Thu, Apr 16, 2026
DEADLOCK NEAR END? The KMT and the DPP would each appoint five caucus members and the TPP one to conduct an interpolation session, Han Kuo-yu said The legislature yesterday agreed to start deliberating the government’s general budget for this fiscal year after an hour of caucus negotiations, potentially ending 230 days of deadlock.Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) said that the caucuses had resolved to
INFLATION UP? The IMF said CPI would increase to 1.5 percent this year, while the DGBAS projected it would rise to 1.68 percent, with GDP per capita of US$44,181 The IMF projected Taiwan’s real GDP would grow 5.2 percent this year, up from its 2.1 percent outlook in January, despite fears of global economic disruptions sparked by the US-Iran conflict.Taiwan’s consumer price index (CPI) is projected to increase to 1.5 percent, while unemployment would be 3.4
The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee yesterday approved proposed amendments to the Amusement Tax Act (娛樂稅法) that would abolish taxes on films, cultural activities and competitive sporting events, retaining the fee only for dance halls and golf courses.The proposed changes would set the maximum t
Iran secretly acquired a Chinese spy satellite in late 2024 that allowed it to target US military bases across the Middle East during the recent war, the Financial Times reported yesterday.The TEE-01B satellite, built and launched by Chinese company Earth Eye Co (北京沐美星空科技), was acquired by the Islam
The US-Iran war is “very close to over,” US President Donald Trump said in clips of an interview set to air in the US yesterday, while the US military said that its blockade on Iranian ports had been “fully implemented.”Pakistan on Tuesday said that it was pursuing efforts to help the US and Iran ne
North Korea is showing a “very serious increase” in its ability to produce atomic weapons, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog said yesterday during a visit to Seoul.North Korea is believed to operate multiple facilities for enriching uranium, a key step in making nuclear warheads, South Korea’s spy
The central government’s general budget for this fiscal year is on Tuesday next week to be sent to committees for review, after the Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee today approved the agenda and the timetable, potentially ending 230 days of deadlock. Lawmakers on Tuesday reached a consensus that
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said it does not rule out further action in response to comments by Brazil’s top envoy to Taiwan that his government considers Taiwan to be part of the People’s Republic of China (PRC).Commercial Office of Brazil to Taipei Director Luis Claudio Villafane Gomes
US Senators John Curtis and Jeff Merkley yesterday reintroduced the Taiwan Relations Reinforcement Act, bipartisan legislation that “reaffirms US policy to support Taiwan’s democracy and its engagement with the world.” The latest version urges Taiwan to increase investment in its defense capabilitie
Police would today meet with Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Vice Chairman and Secretary-General Lee Chien-lung (李乾龍) to investigate a news report that a tracking device was placed on his vehicle without his knowledge, the New Taipei City Police Department said last night.In a Storm Media report pub
The Taipei District Court today sentenced a social worker to two years in prison for negligent homicide in the death of a child, while acquitting her of document forgery. The ruling can be appealed.The one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), died in December 2023 after extensive abuse by his two n
A Taiwanese fishing vessel with seven crew members on board this morning caught fire in waters north of Ishigaki Island, Okinawa Prefecture, the Japan Coast Guard (JCG) said.The captain is missing, while six crew members were rescued by another Taiwanese fishing boat operating nearby, Taiwanese auth
‘DUMPING GROUND?’ The policy would have little impact on Eswatini, as African nations have a large trade deficit with China, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official said A Chinese policy to give tariff-free treatment to goods from all African nations except for Eswatini, which formally recognizes Taiwan, would not have much of an economic impact on the African kingdom, a Taiwanese official said yesterday.During a legislative hearing, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affai
Fuel prices for international flights have increased by 122 percent since the war in the Middle East began, leading to about 1.7 percent of flights being canceled next month, data from CPC Corp, Taiwan and the Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) showed yesterday. The Legislative Yuan’s Transportatio
The High Court yesterday handed down prison sentences to six retired and active military personnel for leaking military secrets to China, and gave them prison sentences of up to eight years and six months. Wang Wen-hao (王文豪), Tan Chun-ming (譚俊明), Lu Fang-chi (呂芳契), Chiu Han-lin (邱翰林) and Yang Chien-
Time magazine has listed Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (台積電, TSMC) chairman and CEO C.C. Wei (魏哲家) as one of the 100 most influential people in the world this year.On the list published yesterday, Wei was featured in the Pioneers category, one of six groups that include Artists, Icons, Leade
CUSTOMER SUPPORT: The research center would facilitate closer collaboration with chipmakers worldwide to accelerate development of next-generation solutions, JSR said JSR Corp yesterday launched an advanced planarization process solutions research center in Hsinchu County’s Hukou Township (湖口) to help major semiconductor customers, including Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), shorten the development time for new chips.JSR supplies lithography mate
The Ministry of Economic Affairs yesterday said global oil prices are unlikely to return to pre-war levels even if the US-Israeli war on Iran ends soon, although a swift resolution could help ease the financial burden on CPC Corp, Taiwan (CPC, 台灣中油) and Taiwan Power Co (台電).The movement of oil price
China on Sunday last week raised the issue of building a bridge connecting Xiamen, China, with Kinmen County, alongside proposals for gas, water and electricity links between the two areas. “The bridge would be a positive development if China has the benefit of the people in mind and acknowledges Ta
The Ministry of the Interior and other agencies plan to soon propose amendments to the Domestic Violence Prevention Act (家庭暴力防治法), given the high number of cases in which people apply for protective orders, but continue to be abused while waiting for the order to be granted — a situation which serio
Across Europe, governments are reviving a Cold War doctrine with renewed urgency: National security is anchored not only in military power, but in the resilience of society as a whole. Power grids, digital infrastructure and supply chains are no longer economic assets — they are strategic pillars of
‘TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES’: As the action between the Hornets and Miami heated up in overtime, Prime’s feed went down, leaving fans and superstar LeBron James in disbelief LaMelo Ball on Tuesday was hero and villain as the Charlotte Hornets sent the Miami Heat tumbling out of the NBA play-in tournament with a thrilling 127-126 overtime victory, marred for some fans when Amazon Prime Video’s stream went offline.Charlotte had never won a win-or-go-home post-season game
World Series Most Valuable Player Yoshinobu Yamamoto and rookie Nolan McLean on Tuesday dueled through seven innings, with Kyle Tucker singling in the go-ahead run in the eighth for the Los Angeles Dodgers to edge the Mets 2-1, sending New York to their seventh straight loss.The Mets have been outsc
Denmark’s double Olympic badminton champion Viktor Axelsen, long a rival of Taiwan’s former world No. 2 Chou Tien-chen, yesterday announced his retirement at age 32, saying back problems meant he could no longer “compete and train at the highest level.”Axelsen, who won gold at the Tokyo Games in 202
Uzbek grandmaster Javokhir Sindarov on Tuesday clinched victory in the Candidates Tournament with a round to spare, drawing with Dutchman Anish Giri to set up a World Championship match against India’s Gukesh Dommaraju.The 20-year-old stormed through the event in Cyprus, winning six of his 13 games
MEETING WITH LAVROV: The Chinese president said that the two nations would uphold multilateralism, and help revitalize the authority and vitality of the UN The stability and certainty of China-Russia relations are particularly “precious” in the face of an international landscape intertwined with change and chaos, Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) said yesterday during a meeting with Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov in Beijing.The stro
Former Lima mayor Rafael Lopez Aliaga, a Peruvian presidential hopeful, gathered hundreds of supporters in Lima on Tuesday and gave authorities 24 hours to annul the first round of the country’s election over allegations of fraud.Lopez Aliaga is locked in a tight three-way race with two other candid
A US YouTuber who caused outrage for filming himself kissing a statue commemorating Korean wartime sex slaves has been sentenced to six months in prison, a court in Seoul said yesterday.Johnny Somali, 25, gained notoriety several years ago for recording himself doing a series of provocative stunts i
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chair Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) returned from her trip to meet People’s Republic of China (PRC) dictator Xi Jinping (習近平) bearing “a gift” for the people of Taiwan: 10 measures the PRC proposed to “facilitate the peaceful development of cross-strait relations.” “China on Sun
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) has wrapped up her trip to China to meet with Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials, including CCP Secretary-General Xi Jinping (習近平). Yet, despite all the press, there may be more going on than meets the eye.THE TIMINGThe invitation fr
For hours under the blistering sun, Raul Servin shovels and digs his way through days filled with pain, hope and usually frustration. He is looking for his son, gone eight years now — and for “ all the other missing people “ in Mexico as well.Every Tuesday, Servin loads a van with picks, shovels, wa
A: Why didn’t you come to work earlier this week? Did you go anywhere for fun? B: I went to Thailand with friends to celebrate the 2026 Water Festival, also known as the Songkran Festival. The three-day annual celebrations ran from April 13 to 15. Everyone was having water fights in the streets.A:
Many of us face common health challenges: tired eyes from long screen use, the search for anti-aging support and the need for weight control without resorting to restrictive diets. While no single food is a miracle cure, berries offer targeted, evidence-based nutritional support that’s easy and deli
Handing down a name over generations is a central part of the Japanese traditional theater art of Kabuki, and that ceremony gets celebrated at theaters and special events every few years.Now, the ritual is taking place with the eighth Kikugoro, who is having that honor passed down from his 83-year-o
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 | 27-28 | 20% |  |
| Hsinchu County | 26-27 | 10% | |
| Hsinchu City | 26-27 | 10% | |
| Taipei City | 27-28 | 20% |  |
| Miaoli County | 24-26 | 10% | |
| Taoyuan City | 26-27 | 10% | |
| Keelung City | 27-28 | 20% | |
| Yunlin County | 26-27 | 10% | |
| Taichung City | 26-28 | 10% | |
| Nantou County | 25-26 | 10% | |
| Changhua County | 27-28 | 10% | |
| Chiayi County | 26-27 | 10% | |
| Chiayi City | 25-27 | 10% | |
| Tainan City | 27-28 | 10% | |
| Kaohsiung City | 27-28 | 10% | |
| Pingtung County | 26-27 | 10% | |
| Yilan County | 25-26 | 30% |  |
| Hualien County | 25-26 | 30% | |
| Taitung County | 25-27 | 30% | |
| Kinmen County | 27-28 | 10% | |
| Penghu County | 27-27 | 20% | |
| Lienchiang County | 27-28 | 20% | |
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