WEATHER
Depression to bring rain
A tropical depression that formed in the South China Sea on Monday could bring rain over the next two days, although no direct impact is expected, the Central Weather Bureau said yesterday. The depression about 500km southwest of Taiwan’s southernmost tip is moving west-northwest at 11kph, and is carrying sustained winds of 54kph with gusts of up to 82kph, the bureau said. The depression is to strengthen a front from the southwest, bringing showers and thunderstorms to southern and southeastern Taiwan until tomorrow, while eastern and northeastern Taiwan could see intermittent rain and thunderstorms, the bureau said. Northern Taiwan could also experience heavy rain this afternoon.
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Concern over extraditions
The nation has expressed its concern to the EU after the Prague High Court upheld a lower court’s decision to send eight Taiwanese fraud suspects to China, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday. The suspects were arrested in Prague in Jan. 12 last year for their alleged involvement in telecommunications fraud targeting Chinese, ministry deputy spokesperson Joanne Ou (歐江安) said. A Prague district court in August last year ruled that the suspects were to be extradited to China, after Chinese authorities guaranteed that the suspects would be tried fairly and would not be subject to capital punishment. The suspects appealed to the Prague High Court, which last month upheld the decision, Ou said. The suspects are considering other legal remedies and proceedings are still ongoing, she added. The ministry has also expressed its concerns to the EU that the suspects’ rights might be infringed upon if they are sent to China.
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
US transit stop ‘consistent’
Arranging transit stop visits by “Taiwan authorities” is consistent with Washington’s “one China” policy, the US Department of State said on Monday. In response to requests for comment on President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) plan to transit through the US later this month, a department spokesperson said via e-mail: “The United States facilitates, from time to time, representatives of the Taiwan authorities to transit the United States. Such transits are undertaken out of consideration for the safety, comfort, convenience and dignity of the passenger and are in keeping with our one China policy.” Tsai is to make the stopovers before and after visiting Haiti, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Lucia, and Saint Kitts and Nevis from Thursday next week to July 22, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. It did not disclose the US cities, but some media have reported that she would stop in New York and Denver.
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Corruption pact signed
Taiwan and Belize yesterday signed an agreement to cooperate on fighting corruption as they push for a closer partnership ahead of the 30th anniversary of their diplomatic ties in October. President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and Belizean Governor-General Colville Young witnessed the signing at the Presidential Office Building in Taipei. The two nations have collaborated on medical care, vocational training, trade and investment, and would continue to work together on sustainable development to address the challenges brought by climate change, Tsai said. Young said that the friendship would not just last 30 years, but for an eternity because the two nations are as close as family. Young and his delegation arrived yesterday for a four-day visit.
DEFENSE
Shen Yi-ming takes top job
Vice Minister of National Defense Shen Yi-ming (沈一鳴) on Monday took office as chief of the general staff in a ceremony presided over by President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), replacing Li Hsi-ming (李喜明), who retired the same day. A graduate of the Republic of China Air Force Academy in 1979 and the US’ Air War College in 2002, Shen has served 37 months as air force commander, promoting joint operations training and disaster prevention and rescue, the Ministry of National Defense said. Air Force Commander Chang Che-ping (張哲平) is to fill the vacancy left by Shen, while Air Force Deputy Commander General Hsiung Hou-chi (熊厚基) is to fill the vacancy left by Chang, with immediate effect, the ministry said. As commander-in-chief of Taiwan’s armed forces, Tsai said that she has ordered Shen to help carry out a blueprint for defense and warfare training, nurture military talent, and lay the foundation for the reform of the nation’s defense forces. Shen was also ordered by Tsai to promote regional peace, security and stability.
PHILANTHROPY
Taipei donates to initiative
The government has donated US$500,000 to a non-governmental organization that advocates for victims of sexual violence and aims to rebuild communities devastated by the Islamic State group. In a ceremony at the US Institute of Peace in Washington on Friday last week, Representative to the US Stanley Kao (高碩泰) made the donation to Nadia’s Initiative. The group, founded in 2016 by Nadia Murad, advocates for victims of sexual violence and aims to rebuild communities in crisis, especially the Yazidi ethnic minority in Iraq persecuted by the Islamic State. Murad last year received the Nobel Peace Prize for her work on the initiative.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a "tsunami watch" alert after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia earlier in the morning. The quake struck off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula at 7:25am (Taiwan time) at a depth of about 19km, the CWA said, citing figures from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The CWA's Seismological Center said preliminary assessments indicate that a tsunami could reach Taiwan's coastal areas by 1:18pm today. The CWA urged residents along the coast to stay alert and take necessary precautions as waves as high as 1m could hit the southeastern
FINAL COUNTDOWN: About 50,000 attended a pro-recall rally yesterday, while the KMT and the TPP plan to rally against the recall votes today Democracy activists, together with arts and education representatives, yesterday organized a motorcade, while thousands gathered on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei in the evening in support of tomorrow’s recall votes. Recall votes for 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and suspended Hsinchu City mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) are to be held tomorrow, while recall votes for seven other KMT lawmakers are scheduled for Aug. 23. The afternoon motorcade was led by the Spring Breeze Culture and Arts Foundation, the Tyzen Hsiao Foundation and the Friends of Lee Teng-hui Association, and was joined by delegates from the Taiwan Statebuilding Party and the Taiwan Solidarity
Instead of threatening tariffs on Taiwan-made chips, the US should try to reinforce cooperation with Taiwan on semiconductor development to take on challenges from the People’s Republic of China (PRC), a Taiwanese think tank said. The administration of US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose across-the-board import duties of 32 percent on Taiwan-made goods and levy a separate tariff on semiconductors, which Taiwan is hoping to avoid. The Research Institute for Democracy, Society, and Emerging Technology (DSET), a National Science and Technology Council think tank, said that US efforts should focus on containing China’s semiconductor rise rather than impairing Taiwan. “Without
The National Museum of Taiwan Literature is next month to hold an exhibition in Osaka, Japan, showcasing the rich and unique history of Taiwanese folklore and literature. The exhibition, which is to run from Aug. 10 to Aug. 20 at the city’s Central Public Hall, is part of the “We Taiwan” at Expo 2025 series, highlighting Taiwan’s cultural ties with the international community, National Museum of Taiwan Literature director Chen Ying-fang (陳瑩芳) said. Folklore and literature, among Taiwan’s richest cultural heritages, naturally deserve a central place in the global dialogue, Chen said. Taiwan’s folklore would be immediately apparent at the entrance of the
RSS