HEALTH
H7N9 tests return negative
All 94 people who came into contact with a Chinese tourist who had the H7N9 avian flu virus have tested negative for the virus, the Centers for Disease Control said yesterday. Test results on Tuesday confirmed the Chinese woman had the influenza strain, health officials said. Two other people in her tour group who had developed related symptoms have tested negative for the virus, the centers said. Results of tests on other people, including members of the woman’s family, members of the tour group and some passengers on her flight to Taiwan, have all come back negative, it said. However, 71 people are receiving assistance to help prevent the spread of the virus, it said. While the woman remains hospitalized, the other 32 tour group members left Taiwan yesterday, the centers said.
FOOD SAFETY
Rice-product bill reviewed
Lawmakers yesterday began a review of a bill that would raise the penalties 20-fold for mislabeling, adulteration and false advertising of rice products. The proposed amendment to the Food Administration Act (違反糧食管理法案件處分裁量作業要點) would increase the maximum fine for the offenses from NT$200,000 (US$6,600) to NT$4 million. The maximum fine for manufacturers who refuse an inspection by authorities or fail to disclose their contact information would be increased from NT$150,000 to NT$3 million. Council of Agriculture Minister Chen Bao-ji (陳保基) said the proposed changes are aimed at preventing manufacturers from blending domestic rice with cheaper imports and passing the products off as purely domestic. Consumers should be given the information necessary to allow them to make informed choices, he said.
FOOD SAFETY
Customs cracks cone case
A 66kg shipment of a brand of South Korean ice cream cones has been blocked from entering the country after the discovery of saccharin, a controlled substance. The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday said in a regular weekly report on customs inspections that the Honey Creme cones contained 70mg of saccharin per kilogram. Administration official Hsu Chin-feng (徐錦豐) said that national standards permit the use of saccharin only in watermelon seeds, preserved fruits, soft drinks and special nutrients. For seeds, 2g per kilogram is the maximum allowable level, while for soft drinks it is 200mg per kg. As the saccharin level in the cones is low, the cones already imported do not pose a health hazard, he added. A Taipei company imported three batches of the cones last month and this month. The saccharin was found during a random inspection of the second shipment, but the other two were not checked.
SOCIETY
Jewelry-laden purse found
A police officer on Wednesday found a purse with more than NT$1.3 million (US$42,900) in jewelry at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and returned it to a Hong Kong tourist. While on duty in the airport’s Terminal 2, officer Chao Chung-ming (趙中銘) saw a red purse on a bank counter. It was found to contain a woman’s diamond watch, a 2-carat diamond ring, a pair of pearl earrings and other valuables, worth more than NT$1.3 million. The police checked surveillance video and identified a Hong Kong woman as the purse’s owner, after checking lists of arriving passengers. The travel agency that had booked the woman’s trip was contacted and helped confirm that the tourist had lost her purse. The woman went to the airport on Wednesday to collect her lost valuables and thank Chao.
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday said it opposes the introduction of migrant workers from India until a mechanism is in place to prevent workers from absconding. Minister of Labor Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) on Thursday told the Legislative Yuan that the first group of migrant workers from India could be introduced as early as this year, as part of a government program. The caucus’ opposition to the policy is based on the assessment that “the risk is too high,” KMT caucus secretary-general Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) said. Taiwan has a serious and long-standing problem of migrant workers absconding from their contracts, indicating that
TRADE-OFF: Beijing seeks to trade a bowl of tempura for a Chinese delicacy, an official said, while another said its promises were attempts to interfere in the polls The government must carefully consider the national security implications of building a bridge connecting Kinmen County and Xiamen, China, the Public Construction Commission (PCC) said yesterday. PCC Commissioner Derek Chen (陳金德), who is also a minister without portfolio, made the remarks in a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, after Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Hsu Fu-kuei (徐富癸) asked about China’s proposal of new infrastructure projects to further connect Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties with Xiamen. China unveiled the bridge plan, along with nine other policies for Taiwan, on Sunday, the last day of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun’s (鄭麗文) visit
RSS