■ Music Piracy
IFPI to sue in Asia, Europe
The international record industry expanded its fight against music piracy yesterday, announcing that it will file hundreds more lawsuits across Europe and Asia against individuals and groups it accuses of illegally sharing music through the Internet. The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) said its affiliates are filing 963 new cases and are also adding five new countries to the list of litigation. In the new wave of lawsuits, Japan becomes the first Asian country to launch legal action against music piracy. It is also the first time such action has been taken in the Netherlands, Iceland, Finland and Ireland. Kazaa, which used to be the largest and most popular file-sharing service, has seen its users drop by approximately 45 percent -- from 4.2 million to 2.3 million concurrent users -- since the start of the warning and litigation campaign, the IFPI said.
■ Airlines
State aid row heats up
The future Airbus A350 aircraft, designed to rival Boeing's 787 Dreamliner, could be the first victim of a lengthy dispute between the EU and the US over state aid to the aeronautics sector. Brussels and Washington failed to meet their self-imposed deadline Monday to achieve a negotiated agreement on subsidies to Boeing and Airbus. The US has bitterly opposed European plans to subsidize the A350 and has threatened to seek arbitration by the WTO if the EU allows aid to the project before the end of bilateral negotiations. The situation has stymied the European aircraft maker, which intended to ask its four participating countries, Britain, France, Germany and Spain, for aid to finance the A350. The project's cost is estimated at 4 billion euros (US$5.19 billion).
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
‘FORM OF PROTEST’: The German Institute Taipei said it was ‘shocked’ to see Nazi symbolism used in connection with political aims as it condemned the incident Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), who led efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), was released on bail of NT$80,000 yesterday amid an outcry over a Nazi armband he wore to questioning the night before. Sung arrived at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office for questioning in a recall petition forgery case on Tuesday night wearing a red armband bearing a swastika, carrying a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf and giving a Nazi salute. Sung left the building at 1:15am without the armband and apparently covering the book with a coat. This is a serious international scandal and Chinese
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
RSS