Increased fines for driving without a license took effect yesterday, with the Ministry of Transportation and Communications saying that the changes would hopefully deter illegal road use.The fine for riding a small motorcycle without a license rose to NT$36,000, and increased to NT$60,000 for cars.P
‘THREE NOES’: People must make sure holes smaller than 2cm are sealed, spaces are kept clean and uncluttered, and food is safely stored in containers to avoid rodents
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday warned of a higher risk of hantavirus infection this spring, after Taiwan’s first hantavirus-related death in 26 years was confirmed in Taipei.The person who died was a man in his 70s, a resident of Daan District (大安), the CDC said.The man was hospital
The UK and Japan agreed to deepen defense and economic ties, visiting British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said yesterday. “We set out a clear priority to build an even deeper partnership in the years to come,” Starmer said after a bilateral meeting in Tokyo. “That includes working together to streng
The administration of US President Donald Trump has approved a massive new series of arms sales to Israel and Saudi Arabia totaling US$6.67 billion and US$9 billion respectively.The US Department of State announced the sales late on Friday, as tensions rise in the region over the possibility of US m
COLLABORATION: The US Indo-Pacific Command said it maintains contact with regional partners, and operates, trains and conducts joint exercises with allies to deter aggression
The US works daily with Taiwan, Japan and the Philippines to counter cyberattacks, US Indo-Pacific Command Deputy Commander Joshua Rudd said yesterday, adding that the command has deployed liaison officers to regional allies and partners to maintain ongoing engagement.Rudd, nominated by US President
ROBUST GROWTH: Data last year reflected the nation’s export-driven growth, resilient domestic consumption, and integral role in the global AI and semiconductor ecosystem
The economy last year grew at its fastest pace in nearly 15 years, fueled by a surge in exports tied to artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced computing, the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) said yesterday.GDP expanded 12.68 percent in the fourth quarter — the stro
Campus networks are to restrict access to six Chinese apps deemed as security risks by the Ministry of Digital Affairs, the Ministry of Education (MOE) said yesterday.The digital ministry last month announced that Douyin, TikTok, RedNote (小紅書), Sina Weibo, WeChat and Baidu Cloud are information secu
US President Donald Trump yesterday announced that he is nominating former US Federal Reserve governor Kevin Warsh to be the next central bank chief.Trump’s decision capped a closely watched search for a successor to Fed Chair Jerome Powell, whom the president has repeatedly lambasted for not cuttin
Panama’s Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that the concession held by a subsidiary of Hong Kong’s CK Hutchison Holdings to operate ports at either end of the Panama Canal is unconstitutional, an outcome that advanced a US aim to block any influence by China over the strategic waterway.The court’s rul
The Legislative Yuan sent the Taiwan People’s Party’s (TPP) defense bill to committee for review today, after continuing to block the Executive Yuan’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.52 billion) special defense budget.The opposition again blocked the Executive Yuan’s eight-year special defense budget during
The US Department of the Treasury yesterday kept Taiwan on its watch list of trade partners whose currency practices "merit close attention.”The department said it was strengthening scrutiny of countries' foreign-exchange practices, including their interventions to resist both depreciation and appr
SEA DEFENSE: Separately, the military simulated repelling a Chinese assault from the sea, using shore-launched missiles, drones and fast patrol boats
Taiwan’s first indigenous submarine, the Hai Kun (海鯤), or Narwhal, yesterday departed from Kaohsiung to start its first submerged sea trial, where it was expected to dive to at least 50m.CSBC Corp, Taiwan (台灣國際造船) on Wednesday announced the trial, marking the first time the shipbuilder has publicly
MORE TIME: Under the bills, the statute of limitations for reporting child sexual abuse would not begin until the victim turns 20, providing them more time to report it
The Executive Yuan yesterday proposed amendments to the Criminal Code that would toughen penalties for disseminating deepfakes and other types of defamation online.The bill, which is headed to the legislature for deliberation, also includes provisions to increase the statutory limit for sexual abuse
Academia Sinica yesterday unveiled its 20-quantum-bit (qubit) superconducting quantum computer, a milestone in the nation’s quantum research since introducing its 5-qubit computer in 2023.“With the development of the 20-qubit superconducting quantum computer, Taiwan is officially at the starting poi
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) yesterday hailed a reset of ties, pledging to build an economic partnership with deals including a major investment by AstraZeneca that they said would benefit both countries.On the key day of his four-day visit to China, the
Southeast Asian countries should steadfastly maintain restraint and adhere to international law as acts of aggression across Asia and “unilateral actions” elsewhere in the world threaten the rules-based global order, Manila’s top diplomat said yesterday.ASEAN also does not recognize the Burmese elec
STAY CONNECTED: Taiwanese and US officials also discussed digital infrastructure, including developing low Earth orbit satellites and how to protect undersea cables
Senior Taiwanese and US officials on Tuesday discussed cooperation in artificial intelligence (AI), tech and drones at a high-level forum, with the US Department of State praising Taipei as a “vital partner.”Taiwan was represented by Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) at the meeting i
MAKING WAVES: China’s maritime militia could become a nontraditional threat in war, clogging up shipping lanes to prevent US or Japanese intervention, a report said
About 1,900 Chinese ships flying flags of convenience and fishing vessels that participated in China’s military exercises around Taiwan last month and in January last year have been listed for monitoring, Coast Guard Administration (CGA) Deputy Director-General Hsieh Ching-chin (謝慶欽) said yesterday.
The Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) cross-strait exchange forum would severely harm national dignity and security, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday.The KMT has said that party Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) is sending a delegation to repr
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