A large Chinese merchant vessel equipped with weapons systems has been spotted departing port and is possibly set to conduct testing, military expert Wang Chen-ming (王臻明) said today on Facebook.The Zhongda 79 (中達79) civilian container ship has reportedly been fitted with weapons systems, including v
A NT$30 surcharge would be added to taxi fares in New Taipei City, Taipei and Keelung from Feb. 11 to 22 during the Lunar New Year holiday period, the New Taipei City Transportation Department said today.An additional NT$20 would also apply to rides taken between 11pm and 6am during the same period,
British parliamentarian Tom Tugendhat is visiting Taiwan from today to Wednesday to meet with national security agencies including the National Security Council (NSC) to exchange views on regional security in the Taiwan Strait, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.Tugendhat is to meet with NSC Secre
The Taipei City Government today announced the winner of a lucky draw for a share in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), but the winner hung up the call, thinking it was a scam.Taipei residents “have great anti-fraud awareness,” Taipei Department of Economic Development Commissioner Chen C
Chinese spouse and influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China videos that threaten national security, the National Immigration Agency confirmed today.Guan Guan has said many controversial statements in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “t
Taichung Veterans General Hospital (TVGH) yesterday suspended three doctors from performing surgeries after video footage from July 2023 surfaced allegedly showing a medical-device vendor handling part of an operation.The hospital said it would fully cooperate with investigations by prosecutors and
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) said a magnitude 4.9 earthquake that struck off the coast of eastern Taiwan yesterday was an independent event and part of a stress-adjustment process.The earthquake occurred at 4:47pm, with its epicenter at sea about 45.4km south of Yilan County Hall at a de
‘GRAY ZONE’: Oil rigs can advance a country’s territorial claim and help it establish a presence in contested spaces under the guise of commercial activity, an academic said
There are likely tactical implications when comparing the recent incursion of a Chinese military drone into the airspace of the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands (Dongsha, 東沙群島) and a report last year on China building oil rigs within Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) around that island.The Mini
The US’ Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer the USS John Finn and Pathfinder-class oceanographic survey ship USNS Mary Sears on Friday and Saturday sailed through the Taiwan Strait, the US Navy’s Seventh Fleet said.“USS John Finn and Pathfinder-class survey ship USNS Mary Sears conducted a
After a tariff agreement was reached this week addressing key economic issues, Taiwan and the US can now focus more on security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, a former White House official said on Friday.Alexander Gray, who served as deputy assistant to the president and chief of staff of t
‘DIFFICULT TO DEFEND’: From China’s point of view, the value of media workers is in their ability to shape public opinion in favor of China while appearing professional, the expert said
The detention of a reporter who allegedly bribed military officers to provide information to China suggests that Beijing’s infiltration is a long-term, structural presence in Taiwan, an academic said yesterday.Tunghai University Cross-Strait Research Center deputy executive director Hung Pu-chao (洪浦
The Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) yesterday unveiled its policy platform for the local elections.The TPP’s 80-page policy white paper is more substantive and practical than typical reports submitted by central ministries to the legislature, TPP Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) said.The party’s platform
ACCURACY BY VOLUME AI tools will help the Central Weather Administration to more accurately predict the path and intensity of typhoons during the storm season
With artificial intelligence (AI) models improving typhoon path forecasts, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) would continue cooperating with Nvidia and National Taiwan University (NTU) to use AI to more accurately predict wind and rain levels, the agency said yesterday.Errors in tracking typh
KINDNESS TO CRITTERS: The draft amendments aims to curtail free-roaming feral animals, interdict illegal breeding operations and treat strays humanely
The government will continue to promote amendments to the Animal Protection Act (動物保護法) as well as encourage “adopt, don’t shop” and “zero pet abandonment” policies, President William Lai (賴清德) said at a pet gathering yesterday.In his address at the Dogs and Cats Carnival, Lai said that the number o
ASSAULT OF A MINOR The former security employee received a prison sentence of more than 13 years for assaulting and blackmailing the victim while at work
A Kaohsiung RT-Mart security employee was sentenced to more than 13 years imprisonment for sexual assault, while the court required the parent company to financially compensate the victim.The Kaohsiung District Court convicted the RT-Mart employee, surnamed Chang (張), of sexual assault of a minor fo
A Taipei third-grader brandished a pair of scissors in class, a parent said, adding that the incident has raised concerns about campus safety and the handling of students with behavioral issues. The parent, speaking anonymously, said that when the student became upset in the classroom and began wavi
Cold weather not only increases the risk of cardiovascular incidents but also the risk of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL), also known as sudden deafness or ear stroke, a doctor warned.Wu Chen-Chi (吳振吉), attending physician in University Hospital’s Otolaryngology Department, described a cas
FIREFIGHTERSFactory offers tribute liquorThe Kinmen Ceramics Factory yesterday said that all professional firefighters, volunteer firefighters members of disaster-prevention organizations can present their ID at the store to purchase its fire hydrant-themed liquor, originally priced at NT$1,380, for
Teachers cheer on test takers outside the Affiliated High School of National Taiwan Normal University yesterday, the second day of the College Entrance Subject Tests. About 121,500 students nationwide signed up to take the university entrance exam this year, which was split into three days from Satu
RSS