■ Real Estate
Madame Chiang's home sold
The New York apartment of Taiwan's former first lady Soong Mayling (蔣宋美齡), popularly known as Madame Chiang, has been sold for US$10 million, a local newspaper said yesterday. The sale was confirmed by Kung Ling-yi (孔令儀), a niece of Madame Chiang, the United Evening News said. The ninth-floor apartment was owned by the family of Madame Chang's elder sister, Soong Ai-ling (宋譪玲). Madame Chiang died at the age of 105 last October. She had spent her last nine years in New York and is buried in Ferncliff cemetery outside the city. She was the widow of Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石), head of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and ruler of Nationalist China before and during the Second World War.
■ Diplomacy
Justice minister visits US
Minister of Justice Chen Ding-nan (陳定南) left for Los Angeles yesterday to take part in the 2004 conference of the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG). Chen will give a speech at the "state dinner" of the annual meeting, in which attorneys general from the 50 states of the US will participate. Taiwan has for many years dispatched prosecutors to attend the important meeting and has invited NAAG members to visit in order to bolster mutual understanding and exchanges. While in the US, Chen will also meet overseas Chinese in other cities. He is slated to return to Taiwan on June 30.
■ Community
Filipinos observe national day
The Philippine community in Taiwan celebrated the 106th anniversary of the Republic of the Philippines at the Taiwan International Workers' Association (TIWA) headquarters in Taipei yesterday. "It means a lot to the migrant community to be able to celebrate their country's independence day in a foreign community. It is a good way for them to come together," said TIWA chairwoman Susan Chen. Although the Philippine independence day falls on June 12, this year's celebration was held a day late so that workers could enjoy it on their day off. This year's celebration was organized by the Taiwan chapter of the Overseas Foreign Workers' Club, Tamshui Filipino Community, Samahang Makata, Genuine Ilokano Taiwan Association, Kasapi and the Cordillera Organization in Taiwan.
■ Diplomacy
Overseas staffers nominated
Minister of Foreign Affairs Mark Chen (陳唐山) yesterday revealed various possible nominees for the ministry's overseas posts, including representatives to the US and Japan. Chen said that both Joanne Chang (裘兆琳), a researcher at the Institute of European and American Studies under the Academia Sinica, and Stanley Kao (高碩泰), vice permanent representative to the World Trade Organization, will be appointed as new vice representatives to the US. Kao will travel with Taiwan's representative-designate David Lee (李大維) to Washington to take over their new offices, Chen added. He also revealed that there exists a great possibility that his predecessor Eugene Chien (簡又新) will be named as Taiwan's new representative to the EU to fill the post left vacant by Lee. Furthermore, he said that the appointment of Koh Se-kai (許世楷) as Taiwan's representative to Japan should present no problems and that Koh's deputy, Chen Hung-chi (陳鴻基), will travel with him to Tokyo to take over their new offices. Chen announced on May 18 that Koh, a professor at Providence University in Taichung County, would be Taiwan's new representative to Japan.
Chinese spouse and influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China videos that threaten national security, the National Immigration Agency confirmed today. Guan Guan has said many controversial statements in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” and expressing hope for expedited reunification. The agency last year received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification. After verifying the reports, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and explain her actions. Guan
A preclearance service to facilitate entry for people traveling to select airports in Japan would be available from Thursday next week to Feb. 25 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC) said on Tuesday. The service was first made available to Taiwanese travelers throughout the winter vacation of 2024 and during the Lunar New Year holiday. In addition to flights to the Japanese cities of Hakodate, Asahikawa, Akita, Sendai, Niigata, Okayama, Takamatsu, Kumamoto and Kagoshima, the service would be available to travelers to Kobe and Oita. The service can be accessed by passengers of 15 flight routes operated by
GIVE AND TAKE: Blood demand continues to rise each year, while fewer young donors are available due to the nation’s falling birthrate, a doctor said Blood donors can redeem points earned from donations to obtain limited edition Formosan black bear travel mugs, the Kaohsiung Blood Center said yesterday, as it announced a goal of stocking 20,000 units of blood prior to the Lunar New Year. The last month of the lunar year is National Blood Donation Month, when local centers seek to stockpile blood for use during the Lunar New Year holiday. The blood demand in southern Taiwan — including Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Taitung counties — is about 2,000 units per day, the center said. The donation campaign aims to boost
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) said a magnitude 4.9 earthquake that struck off the coast of eastern Taiwan yesterday was an independent event and part of a stress-adjustment process. The earthquake occurred at 4:47pm, with its epicenter at sea about 45.4km south of Yilan County Hall at a depth of 5.9km, the CWA said. The quake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in several townships in Yilan and neighboring Hualien County, where it measured 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the CWA said. Lin Po-yu (林柏佑), a division chief at the CWA's Seismological Center, told a news conference
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