Fri, Aug 29, 2025
ALL QUIET: The Philippine foreign secretary told senators she would not respond to questions about whether Lin Chia-lung was in the country The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday confirmed that a business delegation is visiting the Philippines, but declined to say whether Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) is part of the group, as Philippine lawmakers raised questions over Lin’s reported visit.The group is being led b
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) is expected to start construction of its 1.4-nanometer chip manufacturing facilities at the Central Taiwan Science Park (CTSP, 中部科學園區) as early as October, the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) reported yesterday, ci
Russian missiles and drones early yesterday ripped through apartment blocks in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, killing at least 15 people, including four children, an attack that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said showed Moscow’s rejection of peace negotiations.Russia has rained down aerial a
A Hong Kong court yesterday finished hearing closing arguments in the national security trial of pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai (黎智英), although a judge declined to say when a verdict would be reached.The 156-day trial, which began in December 2023, has become the most high-profile example of C
TEAM PLAYERS: The premier is today to officially introduce the new Cabinet members, which is to include Olympic badminton star Lee Yang and baseball legend Chen Yi-hsin The Executive Yuan yesterday unveiled its new Cabinet aimed at expediting procedures and policies, and bolstering President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration.Under the reshuffle, which started on Sunday, Executive Yuan Secretary-General Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫), the former head of the National Developm
DEFENSIVE EDGE: The liaison officer would work with Taiwan on drones and military applications for other civilian-developed technologies, a source said A Pentagon unit tasked with facilitating the US military’s adoption of new technology is soon to deploy officials to dozens of friendly nations, including Taiwan, the Financial Times reported yesterday.The US Department of Defense’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) is to send a representative to collab
JOB SAFETY: The amended rules would also increase fines for employers that contravene occupational hazard regulations and cause death or injury to staff The Executive Yuan yesterday approved amendments to the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法) that include a special chapter on workplace bullying prevention and amendments to 23 articles, marking the largest-scale overhaul since its passage in 2013.The special chapter on workplace bullying s
SAFE AND HEALTHY: The groups said that plant meats improve cardiovascular health, contrary to school lunch regulations describing them as ‘overly processed’ Civil groups yesterday urged the government to destigmatize plant meat and include more diverse vegan protein options in school lunches by revising the Rules for School Lunch Contents and Nutrients (學校午餐食物內容及營養基準).Sustainable Healthy Diets Research Institute director-general Chang You-chuan (張祐銓) sa
Environmental groups yesterday rallied in front of the Ministry of Environment in Taipei to protest proposed revisions to an approved offshore wind power project, saying the underwater export cables planned to run through the intertidal zone in Changhua County’s Fangyuan Township (芳苑) would disrupt
Three new local cases of mpox were reported this month, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday, urging those at risk to get vaccinated immediately.One new endemic case of mpox was reported in northern Taiwan, while two cases were reported in central Taiwan, CDC Deputy Director-General
NBA All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns of the New York Knicks arrived in Taiwan on Thursday, touching down at Taoyuan International Airport at 5:09 a.m. on a China Airlines flight. Dozens of fans were waiting at the entrance to greet the three-time All-Star, also known as KAT."It’s been a while since an NB
"Left-Handed Girl" (左撇子女 孩), by director Tsou Shih-ching (鄒時擎), has been chosen as Taiwan’s official entry for the Best International Feature Film category at next year’s Academy Awards, the Ministry of Culture (MOC) announced Thursday.In a statement, the MOC praised the film for its "vivid portraya
SHAKE-UP: The new appointees include the ministers of the National Development Council, digital affairs, health and welfare, and economic affairs, and deputy education minister The revamped Cabinet is to focus on the impactful enactment of government policies on the economy, artificial intelligence (AI) and national resilience, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said yesterday, as he formally unveiled the new appointments.His remarks came a day after the administration announced t
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday appeared to support calls for a shake-up in the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) legislative caucus, as adjustments are made to the Cabinet and party leadership following the failure of the recall targeting opposition lawmakers.It is time for a reshuffle to
Incoming Health Minister Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said Thursday that easing emergency room (ER) overcrowding will be among his top priorities after he takes office next week, while indicating that the likelihood of a National Health Insurance (NHI) premium increase next year is "very low."Shih, curren
REASSURANCE: The Nvidia CEO’s bullish outlook contrasts with recent signs of fatigue in AI-focused stocks and comments about overheated investor enthusiasm Nvidia Corp chief executive officer Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) on Wednesday dismissed concern about an end to a spending boom on artificial intelligence (AI) chips, projecting opportunities would expand into a multitrillion-dollar market over the next five years.Huang sought to reassure investors rattled by
Three local companies yesterday announced the formation of a joint venture to make inroads into the high-performance adhesive materials market for advanced chip packaging technology.The three companies are semiconductor special chemicals supplier Advanced Echem Materials Co (新應材), Nan Pao Resins Che
Taiwan’s economy maintained steady momentum last month, with the government’s business climate monitor flashing a “green” light for the third consecutive month, signaling stable expansion despite rising external risks, the National Development Council (NDC) said yesterday.The gauge printed 29 last m
The Executive Yuan on Thursday last week put forward a NT$3.035 trillion (US$99.2 billion) proposal for central government expenditure next year, under which the national defense budget would account for NT$949.5 billion, a year-on-year increase of 22.9 percent and reaching a two-decade high of 3.32
In recent years, several political scandals have broken out in Hualien County. Not long ago, former Yuli Township (玉里) mayor Tsai Chiu-lung (蔡秋龍) was sentenced to 11 years in the first instance for embezzlement of NT$70,000 in public funds.In May, former Hualien County Government Civil Affairs Depar
The moment rivers traverse borders, their courses affect terrains and political responses. Sitting atop the glistening snowy Tibetan Plateau is the Angsi Glacier, the source of the Brahmaputra. The river meanders from China down to India’s Arunachal Pradesh and subsequently flows into the Ganges Del
GIANT KILLERS: League Two Grimsby Town were deserved winners as they outplayed their illustrious guests at times and were more up for the fight Ruben Amorim on Wednesday apologized to Manchester United supporters after his reign reached a new low with a humiliating elimination from the EFL Cup by fourth-tier Grimsby Town.United appeared to have got out of jail at Blundell Park when Harry Maguire’s 89th-minute header made it 2-2 after they h
Shohei Ohtani’s reliance on his fastball caught up with him recently, making the Los Angeles Dodgers’ two-way superstar intent on changing his pitch mix.He had given up a combined nine runs and 14 hits in his two previous outings, a pair of Dodgers losses to the Los Angeles Angels, his former team,
Carlos Alcaraz on Wednesday stormed into the third round of the US Open with a blistering straight-sets victory, while Novak Djokovic overcame an early scare to advance.Alcaraz, who could meet Djokovic in the semi-finals at Flushing Meadows if the draw follows the seedings, blew away Italy’s Mattia
Rangers on Wednesday bowed out of the UEFA Champions League playoffs with a humiliating 6-0 defeat at the hands of Club Brugge which piles further pressure on head coach Russell Martin, while SL Benfica secured a place in the competition proper at the expense of Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce.The Glasgo
HEROIC RESPONSE: Adults and older kids protected children in the shooting, the principal said, including a fifth-grader who said his classmate was hit shielding him A shooter on Wednesday opened fire with a rifle through the windows of a Catholic church in Minneapolis, striking some of the nearly 200 children attending Mass during the first week of school, killing two and wounding 17 people.Armed with a rifle, shotgun and pistol, 23-year-old Robin Westman appro
STILL AFLOAT: Satellite images show that a Chinese ship damaged in a collision earlier this month was under repair on Hainan, but Beijing has not commented on the incident Australia, Canada and the Philippines on Wednesday deployed three warships and aircraft for drills against simulated aerial threats off a disputed South China Sea shoal where Chinese forces have used risky maneuvers to try to drive away Manila’s aircraft and ships.The Philippine military said the na
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is to host world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, from Sunday for a summit before a huge military parade as he seeks to showcase a non-Western style of regional collaboration.The Shanghai Cooperation Organ
The Venice Film Festival kicked off with the world premiere of Paolo Sorrentino’s La Grazia Wednesday night on the Lido. The opening ceremony of the festival also saw Francis Ford Coppola presenting filmmaker Werner Herzog with a lifetime achievement prize.The 82nd edition of the glamorous internati
A town in Japan is to urge all residents to restrict their smartphone use to two hours a day in an attempt to tackle online addiction and sleep deprivation.Officials in Toyoake, Aichi prefecture, said the measure would target not only children but also adults, amid growing concern about the physical
Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch, the two most prestigious English screen actors in the world, resoundingly butt heads in this feel-bad movie; it is oddly, but not uninterestingly, composed throughout in feelgood romcom style. In casting terms, this is a Borg-McEnroe 10-set tie-break leading t
A: Seeing as the 2025 Michelin Guide extended to New Taipei City and Hsinchu City and County, it’s hard to believe that none of the restaurants won a Michelin star.B: Some fine establishments — like Hsinchu’s A Cut steakhouse — surely deserve the honor. A: Michelin-starred restaurants have good qual
A: The Michelin Guide Taiwan announced the 2025 Bib Gourmand eateries and starred restaurants last week.B: What were the highlights this year?A: In addition to Taipei, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung, New Taipei City and Hsinchu City and County were included for the first time.B: As a New Taipei resi
In 2024, multiple airplane accidents caused severe casualties, including a Jeju Air disaster at the year’s end. However, not all incidents ended in tragedy. Early in the year, a Japan Airlines flight caught fire after landing in Tokyo, but all 379 passengers and crew members escaped within 90 second
Two moves show Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) is gunning for Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) party chair and the 2028 presidential election. Technically, these are not yet “officially” official, but by the rules of Taiwan politics, she is now on the dance floor. Earlier this month Lu confirmed in an interview in Japan’s Nikkei that she was considering running for KMT chair. This is not new news, but according to reports from her camp she previously was still considering the case for and against running. By choosing a respected, international news outlet, she declared it to the world. While the outside world likely paid little attention, domestically the message was unmistakable: She is moving on to a larger stage. Part of the dance is to leave options open before formally committing, and with the chair race due in late September, she has time. If something goes wrong in the meantime, or if power brokers in the party offer her a deal that provides more benefits than taking on the role of chair, she can pivot accordingly. Earlier this year, I suggested that strategically, she would be better off concentrating on her job as Taichung mayor until she is term-limited out of office in December next year. Taichung mayor is obviously a full-time job, and concurrently running the Taipei-headquartered party runs the risk of doing one or both jobs poorly and making mistakes that could imperil her shot at the presidency in 2028. The situation has changed. Current KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), knowing he is likely to face challengers of a higher caliber than the three relative nobodies already declared, has gone all in on appealing to the base. The base is more likely to turn out to vote in the chair election, so this makes some strategic sense in the short term.
Among Thailand’s Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) villages, a certain rivalry exists between Arunothai, the largest of these villages, and Mae Salong, which is currently the most prosperous. Historically, the rivalry stems from a split in KMT military factions in the early 1960s, which divided command and opium territories after Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) cut off open support in 1961 due to international pressure (see part two, “The KMT opium lords of the Golden Triangle,” on May 20). But today this rivalry manifests as a different kind of split, with Arunothai leading a pro-China faction and Mae Salong staunchly aligned to Taiwan. Last spring at Arunothai’s Jiaolian School, principal Wang Mingming (王明明) had forewarned me of the division between villages, saying, “We are not like the people in Mae Salong. They are rich. Because of the Taiwanese.” Arunothai has in recent years become split in its loyalties between Taiwan and China (see part one, “A tale of two schools,” on May 15), but in Mae Salong, links to Taiwan remain strong. Taiwan-funded monuments pay homage to the Lost Army, villagers wear T-shirts emblazoned with the Republic of China (ROC) flag and tea plantations grown Taiwan’s most famous tea varieties, including Dong Ding (“frozen peak”) Oolong, Oriental Beauty and Jin Xuan (Golden Daylily or Milk Oolong). Even the numerical classifications of the teas — Oolong No. 12 or No. 17, for example — are the same, and the shops resemble those found on Alishan. At the tomb of General Tuan Hsi-wen (段希文) — perched on a Mae Salong hilltop with a view of his ancestral homeland in China’s Yunnan province — a third generation villager wearing a vintage KMT army uniform, Yan Si-Chung (岩思中), greets visitors with sharp military salutes. “Both my father and my grandfather were soldiers in the KMT army,” the 44-year-old
| New Taipei City | 28-29 | 0% |  |
| Hsinchu County | 26-28 | 0% | |
| Hsinchu City | 27-28 | 0% | |
| Taipei City | 28-29 | 0% | |
| Miaoli County | 25-27 | 0% | |
| Taoyuan City | 27-29 | 0% | |
| Keelung City | 28-28 | 10% | |
| Yunlin County | 26-27 | 0% | |
| Taichung City | 26-28 | 0% | |
| Nantou County | 25-27 | 0% | |
| Changhua County | 27-28 | 0% | |
| Chiayi County | 26-27 | 0% | |
| Chiayi City | 25-27 | 0% | |
| Tainan City | 28-29 | 0% | |
| Kaohsiung City | 28-29 | 0% | |
| Pingtung County | 26-27 | 0% | |
| Yilan County | 26-27 | 10% | |
| Hualien County | 25-27 | 10% | |
| Taitung County | 26-27 | 20% | |
| Kinmen County | 27-28 | 10% | |
| Penghu County | 27-27 | 0% | |
| Lienchiang County | 27-28 | 10% | |
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