DIPLOMACY
Young ambassadors wanted
Applications have opened for a government-funded program that sends young Taiwanese specializing in agricultural fields to Southeast and South Asian nations every year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday. As part of this year’s Young Agricultural Ambassadors New Southbound Policy Exchange (農業青年大使新南向交流計畫), 24 participants with expertise in agriculture, forestry, fisheries and animal husbandry are to be recruited, the ministry said in a statement. Those who pass the required screening and are selected would be assigned to one of two groups. One is to visit Thailand in August and the other Malaysia in September to participate in a seven-day program. While on the program, the participants are to promote Taiwan’s agricultural competitiveness and participate in exchanges with local counterparts. Applications are being accepted until July 10. More information is available (in Mandarin) at https://www.mofa.gov.tw/agamb.htm. The annual project was launched in 2017 to foster closer exchanges with New Southbound Policy nations. So far, 114 young ambassadors have visited the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand and India as part of the annual project, the ministry said.
SHIPPING
Cargo ship catches fire
Two crew members sustained serious burns after a cargo ship caught fire 17 nautical miles (31km) southwest of the Port of Kaohsiung on Wednesday morning. The Coast Guard Administration in a statement said that it received a call from the Hui Feng (輝豐) following a fire on board the cargo ship at about 8am. Rescue personnel airlifted two seriously injured crew members, a Taiwanese and an Indonesian, both men in their 50s, to hospital by helicopter, the coast guard said. After failing to bring the fire under control, the captain of the Hui Feng ordered the vessel’s crew to abandon ship at about 9am, it said. Coast guard boats ferried the captain and the nine remaining crew members, one of whom later received hospital treatment for burns, to port, the coast guard said. Coast guard personnel were still trying to extinguish the fire on board the vessel as of yesterday afternoon, although there were no signs the vessel was leaking fuel, a source familiar with the matter said. The Maritime and Port Bureau South Taiwan Maritime Affairs center has convened a contingency meeting, the source said. The cause of the fire is yet to be determined.
WEATHER
Heat alert issued
The Central Weather Administration issued a heat alert for Taipei and New Taipei City, as well as southern Taiwan yesterday, and forecast that high temperatures are expected to continue throughout the week. The alert was issued for Taipei, New Taipei City, Hualien and Taitung counties, effective from yesterday morning until late afternoon, as temperatures soared to 36°C. Agency data showed that Taitung’s Jinfong Township (金鋒) recorded a temperature of 36.5°C, while Taimali Township (太麻里), also in the county, recorded 36.1°C. In Taipei, the highest recorded temperature was 35.9°C in the Shezidao (社子島) area. The agency also forecast sporadic showers south of Miaoli County from yesterday to Saturday. Meanwhile, afternoon thunderstorms are expected in Taipei, New Taipei City, northeastern Taiwan and mountainous areas. Heavy rain was forecast in southern Taiwan and mountainous areas from yesterday to tomorrow. The agency warned that the soil in mountainous areas softens following rainfall and reminded people to be wary of potential landslides and falling rocks.
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,
China’s military buildup in the southern portion of the first island chain poses a serious threat to Taiwan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply, a defense analyst warned. Writing in a bulletin on the National Defense and Security Research’s Web site on Thursday, Huang Tsung-ting (黃宗鼎) said that China might choke off Taiwan’s energy supply without it. Beginning last year, China entrenched its position in the southern region of the first island chain, often with Russia’s active support, he said. In May of the same year, a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) force consisting of a Type 054A destroyer, Type 055 destroyer,
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