REBUFFED: In response to Chinese criticism over recent arms sales, Washington urged Beijing to engage in meaningful dialogue instead of threats and intimidation
Washington’s long-term commitment to Taiwan would not change, the US Department of State said yesterday, urging Beijing to stop pressuring Taiwan and engage in meaningful bilateral dialogues.The remarks came in response to a backlash from Beijing about Washington’s latest approval of arms sales to T
The Ministry of Environment said it is planning to require carbon storage projects to undergo an environmental impact assessment (EIA) regardless of size.The ministry on Friday announced draft amendments to articles 29, 42 and 46 of the Standards for Determining Specific Items and Scope of Environme
The US Department of Justice on Friday began releasing a long-awaited cache of records from its investigations into the politically explosive case of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein — although much of the material remained heavily redacted.Among the trove are numerous photographs depicting fo
US President Donald Trump left open the possibility of war with Venezuela, as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday vowed to enforce a blockade on the country’s oil wealth.Asked in an interview with NBC News conducted on Thursday about a war with Venezuela, Trump said: “I don’t rule it out, no
‘ILLEGAL RULING’: The KMT and the TPP slammed the Constitutional Court judgement, saying it contravened the law and was trying to clear the way for a ‘green dictatorship’
The Constitutional Court yesterday ruled that amendments to the Constitutional Court Procedure Act (憲法訴訟法) passed by the Legislative Yuan last year are unconstitutional, as they contravene due legislative process and separation of powers.The Legislative Yuan on Dec. 20 last year passed amendments st
TRAGEDY STRIKES TAIPEI: The suspect died after falling off a building after he threw smoke grenades into Taipei Main Station and went on a killing spree in Zhongshan
A 27-year-old suspect allegedly threw smoke grenades in Taipei Main Station and then proceeded to Zhongshan MRT Station in a random killing spree that resulted in the death of the suspect and two other civilians, and seven injured, including one in critical condition, as of press time last night.The
The US House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) yesterday released a bipartisan report titled Ten More for Taiwan identifying urgent, near-term steps to deter Chinese aggression. Committee Chair John Moolenaar and Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi built on the original Ten for Ta
Japan yesterday reaffirmed its decades-old pledge never to possess nuclear weapons after local media reported that a senior security official suggested the country should acquire them to deter potential aggressors.The unnamed official said Japan needed nuclear weapons because of a worsening security
EU leaders yesterday agreed to provide a massive interest-free loan to Ukraine to meet its military and economic needs for the next two years, but they failed to bridge differences with Belgium that would have allowed them to use frozen Russian assets to raise the funds.The IMF estimated that Ukrain
NEXT STEP: The DPP caucus urged lawmakers to pass the Cabinet’s NT$1.25 trillion special defense budget, which is to be used for some of the US-approved items
Washington on Wednesday announced US$11.1 billion in potential arms sales to Taiwan, the largest-ever US weapons package to the nation.It is the second announcement of arms sales to Taiwan by US President Donald Trump’s administration since he returned to the White House in January.The proposed sale
HARSHER PENALTIES: The proposed revision would lengthen prison terms and raise fines for those who leak state secrets to a ‘foreign hostile force’
The Cabinet yesterday unveiled draft changes to the National Security Act (國家安全法) and three other laws, including fines of up to NT$1 million (US$31,729) for advocating the end of Taiwan’s sovereignty through non-peaceful means.Under the draft, the fines would be levied on those whose public speech,
A Taiwanese research team has developed a machine-learning model that analyzes electroencephalography (EEG) brain wave patterns to distinguish individuals with Internet addiction from healthy subjects with 86 percent accuracy, researchers said yesterday.The method’s accuracy is significantly higher
Hundreds of people across Japan yesterday sued the central government, seeking damages for “unconstitutional” inaction on climate change in the country’s first such litigation.The landmark lawsuit criticizes Japan’s “grossly inadequate” fight against the climate crisis, saying it jeopardizes the hea
ON ALERT: Taiwan’s partners would issue warnings if China attempted to use Interpol to target Taiwanese, and the global body has mechanisms to prevent it, an official said
China has stationed two to four people specializing in Taiwan affairs at its embassies in several democratic countries to monitor and harass Taiwanese, actions that the host nations would not tolerate, National Security Bureau (NSB) Director-General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥) said yesterday.Tsai made the c
A LONG JOURNEY: Years before implementing its hepatitis C elimination plan, Taiwan had already started expanding screening and treatment, the HPA head said
Taiwan is to apply for WHO certification by the end of this year for meeting the global body’s hepatitis C elimination goal five years ahead of schedule, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday.Taiwan was the first country to launch a universal hepatitis B vaccination program for newborns in 1984
The Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology-developed Sea Oryx missile system, which passed combat trials in October, is to enter mass production.Sea Oryx, one of the few infrared homing short-range air defense systems, intercepted drones and anti-ship missiles in the trials, a source within t
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday ordered a “blockade” of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela, in Washington’s latest move to increase pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s government, targeting its main source of income.It is unclear how Trump would impose the m
Australian police yesterday charged one of the alleged Bondi Beach gunmen with murder and terrorism, as grief-stricken mourners buried the first of 15 people slain in the attack.Sajid Akram and his son, Naveed, are accused of opening fire on a Jewish festival at the famed surf beach on Sunday evenin
BACK TO WORK? Prosecutors said they are considering filing an appeal, while the Hsinchu City Government said it has applied for Ann Kao’s reinstatement as mayor
The High Court yesterday found suspended Hsinchu mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) not guilty of embezzling assistant fees, reducing her sentence to six months in prison commutable to a fine from seven years and four months.The verdict acquitted Kao of the corruption charge, but found her guilty of causing a publ
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