The Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) yesterday upgraded its first-quarter GDP growth expectation for Taiwan to 5.37 percent after in February estimating 3.46 percent for the period.The upgrade reflects stronger-than-expected exports due to demand for technology goods,
CONFESSION: It was unnecessary to detain Chang Yuan-hsiang, as he had admitted guilt during questioning, a court said, adding that he is restricted to his residence
Keelung Department of Civil Affairs Director Chang Yuan-hsiang (張淵翔) yesterday resigned from his post after being released on bail late on Tuesday for allegedly using public household registration rolls to aid a recall effort against Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) city councilors.Keelung City Go
Most Americans support Taiwan and favor improving Taiwan-US relations, a poll by the Virginia-based Humanity for Freedom Foundation found.The poll, commissioned by Remington Research Group, found that 82 percent of respondents viewed Taiwan as an independent country, with 68 percent holding a positi
A Chinese national was arrested while operating a surveillance device near the offices of the Philippine election commission, authorities said yesterday, less than two weeks before the country’s midterm polls.The man was allegedly using an “IMSI catcher,” a device capable of mimicking a cell tower a
The British military launched airstrikes with the US targeting Yemen’s Houthi rebels, officials said yesterday, their first attack in Washington’s new campaign targeting the Iran-backed group.The UK offered a detailed explanation for launching the strike, in a departure from the US, which has offere
MA-ANSHAN REACTOR CLOSURE: New power generation units at the Hsinta, Sun Ba and Datan power plants would compensate for the power lost, the premier said
The nation’s power generation is expected to be adequate until 2032, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said yesterday, seeking to ease public concerns that the closure of the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant’s No. 2 reactor on May 17 would affect energy prices.Cho spoke to reporters before attending a meeting
The Keelung District Prosecutors’ Office yesterday requested that a court detain three people, including Keelung Department of Civil Affairs Director Chang Yuan-hsiang (張淵翔), in connection with an investigation into forged signatures used in recall campaigns.Chang is suspected of accessing the house
‘CHINA TARGETS’: The intent to have Taiwan as the guest of honor at the Brussels International Book Fair was canceled out of concern about the reaction
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday condemned Chinese efforts to suppress Taiwan’s international space, after a report by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists detailed pressure from the Chinese embassy in Belgium to remove the Taiwanese flag flying in front of the n
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba yesterday held talks with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, in a move to advance security and economic ties between two of Washington’s closest Asian allies amid rising Indo-Pacific tensions.Ishiba’s visit to the Philippines comes at a crucial time, wit
Four former Hong Kong opposition lawmakers jailed in the territory’s largest national security case were released yesterday after more than four years in prison, the first among dozens convicted last year to regain their freedom.Former legislators Claudia Mo (毛孟靜), Jeremy Tam (譚文豪), Kwok Ka-ki (郭家麒)
SPECIAL BILL: The TPP’s Chang Chi-kai said that the budget contravened fiscal discipline by blending unrelated projects into a bill intended as a response to tariffs
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) met with ruling and opposition party lawmakers yesterday to rally support for a government-proposed bill partly aimed at mitigating the negative effects of the impending US tariffs.The NT$410 billion (US$12.63 billion) special bill is not only intended to help the nation r
The Ministry of National Defense is to build a new automated production line with a NT$14 billion (US$431.23 million) budget to meet increasing demand for 155mm artillery shells, a source said yesterday.The Russia-Ukraine war has created a defense demand that has galvanized many Western nations as w
MORE VISITORS: The Tourism Administration said that it is seeing positive prospects in its efforts to expand the tourism market in North America and Europe
Taiwan has been ranked as the cheapest place in the world to travel to this year, based on a list recommended by NerdWallet.The San Francisco-based personal finance company said that Taiwan topped the list of 16 nations it chose for budget travelers because US tourists do not need visas and traveler
Israel struck south Beirut on Sunday for the third time since a fragile ceasefire was implemented on Nov. 27 last year, prompting Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to call on its guarantors France and the US to force a halt.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said that the strike targete
North Korea yesterday confirmed for the first time that it had deployed troops to Russia, with state news agency KCNA reporting Pyongyang’s soldiers helped Moscow reclaim territory under Ukrainian control in the Russian border region of Kursk.The admission comes just days after Moscow confirmed Nort
PLUGGING HOLES: The amendments would bring the legislation in line with systems found in other countries such as Japan and the US, Legislator Chen Kuan-ting said
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) has proposed amending national security legislation amid a spate of espionage cases. Potential gaps in security vetting procedures for personnel with access to sensitive information prompted him to propose the amendments, which would
SWAYING OPINIONS: The essay competition is designed to create the impression that Taiwanese youth support unification with China, an expert said
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday said it would probe allegations that a local academic society and a publication firm contravened cross-strait laws by working with Chinese Communist Party (CCP)-funded organizations to launch an essay competition in Taiwan.The essay competition, called “R
Iran and the US on Saturday held in-depth negotiations in Muscat over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program, ending the discussions with a promise for more talks and perhaps another high-level meeting next weekend.Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Abbas Araghchi told state television after th
The China Coast Guard has seized control of a disputed reef near a major Philippine military outpost in the South China Sea, Beijing’s state media said, adding to longstanding territorial tensions with Manila.Beijing claims sovereignty over almost all of the South China Sea and has waved away compet
A front is to bring wet and cooler weather starting today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecast yesterday, and added that this year’s first plum rain front is likely to arrive next week.Daytime highs reached 27oC to 31oC nationwide yesterday, while temperatures hovered at about 22oC to