Eligibility for government-funded influenza antiviral drugs would be expanded from Jan. 20 to Feb. 28 to include seven groups considered to be at higher risk of spreading the virus, as the flu is predicted to enter an epidemic period at the end of the month, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) sai
Pope Leo XIV, leader of the Holy See, Taiwan’s sole diplomatic ally in Europe, during his annual New Year’s address on Friday expressed concern over rising tensions in East Asia and called for peaceful dialogue.The New Year’s audience is considered a cornerstone of Vatican diplomacy, during which th
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is considering calling a general election in the coming weeks to capitalize on strong public support for her government, media reports said yesterday.Takaichi became Japan’s first female prime minister in October last year, and her Cabinet is enjoying an approv
NOT FOR SALE: Any attempt to entice Greenland with cash is doomed to fail and no amount of money could buy the people’s national soul, a Greenland representative said
Greenland’s parliament would bring forward a meeting to discuss its response to US threats to take control of the Arctic island, the leaders of the five political parties in the Greenlandic assembly said in a joint statement on Friday.US President Donald Trump on Friday said the US must own Greenlan
AGING: As of last month, people aged 65 or older accounted for 20.06 percent of the total population and the number of couples who got married fell by 18,685 from 2024
Taiwan has surpassed South Korea as the country least willing to have children, with an annual crude birthrate of 4.62 per 1,000 people, Ministry of the Interior data showed yesterday.The nation was previously ranked the second-lowest country in terms of total fertility rate, or the average number o
US President Donald Trump in an interview with the New York Times published on Thursday said that “it’s up to” Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) what China does on Taiwan, but that he would be “very unhappy” with a change in the “status quo.”“He [Xi] considers it to be a part of China, and that’s u
A former Marine Corps soldier has been indicted for allegedly pledging allegiance to China in exchange for money and selling military secrets, with prosecutors in Kaohsiung seeking a heavy sentence.Chen (陳), a petty officer second class who had served in a Marine Corps unit, became acquainted online
SELF-DEFENSE: Tokyo has accelerated its spending goal and its defense minister said the nation needs to discuss whether it should develop nuclear-powered submarines
China is ramping up objections to what it sees as Japan’s desire to acquire nuclear weapons, despite Tokyo’s longstanding renunciation of such arms, deepening another fissure in the two neighbors’ increasingly tense ties.In what appears to be a concerted effort, China’s foreign and defense ministrie
Russia bombarded Ukraine with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles in a large-scale overnight attack, which killed at least four people, officials said yesterday. For only the second time, Moscow used a new ballistic missile that it says flies at 10 times the speed of sound and is unstoppable.T
With 20.06 percent of its population now 65 years old or older, Taiwan has officially become a super-aged society, the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) said today.The WHO defines a society as “super-aged” when at least 20 percent of people are 65 or older.The ministry released data about last year’s p
SIX REGIONS: The fiscal allocation formula unfairly disadvantages regions that rely heavily on agriculture, as well as outlying counties, Premier Cho Jung-tai said
Six local governments might be forced to borrow due to a funding shortfall of NT$299.2 billion (US$9.48 billion) due to opposition lawmakers blocking this year’s budget, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said yesterday.This year marks the first time in constitutional history that January has started withou
STILL SEARCHING: An air force officer said that fitting F-16 jets with Auto-GCAS is a time-consuming process involving the integration of complex systems and training
The air force would install automatic ground collision avoidance systems (Auto-GCAS) on all of its F-16V jets by next year, Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said yesterday, two days after a fighter pilot went missing in an apparent mishap.Air force Captain Hsin Po-yi (辛柏毅) was flyin
The Cabinet yesterday unveiled draft revisions to the Animal Protection Act (動物保護法) that would tighten regulations on when owners can place their pets in shelters, while increasing the maximum fine for abandoning animals.Among the draft provisions is one that says pet owners can place animals in cer
China has hacked e-mails used by staff members of committees in the US House of Representatives as part of a cyberespionage campaign known as Salt Typhoon, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter.China accessed e-mail systems used by some staffers on the Hou
US President Donald Trump’s administration on Wednesday said that it would dictate decisions to Venezuela’s interim leaders and control the country’s oil sales “indefinitely” after toppling Nicolas Maduro as president of the South American nation.Trump’s assertion of US dominance over Venezuela come
GLOBAL OUTLOOK: The foreign minister said the agency seeks to bring ‘Taiwan closer to the world’ through the plan, which has an ‘integrated diplomacy’ strategy
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) is planning a center for international non-governmental organizations (NGO) to attract more groups to set up offices and make Taiwan a critical hub for their work in the region, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) told the NGO Leaders Forum in Taipe
SYSTEM FAULT? The pilot reported that he was to eject the F-16, but an onboard system did not confirm that the action had been taken, officers said
A search-and-rescue mission for an air force pilot off Hualien County would not cease after 72 hours, while training with F-16V aircraft has been suspended, the air force said yesterday amid reports of a malfunctioning flight system.Contact with air force pilot Captain Hsin Po-yi’s (辛柏毅) fighter was
The government yesterday vowed to defend national sovereignty and the safety of all Taiwanese after China sanctioned two Cabinet ministers, accusing them of “separatism.”Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) and Minister of Education Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) were added to Beijing’s list of “Taiwa
A Saudi Arabian-led coalition yesterday struck the home province of Aidaros Alzubidi, Yemen’s United Arab Emirates (UAE)-backed separatist leader, after he failed to show up for talks in Riyadh and was kicked out of the country’s presidential body.The coalition said that it had given Alzubidi a 48-h
RSS