DIPLOMACY
Czech delegation arrives
Czech Senate Vice President Jiri Drahos yesterday arrived in Taiwan at the head of a 19-member delegation that includes Czech Deputy Minister of Science, Research and Innovation Jana Havlikova. During the six-day trip, the group is to meet with President William Lai (賴清德), Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) and Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), among others, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Both sides would exchange views on issues such as trade, technology, education and culture, and deepen cooperation in areas ranging from key industries, science development and talent cultivation to culture and the arts, the ministry said. Drahos is to host a semiconductor business opportunity forum for his country and witness the signing of a cooperation agreement between the National Palace Museum and the National Museum in Prague, it said. He is also to open an exhibition on Czech castles and chateaus at National Taiwan Museum in Taipei and launch a program aimed at boosting Taiwan-Czech supply chain resilience, it said. The delegation also includes Czech Deputy Minister for Digitalization and Innovation Petr Ocko, National Museum director-general Michal Lukes, other government officials and tech experts.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
HEALTH
Medicine being withdrawn
Recalled traditional Chinese medicine that was distributed to pharmacies in five administrative regions would be off the shelves within the week, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday. The ministry on Saturday announced that 12 products made by Tainan-based Juang Chuen Ren Biotechnology Pharmaceutical Co (莊春仁生物科技製藥) were being recalled and that the firm was suspected of producing counterfeit drugs. The quantities of each of the 12 products ranges from seven bottles to more than 200, Department of Chinese Medicine and Pharmacy Director Shih Hui-chuan (施惠娟) said yesterday. They were distributed to pharmacies in Chiayi City, Chiayi County, Kaohsiung, Keelung and Tainan, she said. People should not ingest the recalled products, and return them as soon as possible, Shih said. The products are Juang Chuen Ren Guey Fuh Dih Huang Wan (桂附地黃丸), Ren Tsan Guh Chyuan pills (人參固泉丸), Lih Daan Bao Gan Wan (利膽保肝丸), Zi Yun Gao (紫雲膏), Hsieh Kang Nen Ching Hsieh Wan (血康能清血丸), Liu Wei Di Huang San (六味地黃散), Chia Wei Huan Shao Wan (加味還少丸), Gardenia powder (梔子散), Scutellaria powder (黃芩散), Jin Suo Gu Jing Wan (金鎖固精丸), Sharen powder (砂仁散) and Ban Long Wan (斑龍丸).
TRAFFIC
Road open after landslide
The intersection between Beining Road and the entrance to Keelung’s Chaojing Park, which was blocked by a landslide on June 3, was reopened at 2pm yesterday, ahead of schedule. The landslide partially buried nine vehicles and a scooter along Beining Road, injuring four people. Minister of Transportation and Communications Li Men-yen (李孟諺) yesterday said that there is a 6m buffer zone along the reopened section of road. As a result, the road is narrower and the speed limit has been set at 25kph, Lee said. There would be personnel on site monitoring the road at all times, he said. A maintenance project to permanently reinforce the slope adjacent to the road would be completed at a later date, he added.
EVA Air is prohibiting the use of portable chargers on board all flights starting from Saturday, while China Airlines is advising passengers not to use them, following the lead of South Korean airlines. Current regulations prohibit portable chargers and lithium batteries from check-in luggage and require them to be properly packed in carry-on baggage, EVA Air said. To improve onboard safety, portable chargers and spare lithium batteries would be prohibited from use on all fights starting on Saturday, it said. Passengers are advised to fully charge electronic devices before boarding and use the AC and USB charging outlets at their seat, it said. South
Hong Kong-based American singer-songwriter Khalil Fong (方大同) has passed away at the age of 41, Fong’s record label confirmed yesterday. “With unwavering optimism in the face of a relentless illness for five years, Khalil Fong gently and gracefully bid farewell to this world on the morning of February 21, 2025, stepping into the next realm of existence to carry forward his purpose and dreams,” Fu Music wrote on the company’s official Facebook page. “The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to his luminous spirit, a timeless treasure for generations to come,” it said. Although Fong’s
WAR SIMULATION: The developers of the board game ‘2045’ consulted experts and analysts, and made maps based on real-life Chinese People’s Liberation Army exercises To stop invading Chinese forces seizing Taiwan, board gamer Ruth Zhong chooses the nuclear option: Dropping an atomic bomb on Taipei to secure the nation’s freedom and her victory. The Taiwanese board game 2045 is a zero-sum contest of military strategy and individual self-interest that puts players on the front lines of a simulated Chinese attack. Their battlefield game tactics would determine the theoretical future of Taiwan, which in the real world faces the constant threat of a Chinese invasion. “The most interesting part of this game is that you have to make continuous decisions based on the evolving situation,
Actor Lee Wei (李威) was released on bail on Monday after being named as a suspect in the death of a woman whose body was found in the meeting place of a Buddhist group in Taipei’s Daan District (大安) last year, prosecutors said. Lee, 44, was released on NT$300,000 (US$9,148) bail, while his wife, surnamed Chien (簡), was released on NT$150,000 bail after both were summoned to give statements regarding the woman’s death. The home of Lee, who has retreated from the entertainment business in the past few years, was also searched by prosecutors and police earlier on Monday. Lee was questioned three
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