FOOD SAFETY
Wine vinegar import stopped
A batch of wine vinegar imported from France has been halted at customs after being found to contain excessive amounts of sulfur dioxide, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. The 450kg batch was imported by the hypermarket chain Carrefour Taiwan, and was found to have 0.107 grams per kilogram (g/kg) of sulfur dioxide, exceeding the 0.03g/kg limit. It was returned or destroyed at the border according to regulations, the FDA said. The substance is used as an antioxidant, bleach and preservative, and to halt fermentation to prevent red wine from becoming too dark, it said. The importer would be subject to 20 to 50 percent inspection at the border, rather than the standard 2 to 10 percent, the FDA said. Meanwhile, a batch of barley grass powder from China, imported by TCI Co was stopped at the border for containing residue of the banned pesticide fluroxypyr-meptyl, it said. A batch of fresh kumquats imported from Japan by Tong Ho Fruit Co was also intercepted for containing the banned pesticide flubendiamide, it added.
Photo courtesy of the Food and Drug Administration
GOVERNMENT
Taipei adds tableware fee
Businesses operating at Taipei City Government agencies, schools and city venues run by outside contractors would be required to charge for disposable tableware, including cutlery and containers, starting from July 22. A fee of at least NT$1 is to be imposed for each disposable container, plate or cutlery in the about 280 designated venues to reduce waste, the city government said on Monday. The measure is expected to cut the use of disposable tableware items by 27 million pieces per year.
RELIGION
Lai wishes pope recovery
President William Lai (賴清德) has expressed the nation’s concern for Pope Francis’ health and offered his wishes for the pope’s swift recovery, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday. Francis has remained in critical condition since the weekend, having developed pneumonia in both lungs and other complications, after he was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli University Hospital more than a week ago. Ministry spokesman Hsiao Kuang-wei (蕭光偉) said Lai has expressed the concerns of the government and Taiwanese over the pope’s health through the country’s embassy in the Vatican and is praying for his swift recovery. Ambassador Mathew Lee (李世明) took part in a recitation of the Rosary for Pope Francis in St Peter’s Square led by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin beginning on Monday night, Hsiao said.
DIPLOMACY
European delegates arrive
The first group of lawmakers from the European Parliament this year has arrived in Taiwan for five-day trip, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday. Led by Renew Europe vice president Ivars Ijabs of Latvia, the delegation also includes European Parliament members Hannes Heide of Austria, Arkadiusz Mularczyk of Poland and Vladimir Prebilic of Slovenia, the ministry said in a news release. Aside from meeting with senior government officials, the members are also to meet with lawmakers and local non-governmental organizations to exchange views on Taiwan-EU relations, geopolitics and technological innovation, it said. The ministry said it welcomed the group’s visit and thanked the European Parliament for supporting Taiwan, including passing resolutions that voiced concerns over China’s escalation of tensions across the Taiwan Strait. It also expressed support for further deepening the Taiwan-EU partnership.
Yangmingshan National Park authorities yesterday urged visitors to respect public spaces and obey the law after a couple was caught on a camera livestream having sex at the park’s Qingtiangang (擎天崗) earlier in the day. The Shilin Police Precinct in Taipei said it has identified a suspect and his vehicle registration number, and would summon him for questioning. The case would be handled in accordance with public indecency charges, it added. The couple entered the park at about 11pm on Thursday and began fooling around by 1am yesterday, the police said, adding that the two were unaware of the park’s all-day live
A former soldier and an active-duty army officer were yesterday indicted for allegedly selling classified military training materials to a Chinese intelligence operative for a total of NT$79,440. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office indicted Chen Tai-yin (陳泰尹) and Lee Chun-ta (李俊達) for contravening the National Security Act (國家安全法) and the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例). Chen left the military in September 2013 after serving alongside then-staff sergeant Lee, now an army lieutenant, at the 21st Artillery Command of the army’s Sixth Corps from 2011 to 2013, according to the indictment. Chen met a Chinese intelligence operative identified as “Wang” (王) through a friend in November
Minister of Digital Affairs Lin Yi-ching (林宜敬) yesterday cited regulatory issues and national security concerns as an expert said that Taiwan is among the few Asian regions without Starlink. Lin made the remarks on Facebook after funP Innovation Group chief executive officer Nathan Chiu (邱繼弘) on Friday said Taiwan and four other countries in Asia — China, North Korea, Afghanistan and Syria — have no access to Starlink. Starlink has become available in 166 countries worldwide, including Ukraine, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam, in the six years since it became commercial, he said. While China and North Korea block Starlink, Syria is not
The Grand Hotel Taipei has rejected media reports claiming that the hotel had prevented CBS from broadcasting coverage of the Beijing summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) on its premises. Media reports alleging that the hotel owner, dissatisfied with CBS’s coverage, prohibited the network from broadcasting political content on the hotel premises, are not true, the hotel said in a statement issued last night. The reports were “inconsistent with how the hotel actually handled the matter,” it said. The hotel said it received a refund request from a
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