IMMIGRATION
Detention rules updated
The legislature on Friday approved an amendment to the Immigration Act (入出國及移民法) that limits the temporary detention of foreign nationals to no more than 15 days. The National Immigration Agency previously could hold foreigners for up to 120 days. The revision also stipulates that for a foreigner’s detention to be extended, the agency must seek a court order five days prior to the end of the 15-day period. The amendment states that temporary detention may not be extended beyond 45 days. It also states that foreign nationals verified to be afflicted with mental disorders, contagious diseases, life-threatening conditions, or who are under the age of 12 may not be placed under temporary detention. Women who are more than five months pregnant, or have had a miscarriage within two months also may not be temporarily detained.
FINE ARTS
Violinist wins abroad
Young Taiwanese violinist Tseng Yu-chien (曾宇謙) took first prize in the first Singapore International Violin Competition on Wednesday last week. Second-prize winner Richard Lin (林品任) is also from Taiwan, while third prize went to Sirena Huang, a US citizen of Taiwanese descent. Tseng described the competition as a rare experience and said he was very happy to be named champion. The triennial competition is hosted by the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music at National University of Singapore and is open to talented violinists under the age of 30. This year’s competition drew 35 participants from 14 nations.
DISABILITY ACCESS
Eateries now ‘barrier-free’
As many as 1,000 restaurants in Taipei, Hsinchu City and Greater Tainan have been recognized as disabled-friendly after a campaign to promote barrier-free living, the League of Welfare Organizations for the Disabled said. The barrier-free living movement was launched in Taipei in 2012, expanding to Greater Tainan in 2013 and to Hsinchu last year, the league said. Disabled people were recruited to examine restaurants to see whether they are friendly toward people who need help, including disabled people, senior citizens, pregnant women and parents with young children, it said. The league worked with Taipei to create a certification system for eateries that improve access. Smartphone apps allow users to search for such restaurants in Taipei and Hsinchu, the league said.
FOOD SAFETY
Ting Hsin cash rejected
The government will not accept a NT$3 billion (US$95.69 million) donation offered by Ting Hsin International Group to promote food safety, Minister of Health Chiang Been-huang (蔣丙煌) said yesterday. Chiang said the conglomerate should first compensate food makers and consumers affected by its substandard oil products. Ting Hsin has become the target of consumer boycotts since October last year, when it was selling cooking oils mixed with animal feed-grade fats. At the suggestion of Ruentex Group chairman Samuel Yin (尹衍樑), Ting Hsin pledged to donate NT$3 billion to fund a food safety reform committee, intended to be led by Yin himself. Yin later proposed that Ting Hsin donate the money to the Ministry of Health and Welfare instead to help the government improve food safety. Ting Hsin on Friday remitted the funds from overseas to the government. Ting Hsin said it respects the government’s decision to reject the money, but added that it is determined to promote food safety and will not change its plan.
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
Taiwan's Gold Apollo Co (金阿波羅通信) said today that the pagers used in detonations in Lebanon the day before were not made by it, but by a company called BAC which has a license to use its brand. At least nine people were killed and nearly 3,000 wounded when pagers used by Hezbollah members detonated simultaneously across Lebanon yesterday. Images of destroyed pagers analyzed by Reuters showed a format and stickers on the back that were consistent with pagers made by Gold Apollo. A senior Lebanese security source told Reuters that Hezbollah had ordered 5,000 pagers from Taiwan-based Gold Apollo. "The product was not
COLD FACTS: ‘Snow skin’ mooncakes, made with a glutinous rice skin and kept at a low temperature, have relatively few calories compared with other mooncakes Traditional mooncakes are a typical treat for many Taiwanese in the lead-up to the Mid-Autumn Festival, but a Taipei-based dietitian has urged people not to eat more than one per day and not to have them every day due to their high fat and calorie content. As mooncakes contain a lot of oil and sugar, they can have negative health effects on older people and those with diabetes, said Lai Yu-han (賴俞含), a dietitian at Taipei Hospital of the Ministry of Health and Welfare. “The maximum you can have is one mooncake a day, and do not eat them every day,” Lai