■ DIPLOMACY
Su to attend ally's funeral
President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) has appointed former premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) to serve as special envoy at the funeral of John Compton, the late prime minister of Saint Lucia. According to a statement by the Presidential Office, Su, who is the Democratic Progressive Party's vice presidential candidate for next year's election, will also visit the country's two other Caribbean allies -- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis. Compton died earlier this month at the age of 82 after regaining power last December. Saint Lucia resumed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in May while Su was premier. In June, Su attended the Malawian first lady's funeral on behalf of Chen. Su is scheduled to depart for the Caribbean today.
■ JUSTICE
Wine counterfeiter caught
Public prosecutors in Tainan took a third member of a counterfeit liquor ring into custody late on Friday after seizing more than 100,000 bottles of fake French red wine and counterfeit foreign brand-name liquors. Earlier in the week, the prosecutors detained Wang Kun-chuan (王崑泉) and his brother Wang Min-tsung (王明宗) after seizing bottles of fake liquor from warehouses in Tainan County and Taichung County. The fake liquor included whisky carrying counterfeit labels such as Famous Grouse, Macallan and Johnnie Walker. Other seized products included fake French red wine and distilled spirits affixed with counterfeit labels of well-known Chinese brand names. Prosecutors said they suspect the fake products may have already made their way onto the market and they are trying to trace the potentially harmful products.
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
The US Department of State on Monday reaffirmed that US policy on Taiwan remains unchanged, following US President Donald Trump’s use of the term “unification” while commenting on recent trade talks with China. Speaking at a wide-ranging press conference, Trump described what he viewed as progress in trade negotiations with China held in Geneva, Switzerland, over the weekend. “They’ve agreed to open China — fully open China, and I think it’s going to be fantastic for China. I think it’s going to be fantastic for us,” Trump said. “I think it’s going to be great for unification and peace.” Trump’s use of the
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