DIPLOMACY
New EU envoy takes office
Newly appointed EU Representative Lutz Guellner has taken office, the European Economic and Trade Office (EETO) said on social media on Wednesday. Despite being geographically distant, “Taiwan and the EU are like-minded partners,” Guellner was quoted as saying. “We want to further strengthen our friendly relations and close cooperation with Taiwan,” said Guellner, who assumed his role as the head of the EETO on Sunday. Guellner, who previously served in the European External Action Service as the head of the Division for Strategic Communications, Task Forces and Information Analysis, was tapped as the new EU envoy in April. Taiwan is the career diplomat’s first posting outside Brussels, the EETO said. He succeeded Filip Grzegorzewski, who departed from his position in July after a five-year stint.
TRAVEL
AirAsia unveils Sabah flights
AirAsia is to begin offering four weekly flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays from Kaohsiung to Sabah (Kota Kinabalu) from Nov. 17, the low-cost carrier announced yesterday. Tickets are now available, making it the only direct flight between Kaohsiung and the East Malaysian state of Sabah, AirAsia said in a statement. AirAsia Taiwan marketing manager Wang Mu-fan (王慕凡) said that Sabah is known for its stunning natural beauty and cultural diversity, offering attractions such as Mount Kinabalu, tropical rainforests, world-class diving, and a rich fusion of Malay, Chinese and Indian cuisine, promising an unforgettable experience for southern Taiwanese travelers, Wang said. AirAsia is offering promotional one-way fares starting at NT$399 for flights between Nov. 17 and March 28 next year, which can be booked until Sept. 15. The route is AirAsia’s 12th in Taiwan.
SOCIETY
Factory fire extinguished
Forty-five vehicles and 77 firefighters were dispatched to put out a factory fire in New Taipei City’s Shulin District (樹林) yesterday. The New Taipei City Fire Department said it dispatched firefighters to subdue the flames at a two-story factory unit on Xizun Street after receiving a report at 12:23pm. Thick, billowing smoke was reportedly seen as far away as New Taipei City Hall in Banciao District (板橋). The blaze was brought under control at 1:25pm and fully extinguished at 1:35pm, a social media post by the department said. No one was killed or injured in the fire, the cause of which had yet to be determined. The department urged residents living near the burning factory to temporarily close the doors and windows of their homes, and wear surgical masks when going outside to reduce the risk of respiratory and eye discomfort.
CULTURE
Choir to hold four concerts
The Vienna Boys’ Choir is to perform in Taiwan next month featuring a repertoire that includes Taiwanese rock band Mayday’s song Contentment (知足), organizer Ars Formosa Co Ltd said on Wednesday. The Vienna Boys’ Choir, which is made up of four separate choirs named after famous Austrian composers, is set to send its Haydn Choir to Taiwan, Ars Formosa head Chou Tun-rern (周敦仁) told a news conference at the National Theater in Taipei. The Haydn Choir would be led by Hong Kong conductor Jimmy Chiang (曾智斌). The choir is to hold four concerts: on Oct. 17 at Tainan Cultural Center, on Oct. 18 at National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying) Concert Hall, on Oct. 22 at the National Concert Hall in Taipei and on Oct. 23 at Taipei Zhongshan Hall.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by