The Ministry of National Defense (MND) plans to seek up to a record US$33 billion in special funding to upgrade the nation’s defenses against a potential Chinese attack, a senior lawmaker told AFP.As Beijing ramps up its military pressure, Taiwan over the past few recent years has responded by boost
FULLY AWARE: The PLA aircraft carrier’s transit through the Strait coincided with US Marine and Japanese forces exercises in Okinawa testing advanced anti-ship weapons
The Ministry of National Defense (MND) yesterday said it had deployed joint intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets to track the movements of China’s third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, as it transited the Taiwan Strait en route to the South China Sea.The military said the measures were
A suspect in the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at a Utah university has been taken into custody, US President Donald Trump said yesterday, ending an intense manhunt that followed what Trump described as a “heinous assassination.”Kirk’s killer had eluded police and federal agen
Former Nepalese chief justice Sushila Karki is likely to be appointed as interim prime minister, a source aware of the talks said yesterday after intense anti-graft protests led to the resignation of Nepalese prime minister K.P. Sharma Oli.The Himalayan nation’s worst upheaval in years, which killed
ECONOMIC BOOST: Should the more than 23 million people eligible for the NT$10,000 handouts spend them the same way as in 2023, GDP could rise 0.5 percent, an official said
Universal cash handouts of NT$10,000 (US$330) are to be disbursed late next month at the earliest — including to permanent residents and foreign residents married to Taiwanese — pending legislative approval, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday.The Executive Yuan yesterday approved the Special Act
The US House of Representatives on Wednesday passed its version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), rejecting amendments that would have barred funding for Taiwan and Ukraine.The bill would authorize nearly US$900 billion in military spending and feature a plan to streamline the defens
PRESERVATION: Beijing criticized a museum showcase of historial items in Prague, but a MAC spokesman said that the Cultural Revolution destroyed many similar artifacts
Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) on Wednesday night departed for the Czech Republic and several other countries in Europe, after making low-profile trips to Japan and the Philippines.Lin made the Czech Republic his first stop in Europe as the two countries have developed close diploma
Authorities yesterday searched for a sniper who assassinated Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist and close ally of US President Donald Trump, with one bullet and then slipped away amid the mayhem resulting from the latest act of political violence to befall the US.Kirk was killed by a gunshot from
South Korea’s president yesterday said that South Korean companies would likely hesitate to make further investments in the US unless Washington changes its visa system for their employees, as US authorities released hundreds of workers who were detained from a Georgia factory site last week.In a ne
The National Development Council (NDC) yesterday unveiled details of new regulations that ease restrictions on foreigners working or living in Taiwan, as part of a bid to attract skilled workers from abroad.The regulations, which could go into effect in the first quarter of next year, stem from amen
MODERNIZATION: The agriculture ministry would subsidize the installation of ID devices on fishing boats to boost efforts to protect the nation’s undersea cables
The Executive Yuan yesterday detailed initiatives to boost homeland security resilience ahead of a legislative hearing on the plans today.The Cabinet has allocated NT$590 billion (US$19.47 billion) to fund initiatives aimed at enhancing infrastructure and capabilities necessary to counter China’s “g
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday outlined four key aspects of Taiwan’s national security resilience at a forum in Taipei, which was hosted by the Liberty Times (The Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) and co-organized by Chunghwa Telecom Co.The four key aspects of resilience cover supply chain secu
Poland yesterday gathered its NATO allies for urgent talks after Russian drones flew into Polish airspace during an attack on Ukraine, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said, warning that the situation was inching closer to “open conflict.”Poland’s airspace was violated 19 times, Tusk said, and at l
Pacific island leaders yesterday issued a call for an “ocean of peace,” urging respect for their sovereignty at a summit clouded by China’s alleged meddling and great power competition in the strategically vital region, with Taiwan’s ally Palau saying there “absolutely” had been outside interference
INNOVATION HUB: The government hopes to bring key technologies to Taiwan and ensure that Taiwanese products reach markets worldwide, the president said
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday said that the government would continue efforts to push forward new major artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure projects and to support research and development (R&D) in quantum computing, silicon photonics and robotics, aiming to position Taiwan as a crit
‘SPORTS FOR ALL’: Lee, who has become Taiwan’s youngest minister and the first one with an Olympic gold medal, vowed to boost competitive sports
Retired badminton champion Lee Yang (李洋) yesterday took office as the nation’s first minister of sports, saying that his top priority would be to launch a “sports for all” campaign — a pledge President William Lai (賴清德) made during his election campaign last year. The ministry was also inaugurated y
The government yesterday said it is working for Taiwan to be invited to the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) assembly in Canada this month, and an action team would travel there to promote the nation’s participation, regardless of whether it is invited. A UN specialized agency, the
Nepalese Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli resigned yesterday as protests against a short-lived ban on social media grew increasingly violent and expanded into broader criticism of his government and accusations of corruption among the country’s political elite. The resignation had little effect on t
The Thai Supreme Court yesterday ordered the country’s most powerful and polarizing politician, former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, to be jailed for one year, ruling that he improperly served a 2023 prison term in hospital. Thaksin’s political clan has for two decades been the key foe of
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