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.
‘NON-RED’: Taiwan and Ireland should work together to foster a values-driven, democratic economic system, leveraging their complementary industries, Lai said President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday expressed hopes for closer ties between Taiwan and Ireland, and that both countries could collaborate to create a values-driven, democracy-centered economic system. He made the remarks while meeting with an Irish cross-party parliamentary delegation visiting Taiwan. The delegation, led by John McGuinness, deputy speaker of the Irish house of representatives, known as the Dail, includes Irish lawmakers Malcolm Byrne, Barry Ward, Ken O’Flynn and Teresa Costello. McGuinness, who chairs the Ireland-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Association, is a friend of Taiwan, and under his leadership, the association’s influence has grown over the past few years, Lai said. Ireland is
FINAL COUNTDOWN: About 50,000 attended a pro-recall rally yesterday, while the KMT and the TPP plan to rally against the recall votes today Democracy activists, together with arts and education representatives, yesterday organized a motorcade, while thousands gathered on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei in the evening in support of tomorrow’s recall votes. Recall votes for 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and suspended Hsinchu City mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) are to be held tomorrow, while recall votes for seven other KMT lawmakers are scheduled for Aug. 23. The afternoon motorcade was led by the Spring Breeze Culture and Arts Foundation, the Tyzen Hsiao Foundation and the Friends of Lee Teng-hui Association, and was joined by delegates from the Taiwan Statebuilding Party and the Taiwan Solidarity
An SOS message in a bottle has been found in Ireland that is believed to have come from the Taiwanese captain of fishing vessel Yong Yu Sing No. 18 (永裕興18號), who has been missing without a trace for over four years, along with nine Indonesian crew members. The vessel, registered to Suao (蘇澳), went missing near Hawaii on Dec. 30, 2020. The ship has since been recovered, but the 10 crew members have never been found. The captain, surnamed Lee (李), is believed to have signed the note with his name. A post appeared on Reddit on Tuesday after a man
A saleswoman, surnamed Chen (陳), earlier this month was handed an 18-month prison term for embezzling more than 2,000 pairs of shoes while working at a department store in Tainan. The Tainan District Court convicted Chen of embezzlement in a ruling on July 7, sentencing her to prison for illegally profiting NT$7.32 million (US$248,929) at the expense of her employer. Chen was also given the opportunity to reach a financial settlement, but she declined. Chen was responsible for the sales counter of Nike shoes at Tainan’s Shinkong Mitsukoshi Zhongshan branch, where she had been employed since October 2019. She had previously worked