■DIPLOMACY
Former premier to visit US
Former premier Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄) will lead a delegation of lawmakers and business leaders to Washington on Feb. 4 to attend the National Prayer Breakfast and a forum sponsored by a US think tank. On Feb. 5, Liu will participate in a forum jointly sponsored by The Heritage Foundation and the Taiwanese Association of America. He will discuss with US academics topics related to the future of Taiwan-US ties after the recent controversy over US beef imports to Taiwan. The former premier will also give a speech at the forum.
■CRIME
Police track diamond thief
Police said yesterday they were working with their counterparts in Japan to trace a man they believe has stolen valuable diamond rings in both countries. The man took millions of dollars worth of jewelry from a De Beers shop at Taipei 101, the Criminal Investigation Bureau said. He did so by pretending to be a customer shopping for a ring for his sister, the bureau said. He was accompanied by a local woman, who said she was approached by the man who claimed to be a foreign tourist and needed someone to try the ring on for him, the bureau said.
■FILM
‘Cape No. 7’ to go musical
The director of the nation’s most successful recent blockbuster — Cape No. 7 (海角七號) — is working on a musical version of the movie, sources said. Wei Te-sheng (魏德聖) is planning to adapt the movie about two love stories between two Taiwanese-Japanese couples into a musical, but the time frame has not been finalized, said Lian Yi-chou (連乙州), a producer with Taiwan’s Dafeng Theater Company. Cape No. 7, is the second-best-selling film in Taiwanese history.
China has reserved offshore airspace in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea from March 27 to May 6, issuing alerts usually used to warn of military exercises, although no such exercises have been announced, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported yesterday. Reserving such a large area for 40 days without explanation is an “unusual step,” as military exercises normally only last a few days, the paper said. These alerts, known as Notice to Air Missions (Notams), “are intended to inform pilots and aviation authorities of temporary airspace hazards or restrictions,” the article said. The airspace reserved in the alert is
NAMING SPAT: The foreign ministry called on Denmark to propose an acceptable solution to the erroneous nationality used for Taiwanese on residence permits Taiwan has revoked some privileges for Danish diplomatic staff over a Danish permit that lists “Taiwan” as “China,” Eric Huang (黃鈞耀), head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Department of European Affairs, told a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Reporters asked Huang whether the Danish government had responded to the ministry’s request that it correct the nationality on Danish residence permits of Taiwanese, which has been listed as “China” since 2024. Taiwan’s representative office in Denmark continues to communicate with the Danish government, and the ministry has revoked some privileges previously granted to Danish representatives in Taiwan and would continue to review
The first bluefin tuna of the season, brought to shore in Pingtung County and weighing 190kg, was yesterday auctioned for NT$10,600 (US$333.5) per kilogram, setting a record high for the local market. The auction was held at the fish market in Donggang Fishing Harbor, where the Siaoliouciou Island-registered fishing vessel Fu Yu Ching No. 2 delivered the “Pingtung First Tuna” it had caught for bidding. Bidding was intense, and the tuna was ultimately jointly purchased by a local restaurant and a local company for NT$10,600 per kilogram — NT$300 ,more than last year — for a total of NT$2.014 million. The 67-year-old skipper
China has reserved offshore airspace over the Yellow Sea and East China Sea from March 27 to May 6, issuing alerts that are usually used to warn of military exercises, although no such exercises have been announced, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on Sunday. Reserving such a large area for 40 days without explanation is an “unusual step,” as military exercises normally only last a few days, the paper said. The alerts, known as notice to air missions (NOTAMs), “are intended to inform pilots and aviation authorities of temporary airspace hazards or restrictions,” the article said. The airspace reserved in the alert
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