Tue, Nov 11, 2025
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday issued a sea alert for Typhoon Fung-wong (鳳凰) as it threatened vessels operating in waters off the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島), the Bashi Channel and south of the Taiwan Strait.A land alert is expected to be announced some time between la
‘EXTREMELY INAPPROPRIATE’: Xue Jian’s post on X that ‘the dirty neck ... must be cut off’ was a threat against the Japanese leader, the US ambassador to Japan said Japan yesterday criticized a Chinese diplomat for “extremely inappropriate” remarks seemingly directed at Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, after she suggested that Tokyo could take military action if Beijing attacked Taiwan.Beijing defended the “personal post” made by the envoy in an escalati
‘LEAVE NO ONE BEHIND’: All international partners, including Taiwan, should have a say on climate issues, and Taipei can contribute to finding solutions, allies said Expressing their support for Taiwan at this year’s UN Climate Change Conference (COP30), five of the nation’s allies called for its acceptance into the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.COP30 commenced yesterday and runs through Friday
UN climate negotiations were yesterday expected to begin at a meeting on the edge of the Brazilian Amazon, with leaders pushing for urgency, cooperation and acceleration after more than 30 years fighting to curb global warming by drastically reducing the carbon pollution that causes it.Andre Correa
VIOLATION OF NORMS: China’s CCTV broadcast claimed that Beijing could use Interpol to issue arrest warrants, which the MAC slammed as an affront to order The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday condemned the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for attempts to intimidate Taiwanese through “transnational repression.”The council issued the remarks after state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) yesterday during a news broadcast aired a video targ
TRUSTED PARTNER: Lai expressed hope that Taipei would deepen cooperation with Europe, echoing Hsiao’s words that Taiwan was a key democratic ally Taiwan would stand with Europe and all like-minded nations to show the world its determination to safeguard democracy and freedom, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday as Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) and former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) made back-to-back visits to Europe.Hsiao made a
INCREASING DETERRENCE: The NDAA suggests Taiwan-US cooperation in arms development and production, and includes reforms to make arms sales processes faster Inviting Taiwan to the Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC) would deter China from invading the nation, US House of Representatives Armed Services Committee leader Adam Smith said on Thursday.The US House has for several years annually passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), in which i
‘BUILDING BRIDGES’: The program is to bring Nobel laureates to Taiwan to promote science and its use for common good, a head of the initiative said President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday presided over the launch of an international academic exchange initiative, expressing hope that the program would bolster Taiwan’s higher education and deepen the country’s ties with research institutions worldwide.Speaking at the launch ceremony for the Taiwan
Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim’s (蕭美琴) recent trip to Brussels and her address to the European Parliament were facilitated by the EU and the Belgian government, and were not linked to any “quid pro quo,” the organizers said on Sunday.The invitation to attend the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday criticized the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) for downplaying Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim’s (蕭美琴) historic speech at the European Parliament.“The DPP has opened up to welcome the world, while the KMT is moving to embrace China,” DPP spokeswoman Han
The government has received complaints from Chinese spouses in Taiwan about a woman named Qian Li’s (錢麗) activities, who allegedly set up a Facebook page to advocate for China’s use of force to take over Taiwan, an official said yesterday. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Qian’
BEWARE: The FDA urged people not to buy or consume eggs with the code ‘I47045,’ while an expert said that ingesting high levels of fipronil sulfone could be dangerous More than 150,000 eggs potentially contaminated with high levels of pesticide residue have entered the market in 10 administrative regions, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on Sunday night.The agency has issued an emergency recall of the eggs in Taoyuan, Taichung, Tainan, Kaohsiung and Ch
EMERGENCY: Surgeons removed necrotic heart ventricles and installed two assist devices, essentially achieving the effect of a functional artificial heart National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH) has performed Asia’s first surgery to remove both heart ventricles and implant two long-lasting ventricular assist devices.Chen Yih-shurng (陳益祥), head of the hospital’s organ transplant team, yesterday told a news conference that a 46-year-old man, surnamed
The nation’s population last month declined for the 22nd consecutive month, data released yesterday by the Ministry of the Interior showed.A total of 9,458 babies were born last month, 855 more than in September, but a 2,612 decrease (22 percent) from the same time last year, the data showed.Last mo
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday.After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final dig
CRESTING WAVE: Companies are still buying in, but the shivers in the market could be the first signs that the AI wave has peaked and the collapse is upon the world Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) yesterday reported a new monthly record of NT$367.47 billion (US$11.85 billion) in consolidated sales for last month thanks to global demand for artificial intelligence (AI) applications. Last month’s figure represented 16.9 percent annual growth, th
STAYING ALIVE: Median wages rose, with average wages highest in finance and insurance, and lowest in food service and support industries with part-timers The average monthly regular wage in September was NT$48,110, a 3.19 percent increase from September last year and up 0.07 percent from August, the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) said yesterday.Including overtime, bonuses and other commissions, the overall monthly wa
DEMAND COMING: Unpredictability in the market is rampant, but Macronix is adjusting sails to take advantage of the conditions, the CEO told a tech forum Macronix International Co (旺宏) yesterday said chip prices started to pick up, driven by rising demand for NOR flash memory used in high-performance data centers worldwide.The chipmaker said new data centers are based on Nvidia Corp’s advanced graphics processing units, rather than the x86 central p
Taiwan’s export momentum has been very strong this year, as robust global demand for artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing applications continued to boost outbound shipments of electronic components, information and communications technology (ICT) products, and audiovisual devi
The artificial intelligence (AI) boom, sparked by the arrival of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, took the world by storm. Within weeks, everyone was talking about it, trying it and had an opinion. It has transformed the way people live, work and think. The trend has only accelerated. The AI snowball continues to
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) recently commemorated Taiwan’s “retrocession,” and for the first time said that the nation would be “governed by patriots” after unification. The majority of Taiwanese do not understand the seriousness of what this phrase implies and reactions have been muted. Look
UNEXPECTED MOVE: ‘I have no idea what the management is thinking — at least let [Furukubo] stay in the minor league,’ the Rakuten Monkeys’ Lin Chih-ping said The Rakuten Monkeys have unexpectedly parted ways with manager Kenji Furukubo, two weeks after the team became Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) champions. The team’s general management on Sunday made the announcement of Furukubo’s departure, shortly after the Monkeys’ exhibition game agai
When Indianapolis Colts kicker Michael Badgley kicked a last-gasp field goal to send Sunday’s NFL match to overtime, the Berlin crowd understood the significance, even if many were watching live for the first time. The reaction of the 72,203-strong Berlin Olympic Stadium to its first regular season
Italian champions SSC Napoli on Sunday came unstuck at Bologna, losing 2-0 to cede the Italian Serie A summit to Inter, who downed SS Lazio by the same scoreline. AS Roma, who beat Udinese 2-0 earlier, briefly held the summit, only for Inter to dislodge them on goal difference. With the game just th
Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz were indicted on Sunday in New York on federal charges involving rigged bets on individual pitches in MLB games. The Dominican right-handers had been placed on leave by MLB since July while the league conducted an investigation into sports g
OUTRAGE: The former strongman was accused of corruption and responsibility for the killings of hundreds of thousands of political opponents during his time in office Indonesia yesterday awarded the title of national hero to late president Suharto, provoking outrage from rights groups who said the move was an attempt to whitewash decades of human rights abuses and corruption that took place during his 32 years in power.Suharto was a US ally during the Cold War wh
CATASTROPHES: More than 1.4 million people were displaced as the storm lashed the country, which is still reeling from the effects of Kalmaegi Typhoon Fung-wong yesterday blew out of the northwestern Philippines after setting off floods and landslides, knocking out power to entire provinces, killing at least four people and displacing more than 1.4 million.It was forecast to head northwest toward Taiwan.Fung-wong lashed the northern Philip
Former South Korean president Yoon Suk-yel is facing more criminal charges as prosecutors allege that he flew drones over North Korea in a deliberate bid to stoke tensions and justify his plans to declare martial law.Yoon set off the most serious political crisis in South Korea’s recent history when
Cheng Shao-shu (鄭少書) was advancing alone through a smoke-filled corridor in Miaoli, when he suddenly realized he couldn’t breathe. The firefighter tore off his mask, only for the hot air to scorch his lungs. Gasping, he snapped the mask back on and scrambled out of the inferno.Cheng says he survived
Late last month the Executive Yuan approved a proposal from the Ministry of Labor to allow the hospitality industry to recruit mid-level migrant workers. The industry, surveys said, was short 6,600 laborers. In reality, it is already heavily using illegal foreign workers — foreign wives of foreign r
Nov.10 to Nov.16As he moved a large stone that had fallen from a truck near his field, 65-year-old Lin Yuan (林淵) felt a sudden urge. He fetched his tools and began to carve.The recently retired farmer had been feeling restless after a lifetime of hard labor in Yuchi Township (魚池), Nantou County. His
With the pace of climate change speeding up, extreme weather and other impacts are taking an increasing toll on populations and environments across the globe. Here are some of the developments this year in climate science:WARMER, FASTER Global temperatures are not just climbing, they are now climbin
對話 Dialogue清清： 華華，你還記得我們認識的那位自行創業的朋友嗎？Qīngqing: Huáhua, nǐ hái jìde wǒmen rènshí de nà wèi zìxíng chuàngyè de péngyou ma?華華： 記得啊，他最近不是說資金不太夠，也還沒找到理念相同的合作夥伴嗎？Huáhua: Jìde a, tā zuìjìn bú shì shuō zījīn bú tài gòu, yě hái méi zhǎodào lǐniàn xiāngtóng de hézuò huǒbàn ma?清清： 對，他有點煩惱。我在想，要不要建議他去參加「創業嘉年華」
1. 他們搭船渡河。ˇ They crossed the river by boat.χ They crossed the river by the boat.註︰ 表示交通方式時，交通工具前不加冠詞，如 by car、by train、by bus、by plane、by ship 等。若加了冠詞，則變成特指，意思是「他們搭上了正談論的那班船」，而不是泛指搭船這種交通方式。2. 他們不再相信社會主ˇ They no longer believe in socialism.χ They no longer believe in the socialism.註︰ socialism、capita
Two moves show Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) is gunning for Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) party chair and the 2028 presidential election. Technically, these are not yet “officially” official, but by the rules of Taiwan politics, she is now on the dance floor. Earlier this month Lu confirmed in an interview in Japan’s Nikkei that she was considering running for KMT chair. This is not new news, but according to reports from her camp she previously was still considering the case for and against running. By choosing a respected, international news outlet, she declared it to the world. While the outside world likely paid little attention, domestically the message was unmistakable: She is moving on to a larger stage. Part of the dance is to leave options open before formally committing, and with the chair race due in late September, she has time. If something goes wrong in the meantime, or if power brokers in the party offer her a deal that provides more benefits than taking on the role of chair, she can pivot accordingly. Earlier this year, I suggested that strategically, she would be better off concentrating on her job as Taichung mayor until she is term-limited out of office in December next year. Taichung mayor is obviously a full-time job, and concurrently running the Taipei-headquartered party runs the risk of doing one or both jobs poorly and making mistakes that could imperil her shot at the presidency in 2028. The situation has changed. Current KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), knowing he is likely to face challengers of a higher caliber than the three relative nobodies already declared, has gone all in on appealing to the base. The base is more likely to turn out to vote in the chair election, so this makes some strategic sense in the short term.
Among Thailand’s Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) villages, a certain rivalry exists between Arunothai, the largest of these villages, and Mae Salong, which is currently the most prosperous. Historically, the rivalry stems from a split in KMT military factions in the early 1960s, which divided command and opium territories after Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) cut off open support in 1961 due to international pressure (see part two, “The KMT opium lords of the Golden Triangle,” on May 20). But today this rivalry manifests as a different kind of split, with Arunothai leading a pro-China faction and Mae Salong staunchly aligned to Taiwan. Last spring at Arunothai’s Jiaolian School, principal Wang Mingming (王明明) had forewarned me of the division between villages, saying, “We are not like the people in Mae Salong. They are rich. Because of the Taiwanese.” Arunothai has in recent years become split in its loyalties between Taiwan and China (see part one, “A tale of two schools,” on May 15), but in Mae Salong, links to Taiwan remain strong. Taiwan-funded monuments pay homage to the Lost Army, villagers wear T-shirts emblazoned with the Republic of China (ROC) flag and tea plantations grown Taiwan’s most famous tea varieties, including Dong Ding (“frozen peak”) Oolong, Oriental Beauty and Jin Xuan (Golden Daylily or Milk Oolong). Even the numerical classifications of the teas — Oolong No. 12 or No. 17, for example — are the same, and the shops resemble those found on Alishan. At the tomb of General Tuan Hsi-wen (段希文) — perched on a Mae Salong hilltop with a view of his ancestral homeland in China’s Yunnan province — a third generation villager wearing a vintage KMT army uniform, Yan Si-Chung (岩思中), greets visitors with sharp military salutes. “Both my father and my grandfather were soldiers in the KMT army,” the 44-year-old
| New Taipei City | 27-28 | 20% |  |
| Hsinchu County | 26-27 | 10% | |
| Hsinchu City | 26-27 | 10% | |
| Taipei City | 27-28 | 20% |  |
| Miaoli County | 24-26 | 10% | |
| Taoyuan City | 26-27 | 10% | |
| Keelung City | 27-28 | 20% | |
| Yunlin County | 26-27 | 10% | |
| Taichung City | 26-28 | 10% | |
| Nantou County | 25-26 | 10% | |
| Changhua County | 27-28 | 10% | |
| Chiayi County | 26-27 | 10% | |
| Chiayi City | 25-27 | 10% | |
| Tainan City | 27-28 | 10% | |
| Kaohsiung City | 27-28 | 10% | |
| Pingtung County | 26-27 | 10% | |
| Yilan County | 25-26 | 30% |  |
| Hualien County | 25-26 | 30% | |
| Taitung County | 25-27 | 30% | |
| Kinmen County | 27-28 | 10% | |
| Penghu County | 27-27 | 20% | |
| Lienchiang County | 27-28 | 20% | |
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