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.
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
The long-awaited Taichung aquarium is expected to open next year after more than a decade of development. The building in Cingshui District (清水) is to feature a large ocean aquarium on the first floor, coral display area on the second floor, a jellyfish tank and Dajia River (大甲溪) basin display on the third, a river estuary display and restaurant on the fourth, and a cafe and garden on the fifth. As it is near Wuci Fishing Port (梧棲漁港), many are expecting the opening of the aquarium to bring more tourism to the harbor. Speaking at the city council on Monday, Taichung City Councilor
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese