Cabinet officials collectively resigned yesterday and are serving as caretakers before the country transitions to a new government, with president-elect William Lai (賴清德) to take office on Monday.Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) presided over his last Cabinet meeting yesterday morning, in which the bill
‘HONG KONGIZATION?’ NSB official Ko Cheng-heng said that Beijing’s campaign against Taiwan would spark a strong backlash from democracies around the world
Cyberattacks from China have surged to 2.5 million per day as it intensifies its “gray zone” activities ahead of president-elect William Lai’s (賴清德) inauguration on Monday next week, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said yesterday at a meeting of the legislatures’ Foreign Affairs and National Defe
About 50 foreign delegations are to attend the inauguration of president-elect William Lai (賴清德) on Monday next week, Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said on Wednesday, including leaders of allied nations and a group of former officials from the US.The number of visitors underscores the
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday framed their nations’ ties as a stabilizing force in a chaotic world as they met in Beijing.Putin was greeted by Xi at a grand welcoming ceremony outside Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, footage by state broadcaster
Slovakian politicians yesterday called for calm in the Central European country after Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot multiple times by a would-be assassin on Wednesday.Fico was in serious, but stable condition, a hospital official said, after he was hit multiple times in an attempt on hi
‘ON THE FRONT LINE’: Taiwanese are at the forefront of the fight against authoritarian expansion, facing foreign disinformation and military threats, the president-elect said
Taiwan is open to dialogue with China, president-elect William Lai (賴清德) told the Copenhagen Democracy Summit on Tuesday, just days before he is to take office.“I will not rule out dialogue with China on the principles of mutual respect, mutual benefits and dignity,” Lai said in a prerecorded video,
‘TOO LATE’: Yu Pei-chen, a Taoyuan councilor and ex-army general, said the Chinese officials were 41 years late in imposing sanctions on him, as he enlisted in 1983
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) yesterday announced sanctions against five Taiwanese politicians, pundits and public figures critical of Beijing, accusing them of spreading disinformation about China.The five are: Liu Bao-jie (劉寶傑), Lee Zheng-hao (李正皓), Wang Yi-chuan (王義川), Yu Pei-chen (于北辰), Hu
If the WHO is serious about its goal of “Health for All,” it would allow Taiwan to attend all of its meetings, Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said yesterday.Taiwan is excluded from most international organizations because of objections by China.The WHO’s director-general should take the
The US is to send a delegation of former officials to Taiwan next week for the inauguration of president-elect William Lai (賴清德), a US official said, warning China against any retaliation. The team attending the ceremony on Monday includes US President Joe Biden’s former National Economic Council di
About 100 rights advocates and fishers, along with journalists, yesterday set sail for a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, while China Coast Guard vessels began shadowing the flotilla.The Philippine Coast Guard deployed three patrol ships and a light plane to keep watch from a distance.The flot
Singapore yesterday swore in Lawrence Wong (黃循財) as the city-state’s new prime minister in a ceremony broadcast live on television after Lee Hsien Loong (李顯龍) stepped down following two decades in office.Wong, formerly deputy prime minister, was inaugurated at the Istana government office shortly af
BASIC OPERATIONS: About half a dozen navy ships from both countries took part in the days-long exercise based on the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea
An unpublicized joint military exercise between Taiwan and the US in the Pacific Ocean last month was carried out in accordance with an international code, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said yesterday.According to a Reuters report citing four unnamed sources, the two nations’ navies last mo
Uber Technologies Inc is buying Delivery Hero SE’s Foodpanda business in Taiwan for US$950 million, shoring up its control of a key Asian market as it seeks to expand in the region.Uber, whose meal delivery business outperformed globally during the first quarter, aims to complete the all-cash deal b
The Ministry of Health and Welfare yesterday released draft amendments that would legalize surrogacy, along with assisted reproduction for single women and lesbian couples.The Health Promotion Administration (HPA) said that it has set a July 13 deadline for public feedback to the proposed amendments
PROTEST: A Chinese commission condemned the UK for the ‘cooked-up charges’ and accused it of ‘vicious’ interference in Hong Kong’s affairs
The British government yesterday said it had summoned Chinese Ambassador to the UK Zheng Zeguang (鄭澤光), a day after three people were charged in the latest Beijing-linked alleged espionage case. The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office was “unequivocal in setting out that the recent pat
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday said that US military aid on its way to Ukraine would make a “real difference” on the battlefield, as the top diplomat made an unannounced visit to reassure an ally facing a fierce new Russian offensive.In increasingly intense attacks along the northeas
‘MONEY PIT’: The KMT’s more than NT$2 trillion infrastructure project proposals for eastern Taiwan lack professional input and financial transparency, the DPP said
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus yesterday said it would ask the Executive Yuan to raise a motion to oppose the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus’ infrastructure proposals and prepare to file for a constitutional interpretation if the KMT-dominated legislature forces their passage.
The International Industrial Talents Education Special (INTENSE) Program to attract foreigners to study and work in Taiwan will provide scholarships and a living allowance of up to NT$440,000 per person for two years beginning in August, Minister of Education Pan Wen-chung (潘文忠) told a meeting of th
Government measures to control air pollution have effectively lowered the density of main pollutants, with more than 90 percent of air quality observation stations reporting a gradual decline in the density of PM2.5 (particulate matter measuring 2.5 micrometers or smaller in diameter), PM10, nitroge
NO CONTEST: Gitanas Nauseda, who got 46% of the vote in the first round, said he is confident of winning and does not need a campaign strategy
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda and Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte are to face off in the second round of the Baltic state’s presidential vote on May 26 after the incumbent failed to win an overall majority in the first round on Sunday.With almost all the ballots counted in the Baltic state th