ENTERTAINMENT
TWICE coming in November
South Korean pop group TWICE is to perform in Kaohsiung on Nov. 22 as part of their 11-city THIS IS FOR world tour, the group announced on Sunday. It would be TWICE’s first performance in Taiwan after debuting 10 years ago, with local fans especially excited to see the group’s Taiwanese member, Chou Tzuyu (周子瑜). Chou is from Tainan, and became the first Taiwan-born and raised member of a South Korean girl group. The announcement drew excited comments such as: “Finally! We’ve been waiting for TWICE,” and “Tzuyu finally comes back for a concert in Kaohsiung!” Along with Blackpink’s concert on Oct. 18 and 19, Kaohsiung is to host two big-name girl group performances this year. The upcoming performances would also make Blackpink the first girl group to perform twice at the Kaohsiung National Stadium. It would be the group’s third visit to Taiwan to stage a concert.
Photo: screen grab from TWICE’s X account
TRAVEL
Tigerair adds three routes
Tigerair Taiwan is to launch three new international routes — two to South Korea’s Jeju Island and one to Japan’s Ishigaki Island, as summer vacation nears. The Kaohsiung-Jeju route is to begin on June 30, followed by Taichung-Jeju on July 1 and Taoyuan-Ishigaki on July 17, the Taiwan-based low-cost carrier said in a statement yesterday. With the additions, Tigerair Taiwan would become the first domestic carrier to offer direct flights to Jeju from northern, central and southern Taiwan. The Ishigaki route would also bring the number of Japanese destinations served by the airline to 23, the statement said. The Kaohsiung-Jeju and Taoyuan-Ishigaki routes are new, while the Taichung-Jeju route would be a revival of an old route, the airline said. Tigerair plans to operate four weekly flights on the Kaohsiung-Jeju route, and two per week each on the other two routes, with adjustments being made depending on demand. A two-day promo — tomorrow and on Thursday — offers a base fare of NT$500 for the Jeju route and NT$1,599 for the Taoyuan-Ishigaki route, the airline said.
SOCIETY
Vietnamese’s body found
The body of a 32-year-old Vietnamese migrant worker who reportedly fell into the Houlong River (後龍溪) in Miaoli County on Sunday was found after emergency services resumed their search of the area yesterday, local authorities said. The man, surnamed Nguyen, was discovered at about 12:20pm, trapped between concrete blocks at a check dam near the border of Miaoli City and Gongguan Township (公館), the Miaoli County Fire Bureau said. The bureau was notified at about 6pm on Sunday that Nguyen had fallen into the river while barbecuing near the riverbank with four other Vietnamese, said Cheng Sheng-feng (鄭勝峰), head of the bureau’s first disaster relief unit. Nguyen slipped on a concrete block near the check dam and fell into the river, his companions said. The bureau immediately dispatched more than 10 firefighters and volunteer rescuers to the scene, along with a drone camera, Cheng said. However, the search was called off at night due to poor visibility and the strong current. Nguyen’s body was found near the spot where he fell, the bureau said, adding that he might have been pulled under by a whirlpool and trapped on the riverbed. Local prosecutors and police are taking over the case to investigate the cause of death, the bureau added.
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
A total lunar eclipse, an astronomical event often referred to as a “blood moon,” would be visible to sky watchers in Taiwan starting just before midnight on Sunday night, the Taipei Astronomical Museum said. The phenomenon is also called “blood moon” due to the reddish-orange hue it takes on as the Earth passes directly between the sun and the moon, completely blocking direct sunlight from reaching the lunar surface. The only light is refracted by the Earth’s atmosphere, and its red wavelengths are bent toward the moon, illuminating it in a dramatic crimson light. Describing the event as the most important astronomical phenomenon
UNDER PRESSURE: The report cited numerous events that have happened this year to show increased coercion from China, such as military drills and legal threats The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to reinforce its “one China” principle and the idea that Taiwan belongs to the People’s Republic of China by hosting celebratory events this year for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the “retrocession” of Taiwan and the establishment of the UN, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in its latest report to the Legislative Yuan. Taking advantage of the significant anniversaries, Chinese officials are attempting to assert China’s sovereignty over Taiwan through interviews with international news media and cross-strait exchange events, the report said. Beijing intends to reinforce its “one China” principle
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