FOOD SAFETY
FDA to investigate candy
The Ministry of Health and Welfare has ordered the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to investigate “wax candy” products from China that have appeared for sale on Taiwanese shopping sites, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Lin Ching-yi (林靜儀) said on Tuesday. The sellers might have contravened the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation (食品安全衛生管理法) as well as the Regulations Governing Trade Between the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (台灣地區與大陸地區貿易許可辦法) if they did not obtain a permit to import the products, Lin said. Information on the e-commerce sites shows that the candies have an outer layer of wax encasing jam or syrup, she said. However, the contents are likely to be processed foods, made with artificial flavors and coloring, she said, adding that the candies raise food safety concerns. People should exercise caution before buying the products because it is uncertain whether they contain illegal additives, she said. People can report suspicious products to their local health bureaus, she added.
Screen grab from Taobao
TRAVEL
Tigerair adds Miyazaki route
Tigerair Taiwan is adding a new route between Taoyuan and Miyazaki, Japan, starting from Nov. 26, the budget carrier said yesterday. The city of about 400,000 on the southern island of Kyushu would be the airline’s 20th destination in Japan, as Tigerair prepares to celebrate the 10th anniversary of its first flight. Miyazaki is a historic city “full of myth,” with shrines including Miyazaki Shrine, Amanoiwato Shrine and Takachiho Shrine, the carrier said. The city also has attractions such as Takachiho Gorge and Sun Messe Nichinan, a park renowned for its seven Moai statues restored with permission from Easter Island, the Taoyuan-based airline said. The carrier would initially offer one weekly round-trip flight for the new route, departing from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport at 6:30am on Tuesdays, with return flight leaving Miyazaki at 10:10am the same day. To celebrate the new route, the airline said it would also sell one-way tickets from 10am on Thursday to 11:59pm on Friday. Tigerair reported its highest-ever consolidated sales of NT$1.53 billion (US$16.64 million) for last month, up NT$292 million from a year earlier. The number of flights it offered last month rose 20 percent amid a global tourism boom in the post-COVID-19-pandemic era, while the number of flights increased 40 percent in the first eight months of this year compared with the previous year.
TRANSPORTATION
EV charging stations opened
The Freeway Bureau on Tuesday last week announced the completion of fast-charging stations for electric vehicles (EVs) at all freeway service areas. That includes 23 fast-charging stations, 85 charging piles and 154 EV parking spaces in 15 service areas and the Eastern Caotun Rest Area. The nationwide charging network was established to meet demand for charging infrastructure amid the rapid growth of EVs, the bureau said in a news release. The facilities were completed in three phases over several years. The 23 fast-charging stations, with a total capacity of more than 27 megawatts, are along highways Nos. 1, 3, 5 and 6, covering the northern, central, southern and eastern parts of Taiwan proper, it said. All the stations are equipped with fast-charging piles with a capacity of 200 kilowatts (kW) or more, with 70 percent offering 350kW to 360kW, enabling quick charging during short rest stops. Drivers can check real-time charging pile availability on the bureau’s Freeway 1968 app.
A fugitive in a suspected cosmetic surgery fraud case today returned to Taiwan from Canada, after being wanted for six years. Internet celebrity Su Chen-tuan (蘇陳端), known as Lady Nai Nai (貴婦奈奈), and her former boyfriend, plastic surgeon Paul Huang (黃博健), allegedly defrauded clients and friends of about NT$1 billion (US$30.66 million). Su was put on a wanted list in 2019 when she lived in Toronto, Canada, after failing to respond to subpoenas and arrest warrants from the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office. Su arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport at 5am today on an EVA Air flight accompanied by a
COVID-19 infections have climbed for three consecutive weeks and are likely to reach another peak between next month and June, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. Weekly hospital visits for the disease increased by 19 percent from the previous week, CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) said. From Tuesday last week to yesterday, 21 cases of severe COVID-19 and seven deaths were confirmed, and from Sept. 1 last year to yesterday, there were 600 cases and 129 deaths, he said. From Oct. 1 last year to yesterday, 95.9 percent of the severe cases and 96.7 percent of the deaths
Restarting the No. 2 reactor at the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant would take up to 18 months, Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) said today. Kuo was answering questions during a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Economics Committee, where legislators are considering amendments to the Renewable Energy Development Act (再生能源發展條) amid concerns about the consequences of the Pingtung County reactor’s decommissioning scheduled for May 17. Its decommissioning is to mark the end of Taiwan’s nuclear power production. However, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers have proposed an amendment to the Nuclear Reactor Facilities Regulation Act (核子反應器設施管制法) that would extend the life of existing
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday demanded that Somalia reverse its decision prohibiting Taiwanese passport holders from entering or transiting through the country. Somalia said it is following the “one China” principle based on UN Resolution 2758. The ministry said that Somalia is misinterpreting the resolution under China’s instigation, creating a false impression that Taiwan is subordinate to China. The Somali Civil Aviation Authority told airlines on Tuesday last week that starting today, any passengers with passports or travel documents issued from Taiwan or its affiliated institutions would not be allowed to enter or transit through Somalia. The decision comes as Taiwan is boosting
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