SAFETY
Plastic utensils to be labeled
Reusable plastic food containers, including bowls, plates and saucers, are to have clearer labels indicating their substances, heat resistance range, microwavability and other product details, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. To help consumers better understand the product quality of plastic food utensils, containers and packaging, the administration in 2011 announced that reusable plastic water bottles and cups, lunch boxes, containers used to preserve food, as well as feeding bottles must display detailed manufacturing information, in accordance with the Act Governing Food Sanitation (食品衛生管理法). The FDA has proposed to extend the application of the act to include plastic bowls, plates and saucers, and the amendments will be officially announced in 60 days.
SPORTS
American wins bike race
American Lee Rodgers won the Climbing Taiwan-Never Stop bike race on Sunday, finishing the 71km race on a winding, mostly uphill, highway in 3 hours, 2 minutes, 59 seconds. More than 1,100 cyclists, including 19 from Spain, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Germany, Italy and the US, competed in the event, also known as Explore TATAKA. The race, which was held along Provincial Highway 21, began at 243m above sea level and ended at an altitude of 2,610m in Yushan National Park. Rodgers won a NT$5,000 first prize. Chiu Min-jie clocked the best time by a Taiwanese cyclist, finishing in 3:06.22 to take fifth place. Three other foreign competitors finished in second to fourth places. Nantou County Chief Chen Chen-sheng (陳振盛) said that the highway, one of Taiwan’s most scenic routes, has become very popular with cyclists who are looking for a challenge.
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
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
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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