■ SOCIETY
Famine program launched
World Vision Taiwan, the local chapter of the international Christian relief organization, promoted its 20th 30-Hour Famine program yesterday, calling on the public to help raise money to combat the global food crisis. More than 20,000 people are expected to attend this year’s Famine Hero Rally scheduled for Aug. 15 and Aug. 16 at the National Taiwan Sport University stadium in Linkou (林口), Taipei County, an event the group hopes will raise NT$170 million (US$5 million). People interested in participating can sign up from May 1 at 30hf.org.tw. The registration fee for adults is NT$1,000 and NT$500 for students.
■ ECONOMY
Vouchers still unclaimed
A total of 160,841 people had yet to pick up their consumer vouchers as of Sunday, a few days before tomorrow’s deadline, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday. The ministry said that as of Sunday, 23,103,405 of 23,264,246 eligible people — or 99.31 percent — had collected vouchers worth a total of more than NT$83.17 billion. The ministry urged eligible people who have not collected their vouchers to do so at designated post offices, adding that those who fail to claim them by the deadline would lose their right to them.
■ DIPLOMACY
Arrested journalists in focus
The legislature yesterday agreed to refer to the Executive Yuan a motion by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Huang Wei-cher (黃偉哲) that the government seek help to free two journalists arrested by North Korea. Huang’s motion stated that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should seek assistance from non-governmental channels to assist the journalists from online news outlet Current TV — Laura Ling (凌志美), a US citizen whose mother is Taiwanese, and Euna Lee, a Korean-American. Ling and Lee were arrested and detained by North Korean guards while filming a story on refugees on the border of North Korea and China on March 17.
■ CRIME
Mother killed over remote
A man accidentally killed his mother while they were fighting for a TV remote control, media reported yesterday. The incident occurred on Saturday in Nantou City. Su Peng-sheng (蘇澎生), 43, was watching TV at home with his mother, Hsiao Ching-chou (蕭金綢), 64. In a quarrel over the remote, Su’s mother grabbed a wooden stick to hit him. Su pushed his mother, causing her head first to hit the wall and then the corner of a table, media reports said. The son rushed his unconscious, bleeding mother to the hospital, where she died on Monday. Su turned himself in, saying he was heartbroken. He has been charged with homicide, which carries a minimum two-year jail term, reports said.
■ POLITICS
Ma appoints NSB chief
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday appointed acting director of the National Security Bureau (NSB) Tsai Der-sheng (蔡得勝) to head the bureau. Presidential Office Spokesman Wang Yu-chi (王郁琦) said Ma had observed Tsai for more than a month and was convinced that he was fit for the job. The Presidential Office has dismissed speculation that former NSB director-general Tsai Chao-ming (蔡朝明) had resigned amid a power struggle within the government’s intelligence branch. Wang has said that Tsai had offered to resign on several occasions, but that Ma refused to let him go.
Taiwan must first strengthen its own national defense to deter a potential invasion by China as cross-strait tensions continue to rise, multiple European lawmakers said on Friday. In a media interview in Taipei marking the conclusion of an eight-member European parliamentary delegation’s six-day visit to Taiwan, the lawmakers urged Taipei to remain vigilant and increase defense spending. “All those who claim they want to protect you actually want to conquer you,” Ukrainian lawmaker Serhii Soboliev said when asked what lessons Taiwan could draw from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Soboliev described the Kremlin as a “new fascist Nazi regime” that justified
The US House of Representatives yesterday passed the PROTECT Taiwan Act, which stipulates that Washington would exclude China from participating in major global financial organizations if its actions directly threaten Taiwan’s security. The bill, proposed by Republican US Representative Frank Lucas, passed with 395 votes in favor and two against. It stipulates that if China’s actions pose any threat to Taiwan’s security, economic or social systems, the US would, “to the maximum extent practicable,” exclude China from international financial institutions, including the G20, the Bank for International Settlements and the Financial Stability Board. The bill makes it clear that China
‘T-DOME’: IBCS would increase Taiwan’s defense capabilities, enabling air defense units to use data from any sensor system and cut reaction time, a defense official said A defense official yesterday said that a purported new arms sale the US is assembling for Taiwan likely includes Integrated Battle Command Systems (IBCS). The anonymous official’s comments came hours after the Financial Times (FT) reported that Washington is preparing a US$20 billion arms sale encompassing “Patriot missiles and other weapons,” citing eight sources. The Taiwanese official said the IBCS is an advanced command and control system that would play a key role in President William Lai’s (賴清德) flagship defense program, the “T-Dome,” an integrated air defense network to counter ballistic missiles and other threats. The IBCS would increase Taiwan’s
NOMINAL NEWLYWEDS: A man’s family and his wife — his long-term caregiver — are engaged in a legal dogfight over the propriety and validity of the recent union A centenarian’s marriage to his caregiver unbeknownst to his children has prompted legal action, as the caregiver accuses the man’s children of violating her personal liberty and damaging her reputation, while the children have sought a legal option to have the marriage annulled. According to sources, the 102-year-old man surnamed Wang (王) lives in Taipei’s Zhongshan District (中山) and previously worked as a land registration agent. Wang reportedly owns multiple properties and parcels of land worth several hundred million New Taiwan dollars and has ten children. His caregiver, a 69-year-old surnamed Lai (賴), has been caring for him since about 1999,
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