Fri, Sep 12, 2025
The US House of Representatives on Wednesday passed its version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), rejecting amendments that would have barred funding for Taiwan and Ukraine.The bill would authorize nearly US$900 billion in military spending and feature a plan to streamline the defens
PRESERVATION: Beijing criticized a museum showcase of historial items in Prague, but a MAC spokesman said that the Cultural Revolution destroyed many similar artifacts Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) on Wednesday night departed for the Czech Republic and several other countries in Europe, after making low-profile trips to Japan and the Philippines.Lin made the Czech Republic his first stop in Europe as the two countries have developed close diploma
Authorities yesterday searched for a sniper who assassinated Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist and close ally of US President Donald Trump, with one bullet and then slipped away amid the mayhem resulting from the latest act of political violence to befall the US.Kirk was killed by a gunshot from
South Korea’s president yesterday said that South Korean companies would likely hesitate to make further investments in the US unless Washington changes its visa system for their employees, as US authorities released hundreds of workers who were detained from a Georgia factory site last week.In a ne
The National Development Council (NDC) yesterday unveiled details of new regulations that ease restrictions on foreigners working or living in Taiwan, as part of a bid to attract skilled workers from abroad.The regulations, which could go into effect in the first quarter of next year, stem from amen
MODERNIZATION: The agriculture ministry would subsidize the installation of ID devices on fishing boats to boost efforts to protect the nation’s undersea cables The Executive Yuan yesterday detailed initiatives to boost homeland security resilience ahead of a legislative hearing on the plans today.The Cabinet has allocated NT$590 billion (US$19.47 billion) to fund initiatives aimed at enhancing infrastructure and capabilities necessary to counter China’s “g
SPORTING VISION: The ministry said that its major goals would be promoting sports activity, integrating competitive organizations and increasing international visibility Minister of Sports Lee Yang (李洋) yesterday attended his first Cabinet meeting, where he discussed expanding eligibility for sports vouchers and improving education for student-athletes.The Ministry of Sports is mulling issuing sports vouchers to broader swathes of demographics to stimulate growth in
The New York Yankees hosted Taiwanese Heritage Day at Yankee Stadium in New York on Wednesday, with fans donning special-themed Yankee jerseys with the word “Taiwan” and caps bearing the Republic of China flag.The event, organized by ROF International Sport Marketing Co and the Taiwanese Chambers of
Taiwanese celebrities Hank Chen (陳漢典) and Lulu Huang (黃路梓茵) announced on Thursday that they are planning to marry.Huang announced and posted photos of their engagement to her social media pages Thursday morning, joking that the pair were not just doing marketing for a new show but “really getting ma
COSTLY PROCESS: Processing 1 kilowatt of waste panels would cost about NT$2,000, but the recycling fund only levies NT$1,000 per kilowatt, a Miaoli group president said It is to expected take 155 days to completely remove the 135,000 damaged solar panels left by Typhoon Danas in July, environmental groups said on Wednesday, urging the establishment of a mechanism to manage waste solar panels and ensure reasonable recycling fees.High-value utilization of waste solar
Applications for plant breeders’ rights (PBR) for four Taiwanese lychee varieties have been approved by Australia, marking the official entry of Taiwanese fruit tree varieties into Australia, the Taiwan Agricultural Research Institute said on Wednesday.Two lychee varieties, “Tainung No. 6 (Colorful
The Kaohsiung Bureau of Cultural Affairs yesterday said it would terminate its contract with screenwriter Tsai Kuen-lin (蔡坤霖) after he was accused of sexually harassing a female student at a screenwriting course.The bureau said it has asked Tsai, who was one of the writers of last year’s horror-come
UNEVEN ALLOCATION: The latest act revision would lead to urban-rural inequity and is creating difficulties for next year’s national budget, the premier was quoted as saying The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday said it would propose amendments to the Act Governing the Allocation of Government Revenues and Expenditures (財政收支劃分法) to separate fiscal allocations for the three outlying counties from the 19 municipalities on Taiwan proper.KMT Legislator Chen H
New guidelines on civil servants’ visits to Hong Kong and Macau have been in effect since they were promulgated by the Executive Yuan on Tuesday, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday, adding that those who contravene the rules would be subject to penalties starting on July 1 next year.T
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Huang Jie (黃捷) received the Politician of the Year Award, One Young World said yesterday.The award recognizes three young politicians aged 18 to 35 annually as the “world’s most outstanding politicians.”Huang is to be presented with the award in November
SEMICONDUCTOR SERVICES: A company executive said that Taiwanese firms must think about how to participate in global supply chains and lift their competitiveness Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) yesterday said it expects to launch its first multifunctional service center in Pingtung County in the middle of 2027, in a bid to foster a resilient high-tech facility construction ecosystem.TSMC broached the idea of creating a center two or three y
FIRE RESPONSE: Standby units at the Hsinta Power Plant were activated to compensate for a dip in reserves after a fire and normal electricity supply was unaffected A fire at Kaohsiung’s Hsinta Power Plant (興達電廠) two days ago, suspected to have been caused by a leak of natural gas from its new Unit 2, would not trigger rolling blackouts, Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) said yesterday.Backup units and emergency reserves would ensure stable elec
Leotek Corp (光林智能), a lighting and traffic signaling equipment subsidiary of Lite-On Technology Corp (光寶科技), expects revenue this year to surpass last year’s, driven by infrastructure project gains in Taiwan, North America and elsewhere, company president Torrent Chin (金海濤) said yesterday.Orders for
A report by the US-based Jamestown Foundation on Tuesday last week warned that China is operating illegal oil drilling inside Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) off the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島), marking a sharp escalation in Beijing’s “gray zone” tactics. The repo
Taipei Municipal Zhongshan Girls High School only allows each class to order food delivery to the school once a month. To fight for greater rights to order meals, some students have launched a protest movement, eating lunch in front of the principal’s office. In response, doctor Shen Chen-lan (沈政男)
The vision of a president does not lie in responding to public opinion, but in leading the nation’s direction. If President William Lai (賴清德) wants to be a true leader, he must take the initiative to lay out a 10-year blueprint for Taiwan, acting as a clear guiding North Star to show the direction a
ELEVEN STRIKEOUTS: Blake Snell allowed two singles and two walks against the Rockies as he ended a personal three-game skid with his first win since Aug. 16 Blake Snell on Wednesday struck out a season-high 11 in six innings, while Mookie Betts hit a grand slam in the eighth as the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Colorado Rockies 9-0 for their fourth straight win.Helped by their third series sweep of the Rockies this MLB season, the Dodgers increased t
Taiwan’s Olympic medalists Chen Nien-chin and Huang Hsiao-wen on Wednesday advanced to the semi-finals of the World Boxing Championships after winning their quarter-final bouts in Liverpool, England.The tournament serves as the new international federation World Boxing’s version of the world champio
Sumo is more than a sport in Japan. It is a sacred tradition, a 1,500-year-old spectacle steeped in Shinto ritual and ceremony. At its heart lies a long-standing taboo: women are still barred from the traditional ring, known as the dohyo in Japanese.That legacy is now facing quiet resistance. While
WORLD CUPBox holders beat FIFAHolders of boxes at Estadio Banorte in Mexico City won a standoff against FIFA over who gets to control the spaces during next year’s World Cup. The use of the boxes and VIP seating has become an issue in the lead-up to the tournament, as the stadium had signed contract
NOT AFRAID: Poland ‘doesn’t get scared by Russian drones,’ the Polish president said, telling personnel at an air base that Moscow was testing the nation’s abilities Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk yesterday pledged to push ahead with a “great modernization program” for his country’s military, a day after Russian drones crossed into Poland and amplified international tensions around Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and what the Kremlin’s future territorial ambitio
‘HYANGDO’: A South Korean lawmaker said there was no credible evidence to support rumors that Kim Jong-un has a son with a disability or who is studying abroad South Korea’s spy agency yesterday said that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s daughter, Kim Ju-ae, who last week accompanied him on a high-profile visit to Beijing, is understood to be his recognized successor.The teenager drew global attention when she made her first official overseas trip with he
At a tiny, cluttered apartment in Hong Kong, four people sat around a large rainbow flag and quietly started to embroider.Just hours before, the territory’s Legislative Council overwhelmingly vetoed a government bill that would have granted limited rights to same-sex couples — a stinging defeat for
Enter the Dragon 13 will bring Taiwan’s first taste of Dirty Boxing Sunday at Taipei Gymnasium, one highlight of a mixed-rules card blending new formats with traditional MMA.The undercard starts at 10:30am, with the main card beginning at 4pm. Tickets are NT$1,200. Dirty Boxing is a US-born ruleset
The Taipei Symphony Orchestra (TSO) is going from strength to strength. Saturday’s first performance of the Fall season saw the city’s ensemble make an all-Beethoven program exciting with an incredibly tight rendering of several classics. It also provided food for thought about the merits and occasi
In an early scene from Spinal Tap II: The End Continues, the blisteringly obtuse Nigel Tufnel asks his wife a question after he and his bandmates have reunited after many years: “I don’t know whether this was a good idea or not.”Fans may ask that very same question after an albeit mercifully short s
A: Apart from megahit “KPop Demon Hunters,” what else is worth watching?B: The new shows featuring four top-tier actors – Xiao Zhan, Wang Yibo, Yang Yang and Li Xian — are all popular. A: Yang’s TV drama, “The Immortal Ascension,” is definitely one of the summer sizzlers. Some praise it as the Ea
A: Wow, animated fantasy film “KPop Demon Hunters” (KDH) has become Netflix’s most viewed film ever.B: Isn’t that the movie about a K-pop girl group secretly serving as demon hunters?A: Yeah, and its theme song “Golden” was No. 1 on the Billboard chart.B: The hit performed by HUNTR/X — the girl
Rarely does Nature present such a striking contradiction as the one found in Lencois Maranhenses National Park. Located along Brazil’s northeastern coast, the park unveils breathtaking scenery, where rippling sands meet crystal-clear lagoons. Under the sun’s golden glow, the waters glitter in shades
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 | 27-34 | 30% |  |
| Hsinchu County | 26-33 | 20% |  |
| Hsinchu City | 26-32 | 20% | |
| Taipei City | 27-34 | 30% | |
| Miaoli County | 26-33 | 20% | |
| Taoyuan City | 27-33 | 20% | |
| Keelung City | 27-32 | 20% | |
| Yunlin County | 26-34 | 20% | |
| Taichung City | 26-34 | 20% | |
| Nantou County | 25-33 | 20% | |
| Changhua County | 27-33 | 20% | |
| Chiayi County | 26-34 | 20% | |
| Chiayi City | 25-34 | 20% | |
| Tainan City | 28-33 | 20% | |
| Kaohsiung City | 28-33 | 20% | |
| Pingtung County | 26-35 | 60% | |
| Yilan County | 25-33 | 20% | |
| Hualien County | 25-32 | 20% | |
| Taitung County | 26-32 | 20% | |
| Kinmen County | 27-32 | 20% | |
| Penghu County | 27-32 | 20% | |
| Lienchiang County | 27-32 | 20% | |
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