‘WELCOME DEVELOPMENT’: The decision to reduce the referendums from six to three showed that lawmakers have taken a rational approach, the CEC’s chair said
The Legislative Yuan yesterday approved three referendums, which would be voted on alongside the local elections in November. It voted down a proposal on a referendum about legalizing euthanasia. The referendums passed are: introducing caning as a criminal punishment, abolishing the government’s “nu
The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office has indicted three additional suspects in a case involving the alleged leaking of military information, which was apprently spearheaded by former TV producer Lee Neng-chien (李能謙), the office said yesterday.Lee, who was indicted in April on espionage-related ch
Record-breaking rainfall flooded cities east of Tokyo overnight, killing at least five people, injuring more than two dozen others and stranding thousands, authorities said yesterday.As the deluge subsided, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) downgraded its most severe heavy-rain warning in more t
North Korea yesterday threatened unspecified stern steps against the US and South Korea ahead of their upcoming military drills, which Pyongyang called a war rehearsal that claimed would be more provocative than last year.The warning is typical of the harsh rhetoric that North Korea often deploys ah
The Legislative Yuan today approved three referendums on flogging, nuclear power and traffic fines to be voted on alongside the November local elections, while voting down another proposal on legalizing euthanasia.The three referendums passed are on introducing caning as a criminal punishment, aboli
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus today approved the full NT$63.4 billion (US$1.98 billion) budget for uncrewed vehicle development and procurements requested by the Executive Yuan, saying it had decided to support the budget after confirming it did not overlap with other requested funds.Th
SIMPLE SIGNS: While the start-up that detected the attacks did not attribute them to a specific group, it said communications linked to the operation were in simplified Chinese
Overseas hackers used artificial intelligence (AI) agents to target government agencies in a cyberattack last month, the Ministry of Digital Affairs (MODA) said yesterday, following a Financial Times report on the incident. The Administration for Cyber Security said in a statement that its cybersecu
OVERWHELM, EXPOSE: The unit would center on using inexpensive drones in swarm attacks that could force enemies into turning on radar, the source said
The air force is to form a dedicated combat drone unit early next year, a high-ranking military official said. The planned air group would utilize multiple types of uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs), including the domestically developed Chien Hsiang (劍翔, “Rising Sword”) loitering munitions, which spec
Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday visited Russia’s far-eastern Kuril Islands for the first time, prompting protests by Japan which also claims the territory. Russian-Japanese relations have long been dogged by the contested islands, known in Japan as the Northern Territories and seized by t
The National Development Council (NDC) yesterday said it approved an expenditure growth range of 2.619 percent to 5.5 percent for National Health Insurance (NHI) medical payouts, with expected payouts to surpass NT$1 trillion (US$31.1 billion) for the first time. NHI medical expenditure for fiscal 2
New Zealand’s security agency yesterday said it disrupted an attempt by a Chinese state-linked observatory to install satellite-tracking infrastructure in the country, highlighting the case in its annual assessment of an increasingly dangerous espionage environment. The New Zealand Security Intellig
Taiwan last month detected artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted cyberattacks on government agencies coming from overseas, but the affected bodies successfully "handled" the incident, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said today.Taiwan has over the past few years complained about China's "hybrid warfa
‘PROVOCATION’: The China-Indonesia joint exercise aims to create a false impression that China has jurisdiction over waters east of Taiwan, the Mainland Affairs Council said
The Indonesian Navy yesterday said that joint naval exercises that China said took place east of Taiwan were routine and not related to “war fighting,” after Taipei expressed alarm and called them dangerous. China in June began coast guard patrols off Taiwan’s east coast, causing anger in Taipei and
SAFEGUARDS: Lawmakers also backed smoke-free campuses and stronger school intervention on hearing impairment and other student health risks
The Legislative Yuan’s Education and Culture Committee yesterday gave initial approval to amendments to the School Health Act (學校衛生法) requiring the government to assist schools in stocking menstrual products and teaching students about menstruation and mental health. Education and Culture Committee
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and other opposition politicians are “taking Taiwan’s democracy hostage” for selfish gain, The Economist said in a column published online on Tuesday. “Taiwan’s freedoms should be a strength, raising the costs to China of a takeover. Shamefully, they are being bet
North Korea yesterday fired a ballistic missile toward the sea off the Korean Peninsula’s east coast, South Korean and Japanese authorities said, days ahead of major joint military exercises by Seoul and Washington long denounced by Pyongyang, and a day after the US and 40 other countries warned of
Colombia yesterday declared three days of mourning for victims of an earthquake that demolished buildings in the west of the country, killing more than 200 people. The magnitude 7.4 quake on Monday was the strongest to hit Colombia in a century. The government said flags would be lowered to half-sta
CHINESE INFLUENCE? The TPP denied any knowledge that the Chinese immigrant had been reporting to Beijing or that she had participated in the party’s decisionmaking
The New Taipei District Court yesterday sentenced Chinese immigrant Xu Chunying (徐春鶯) to seven years in prison for fraud, helping Chinese nationals illegally enter Taiwan and acting at Beijing’s direction to influence Taiwanese politics.The New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said it found that
Visiting Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Godwin Friday yesterday pledged that his new administration is ready to usher in a “next chapter” in the two countries’ 45-year diplomatic relationship, while calling for increased Taiwanese investment to strengthen bilateral ties.Speaking at
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