■ Medicine
Eli Lilly ad fires up DOH
Eli Lilly Taiwan, manufacturer of the erectile dysfunction drug Cialis (犀利士), could face charges for violating
the Department of Health's (DOH) medication advertisement regulations. A half-page ad in local newspapers yesterday asked readers to ask doctors about the "new 36-hour option." Due to laws limiting ads for prescription drugs to medical journals, the ad gives only an altered version of the drug's Mandarin name, replacing the final character with a homophone. The DOH said that the ad was clearly banking on a legal loophole. The company could be
fined between NT$30,000 to NT$150,000 for posting the
ad without first obtaining authorization. Another NT$30,000 to NT$150,000 could be added to the fine for violating laws against advertising prescription drugs in a newspaper.
■ Diplomacy
Feel for us: Mark Chen
The international community should try to understand how the people of Taiwan feel about China's perpetual missile threat, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mark Chen (陳唐山) said in Los Angeles on Wednesday. Chen made the appeal while delivering a keynote speech at a dinner organized by the Asia Society think tank. Chen said the international community should not overlook the feelings of the people regarding the military threat. Over the years, Chen said, Beijing has demanded that Taiwan accept its "one China" principle. "However, this stance offers no room for Taiwan to survive in the world community," he said.
■ Business
Cross-strait roles explored
Former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) will host
a seminar on June 27 to extend support to Taiwanese businesspeople in China in light of the Chinese authorities' recent threats that businesses with "pro-green" leaders will not be welcome to invest in
China. The seminar will be organized by Taiwan Advocates, a think tank sponsored by Lee. The think tank yesterday said
the reason China leveled economic attacks at Taiwan by attacking Taiwanese businesspeople was because China had to find a way to vent displeasure towards the reality that President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) won a second term. It is the gimmick that China wants to use economic advantage
to force Taiwan to come to terms with China politically, the think tank said. The seminar will seek to discuss the role of Taiwanese businesspeople in China since the opening of commercial exchanges with China 20 years ago.
■ Society
CLA probes labor agencies
The Council of Labor Affairs (CLA) will begin an across-the-board assessment of Taiwan's foreign labor agencies as early as next month, CLA officials said yesterday. The officials said that they expect the assessment of the more than 800 agencies to be completed by the end of the year and the results to be posted on the Web site of the CLA's Employment and Vocational Training Administration for reference by employers in Taiwan. Employers can now visit the CLA's Web site to get the information. As of the end of April, there were nearly 280,000 foreign workers in Taiwan. Thai workers led the pack in terms of numbers,
at 98,200, followed by Philippine workers at 80,000, Vietnamese at 60,100, and Indonesians at 41,300.
The manufacturing sector employs the largest number of foreign workers at 159,400, followed by the caregiving sector at 105,300, and the construction industry at 9,100.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) departed for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark. Tsai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday night, but did not speak to reporters before departing. Tsai wrote on social media later that the purpose of the trip was to reaffirm the commitment of Taiwanese to working with democratic allies to promote regional security and stability, upholding freedom and democracy, and defending their homeland. She also expressed hope that through joint efforts, Taiwan and Europe would continue to be partners building up economic resilience on the global stage. The former president was to first
Taiwan will now have four additional national holidays after the Legislative Yuan passed an amendment today, which also made Labor Day a national holiday for all sectors. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) used their majority in the Legislative Yuan to pass the amendment to the Act on Implementing Memorial Days and State Holidays (紀念日及節日實施辦法), which the parties jointly proposed, in its third and final reading today. The legislature passed the bill to amend the act, which is currently enforced administratively, raising it to the legal level. The new legislation recognizes Confucius’ birthday on Sept. 28, the
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
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