QUESTIONABLE: Capital punishment has not been abolished and the death sentence has been ruled constitutional, so the motion was a waste of money, Rosalia Wu said
The Legislative Yuan yesterday passed the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)-proposed referendum opposing the abolition of the death penalty, with a 54:48 vote.The bill yesterday questioned the legality of all courts across different circuits having to reach a unanimous decision in a capital sentence r
Nvidia Corp CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) would be the final torchbearer at the opening ceremony of the 2025 World Masters Games in Taipei and New Taipei City today, the Games’ executive committee said yesterday.Huang agreeing to be the torchbearer for the Games highlighted the new role of technology in th
Paris has filed a case against Tehran at the top UN court over two French citizens who have been held in Iran for three years, French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot said yesterday.The announcement comes as Iranian negotiators met with their counterparts from the UK, France
At least 93 people were killed by Israeli strikes in Gaza yesterday as US President Donald Trump wrapped up his regional trip.Strikes overnight hit across Gaza, including the outskirts of Deir al-Balah and the city of Khan Younis. The Gaza Health Ministry said hundreds more were injured in addition
DEMOGRAPHICS: Robotics is the most promising answer to looming labor woes, the long-term care system and national contingency response, an official said
Taiwan is to launch a five-year plan to boost the robotics industry in a bid to address labor shortages stemming from a declining and aging population, the Executive Yuan said yesterday.The government approved the initiative, dubbed the Smart Robotics Industry Promotion Plan, via executive order, se
PORCUPINE BILL: The legislation would put Taiwan into the NATO Plus category for shorter congressional notification times and higher weapons value thresholds
Two US senators have introduced legislation to streamline arms sales to Taiwan by adopting similar rules as those used for “NATO Plus” countries.The providing our regional companions upgraded protections in nefarious environments act, or PORCUPINE Act, was introduced on Tuesday by US senators Pete R
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) yesterday said it is building nine new advanced wafer manufacturing and packaging factories this year, accelerating its expansion amid strong demand for high-performance computing (HPC) and artificial intelligence (AI) applications.The chipmaker buil
Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday did not show up for proposed direct peace talks in Turkey with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who was waiting for Putin in the capital, Ankara, after challenging him to face-to-face discussions on ending their countries’ more than three-year war.W
Deforestation last year slowed in all of Brazil’s nature biomes for the first time in six years, according to a report issued months before the country hosts a major UN climate conference at the end of this year.The total area deforested in South America’s biggest country was 32.4 percent lower than
CHINESE PARTS: Military drones should be entirely free from Chinese components, the defense minister said after reports about problems with the Rui Yuan II UAVs
Strict controls would be implemented when indigenous drones enter mass production, Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said at the legislature in Taipei yesterday, following reports that Taiwan’s Rui Yuan II (銳鳶, Sharp Hawk) contains Chinese-made components.Chinese-language media repor
FALSE DOCUMENTS? Actor William Liao said he was ‘voluntarily cooperating’ with police after a suspect was accused of helping to produce false medical certificates
Police yesterday questioned at least six entertainers amid allegations of evasion of compulsory military service, with Lee Chuan (李銓), a member of boy band Choc7 (超克7), and actor Daniel Chen (陳大天) among those summoned.The New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office in January launched an investigat
Democracies must remain united in the face of a shifting geopolitical landscape, former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) told the Copenhagen Democracy Summit on Tuesday, while emphasizing the importance of Taiwan’s security to the world.“Taiwan’s security is essential to regional stability and to defend
US President Donald Trump yesterday met with Interim Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia, the first encounter between the two nations’ leaders in 25 years and one that could mark a turning point for Syria as it struggles to emerge from decades of international isolation.The meeting, on
Cambodia and China yesterday began their largest-ever joint military exercises, involving advanced Chinese military hardware including artillery, warships and robot battle dogs.Cambodia has long been an ally of China, receiving billions of dollars in investments, while Washington has voiced concerns
UNITY NEEDED: The president called for Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines and the US to show unity and face China’s military intimidation head-on
Japan and other regional partners should work together to counter Chinese military coercion and build a “non-red” supply chain, President William Lai (賴清德) said in an interview published by Nikkei Asia yesterday.As Lai approaches one year in office, he granted his first foreign media interview this
CONSENSUS REQUIRED: DPP caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu said that the continued use of nuclear power is a serious issue and should not be politicized
The legislature yesterday passed an amendment to extend the operating license of nuclear reactors, potentially pushing back the implementation of Taiwan’s “nuclear-free homeland” policy by another two decades.The No. 2 reactor of the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant in Pingtung County is set to shut do
The government is considering polices to increase rental subsidies for people living in social housing who get married and have children, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said yesterday.During an interview with the Plain Law Movement (法律白話文) podcast, Cho said that housing prices cannot be brought down ove
Former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte was elected mayor of his home city by a landslide, official results showed yesterday, despite his detention by the International Criminal Court.The Davao election board proclaimed Duterte won the race for Davao mayor, with the official tally showing that h
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) yesterday vowed to deepen ties with Latin America and condemned “bullying” in a thinly veiled swipe at the US, as he addressed regional leaders in Beijing.Leaders and officials from Latin America and the Caribbean have descended on the Chinese capital for the China
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