The US Senate on Tuesday approved US$95 billion in aid to Taiwan, Ukraine and Israel, with the package of bills containing the funding expected to be signed into law after press time last night.The Senate passed the bills in a 79-18 vote after the US House of Representatives on Saturday approved the
A total of 41 US military personnel were stationed in Taiwan as of December last year, a US congressional report said on Friday last week ahead of Tuesday’s passage of an aid package that included US$8 billion for Taiwan.The Congressional Research Service in a report titled Taiwan Defense Issues for
‘URGENT NEED’: To meet its personnel needs and process cases that are in a backlog, 5,536 new judges, clerks and other staff would have to be hired, the Judicial Yuan said
The Judicial Yuan yesterday said it has proposed amendments to the Court Organization Act (法院組織法) and other laws in a bid to hire more judicial staff and tackle the issue of overwork.Case numbers have risen significantly in the past few years, which has led to judges, clerks and other staff being ov
A high-school student who designed an app that sends earthquake alerts more readily than the Central Weather Administration (CWA) is facing bandwidth issues after a surge in downloads as wary Taiwanese endure aftershocks from a major quake on April 3.The app (台灣地震速報), which is free on Apple’s App St
Indonesia’s electoral commission yesterday formally declared Prabowo Subianto president-elect in a ceremony, after the country’s highest court rejected challenges to his landslide victory lodged by two losing presidential candidates.Subianto, who is minister of defense, won the election with 58.6 pe
The US Congress late on Tuesday gave final approval to a US$95 billion aid package for Taiwan, Ukraine and Israel, with US President Joe Biden quickly vowing to sign the long-delayed bill and begin delivering fresh supplies this week to Ukraine.The bill includes US$8 billion in military support for
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts
A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday.Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, mo
STANDING TOGETHER: US Representative Lisa McClain underlined the importance of bolstering US-Taiwan ties, which would also promote peace around the world
Visiting US representatives yesterday reiterated staunch US support for Taiwan, and pledged to continue strengthening security, economic and social relationships with the nation.“By standing with Taiwan we send a clear message to Beijing and to the world. The United States will not waver in our comm
Supporters and opponents of abolishing the death penalty yesterday engaged in heated debate at the Constitutional Court.Twelve of the 15 justices heard arguments from the legal team representing 37 inmates on death row and legal experts advocating the removal of the death penalty, as well as from Mi
An aide to a German far-right member of the European Parliament has been arrested on suspicion of spying for China, German prosecutors said yesterday, deepening concerns about foreign interference ahead of June’s EU elections.The allegations, coming a day after three other people suspected of spying
Two Malaysian military helicopters yesterday collided and crashed during a training session, killing all 10 crew onboard, the nation’s rescue agency said.Footage shared online showed several helicopters flying low in formation over the Lumut naval base, about 160km from the capital, Kuala Lumpur.The
SOLVING PROBLEMS: Taiwan can use its advantages in tech to make swift progress and create an international paradigm in facing the challenges of climate change, Lai said
President-elect William Lai (賴清德) yesterday said that he would push forward the net zero transition, and accelerate geothermal and hydrogenic energy developments after taking office next month.Lai made the remarks in a prerecorded video played at the opening session of the Earth Solutions 2024 Susta
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon
Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls.As the first front approached, sporad
The navy next month is expected to commission into service two more domestically built Tuo Chiang-class stealth missile corvettes, a source said yesterday.The Hsu Chiang (旭江, PGG-621) and the Wu Chiang (武江, PGG-623) would be officially commissioned in a ceremony early next month, the source said, sp
US and Philippine forces yesterday launched their largest combat exercises in years in a show of allied firepower near the disputed South China Sea that has alarmed Beijing.The annual exercises by the treaty allies are to run until May 10 and involve more than 16,000 of their military personnel, alo
Four people were dead and 10 others missing following storms that battered southern China, state media said yesterday, with tens of thousands evacuated from areas hit by torrential downpours.Heavy rain has descended upon the vast southern province of Guangdong, swelling rivers and raising fears of s
OVERWHELMING SUPPORT: The bill with US$2 billion in Foreign Military Financing Program funds and US$1.9 billion to replenish defense articles passed the House 385-34
Taiwan is to continue working with the US to ensure peace in the Taiwan Strait, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday after the US House of Representatives approved a US$95 billion foreign aid package with funding for Taiwan.The bills were passed with bipartisan support in a rare Saturday
INCENTIVES: A KMT legislator proposed adding combat bonuses for soldiers and removing forms of corporal punishment in an effort to bolster recruitment
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators have proposed an amendment to strip benefits from military retirees who have received suspended sentences for espionage-related offenses.China frequently uses retired military officers to “build bridges” with active-duty military personnel in Taiwan, bu
Taiwanese gymnast Tang Chia-hung (唐嘉鴻) on Saturday won a gold medal in the men’s horizontal bar competition at the Doha World Cup, extending a run of dominant performances in the lead-up to the Paris Summer Olympics.The Doha event was the last of four competitions making up the International Gymnast
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken this week is to pay his second visit in less than a year to China, where he is to ask Beijing to avoid “provocative” measures during next month’s inauguration of president-elect William Lai (賴清德).Blinken’s trip from Wednesday through Friday marks a further loweri