The central government’s general budget for this fiscal year was yesterday sent to legislative committees for review after a presentation by Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰), in another step toward ending the budget impasse that has been ongoing for more than six months.Addressing the Legislative Yuan in
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday released a report detailing unclassified portions of the government’s proposed NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.7 billion) special defense budget as it continued to seek legislative approval for the bill.A redacted version of the report released to the public detail
SECURITY: The change comes as Tokyo moves to boost its defense industry, wars strain US weapons production and other nations look for suppliers
Japan yesterday unveiled its biggest overhaul of defense export rules in decades, scrapping restrictions on overseas arms sales, and opening the way for exports of warships, missiles and other weapons.The move aimed at strengthening Japan’s defense industrial base marks another step away from the pa
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung has rejected as “absurd” claims that his minister overseeing relations with North Korea revealed classified information provided by the US on Pyongyang’s nuclear facilities. South Korean media have reported that the US has stopped sharing some intelligence on Nor
President William Lai (賴清德) has postponed an official trip to Eswatini, the nation's only diplomatic ally in Africa, after several countries revoked overflight permits, a senior aide said today. "According to sources, the Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar unexpectedly and without prior notice rev
ESWATINI TRIP: Over 40 cross-party officials from African states have expressed their welcome through official letters, social media posts and personal messages, MOFA said
President William Lai (賴清德) has been formally welcomed ahead of his trip to Africa this week by more than 40 political figures from 11 African nations, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday.Lai is to make his first official trip to the continent when he visits the Kingdom of Eswatini
CURRENCY VOLATILITY: The shift would streamline capital outflows by eliminating the conversion process that adds friction to the market, proponents of the change said
Taiwan is weighing a proposal to permit listed companies to distribute dividends in US dollars, a change from the rule requiring payouts in the local currency, people familiar with the matter said.The Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) is evaluating operational details, they said, asking not to
The number of pet cats in Taiwan surpassed that of pet dogs for the first time last year, reaching 1,742,033, a 32.8 percent increase from 2023, the Ministry of Agriculture said yesterday, citing a survey.By contrast, the number of pet dogs declined slightly by 1.2 percent over the same period to 1,
Philippine and US forces are to carry out maritime strike drills on a remote Philippine island near Taiwan during annual exercises that started yesterday, which the Philippine military chief said would test their readiness under “real-world conditions.” The exercises known as “Balikatan,” or “should
Pakistan yesterday moved ahead with preparations for a new round of talks between the US and Iran two days before a tenuous ceasefire is set to expire, even as renewed conflict around the Strait of Hormuz raised questions about whether the meeting would take place.Over the weekend, the US attacked a
President William Lai (賴清德) has been formally welcomed ahead of his trip to Africa this week by more than 40 political figures from 11 African nations, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today.Lai is to make his first official trip to the continent when he visits Eswatini — Taiwan’s only diplomati
A magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck off the northeastern coast of Japan at 3:53pm today, as authorities urged residents to stay away from coastal areas where tsunami waves of up to 3m were expected.The tremor had an epicenter in the Pacific Ocean and was 10km deep, the Japan Meteorological Agency s
CANCELED OUT: Although Beijing promoted its ‘incentives’ as favorable to Taiwan, high tariffs still apply, which would affect products’ competitiveness, sources said
Pineapple prices have risen despite pressure on the market from China, officials said yesterday. Pineapples are Taiwan’s top fruit export. China suspended imports of the fruit in March 2021, citing pest concerns, in a move that Taiwan said lacked scientific basis, contravened normal trade practice a
A scheme to develop urban forests is coming, with the goal of allowing people to walk under seamless shade from MRT stations to their workplace, Minister of Environment Peng Chi-ming (彭啟明) said yesterday.The Ministry of Environment yesterday held a weekend market at Taipei’s Daan Forest Park (大安森林公園
PROJECTIONS: It expects the economy to grow by 4 percent next year, if AI demand moderates, and headline inflation to edge up by 1.8 percent this year
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) projected Taiwan’s economy would grow 7.6 percent this year, as surging demand for advanced semiconductors underpins the nation’s technology exports and investments despite higher energy prices amid the Middle East conflict. The figure was up 3.6 percentage points fr
US President Donald Trump said that US negotiators would be in Pakistan today for talks with Iran, but did not detail which officials would be sent to the second round of in-person talks.Trump in a post on social media said Iran violated the ceasefire agreement by firing bullets on Saturday in the S
North Korea yesterday test-fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles, South Korea’s military said, the latest in a recent flurry of launches by the nuclear-armed state.The launches add to a series of weapons tests Pyongyang has carried out in recent weeks, including ballistic missiles, anti-wars
RISKY BUSINESS: The ‘incentives’ include initiatives that get suspended for no reason, creating uncertainty and resulting in considerable losses for Taiwanese, the MAC said
China’s “incentives” failed to sway sentiment in Taiwan, as willingness to work in China hit a record low of 1.6 percent, a Ministry of Labor survey showed.The Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) also reported that the number of Taiwanese workers in China has nearly halv
Japan’s rare two-pronged deployment near Taiwan during its first-ever participation in Philippine drills as an “operational combat unit” underscores a shift in first island chain posture and reflects Tokyo’s efforts to play a more central role in regional alliances, analysts said.Japanese destroyer
RSS