ENTERTAINMENT
OneRepublic to perform
American pop-rock band OneRepublic is scheduled to perform its second concert in Kaohsiung on Dec. 19, the event’s organizer announced yesterday. The concert is to be held at the Kaohsiung Arena, with tickets going on general sale at 1pm yesterday. Prices range from NT$2,400 to NT$4,900, Live Nation Taiwan said in a Facebook post. A portion of the tickets is to be available for presale from Friday to Monday for artists, DBS Mastercard holders and members of Live Nation Taiwan, the organizer said.
LABOR
Worker dies in Changhua
A worker at a feed factory in Changhua County’s Beidou Township (北斗) died yesterday after his right leg was caught in a corn crusher while cleaning the machine as it was running. The 41-year-old man, surnamed Yang (楊), slipped on the stairs inside the machine and became trapped, the county’s fire bureau said. The bureau received an emergency call at 10:48am. Rescuers said they reached Yang at 11:10am and found him conscious. Advanced emergency medical technicians were dispatched to help control his bleeding and provide other critical care. At 11:34am, technicians from the machine’s manufacturer arrived to help dismantle the equipment, and Yang was extricated at 12:15pm, but he had already lost vital signs. He was pronounced dead after being sent to Yuanlin Christian Hospital.
FOOD SAFETY
Items blocked at border
A batch of coriander powder imported from India has been destroyed at the border for containing Sudan I, a banned toxic dye, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. The 10kg batch of spices also contained excessive amounts of pesticides, the FDA said. Meanwhile, two separate batches of gelato take-out containers from Italy, both imported by Venchi Taiwan Limited, Taiwan Branch (Hong Kong), were stopped at the border for contravening separate import regulations. The 62.04kg batch of containers for the chocolate brand Venchi contained optical brightening agents, which are banned for food container use, and also failed dissolution tests, the FDA said, adding that containers that fail dissolution tests could release toxic substances even under normal use. Also, on yesterday’s list of items blocked at the border were dried mulberries from China, cumin powder from India and fresh durian from Vietnam, which were flagged for excessive bleach, pesticides and heavy metal contaminations respectively.
UPGRADE: The Kang Ding-class frigate is replacing its Chaparall missiles with Tien Chien II and Hua Yang VLS, which would provide it with long-range, 360° air defense Taiwan plans to produce 1,200 to 1,376 Hai Chien II missiles (海劍二, Sea Sword II) — also known as TC-2N — to serve as the standard air defense system of the navy’s surface combatant fleet, a source said yesterday. Last week, the Hai Chien II, the naval version of the Tien Kung II missile (天劍二, Sky Sword II), completed a live-fire test in waters off the National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology’s Jiupeng facility (九鵬) in Pingtung County’s Manjhou Township (滿州). The MIM72 Chaparral and other dated air defense missiles that currently arm Taiwanese ships have inadequate range to combat Chinese
REASONS FOR TRAVEL: An assistant professor said that proposed amendments to penalize drivers if they used drugs overseas would not deter people from traveling People who operate a motor vehicle under the influence of marijuana would have their driver’s license revoked, even if they used the substance while overseas, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday, citing proposed amendments to the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例). The amendments would also authorize the government to revoke the licenses of people determined to have used Category 1 or Category 2 narcotics, even if they were not operating a vehicle while under the influence of drugs, as well as ban them from taking the license test for three years, the ministry said. People aged 18 or
Johanne Liou (劉喬安), a Taiwanese woman who shot to unwanted fame during the Sunflower movement protests in 2014, returned to Taiwan last night after being deported from the US. She is to stand trial in Taiwan for charges involving embezzlement, fraud and drug crimes. The Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said it took her into custody at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and would first question her before transferring her to the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office. She was arrested upon disembarking a flight from San Francisco that landed shortly before 7pm. Liou absconded to the US in 2019 after jumping bail
Shih Hsin University President Chen Ching-he (陳清河) yesterday issued a public apology for comments made in his commencement speech last week, stating that he has asked the school to suspend his duties and halt his wages for two months as a show of contrition. At the commencement ceremony on May 30, Chen said, “If you don’t manage your time well, or your own emotions, or your health, then I am telling every one of you — put a quick end to ‘you,’ because the world has no need for ‘you.’” The comments have sparked significant controversy online, and Chen through an open