■ Society
Gay parade today
Some 60 social groups representing politics, academia, culture, the arts and entertainment are expected to join in an alternative lifestyle parade in downtown Taipei today, an organizer of the event said yesterday. The Taiwan Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Parade's organizing committee executive secretary, Wu Hsu-niang (巫緒樑), noted that the planned march has also won the support of many popular singers and TV celebrities, including Sandee Chen (陳珊妮), who will participate in a musical rally at the Red Theater in Hsimenting at the end of the parade. Although the annual march no longer enjoys the financial support it received last year from the city government, when it drew a great deal of attention from local and foreign media, Wu said, they will still put on a colorful activity filled with music to project the "happy image of the homosexual street party."
■ Legislature
Proposed peace law fails
The draft cross-strait peace promotion law proposed by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the People First Party (PFP) failed to get its first reading in the legislative sitting yesterday after the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus showed objection to the bill. The bill proposes to have the Legislative Yuan establish a special ad hoc committee to push and participate in the cross-strait negotiation. The bill passed through the Procedure Committee on Tuesday with the pan-blue camp in majority. But now the DPP caucus had rejected the bill to get a first reading, the bill has to go through the Procedure Committee session again to get a first reading. The DPP caucus said the bill was impractical and might violate the administrative power.
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
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
LIKE-MINDED COUNTRIES: Despite the threats from outside, Taiwan and Lithuania thrived and developed their economies, former president Tsai Ing-wen said Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Saturday thanked Lithuania for its support of Taiwan, saying that both countries are united as partners in defending democracy. Speaking at a reception organized by the Lithuania-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group welcoming her on her first visit to the Baltic state, Tsai said that while she was president from 2016 to last year, many Lithuanian “friends” visited Taiwan. “And I told myself I have to be here. I am very happy that I am here, a wonderful country and wonderful people,” Tsai said. Taiwan and Lithuania are in similar situations as both are neighbors to authoritarian countries, she
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
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