Mon, May 19, 2025
PRIDE: Chen Chien-jen and Francois Wu wore a pin that read: ‘Team Taiwan’ on their suits, while Chen’s wife wore a jacket with the word ‘Taiwan’ printed on it Former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) attended Pope Leo XIV’s inaugural Mass at the Vatican yesterday morning as President William Lai’s (賴清德) special envoy to see the new pope installed as leader of 1.4 billion Roman Catholics. Chen joined more than 100 world leaders and top church officials i
Pope Leo XIV, history’s first US pope, yesterday vowed to work for unity so that the Catholic Church becomes a sign of peace in the world, offering a message of communion during an inaugural Mass in St Peter’s Square before an estimated 200,000 pilgrims, presidents, patriarchs and princes. Leo offic
The latest data from the Ministry of the Interior showed that single-person and two-people households accounted for almost half of all households nationwide last year, suggesting a growing trend of singles and elderly people living alone, and couples with double income and no children. As of the fou
US President Donald Trump said he would have a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin this morning to discuss how to stop the war in Ukraine. Trump said he would also speak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and “various members” of the NATO alliance. “HOPEFULLY IT WILL BE A PROD
Severe storms that swept through the US states of Missouri, Kentucky and Virginia left more than 25 people dead, laying waste to local communities and cutting off electricity to nearly 200,000, authorities said on Saturday. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said on X at least 18 people had died in the
BUDGET HIKE: The armed forces are planning an unprecedented move to increase defense spending to 3 percent of GDP to meet targets set by the US, a source said The military’s new Tien Kung IV (Sky Bow IV) missiles have completed initial operational evaluation and limited field testing, with mass production expected to start next year, a defense official said yesterday. Created by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology’s Strong Bow (強弓) program,
HEAD-ON: Taiwan could weather global economic adversity because it never retreated into protectionism and instead enhanced its competitiveness, Tsai said Taiwan’s resilience will help the country overcome the challenges of the global trade crisis created by the White House’s tariff policies, former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said on Saturday in a speech at her alma mater, the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).The global communi
EQUALITY: When all who are capable of contributing are allowed to participate, global health can truly become sustainable, Minister of Health and Welfare Chiu said International society should support Taiwan’s participation in the WHO and other international healthcare organizations in line with the principles of fairness and professionalism, Minister of Health and Welfare Chiu Tai-yuan (邱泰源) said in Geneva on Saturday.The annual World Health Assembly (WHA) —
President William Lai (賴清德) is working “the world’s weirdest democratic miracle” by choosing recalls over communication in resolving disagreements between the minority government and opposition parties, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday.Chu made the remarks follo
Taiwan should follow Poland’s example by significantly increasing its defense budget and investing in affordable military technology such as uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) to better prepare for a potential Chinese invasion, two Polish defense experts said on Wednesday.“In Poland, we realized that w
AD ASTRA: The first experimental satellite is scheduled to be launched in 2027, while TASA would collaborate with private-sector partners to develop a space supply chain The National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) is in talks with Amazon.com to collaborate on its Project Kuiper that would complete Taiwan’s low Earth orbit (LEO) communications satellite network, NSTC Minister Wu Cheng-wen (吳誠文) said.Wu made the remarks in a media interview, adding that Taiwane
DISPROPORTIONATE: The ministry would consider revisions to the legislation, but versions proposed by some petitions are too harsh and contradict legal standards The Ministry of Justice over the weekend said it has rejected two petitions seeking increased penalties for child abuse, partly because they contravene the principle of proportionality in sentencing.The petitions, submitted via the government’s public policy participation platform following the 2023
Migrant worker advocacy groups yesterday protested in front of the Ministry of Labor in Taipei, calling on the government to abolish work-term limits for blue-collar migrant workers. Speaking to reporters during the protest, the Serikat Buruh Industri Perawatan Taiwan (SBIPT), a union of Indonesian
Domestic and regional flights around Taiwan were delayed yesterday afternoon as Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) briefly halted ground operations due to thunderstorms and airports in Lienchiang County (Matsu) were temporarily shut down due to fog.Airport authorities suspended ground o
This year’s World Masters Games opened on Saturday in Taipei and New Taipei City to complaints over the state of the facilities and the translations of people’s names.The multisport event, open to individuals rather than national teams, is to run until May 30.“There have been many problems since Tai
CUSTOMERS’ BURDEN: TSMC already has operations in the US and is a foundry, so any tariff increase would mostly affect US customers, not the company, the minister said Taiwanese manufacturers are “not afraid” of US tariffs, but are concerned about being affected more heavily than regional economic competitors Japan and South Korea, Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) said.“Taiwan has many advantages that other countries do not have, the most notable of whi
GETTING READY: IC industry customers rushed to place large orders to avoid the US’ tariffs, boosting production in a traditionally slow quarter, a research institute said The output value of Taiwan’s semiconductor sector is expected to rise more than 19 percent this year due to stronger performances in the integrated circuit (IC) manufacturing and design segments, the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI, 工研院) said last week.The output of the local semicond
China yesterday announced anti-dumping duties as high as 74.9 percent on imports of polyoxymethylene (POM) copolymers, a type of engineering plastic, from Taiwan, the US, the EU and Japan.The Chinese Ministry of Commerce’s findings conclude a probe launched in May last year, shortly after the US sha
The Legislative Yuan on Friday last week passed a referendum allowing people to vote on whether a death sentence could only be issued through a unanimous court decision. The proposal was made by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), which said the “unanimous” requirement could be seen as a barrier to
As strategic tensions escalate across the vast Indo-Pacific region, Taiwan has emerged as more than a potential flashpoint. It is the fulcrum upon which the credibility of the evolving American-led strategy of integrated deterrence now rests.How the US and regional powers like Japan respond to Taiwa
The British government promised to make the UK the best country to do business. It is delivering. This month, our economy received two huge votes of confidence. First, the UK struck a landmark free trade agreement with India — the fastest growing economy in the G20. The agreement is the most generou
underdog story: Crystal Palace, which trace their roots to 1861 and turned professional in 1905, have ended a 164-year-long wait for major club silverware Crystal Palace stunned Manchester City 1-0 in the FA Cup final on Saturday to win the first major trophy of their 164-year-old history, thanks to a goal from local boy Eberechi Eze.At a sunbaked Wembley in front of delirious Palace fans, local boy Eze volleyed home after 16 minutes against the run o
A vintage FA Cup season had its vintage ending. Perhaps a second half that did not live up to the extraordinary drama of the first meant that this was not quite a classic final, but it was one packed with incident and storyline, from Jean-Philippe Mateta’s glorious return after his horror injury at
Logan O’Hoppe, Taylor Ward and Matthew Lugo homered, and the Los Angeles Angels spoiled Clayton Kershaw’s season debut, beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 11-9 on Saturday night to take the first two games of the three-game series.Kershaw allowed three runs and threw 38 pitches in the first inning. The
The bitter brotherly feud that sparked the creation of sports-shoe brands Adidas and Puma in the same small German town in the 1940s is to be turned into a television series with the help of family archives, its producers announced yesterday.Hollywood-based film producer No Fat Ego is backing the pr
CONTROVERSY: During the performance of Israel’s entrant Yuval Raphael’s song ‘New Day Will Rise,’ loud whistles were heard and two people tried to get on stage Austria’s JJ yesterday won the Eurovision Song Contest, with his operatic song Wasted Love triumphing at the world’s biggest live music television event. After votes from national juries around Europe and viewers from across the continent and beyond, JJ gave Austria its first victory since bearded d
Two people died and 19 others were injured after a Mexican Navy training ship hit the Brooklyn Bridge, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said yesterday. The ship snapped all three of its masts as it collided with the New York City landmark late on Saturday, while onlookers enjoying the balmy spring eve
A bomb exploded on Saturday outside a California fertility clinic, killing one person in what the FBI labeled a terror attack. The blast tore through downtown Palm Springs, ripping a hole in the clinic and blowing out the windows and doors of nearby buildings, an Agence France-Presse journalist on t
Australia’s ABC last week published a piece on the recall campaign. The article emphasized the divisions in Taiwanese society and blamed the recall for worsening them. It quotes a supporter of the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) as saying “I’m 43 years old, born and raised here, and I’ve never seen the
May 18 to May 24Pastor Yang Hsu’s (楊煦) congregation was shocked upon seeing the land he chose to build his orphanage. It was surrounded by mountains on three sides, and the only way to access it was to cross a river by foot. The soil was poor due to runoff, and large rocks strewn across the plot pre
On May 2, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), at a meeting in support of Taipei city councilors at party headquarters, compared President William Lai (賴清德) to Hitler. Chu claimed that unlike any other democracy worldwide in history, no other leader was rooting out opposing parti
1. 眾所皆知，資訊產業是我國經濟的基礎。ˇ As everyone admits, the IT industry is the backbone of our economy.χ As everyone admits that the IT industry is the backbone of our economy.註：這裏 as 作關係代名詞，引導從屬子句。誤句多了 that， IT industry is. . . 就變成從屬句，欠缺了主句，結構上錯誤。又如：As my friend pointed out, necessity is the mother of inventio
Continued from yesterday（延續自昨日）https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/langTraining a dog to use the buttons requires a great deal of time and patience, but certain techniques can be employed to speed up the process. Secure the buttons to the floor __4__ they don’t move and dogs can easily recognize their
Dog owners often wish they could understand their pets’ thoughts. “Dog buttons” might turn their dream into a reality. These specially designed buttons, __1__ sound chips, enable dogs to communicate their needs by pressing buttons corresponding to pre-recorded words like “walk,” “play,” “outside,” a
April 21 to April 27 Hsieh Er’s (謝娥) political fortunes were rising fast after she got out of jail and joined the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) in December 1945. Not only did she hold key positions in various committees, she was elected the only woman on the Taipei City Council and headed to Nanjing in 1946 as the sole Taiwanese female representative to the National Constituent Assembly. With the support of first lady Soong May-ling (宋美齡), she started the Taipei Women’s Association and Taiwan Provincial Women’s Association, where she sought to improve women’s welfare and boost participation in politics. On April 24, 1948, Hsieh was elected Taiwan’s first female legislator, garnering the sixth-highest votes nationwide. She served with her usual enthusiasm and energy at first — but abruptly quit in October 1949, moving to the US and not returning until 1991. Growing up under Japanese rule, Hsieh was a bright and outspoken student who became Taiwan’s first female surgeon in 1940. She deeply resented colonial rule, and in 1943 she was arrested for plotting to sabotage the Japanese troops and help the Allies take over Taiwan. The authorities offered to release her if she would collaborate with the Japanese on medical work, but she staunchly refused, remaining in jail and subject to torture until the end of World War II. “As long as I have a drop of blood left, I belong to the Chinese people!” she reportedly said defiantly. As such, she was happy to work with the KMT, finding herself quite adept at navigating the treacherous world of politics. So why did she leave Taiwan? HEADSTRONG YOUTH Hsieh was born in January 1918 in Taipei’s Wanhua District (萬華); her father ran a Chinese restaurant next to the Red House in the Ximending
One of the most transformative technical achievements in human history took place on Oct. 4, 1957, when the Soviet Union launched the satellite Sputnik 1 into orbit. Americans, utterly convinced of their technical and industrial superiority at the time were shocked, though some tried to play it down by dubbing it the “beeping grapefruit” due to its size and sole capability. That jibe was entirely unfair, as it was a proof-of-concept mission. That they were able to achieve the historic first of launching into space and accurately position a satellite to orbit the earth was a singular achievement. The beeping radio waves ensured they could both prove and track their success. Two months later, the American launch of Vanguard failed spectacularly. Many Americans did take Sputnik very seriously at the time, and the term “Sputnik moment” today means an existential wake-up call. Those that took it seriously were proven correct; in less than four years the Soviets went from a “beeping grapefruit” to sending the incredibly brave Yuri Gagarin into space and safely returning, a first for humanity. Note the positive language I used in describing the Soviet achievements. It is not to praise the Soviet Union, one of the most murderous regimes in history, but the talented people who accomplished these goals. This distinction is relevant in a Chinese context today. SOVIET DOWNFALL When DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence (AI) was launched in January, it was laughably dubbed a “Sputnik moment.” It was not even close. It was not a revolutionary leap into the unknown but rather an evolutionary improvement on the AI offerings already available. Still, it was impressive and a wake-up call to the American tech giants that the Chinese were competitive. A string of recent AI releases by a range of Chinese tech giants proved that DeepSeek was not alone,
| New Taipei City | 24-27 | 10% |  |
| Hsinchu County | 22-24 | 10% |  |
| Hsinchu City | 22-24 | 10% | |
| Taipei City | 24-28 | 10% | |
| Miaoli County | 22-25 | 10% | |
| Taoyuan City | 23-27 | 10% | |
| Keelung City | 22-25 | 20% | |
| Yunlin County | 24-27 | 10% | |
| Taichung City | 24-26 | 10% | |
| Nantou County | 24-27 | 10% | |
| Changhua County | 23-25 | 10% | |
| Chiayi County | 24-27 | 10% |  |
| Chiayi City | 25-28 | 10% | |
| Tainan City | 25-27 | 10% | |
| Kaohsiung City | 26-28 | 10% | |
| Pingtung County | 27-30 | 10% |  |
| Yilan County | 22-24 | 20% | |
| Hualien County | 23-25 | 30% |  |
| Taitung County | 24-26 | 20% | |
| Kinmen County | 21-25 | 10% | |
| Penghu County | 21-24 | 10% | |
| Lienchiang County | 18-21 | 10% | |
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