POLITICS
TPP attacked for comments
Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Legislator Chang Chi-kai (張啟楷) has encountered criticism in recent days for lobbying to raise the lunch allowance for legislators while cutting other government budgets, saying their NT$100 stipend is “not even enough to buy a McDonald’s meal.” People online have started calling Chang “French Fry Bro” (薯條哥) over his proposal to increase funds for lawmakers’ lunches. One Taipei resident, surnamed Liu (劉), told reporters that lawmakers are “cutting so many budgetary items, impacting government and society, yet they want to increase their own meal stipend. But it is not needed, as they are all very well-off and already enjoy lots of perks and subsidies.” Earlier this week when Chang chaired a meeting examining the budget, he said they had recently ordered fast food for lunch when budget review meetings were extended into the afternoon. “But each McDonald’s meal was missing some items,” Chang said. “So we need to boost funds for meals, and should have no problem adjusting this,” he said, suggesting to add NT$10 or NT$20 to the budget. Chang later said that legislators usually order lunch boxes, but at that time, Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) wanted to treat everyone to something different, so he ordered from McDonald’s.
CRIME
Rail trespasser sentenced
The Changhua District Court has sentenced a man to three years and two months in prison for trespassing on a railway crossing while riding his motorcycle. The court found the man, surnamed Lai (賴), guilty of an offense against traffic safety, according to the verdict issued on Jan. 14. The ruling said that in June last year, the man raised the gate to cross the railway crossing as warning bells were sounding and warning lights were flashing in an attempt to catch a train at Ershui Station (二水) in Changhua County. The ruling said that the driver of the approaching train saw the trespasser when he was about 60m away and managed to ring the warning bell and hit the brakes in time. Lai was seen speeding off on his motorcycle to the other side, ramming into and breaking the lowered gate. The court said that if the train had hit Lai, it could have derailed and/or caught fire, posing a significant danger. The ruling can be appealed.
ENTERTAINMENT
Local films at Berlin festival
Three Taiwanese movies have been shortlisted for this year’s Berlin International Film Festival, which takes place from Feb. 13 to Feb. 23. The drama Eel (河鰻) by Chu Chun-teng (朱駿騰) has been nominated for the Perspectives section, the drama Silent Sparks (愛作歹) by Chu Ping (朱平) for the Panorama section, and the satire The Trio Hall (三廳電影) by Su Hui-yu (蘇匯宇) for the Forum section. Tricia Tuttle, director of the festival, said on Tuesday at a press event that 14 feature-length films had made the Perspectives section, which is dedicated to debut films. Notably, five of the productions were directed by women and two of them by nonbinary directors, she said. The new category brings together filmmakers with audacious ideas from around the world and is eclectic in styles and themes, Tuttle said. This year’s edition of Berlinale is set to be the first under the leadership of Tuttle, an American, who became the festival’s director in April last year. Previously she was with the British Film Institute (BFI) overseeing the BFI London Film Festival.
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
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,
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was questioned by prosecutors for allegedly orchestrating an attack on a taxi driver after he was allegedly driven on a longer than necessary route in a car he disliked. The questioning at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office was ongoing as of press time last night. Police have recommended charges of attempted murder. The legally embattled actor — known for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代) — is under a separate investigation for allegedly using fake medical documents to evade mandatory military service. According to local media reports, police said Wang earlier last year ordered a
POLICY UNCHANGED? Despite Trump’s remarks, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio assured that US policy toward Taiwan has remained consistent since the 1970s US President Donald Trump on Wednesday again refused to make clear his stance on protecting Taiwan from a hypothetical takeover by China during his presidency. Asked by a reporter during a Cabinet meeting whether it was his policy that China would never take Taiwan by force while he is president, Trump declined to give a definitive answer. “I never comment on that,” he said. “I don’t comment on it because I don’t want to ever put myself in that position.” Trump also reiterated that he has a “great relationship” with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and said that Washington welcomes good relations with
RSS