public’s preferences. Survey results showed that NT$100 and NT$1,000 banknotes are the most commonly used, while NT$200 and NT$2,000
ANNUAL EVENT: Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in Daan Park, with an event zone operating from 10am to 6pm This year’s Taipei Floral Picnic is to be held at Daan Park today and tomorrow, featuring an exclusive Pokemon Go event, a themed food market, a coffee rave picnic area and stage performances, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said yesterday. Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in the park as attractions, with an exclusive event zone operating from 10am to 6pm, it said. Participants who complete designated tasks on-site would have a chance to receive limited-edition souvenirs, it added. People could also try the newly launched game Pokemon Pokopia in the trial area, the department said. Three PokeStops are
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reported the first case of a new COVID-19 subvariant — BA.3.2 — in a 10-year-old Singaporean girl who had a fever upon arrival in Taiwan and tested positive for the disease. The girl left Taiwan on March 20 and the case did not have a direct impact on the local community, it said. The WHO added the BA.3.2 strain to its list of Variants Under Monitoring in December last year, but this was the first imported case of the COVID-19 variant in Taiwan, CDC Deputy Director-General Lin Ming-cheng (林明誠) said. The girl arrived in Taiwan on
RSS