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.
SHIPS, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES: The ministry has announced changes to varied transportation industries taking effect soon, with a number of effects for passengers Beginning next month, the post office is canceling signature upon delivery and written inquiry services for international registered small packets in accordance with the new policy of the Universal Postal Union, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The new policy does not apply to packets that are to be delivered to China, the ministry said. Senders of international registered small packets would receive a NT$10 rebate on postage if the packets are sent from Jan. 1 to March 31, it added. The ministry said that three other policies are also scheduled to take effect next month. International cruise ship operators
HORROR STORIES: One victim recounted not realizing they had been stabbed and seeing people bleeding, while another recalled breaking down in tears after fleeing A man on Friday died after he tried to fight the knife-wielding suspect who went on a stabbing spree near two of Taipei’s busiest metro stations, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. The 57-year-old man, identified by his family name, Yu (余), encountered the suspect at Exit M7 of Taipei Main Station and immediately tried to stop him, but was fatally wounded and later died, Chiang said, calling the incident “heartbreaking.” Yu’s family would receive at least NT$5 million (US$158,584) in compensation through the Taipei Rapid Transit Corp’s (TRTC) insurance coverage, he said after convening an emergency security response meeting yesterday morning. National
PLANNED: The suspect visited the crime scene before the killings, seeking information on how to access the roof, and had extensively researched a 2014 stabbing incident The suspect in a stabbing attack that killed three people and injured 11 in Taipei on Friday had planned the assault and set fires at other locations earlier in the day, law enforcement officials said yesterday. National Police Agency (NPA) Director-General Chang Jung-hsin (張榮興) said the suspect, a 27-year-old man named Chang Wen (張文), began the attacks at 3:40pm, first setting off smoke bombs on a road, damaging cars and motorbikes. Earlier, Chang Wen set fire to a rental room where he was staying on Gongyuan Road in Zhongzheng District (中正), Chang Jung-hsin said. The suspect later threw smoke grenades near two exits
The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency yesterday launched a gift box to market honey “certified by a Formosan black bear” in appreciation of a beekeeper’s amicable interaction with a honey-thieving bear. Beekeeper Chih Ming-chen (池明鎮) in January inspected his bee farm in Hualien County’s Jhuosi Township (卓溪) and found that more than 20 beehives had been destroyed and many hives were eaten, with bear droppings and paw prints near the destroyed hives, the agency said. Chih returned to the farm to move the remaining beehives away that evening when he encountered a Formosan black bear only 20m away, the agency said. The bear
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