The Ministry of National Defense yesterday said that it would increase the number of reservists called up to its largest annual drills by more than 5,000, in line with its policy to boost the combat readiness of the nation’s reserve force.Last year’s Tung Hsin mobilization exercise saw the participa
The government is not engaged in currency manipulation, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) reiterated yesterday, amid speculation that the sudden appreciation of the local currency was related to pressure from the US.Speaking prior to a plenary session at the Legislative Yuan, Cho said the New Taiwan dollar
ENERGY ROAD MAP: The bloc also plans to ban spot deals by the end of this year, possibly paving the way for increased imports of LNG from the US
The European Commission next month is to propose a ban on new Russian gas deals by the end of this year, and a ban on imports under existing contracts with Moscow by the end of 2027, a draft document seen by Reuters shows.The EU in 2022 vowed to end its decades-old energy relations with former top g
Hamas yesterday dismissed as pointless ceasefire talks with Israel, accusing it of waging a “hunger war” on Gaza as famine looms and Israel prepares for a broader assault on the war-ravaged Palestinian territory. The comments from a senior Hamas official followed Israel’s approval of a military plan
SHIFT: Taiwan’s better-than-expected first-quarter GDP and signs of weakness in the US have driven global capital back to emerging markets, the central bank head said
The central bank yesterday blamed market speculation for the steep rise in the local currency, and urged exporters and financial institutions to stay calm and stop panic sell-offs to avoid hurting their own profitability.The nation’s top monetary policymaker said that it would step in, if necessary,
The US has accelerated its delivery of military equipment purchased by Taiwan, including 16 Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) that arrived on Jan. 7, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said, greatly bolstering the nation’s capability to deter military aggression from the Chinese People’s Li
The Legislative Yuan’s Internal Administration Committee yesterday passed a preliminary review of proposed amendments to the Social Order Maintenance Act (社會秩序維護法) raising penalties for ticket scalping, noise disturbances and stalking offenses.The maximum fine for unauthorized reselling of transport
Israel’s security Cabinet approved the expansion of military operations in Gaza, including the “conquest” of the Palestinian territory, an official said yesterday, after the army called up tens of thousands of reservists for the offensive. It comes as the UN and aid organizations have repeatedly war
FEASIBLE? While the US president wants the ‘most ruthless and violent’ offenders jailed there, it would be an expensive, challenging proposition
US President Donald Trump said he is directing his government to reopen and expand Alcatraz, the notorious former prison on a hard-to-reach California island off San Francisco that has been closed for more than 60 years.In a post on his Truth Social site on Sunday evening, Trump wrote: “For too long
SECURITY: Grassroots civil servants would only need to disclose their travel, while those who have access to classified information would be subject to stricter regulations
The government is considering requiring legislators and elected officials to obtain prior approval before traveling to China to prevent Chinese infiltration, an official familiar with national security said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) in March announced 17 measures to counter China’s grow
FOOD SAFETY: Although no adverse effects in humans regarding ractopamine have been documented, concerns about long-term exposure remain, a toxicologist said
A batch of imported pork has tested positive for ractopamine for the first time since the nation lifted import restrictions in 2021, but the additive was within legal limits. The Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) pork monitoring dashboard on Tuesday last week showed that a 23-tonne batch of pork
US Indo-Pacific Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo on Friday expressed concern over the rate at which China is diversifying its military exercises, the Financial Times (FT) reported on Saturday. “The rates of change on the depth and breadth of their exercises is the one non-linear effect that I’ve seen
Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (黃循財) said the convincing re-election of his People’s Action Party (PAP) would help the city-state face turbulent times, as analysts said the weekend poll also showed one party emerging as the main opposition group. The PAP’s 14th successive election victory
Japan and China have accused each other of violating the airspace around Japanese-controlled East China Sea islands which Beijing also claims. The latest territorial flap came as both appeared to have warmer ties while seeking to mitigate damages from the US tariff war. The Japanese Ministry of Fore
‘MISGUIDED EDICT’: Two US representatives warned that Somalia’s passport move could result in severe retaliatory consequences and urged it to reverse its decision
Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) has ordered that a special project be launched to counter China’s “legal warfare” distorting UN Resolution 2758, a foreign affairs official said yesterday.Somalia’s Civil Aviation Authority on Wednesday cited UN Resolution 2758 and Mogadishu’s complian
Taiwan and the US have concluded their first in-person meeting on tariffs, the Office of Trade Negotiations said yesterday. A delegation led by Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君) and top trade negotiator Yang Jen-ni (楊珍妮) held talks in Washington with US officials on tariffs, non-tariff barriers and
FROM THE GRAVE: An investigation showed that recall campaigns had collected petitions bearing the signatures of 154 deceased people
The Taichung District Court yesterday granted the request of Taichung prosecutors to detain two Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) staff members suspected of falsifying signatures on petitions aimed at recalling two Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers.Chen Chien-feng (陳劍鋒) and Wu Kang-lung (伍康
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has become the country’s first prime minister to win a second consecutive three-year term in 21 years.“Thank you to the people of Australia for the chance to continue to serve the best nation on Earth,” Albanese told a jubilant crowd at a campaign party in
The CIA has a message for Chinese government officials worried about their place in Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) government: Come work with us.The agency released two Mandarin-language videos on social media on Thursday inviting disgruntled officials to contact the CIA. The recruitment video
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