TRAVEL
Passport drops in ranking
Taiwan’s passport was ranked the 72nd-most powerful globally, down three spots from last year, according to an annual index published by US consulting firm Nomad Capitalist. The index ranks 199 countries based on five factors: visa-free travel, which carries a 50 percent weighting; taxation (20 percent weighing); and perception, dual citizenship and personal freedom (10 percent weighing each). Taiwan’s passport scored 83 points on the index, which was topped by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) passport with 110.5 points. “This is largely due to recent changes allowing foreigners to apply for dual citizenship, which, combined with the travel freedoms afforded by a UAE passport, plus the country’s business-friendly environment and enviable tax system,” the firm said. Luxembourg and Switzerland were tied for second, followed by Ireland and Portugal in a tie. South Korea ranked 21st, Singapore 30th, Japan 38th and China 128th.
Photo: CNA
CULTURE
Opera singer dies at 72
Taiwanese opera singer Chen Mei-yun (陳美雲) passed away on Saturday night after a fall, the Chen Meiyun Opera Troupe (陳美雲歌劇團) said yesterday. She was 72 years old. Minister of Culture Shih Che (史哲) on Facebook thanked Chen for dedicating her life to Taiwanese opera, saying the energy and passion she brought to the stage were touching. Chen specialized in playing xiaosheng (小生, young male leads). She established her own troupe in 1979 to promote the traditional art form, and has won several awards and performed at the Presidential Office Building.
CULTURE
Events to celebrate troupe
The Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute on Saturday launched a series of special screenings to honor the Taiwanese contemporary dance troupe Cloud Gate Dance Theatre, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. The screenings are to run through April 2 at the institute’s headquarters, featuring motion picture versions of the five works premiered by the dance troupe from 1994 to 2020. Five Asian movies have also been selected to correspond to Cloud Gate’s five works during the four-week program, including Indian Bengali-language drama The World of Apu by director Satyajit Ray, Poetry by South Korea’s Lee Chang-dong and Your Face by Taiwan’s Tsai Ming-liang (蔡明亮), which won Best Documentary at the Golden Horse Awards. The troupe is to tour Taiwan as part of the celebrations starting next month, performing its 1978 work Legacy curated by its founder, Lin Hwai-min (林懷民).
CRIME
Suspected IEDs found
Police on Feb. 25 detained a motorcyclist for allegedly possessing narcotics and “possible” improvised explosive devices (IEDs) on his vehicle, the Taipei City Police Department said yesterday. The 31-year-old suspect, surnamed Yang (楊), was found with two bags of amphetamine, five objects believed to be IEDs and 150 steel balls used in the manufacture of such devices, police said, adding that officers found the objects after pulling Yang over because he looked suspicious. Yang, who was unable to explain why he had the illegal items in his possession, told police he made them out of curiosity. Prosecutors might press charges based on the Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act (毒品危害防制條例) and the Controlling Guns, Ammunition and Knives Act (槍砲彈藥刀械管制條例), police said. If the objects are confirmed to be IEDs, Yang could face at least seven years in jail and a fine of up to NT$30 million (US$979,528).
The military has spotted two Chinese warships operating in waters near Penghu County in the Taiwan Strait and sent its own naval and air forces to monitor the vessels, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said. Beijing sends warships and warplanes into the waters and skies around Taiwan on an almost daily basis, drawing condemnation from Taipei. While the ministry offers daily updates on the locations of Chinese military aircraft, it only rarely gives details of where Chinese warships are operating, generally only when it detects aircraft carriers, as happened last week. A Chinese destroyer and a frigate entered waters to the southwest
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Yilan County at 8:39pm tonight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, with no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The epicenter was 38.7km east-northeast of Yilan County Hall at a focal depth of 98.3km, the CWA’s Seismological Center said. The quake’s maximum intensity, which gauges the actual physical effect of a seismic event, was a level 4 on Taiwan’s 7-tier intensity scale, the center said. That intensity level was recorded in Yilan County’s Nanao Township (南澳), Hsinchu County’s Guansi Township (關西), Nantou County’s Hehuanshan (合歡山) and Hualien County’s Yanliao (鹽寮). An intensity of 3 was
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comment last year on Tokyo’s potential reaction to a Taiwan-China conflict has forced Beijing to rewrite its invasion plans, a retired Japanese general said. Takaichi told the Diet on Nov. 7 last year that a Chinese naval blockade or military attack on Taiwan could constitute a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, potentially allowing Tokyo to exercise its right to collective self-defense. Former Japan Ground Self-Defense Force general Kiyofumi Ogawa said in a recent speech that the remark has been interpreted as meaning Japan could intervene in the early stages of a Taiwan Strait conflict, undermining China’s previous assumptions
Taiwan Railways Corp (TRC) today announced that Shin Kong Mitsukoshi has been selected as the preferred bidder to operate the Taipei Railway Station shopping mall, replacing the current operator, Breeze Development Co Ltd. Among eight qualified firms that delivered presentations and were evaluated by a review committee, Shin Kong Mitsukoshi was ranked first, while Breeze was named the runner-up, the rail company said in a statement. Contract negotiations are to proceed in accordance with regulations, it said, adding that if negotiations with the top bidder fail, it could invite the second-ranked applicant to enter talks. Breeze in a statement today expressed doubts over
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