Governments and rights groups yesterday condemned the conviction of Hong Kong pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai (黎智英), who was found guilty on all three charges in his national security trial, which could send him to prison for the rest of his lifeBeijing has rejected the international backlash, a
The US government has signed defense cooperation agreements with Japan and the Philippines to boost the deterrence capabilities of countries in the first island chain, a report by the National Security Bureau (NSB) showed. The main countries on the first island chain include the two nations and Tai
PORCUPINE ACT: The legislation would make Taiwan eligible for shorter certification and US congressional notification for sales of US weapons
The US Senate last week passed the PORCUPINE Act to speed up US defense sales and facilitate the transfer of military equipment from US allies to Taiwan.The act, which amends the Arms Export Control Act and is formally called the Providing Our Regional Companions Upgraded Protection in Nefarious Env
Australia’s leaders yesterday agreed to toughen gun laws after attackers killed 15 people at a Jewish festival on Bondi Beach, the worst mass shooting in decades decried as anti-Semitic “terrorism” by authorities. Dozens fled the tourist hotspot in panic, as a father and son fired into crowds packin
‘WIN-WIN’: The Philippines, and central and eastern European countries are important potential drone cooperation partners, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung said
Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) in an interview published yesterday confirmed that there are joint ventures between Taiwan and Poland in the drone industry. Lin made the remark in an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper). The gov
DEFENSE: The first batch of 38 M1A2T Abrams tanks was delivered to Taiwan in December last year, while the remaining 28 tanks are expected to arrive early next year
A batch of 42 M1A2T Abrams tanks delivered by the US in July are beginning a month-long testing program today at a northern army base, including multiple live-fire drills using the tanks’ 120mm main guns, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The source said the US-made tanks were recent
Two gunmen yesterday opened fire at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, killing 11 people and wounding multiple others in a “terrorist incident” aimed at a gathering for the Jewish festival of Hanukkah in Australia. Emergency responders rushed at least 29 people to local hospitals from the beach, one of the bigge
Obesity is a chronic disease that can be treated with comprehensive and lifelong care, so people should not expect a one-time treatment through medication, the Taiwan Medical Association for the Study of Obesity said yesterday, as it released the 2025 Clinical Practice Guidelines on Adult Obesity in
Hong Kong’s oldest pro-democracy party yesterday formally decided to disband, its leader announced, following its annual meeting. The Democratic Party was founded in 1994, near the end of British colonial rule, when Hong Kong’s leading liberal groups merged. “We have officially announced the disband
Rhode Island’s Providence police have detained a “person of interest” in connection with the Brown University shooting that left two students dead and another nine people wounded at the US Ivy League school. Providence Chief Public Information Officer for Public Safety Kristy DosReis said a person o
‘GRIM CIRCUMSTANCES’: The changes to revenue allocation along with the blocking of the special defense budget have undermined stability and fiscal sustainability, Lai said
The Presidential Office and the Executive Yuan have decided on “no countersignature and no promulgation” of an amendment to a government revenue allocation law passed by the Legislative Yuan, sources said yesterday, which would be a first in the nation’s history.President William Lai (賴清德) would add
SPECULATION: Some people said the minister might have attended a banquet on the eve of the Pax Silica summit, but officials have declined to comment on the issue
Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) was spotted near the American Institute in Taiwan’s (AIT) headquarters in Virginia on Thursday, although the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the US Department of State yesterday declined to comment.Several local news outlets yesterday reported that Lin
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday accused China of distorting the truth, after Beijing in a policy paper said “Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory” and that it opposed “Taiwan independence in any form.” The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday held a news co
Cambodia yesterday shut its border crossings with Thailand, after Bangkok denied US President Donald Trump’s claim that a truce had been agreed to end days of deadly fighting.Violence between the two countries has displaced about half a million people on both sides.At least 25 people have died this
Chinese coast guard ships used powerful water cannons and blocking maneuvers against 20 Philippine fishing boats off a disputed South China Sea shoal, injuring three Filipinos and damaging two of their boats in a life-threatening assault, the Philippine Coast Guard said yesterday.Chinese coast guard
SUPER-POWERED: The first national cloud computing center would support the development of generative AI training models, and chip research and development
Taiwan yesterday launched its first national cloud computing center, demonstrating the government’s determination to join the global race to build sovereign artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities and marking its first step to push for “10 Major AI Infrastructure Projects” to enhance economic resi
US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick on Thursday said he believed Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) could boost its US investment to more than US$200 billion and create 30,000 jobs in the process.In a televised CNBC interview, Lutnick was asked about the CHIPS Act, which he heavil
Beijing’s actions are “not conducive to regional peace,” US and Japanese defense chiefs said during a call after Chinese aircraft locked radar on Japanese jets near Taiwan, Tokyo said yesterday.The radar incident on Saturday last week came after comments by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on
‘FISCALLY UNVIABLE’: The new rules compromise fiscal discipline and would increase the economic burden on young people, Legislator Rosalia Wu said
The legislature yesterday passed amendments to suspend cuts to civil servants’ pensions, reversing a fiscal reform that aimed to reduce the government deficit.The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) caucuses together passed bills on the income substitution ratio of ci
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