FISHING
EU to assess ‘yellow card’
An EU delegation is to evaluate the effectiveness of measures to stop illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in Taiwan, an EU official said on Thursday. The European Commission in October 2015 gave Taiwan a “yellow card” and warned that the nation was at risk of being identified as uncooperative in the fight against unregulated fishing. The EU official, who asked not to be named, said the withdrawal of the yellow card would depend the measures implemented to curb illegal and unregulated fishing. Taiwan’s fishing regulations have since improved, Council of Agriculture deputy head Chen Chi-chung (陳吉仲) said.
WEATHER
Tropical storm brings rain
A tropical depression east of the Philippines is this year’s 20th tropical storm, the Central Weather Bureau said. As of 2pm yesterday, Tropical Storm Khanun was 530km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving west-southwest. Rain is expected in northern, eastern and southern Taiwan with extremely heavy rain possible in some eastern parts of the nation today and tomorrow, although the tropical storm is not expected to make landfall, the bureau said.
TRANSPORT
Wyoming ink license deal
Taiwan and Wyoming have signed a reciprocal agreement that allows licensed drivers to get a license in each other’s territory without taking written and road tests, a media release issued by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said on Thursday. The agreement takes effect immediately. Wyoming is the 25th US state to have entered into such an agreement with Taiwan.
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
More than half of the bamboo vipers captured in Tainan in the past few years were found in the city’s Sinhua District (新化), while other districts had smaller catches or none at all. Every year, Tainan captures about 6,000 snakes which have made their way into people’s homes. Of the six major venomous snakes in Taiwan, the cobra, the many-banded krait, the brown-spotted pit viper and the bamboo viper are the most frequently captured. The high concentration of bamboo vipers captured in Sinhua District is puzzling. Tainan Agriculture Bureau Forestry and Nature Conservation Division head Chu Chien-ming (朱健明) earlier this week said that the
The first bluefin tuna of the season, brought to shore in Pingtung County and weighing 190kg, was yesterday auctioned for NT$10,600 (US$333.5) per kilogram, setting a record high for the local market. The auction was held at the fish market in Donggang Fishing Harbor, where the Siaoliouciou Island-registered fishing vessel Fu Yu Ching No. 2 delivered the “Pingtung First Tuna” it had caught for bidding. Bidding was intense, and the tuna was ultimately jointly purchased by a local restaurant and a local company for NT$10,600 per kilogram — NT$300 ,more than last year — for a total of NT$2.014 million. The 67-year-old skipper
BREACH OF CONTRACT: The bus operators would seek compensation and have demanded that the manufacturer replace the chips with ones that meet regulations Two bus operators found to be using buses with China-made chips are to demand that the original manufacturers replace the systems and provide compensation for breach of contract, the Veterans Affairs Council said yesterday. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Michelle Lin (林楚茵) yesterday said that Da Nan Bus Co and Shin-Shin Bus Co Ltd have fielded a total of 82 buses that are using Chinese chips. The bus models were made by Tron-E, while the systems provider was CYE Electronics, Lin said. Lin alleged that the buses were using chips manufactured by Huawei subsidiary HiSilicon Co, which presents a national security risk if the
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