■ DIPLOMACY
New diplomats announced
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs last night announced four new ambassadorial appointments for positions in Africa, Central America and the Caribbean. Current ambassador to South African Richard Shih (石瑞琦) will now head the embassy in Gambia. Chen Chung (陳忠), the current representative to New Zealand, will be the new ambassador to Sao Tome and Principe. Leo Lee (李澄然) is expected to leave his post as the head of the ministry's Department of North American Affairs to become ambassador to St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The new ambassador to Haiti will be Hsu Mien-sheng (徐勉生), who has held diplomatic posts in France, Senegal, and Angola. A ministry official said the four men were career diplomats who were ideal candidates to safeguard Taiwan's existing allies in the face of relentless pressure from China.
■ TRANSPORTATION
High-speed rail serves 20m
The accumulated passenger volume of the high-speed railway system reached the 20-million mark on Friday, a little more than one year after the service was launched, Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp said yesterday. The system's passenger volume totaled 2,095,210 last month, setting a record single-month high, the company said in a statement. The company said passenger traffic has been increasing since trial operations began on Jan. 5 last year, topping the 5 million mark on May 28, the 10 million mark on Sept. 18 and the 15 million mark on Dec. 21. Carbon dioxide released by a high-speed train averages only 0.0267kg per passenger-kilometer, about one-quarter of the average 0.1kg released per passenger-kilometer by a small passenger car, it said.
Hong Kong singer Eason Chan’s (陳奕迅) concerts in Kaohsiung this weekend have been postponed after he was diagnosed with Covid-19 this morning, the organizer said today. Chan’s “FEAR and DREAMS” concert which was scheduled to be held in the coming three days at the Kaohsiung Arena would be rescheduled to May 29, 30 and 31, while the three shows scheduled over the next weekend, from May 23 to 25, would be held as usual, Universal Music said in a statement. Ticket holders can apply for a full refund or attend the postponed concerts with the same seating, the organizer said. Refund arrangements would
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
Taiwanese indie band Sunset Rollercoaster and South Korean outfit Hyukoh collectively received the most nominations at this year’s Golden Melody Awards, earning a total of seven nods from the jury on Wednesday. The bands collaborated on their 2024 album AAA, which received nominations for best band, best album producer, best album design and best vocal album recording. “Young Man,” a single from the album, earned nominations for song of the year and best music video, while another track, “Antenna,” also received a best music video nomination. Late Hong Kong-American singer Khalil Fong (方大同) was named the jury award winner for his 2024 album
Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) hosted a dinner in Taipei last night with key Taiwanese suppliers to celebrate the successful mass production of the company’s new Blackwell AI systems. Speaking to the media earlier yesterday, Huang thanked Nvidia’s Taiwanese partners for their contributions to the company’s ecosystem, while also sharing his plans to meet with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) founder Morris Chang (張忠謀). In response to rumors that Nvidia will launch a downgraded Hopper H20 chip for China in July, Huang dismissed the reports, saying, “That is not true.” He clarified that there
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