ENTERTAINMENT
Film screenings announced
Mongrel (白衣蒼狗), an award-winning movie on the life of migrant workers working illegally as caregivers in Taiwan, is to start a limited run in Kaohsiung on June 27. The first two theaters on the screening tour are Vieshow Cinema in the FE21 Mega shopping mall and in89 Cinema at the Pier-2 Art Center, with subsequent screenings to be announced. The movie earned a Golden Camera Special Mention Award in the category dedicated to first feature films at last year’s Cannes Film Festival. “It’s not a film that caters to mainstream tastes and it’s not a successful art film. I did what I could, that’s all,” said Singaporean director Chiang Wei-liang (曾威量), who codirected the film with Taiwanese director Yin You-qiao (尹又巧).
Photo courtesy of Activator Co
AIRLINES
CAL flight to be probed
The South Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport yesterday said that it would launch an investigation into a China Airlines (CAL) flight that failed to follow air traffic control instructions and landed on the wrong runway at Busan’s Gimhae International Airport, classifying the case as a “quasi-accident.” Although Thursday’s incident involving Flight CI186 from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport caused no damage or injuries, it met the criteria for a serious incident under aviation safety regulations, the ministry said. The ministry said that its Korea Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board would lead the probe. The incident was first brought to public attention by Taiwanese aerospace YouTuber and former pilot James Wang (王天傑), who said during a livestream that the CAL aircraft had landed on the incorrect runway. The Transportation Safety Board earlier said that it would support the South Korean investigation if requested and is prepared to take over should the South Korean authorities opt not to proceed with their own probe. CAL has launched an internal investigation.
CRIME
Fraud suspects arrested
Six people who set up a fan page that purported to belong to Nvidia Corp chief executive officer Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) have been arrested for alleged investment fraud, the New Taipei City Police Department Criminal Investigation Corps said on Wednesday. The operation allegedly defrauded more than NT$13 million (US$438,183) from more than 100 people, police said. The suspects operated what they presented as a digital technology marketing company, with a manager surnamed Lee (李) and five others, police said, adding that the fake fan page lured people into joining Line groups by claiming to offer stock analysis and investment tips from Huang, but led to fake investment Web sites.
CULTURE
Diving event announced
The Ministry of Culture has scheduled two events in the middle of August as it introduces Protected Wreck Days to raise public awareness of underwater cultural heritage. In collaboration with National Tsing Hua University, the ministry said that it would hold a three-day scuba diving event from Aug. 15 to 17, focusing on “Jiangjun No. 1” (將軍1號), a shipwreck discovered near Penghu County in 1995. There is also a one-day seminar on Aug. 15. The Jiangjun No. 1, near Jiangjun Islet in Penghu County, is believed to have been a wooden vessel carrying building materials and ceramic goods, the Bureau of Cultural Heritage said. The three-day diving event has 20 spots available for applicants holding a Divemaster certificate or higher.
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was sentenced to six months in prison, commutable to a fine, by the New Taipei District Court today for contravening the Personal Data Protection Act (個人資料保護法) in a case linked to an alleged draft-dodging scheme. Wang allegedly paid NT$3.6 million (US$114,380) to an illegal group to help him evade mandatory military service through falsified medical documents, prosecutors said. He transferred the funds to Chen Chih-ming (陳志明), the alleged mastermind of a draft-evasion ring, although he lost contact with him as he was already in detention on fraud charges, they said. Chen is accused of helping a
SECURITY: Starlink owner Elon Musk has taken pro-Beijing positions, and allowing pro-China companies to control Taiwan’s critical infrastructure is risky, a legislator said Starlink was reluctant to offer services in Taiwan because of the nation’s extremely high penetration rates in 4G and 5G services, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said yesterday. The ministry made the comments at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, which reviewed amendments to Article 36 of the Telecommunications Management Act (電信管理法). Article 36 bans foreigners from holding more than 49 percent of shares in public telecommunications networks, while shares foreigners directly and indirectly hold are also capped at 60 percent of the total, unless specified otherwise by law. The amendments, sponsored by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ko
The eastern extension of the Taipei MRT Red Line could begin operations as early as late June, the Taipei Department of Rapid Transit Systems said yesterday. Taipei Rapid Transit Corp said it is considering offering one month of free rides on the new section to mark its opening. Construction progress on the 1.4km extension, which is to run from the current terminal Xiangshan Station to a new eastern terminal, Guangci/Fengtian Temple Station, was 90.6 percent complete by the end of last month, the department said in a report to the Taipei City Council's Transportation Committee. While construction began in October 2016 with an
NON-RED SUPPLY: Boosting the nation’s drone industry is becoming increasingly urgent as China’s UAV dominance could become an issue in a crisis, an analyst said Taiwan’s drone exports to Europe grew 41.7-fold from 2024 to last year, with demand from Ukraine’s fight against Russian aggression the most likely driver of growth, a study showed. The Institute for Democracy, Society and Emerging Technology (DSET) in a statement on Wednesday said it found that many of Taiwan’s uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) sales were from Poland and the Czech Republic. These countries likely transferred the drones to Ukraine to aid it in its fight against the Russian invasion that started in 2022, it said. Despite the gains, Taiwan is not the dominant drone exporter to these markets, ranking second and fourth
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