Taiwan must pass defense budgetBy Yuichiro Kakutani, Allen Zhang 張安倫For years, the US has been urging Taiwan to increase defense spending amid mounting threats from an increasingly capable China hell-bent on “unification.” Nevertheless, this month Taiwanese legislators moved to block a critical increase in the defense budget. In November last year, President William Lai (賴清德) was applauded for announcing a special defense budget of US$40 billion. Lai correctly understands this dynamic, which is why he noted earlier this month that a failure to pass his special defense budget “could lead the international community to misunderstand Taiwan’s determination to defend itself.” Given the stakes, the Legislative Yuan should reconsider and pass the full defense budget. South Korea’s proposed defense budget is 7.5 percent higher than last year’s, while the Philippines continued to boost its defense capabilities. The US government has emphasized the importance of passing the special defense budget for months.

US influencer shares ‘another’ Africa on tourIShowSpeed’s African tour is breaking through outdated views of the continent, boosting its international presence to a new generation and attracting new visitorsAFP, COTONOU, BeninIShowSpeed, a 21-year-old African-American influencer, has raced a cheetah, leapt with Maasai warriors and drawn huge crowds in a month-long tour of Africa that has also busted cliches about the continent. Photo: AFPHe hit 50 million YouTube subscribers last month, Rolling Stone magazine named him the Most Influential Creator of last year and Forbes estimates his net worth at US$20 million. “He shows another Africa, an Africa on the move, modernising, eager to achieve great things. In Lagos, Nigeria’s megacity of about 20 million inhabitants, the influencer celebrated his birthday as well as hitting 50 million subscribers on YouTube. As his Africa tour drew to a close recently, the streamer planned to take a DNA test which he hoped would reveal his origins on the continent.

Schellenberg’s lawyer, Zhang Dongshuo (張東碩), yesterday confirmed China’s Supreme People’s Court struck down the sentence. Canadian Robert Schellenberg, center, attends his trial in Dalian, China, on Jan. 14, 2019. Photo: Intermediate People’s Court of Dalian via ReutersThat arrest infuriated Beijing, which detained two Canadians — Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig — on espionage charges that Ottawa condemned as retaliatory. GAC did not comment on whether diplomacy during Carney’s visit impacted the Chinese court decision. Zhang said Carney’s visit raised his hopes that the Chinese court would announce a relatively positive outcome for his client.

Foreign-run domestic politicsBy Howard Shen 沈正浩In the past 72 hours, US Senators Roger Wicker, Dan Sullivan and Ruben Gallego took to social media to publicly rebuke the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) over the defense budget. The narrative fed to our allies claims the opposition is slashing the defense budget to kowtow to the Chinese Communist Party. Last year, under a KMT-plurality legislature, Taiwan passed a record-breaking national defense budget of NT$471 billion (US$14.7 billion). Had the KMT intended to sabotage Taiwan’s security, that record-high budget would never even have left the committee room. By name-dropping the KMT, these senators have unwittingly assisted the Lai administration’s strategy of foreign-managed domestic politics.

Traveling while sick can slow recovery: doctorsBy Chou Ming-hung and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writerTaiwan Taoyuan International Airport medical staff reminded people not to insist on flying while feeling sick, after certifying an office worker with severe flu-like symptoms as unfit to fly. The Landseed Hospital-run center said on Tuesday last week that doctors removed a woman in her 20s from her company retreat abroad after she vomited during check-in. Travelers walk in Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport in an undated photograph. Photo courtesy of Taoyuan International Airport CorpInstead, her cold-like symptoms became more severe at the airport and she began to suffer nausea, vertigo, muscle aches and chills, he said. The patient was not permitted to fly because her symptoms suggest a potentially serious medical condition, Hsu said, as overseas travel is not conducive to recovery.

Foreign lawmakers urge Taiwan to boost its defenseStaff writer, with CNATaiwan must first strengthen its own national defense to deter a potential invasion by China as cross-strait tensions continue to rise, multiple European lawmakers said on Friday. In a media interview in Taipei marking the conclusion of an eight-member European parliamentary delegation’s six-day visit to Taiwan, the lawmakers urged Taipei to remain vigilant and increase defense spending. Soboliev called on Taiwan to prevent third parties from transferring sensitive technologies to Russia and stressed the urgency of boosting defense spending. Pavilionis emphasized the importance of achieving domestic consensus on defense spending, describing it as an “existential issue” for Taiwan. “Unity is the key,” he said, adding that common adversaries of Taiwan and European democracies would exploit internal divisions.

Producers of film about Lin family murders apologizeBACKLASH: Actor Candy Yang said the film, about a real-life murder case, has the thrill element like seeing Sherlock Holmes and John Watson solving a crimeBy Liao Li-hui and Feng Yi-ning / Staff reportersThe production team of a new local period suspense movie, adapted from the Lin family murders on Feb. 28, 1980, yesterday apologized to the public for shooting it without consent from the victims’ family, after the film’s announcement last week caused a backlash. However, the announcement caused a backlash and there have been calls to boycott the film. Photo: Pan Shao-tang, Taipei TimesThe Lin family murders are one of the most high-profile homicide cases in modern Taiwanese history, and the case remains unsolved. Lin, 84, was not informed by, nor gave consent to, the production team before they made the film, sparking public condemnation. Yang also apologized via social media for accepting the role without knowing that the production team did not seek Lin’s consent.

US weighs arms sale to Taiwan: report‘T-DOME’: IBCS would increase Taiwan’s defense capabilities, enabling air defense units to use data from any sensor system and cut reaction time, a defense official saidBy Lo Tien-pin and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writerA defense official yesterday said that a purported new arms sale the US is assembling for Taiwan likely includes Integrated Battle Command Systems (IBCS). The anonymous official’s comments came hours after the Financial Times (FT) reported that Washington is preparing a US$20 billion arms sale encompassing “Patriot missiles and other weapons,” citing eight sources. That would enable Taiwanese air defense units to use data from any sensor system and significantly boost reaction time, official said. Such capabilities would increase defense resilience, as jamming one launcher’s radar would not disable the entire system, they said. “China traditionally has sought to dissuade the US from taking actions it opposes, such as Taiwan arms sales, during the run-up to presidential meetings,” Brookings Institute analytics Ryan Hass was quoted as saying.

According to sources, the 102-year-old man surnamed Wang (王) lives in Taipei’s Zhongshan District (中山) and previously worked as a land registration agent. Children of a man surnamed Wang wheel him away from Mackay Memorial Hospital in Taipei on Tuesday. Wang’s descendants filed a civil lawsuit against Lai to annul the marriage and recover assets Wang previously gave to Lai, while requesting a guardianship declaration for Wang. Lai could claim that she shared 27 years of deep affection with Wang to support the validity of their marriage, he said. Should the marriage be considered legal, Lai would be Wang’s recognized spouse in the eyes of the law and would be entitled to NT$10 million or more of the total inheritance, he added.

Sudden cold can cut blood to eyes, causing blindnessBy Hou Chia-yu and Esme Yeh / Staff reportersSuddenly blurred vision might be a symptom of eye stroke caused by restricted blood flow, or vasoconstriction, from low temperatures during cold weather, a doctor warned as he called on people with chronic disease or nearsightedness to be careful. Winter is a high-risk period for eye stroke, especially for older people and people with “three highs” — high levels of blood lipids, blood sugar or blood pressure — as cold weather can aggravate vasoconstriction, she said. Photo: Lin Huei-chin, Taipei TimesPeople with severe nearsightedness should be careful as they are more prone to detached retinas, which could be complicated by eye stroke, Chang said. Separately, many people recently sought medical attention for dry eyes or foreign body sensation in eyes, she said. Eye problems are intertwined with weather, environments and lifestyle, she said, calling on people to stay aware of changes in vision and continued discomfort in eyes during cold seasons.

Taiwanese killed in LA car crashStaff writer, with CNAOne of three people killed in a car collision into an Asian specialty grocery store in the Westwood area of Los Angeles on Thursday has been confirmed as a Taiwanese citizen. The crash killed three people at the scene and injured six, including two who remain in critical condition. Emergency personnel respond to a crash in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles that killed three people. Photo: APThe Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Los Angeles said that one of the deceased was a Taiwanese national, while three injured Taiwanese nationals were in stable condition, citing information from local police and the US State Department. According to US media, Los Angeles Police Department officials do not believe the crash was intentional.

Latest PLA drill focused on Penghu, researcher saysBy Aaron Tu and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writerA joint military exercise code-named “Justice Mission 2025” carried out by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in December last year suggested that the PLA was testing year-round operational readiness, appears focused on aggression against Taiwan’s eastern region as well as Penghu, a Taiwanese defense researcher said. First, in the lead-up to the exercise, the PLA for the first time conducted a large-scale encirclement drill around Taiwan in December. The exercise featured ship aircraft coordination, maritime strike missions, long-range assault operations and comprehensive logistical support, Tang said. Drills conducted on Dec. 30 included vertical deployment, elite assault operations, and the seizure and control of key ports, he added. As a result, occupying Penghu would be more feasible for the PLA and would carry significant military value, he added.

Puma Shen and academic criticize producers of filmWHITE TERROR: ‘I spit at them [filmmakers] and their arrogance, which lingers on Taiwan’s wounds like a stench,’ Legislator Puma Shen said in an online postBy Jonathan Chin / Staff writerA Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmaker and a scholar yesterday slammed producers of a film about the unresolved murders of three members of democracy advocate Lin I-hsiung’s (林義雄) family, after it was discovered that producers had not sought the family’s consent before shooting the film. The film, named Murder of the Century (世紀血案), is facing calls for a boycott, as producers did not seek Lin’s consent and due to some cast members’ statements at a promotional event. “These people dance on the bones of the victims on this land as they kowtow to a hostile foreign hegemony,” DPP Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋) said in a social media post yesterday. “I spit at them and their arrogance, which lingers on Taiwan’s wounds like a stench.”Democracy advocate Lin I-hsiung, right, and his family are pictured in an undated photograph. The film’s creators sought no input from Lin’s or other Martial Law era victims’ experiences, raising doubts about its accuracy, Li said.

KMT members object to Hsiao Hsu-tsen’s remarksBy Su Meng-chuan, Tsai Shu-yuan and Jake Chung / Staff reporters, with staff writerChinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Deputy Chairman Hsiao Hsu-tsen’s (蕭旭岑) labeling of American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Raymond Greene as “a small fish” in the US Department of State was not supported by heavyweights within his own party. Front, from left, Deputy Legislative Speaker Johnny Chiang, Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen and American Institute in Taiwan Director Raymond Greene tour a company in Taichung on Friday. Photo: Liao Yao-tung, Taipei TimesGreene’s position in the US government is akin to a division director in Taiwan, he added. In response to media queries for comment, KMT Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) yesterday said that Taiwan-US relations are not a trivial matter, adding that trilateral US-Taiwan-China relations are imperative for Taiwan’s safety, cross-strait peace, and regional prosperity and stability. The AIT’s three recent visits to Taichung highlighted its emphasis on and friendliness toward the municipality, she added.

The FDA issued a news release reminding the public to responsibly use the weight loss drugs, medication originally developed to treat diabetes by mimicking the GLP-1 hormone to lower blood sugar and induce a long-lasting feeling of fullness. The reported symptoms include gastrointestinal disorders, hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), nausea, vomiting and injection site discomfort, the FDA said. The agency said it has not observed any abnormalities in overall drug safety or new risks involving the GLP-1 drugs, but users should still remain mindful of side effects. “The ‘slimming injections’ are prescription drugs that must be evaluated and prescribed by a physician and dispensed by a pharmacist,” it said. “If an adverse reaction occurs, people should seek immediate medical attention,” it said, adding that it “will also continue to monitor local and international safety alerts on GLP-1 drugs, and will re-evaluate their safety, when necessary, to ensure public medication safety.”