CATS AND DOGS: Cat owners who fail to microchip their pets would face fines of up to NT$15,000, matching rules for dog owners, the Ministry of Agriculture said
The minimum monthly wage next month is to rise to NT$29,500 (US$937.10) from NT$28,590, while the minimum hourly wage would be NT$196, up from NT$190.About 1.74 million people are expected to benefit from the adjustment of the minimum monthly wage, while about 730,000 would benefit from the hourly w
Beijing could eventually see a full invasion of Taiwan as the only “prudent” way to bring about unification, the US Department of Defense said in an annual report to the US Congress on Tuesday.The Pentagon’s Annual Report to Congress: Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republi
The north concourse of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport’s Terminal 3 officially began operations yesterday and is expected to ease congestion during early-morning transfer and departure peak hours, the airport operator said.About 40 flights are to use the north concourse every day, Taoyuan Inter
Saudi Arabia yesterday formally called on United Arab Emirites (UAE)-backed separatists in Yemen to withdraw from two governorates that their forces control in the country, a move that threatens sparking a confrontation within a fragile coalition battling the Houthi rebels.The statement from the Sau
PENTAGON ASSESSMENT: A US report said that even as China and Russia deepen their partnership, cooperation is hindered by a ‘mutual distrust’ of each other
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) as of October had doubled the number of ships and airplanes deployed around Taiwan compared with the previous two years, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) said yesterday, a day after the opposition-controlled legislature voted against re
‘JOINT DETERRENCE’: Representative Keisuke Suzuki said that to make sure a Taiwan contingency does not happen, ‘we need to beef up our deterrence capabilities’
Closer bilateral collaboration between Taiwan and Japan is important to enhance joint deterrence capabilities and prevent a “Taiwan contingency,” Japanese Representative Keisuke Suzuki told a news conference in Taipei yesterday as he concluded a three-day visit to the country.Suzuki, a former Japane
The M1A2T Abrams tanks that Taiwan purchased from the US participated in a combat readiness exercise in Hsinchu on Tuesday, marking the first time they had operated outside their base.The army’s 584th Armored Brigade conducted a battalion-level exercise to test troops’ ability to respond to continge
The US Department of State on Tuesday said that it would deny visas to a former EU commissioner and four others, accusing them of seeking to “coerce” US social media platforms into censoring viewpoints they oppose.“These radical activists and weaponized NGOs [non-governmental organizations] have adv
A private jet that crashed on Tuesday, killing Libya’s army chief of staff and seven others on board, had reported an electrical fault and requested an emergency landing shortly before contact was lost, a Turkish official said yesterday.The Dassault Falcon 50 jet, which took off from Ankara Esenboga
‘SPIRIT SHONE’: Developing resilience requires not only military preparations, but also measures to toughen institutions, infrastructure and the mindset of Taiwanese, Lai said
The Taipei metro knife attack last week was a reminder of solidarity and vigilance, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, in a call to improve Taiwan’s emergency response capabilities. He made the remarks in his opening speech for a Whole-of-Society Defense Resilience Committee workshop. Since
ROAD SAFETY: The amendments increase penalties for traffic contraventions such as using mobile phones or smoking a cigarette while riding a motorcycle
The Legislative Yuan yesterday passed amendments to the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例) that increase penalties for certain traffic contraventions. They were passed without any objections. The amendments are to raise the fine for using mobile phones, computers or other similar d
The Legislative Yuan yesterday passed a new law that lays out principles on how artificial intelligence (AI) is to be governed in Taiwan and designated the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) as the governing authority for AI.Under the Artificial Intelligence Basic Act (人工智慧基本法), the gove
US President Donald Trump on Monday said it would be “smart” for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to step down, as US naval forces pressed a blockade on the South American country’s oil wealth. However, Venezuela’s key ally Moscow expressed its “full support” for Maduro’s government, as Washingto
Thailand yesterday rejected a request by Cambodia to hold bilateral talks in a neutral country, leaving a planned meeting to negotiate an end to deadly border clashes in doubt. The nations’ long-standing border conflict reignited this month, shattering an earlier truce, killing more than 40 people a
POSITIVE FEELINGS: Eighty percent of Japanese feel a sense of closeness with Taiwan, a Japanese lawmaker said, citing a survey amid a high in Taiwan-Japan relations
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday expressed hope that Taiwan and Japan can deepen cooperation in various fields and work together to maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific region.Lai made the remarks while welcoming a delegation led by Japanese Representative Koichi Hagiuda, who is incumbent secr
HOLIDAY SAFETY: The government plans to deploy more than 17,000 police officers and civil defense personnel to bolster security ahead of the coming holidays
Authorities are considering requiring real-name registration to purchase smoke grenades following their use in an attack on the Taipei MRT on Friday last week, as well as introducing artificial intelligence (AI)-powered scanners at public transportation entrances, National Police Agency Director-Gen
The Ministry of Health and Welfare is to launch the second stage of its Long-term Care 3.0 on Thursday next week, expanding dementia services and upgrading community-based care as Taiwan transitions to a “super-aged” society.The first stage of the new policy’s rollout began on Sept. 1 when the minis
Japan yesterday took the final step to allow the world’s largest nuclear power plant to resume operations with a regional vote, a watershed moment in the country’s return to nuclear energy nearly 15 years after the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant disaster.Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, about 220km north
A car bomb killed a senior Russian general in southern Moscow yesterday morning, the latest high-profile army figure to be blown up in a blast that came just hours after Russian and Ukrainian delegates held separate talks in Miami on a plan to end the war.Kyiv has not commented on the incident, but
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