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.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as
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