Taiwan European Film Festival kicks off in Taipei

TAIPEI, Nov 28: The Taiwan European Film Festival got underway November 23 in Taipei City, underscoring the government’s dedication to deepening cultural links with friendly European nations.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Tien Chung-kwang praised the richness of European culture, adding that it is highly admired by the people of Taiwan. The festival provides an opportunity for local residents to experience and better understand the continent’s multiculturalism, he said.

Though over the past few years, Taiwan and the other countries around the world have been heavily impacted by COVID-19 and the Russia-Ukraine war, Taiwan has continued to cooperate with like-minded partners, the deputy minister said, adding that the government assisted multiple countries during the pandemic and has been supporting Ukraine with regular humanitarian aid.

Filip Grzegorzewski, head of the European Economic and Trade Office, said the opening film, “Homeward,” is a Ukrainian production that reminds audiences that Ukrainians continue to fight for their homeland while upholding a free and democratic lifestyle. He also took the opportunity to express his gratitude to Taiwan for its unwavering support for the country.

Co-organized by EETO, the MOFA, the Ministry of Culture and Taipei’s Department of Cultural Affairs, this year’s festival marks the 19th edition of the annual event. A total of 19 films from 19 countries are being screened from Nov. 23, 2023, to Jan. 31, 2024, at universities, theaters and art venues in 14 cities and counties.

Henry Kissinger, US Diplomat Who Shaped Cold War Diplomacy, Dies At 100

WWASHINGTON, Nov 30: Henry Kissinger, a controversial Nobel Peace Prize winner and diplomatic powerhouse whose service under two presidents left an indelible mark on U.S. foreign policy, died on Wednesday, according to Kissinger Associates Inc.

Kissinger died at his home in Connecticut, Kissinger Associates said.

Kissinger had been active past his centenary, attending meetings in the White House, publishing a book on leadership styles, and testifying before a Senate committee about the nuclear threat posed by North Korea. In July 2023 he made a surprise visit to Beijing to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping.

In the 1970s, he had a hand in many of the epoch-changing global events of the decade while serving as secretary of state under Republican President Richard Nixon. The German-born Jewish refugee's efforts led to the diplomatic opening of China, landmark U.S.-Soviet arms control talks, expanded ties between Israel and its Arab neighbors, and the Paris Peace Accords with North Vietnam.

Kissinger's reign as the prime architect of U.S. foreign policy waned with Nixon's resignation in 1974. Still, he continued to be a diplomatic force under President Gerald Ford and to offer strong opinions throughout the rest of his life.

While many hailed Kissinger for his brilliance and broad experience, others branded him a war criminal for his support for anti-communist dictatorships, especially in Latin America. In his latter years, his travels were circumscribed by efforts by other nations to arrest or question him about past U.S. foreign policy.

His 1973 Peace Prize - awarded jointly to North Vietnam's Le Duc Tho, who would decline it - was one of the most controversial ever. Two members of the Nobel committee resigned over the selection and questions arose about the U.S. secret bombing of Cambodia.

Iceland Declares State Of Emergency After 800 Earthquakes Within 14 Hours

REYKJAVIK, Nov11: Iceland declared a state of emergency on Friday after a series of powerful earthquakes rocked the country's southwestern Reykjanes peninsula, in what could be a precursor to a volcanic eruption.

"The National police chief ... declares a state of emergency for civil defence due to the intense earthquake (activity) at Sundhnjukagigar, north of Grindavik," the Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management said in a statement.

"Earthquakes can become larger than those that have occurred and this series of events could lead to an eruption," the administration warned.

The Icelandic Met Office (IMO) said an eruption could take place "in several days".

The village of Grindavik, home to around 4,000 people, is located some three kilometres (1.86 miles) southwest of the area where Friday's earthquake swarm was registered.

It has evacuation plans in place in case of an eruption.

Around 1730 GMT, two strong earthquakes were felt as far away as the capital Reykjavik some 40 kilometres away, and along much of the country's southern coast, rattling windows and household objects.

According to preliminary IMO figures, the biggest tremor had a magnitude of 5.2, north of Grindavik.

Police closed a road running north-south to Grindavik on Friday after it was damaged by the tremors.

Some 24,000 tremors have been registered on the peninsula since late October, according to the IMO, with "a dense swarm" of nearly 800 quakes registered between midnight and 1400 GMT Friday.

The IMO noted an accumulation of magma underground at a depth of about five kilometres (3.1 miles). Should it start moving towards the surface it could lead to a volcanic eruption.

"The most likely scenario is that it will take several days rather than hours for magma to reach the surface," it said.

"If a fissure were to appear where the seismic activity is at its highest now, lava would flow to the southeast and to the west, but not towards Grindavik."

Nonetheless, the Department of Civil Protection said it was sending the patrol vessel Thor to Grindavik "for security purposes".

Emergency shelters and help centres were to open in Grindavik later Friday, as well as three other locations in southern Iceland, for information purposes and to assist people on the move.

On Thursday, the Blue Lagoon, a popular tourist destination located near Grindavik famed for its geothermal spas and luxury hotels, closed as a precaution following another earthquake swarm.

Also nearby is the Svartsengi geothermal plant, the main supplier of electricity and water to 30,000 residents on the Reykjanes peninsula.

It has contingency plans in place to protect the plant and its workers in the event of an eruption.

Since 2021, three eruptions have taken place on the Reykjanes peninsula, in March 2021, August 2022 and July 2023.

Those three were located far from any infrastructure or populated areas.

Iceland has 33 active volcanic systems, the highest number in Europe.

The North Atlantic island straddles the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a crack in the ocean floor separating the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates.

Prior to the March 2021 eruption in an uninhabited area around Mount Fagradalsfjall, the Reykjanes volcanic system had remained dormant for eight centuries.

Volcanologists believe the new cycle of increased activity could last for several decades or centuries.

An April 2010 massive eruption at another Iceland volcano, the Eyjafjallajokull in the south of the island, forced the cancellation of some 100,000 flights, leaving more than 10 million travellers stranded.

2.6 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Delhi, No Damage Reported

NEW DELHI, Nov 11: A 2.6-magnitude earthquake hit the national capital on Saturday afternoon, according to the National Center for Seismology.

It said the epicentre of the quake that struck at 3:36 pm was near Burari, 20 kilometres north of Delhi.

There were no immediate reports of any damage.