‘NEW CHAPTER’: An Italian politician said Taiwan’s decision to open a second representative office in Milan and renovate its Rome office showed warming ties
Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) on Wednesday made a rare visit to Italy to inaugurate the nation’s renovated representative office in Rome and meet with Italian parliamentarians as part of his ongoing European trip.Taiwan and Italy share the values of freedom, democracy and human rig
The Executive Yuan yesterday advanced amendments to seven laws to protect critical underwater infrastructure, applying the same penalties for damaging water and natural gas pipelines to damaging submarine cables.The amendments also include provisions for confiscating vessels used in such crimes, whi
Japanese Representative Sanae Takaichi yesterday said that she would contest the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s (LDP) leadership election.Takaichi, seen among the favorites in the race, is likely to face off against Japanese Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Shinjiro Koizumi, who is
Saudi Arabia and Pakistan on Wednesday signed a mutual defense pact that defines any attack on either nation as an attack on both.The kingdom has long had close economic, religious and security ties with Pakistan, including reportedly providing funding for Islamabad’s nuclear weapons program as it d
BABY POLICY: The plan would also increase subsidies for couples undergoing artificial fertilization procedures, although with a slightly lower age ceiling for women
A government birth subsidy, providing up to NT$100,000 (US$3,326) and proportional to the number of children born, would take effect on Jan. 1 next year, Minister Without Portfolio Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) said yesterday.The Executive Yuan’s policy would address payout discrepancies for birth subsidies
AI BOOST: TSMC has left Samsung’s foundry business behind in the race for global market share with 70.2% compared with the South Korean firm’s 7.3% share
National Development Council (NDC) Minister Yeh Chun-hsien (葉俊顯) yesterday attributed a forecast that Taiwan would overtake South Korea in GDP per capita to the success of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and a boom in artificial intelligence (AI) applications.Yeh’s comments came af
One of two tropical depressions that formed off Taiwan yesterday morning could turn into a moderate typhoon by the weekend, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday.Tropical Depression No. 21 formed at 8am about 1,850km off the southeast coast, CWA forecaster Lee Meng-hsuan (李孟軒) said
A member of New York’s Chinese dissident community on Tuesday pleaded guilty to spying on his fellow activists on behalf of the Chinese government.Tang Yuanjun (唐元雋), 68, had long been an outspoken critic of the Chinese Communist Party, joining monthly protests outside the country’s Manhattan consul
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese yesterday was unable to clinch an ambitious defense treaty with Papua New Guinea (PNG) during a visit to the country, a week after he failed to land a security pact with another South Pacific island neighbor, Vanuatu, aimed at curbing China’s influence in t
EASING ANXIETY: The new guide includes a section encouraging people to discuss the threat of war with their children and teach them how to recognize disinformation
The Ministry of National Defense’s All-Out Defense Mobilization Agency yesterday released its updated civil defense handbook, which defines the types of potential military aggression by an “enemy state” and self-protection tips in such scenarios.The agency has released three editions of the handbook
The number of Chinese spouses applying for dependent residency as well as long-term residency in Taiwan has decreased, the Mainland Affairs Council said yesterday, adding that the reduction of Chinese spouses staying or living in Taiwan is only one facet reflecting the general decrease in the number
WORLD CLASS DESIGN: CNN has listed the new bridge as one of the top 11 architecture projects set to shape the world this year, President William Lai said
The much-anticipated Danjiang Bridge (淡江大橋) is scheduled to open for traffic on May 12 next year after the final bridge segment was successfully installed yesterday, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday.President William Lai (賴清德) and other officials attended a ceremony y
The China Coast Guard yesterday said that it fired water cannons at Philippine ships near the disputed Scarborough Shoal (Huangyan Island, 黃岩島) in the South China Sea, accusing Manila of an “illegal” intrusion and the ramming of one of its vessels.The confrontation comes a week after China approved
Israel before dawn yesterday launched its long anticipated ground assault on Gaza City, shortly after visiting US Secretary of State Marco Rubio backed its goal of eradicating Hamas.A UN probe meanwhile charged Israel with committing “genocide” in the Palestinian territory and accused Israeli Prime
MARINE PACT: Taiwan and Indonesia signed an agreement on debris management at the International Conference on Marine Environmental Management in Taipei
Ocean Affairs Council Minister Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) yesterday condemned Chinese fishers for using cyanide and urged them to respect the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).Speaking to reporters after the International Conference on Marine Environmental Management in Taipei, Kuan made the rema
NO CHANGE: The TRA makes clear that the US does not consider the status of Taiwan to have been determined by WWII-era documents, a former AIT deputy director said
The American Institute in Taiwan’s (AIT) comments that World War-II era documents do not determine Taiwan’s political status accurately conveyed the US’ stance, the US Department of State said.An AIT spokesperson on Saturday said that a Chinese official mischaracterized World War II-era documents as
The Taipei District Court yesterday again approved bail for former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) and Taipei City Councilor Angela Ying (應曉薇), keeping their original bails of NT$70 million and NT$40 million (US$2.32 million and US$1.32 million) respectively.The ruling follows a decision by the High Co
MORE SLEEP: Research has shown that the biological clock of junior-high and high-school students lends itself to getting up after 8am, a psychiatrist said
A citizen-initiated petition to delay junior-high and high-school class starting times to 10am has gained more than 10,000 signatures in less than a week, prompting the Ministry of Education yesterday to announce that it would review the proposal and reply within two months.Most junior-high and high
The US, South Korea and Japan yesterday commenced an air and naval exercise off a South Korean island in their latest joint drill condemned by North Korea as a “reckless show of strength.”The exercise called Freedom Edge is aimed at strengthening the countries’ combined operational capabilities in t
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