Sat, Jun 06, 2026
The Legislative Yuan yesterday passed a resolution unanimously condemning Beijing’s heavy-handed efforts to obstruct President William Lai’s (賴清德) planned visit to Eswatini in late April.The Democratic Progressive Party introduced the resolution after the Presidential Office canceled Lai’s planned v
HSUN HU V 3501: The China Coast Guard’s harassment of restricted Pratas is aimed at creating an illusion that China has jurisdiction over the waters, the CGA said The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) and the China Coast Guard yesterday engaged in a standoff in waters near the strategically important Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島), the second such confrontation in two weeks.The disputed Pratas Islands, more than 400km from Taiwan proper in the South Ch
Experts in Russia yesterday called an open letter penned by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to Russian President Vladimir Putin a public relations stunt, while on Thursday Putin said that Russia would boost its air defenses to counter Ukrainian drone attacks, which have reached deep inside h
Japan needs to replace up to 14 aging nuclear reactors by the 2050s, the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said yesterday as Tokyo turns back toward atomic energy more than 15 years after the Fukushima Dai-ichi meltdown.The proposal comes as Japan rushes to secure enough power generat
INVESTING IN THE YOUTH: The president also announced policies that aim to aid the next generation, such as better childcare support, subsidies and new education initiatives President William Lai (賴清德) on the 37th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre yesterday wrote on social media that he hoped China could face the incident, acknowledge the truth and work to heal the wounds it left behind.A country’s might is not decided by its size or its military strength, bu
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said it “strongly condemns” China’s decision to impose a travel ban on a group of New Zealand lawmakers after they visited Taipei last month. Beijing earlier yesterday said it barred a group of New Zealand lawmakers from entering China after they visited off
UPGRADE: The Kang Ding-class frigate is replacing its Chaparall missiles with Tien Chien II and Hua Yang VLS, which would provide it with long-range, 360° air defense Taiwan plans to produce 1,200 to 1,376 Hai Chien II missiles (海劍二, Sea Sword II) — also known as TC-2N — to serve as the standard air defense system of the navy’s surface combatant fleet, a source said yesterday.Last week, the Hai Chien II, the naval version of the Tien Kung II missile (天劍二, Sky Swo
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) yesterday shot down a draft “special act for the establishment of the uncrewed vehicle industry” proposed by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chung Chia-pin (鍾佳濱).The project would have allotted NT$550 billion (US$17.47
NO IMPACT: The two countries confirmed that any deal between them would not affect Taiwan’s rights nor their fishing agreements, MOFA said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday demanded a cross-ministry meeting to protect Taiwanese fishing rights, urging direct communication with Japan and the Philippines over talks regarding their exclusive economic zones (EEZ). Japan and the Philippines last month said they would begin
A US congressional commission report released on Thursday said the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has been incorporating lawfare into its broader strategy toward Taiwan, citing its investigation of Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋) last year as a notable example.The Congressi
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday highlighted Taiwan’s cooperation with its Pacific allies and their shared democratic values, saying the Pacific Ocean has long served as a bridge connecting the nations.At the Pacific Cultural Gala in Taipei jointly organized by the Pacific Taiwan Ambassador
Traffic controls have been in place around Taipei’s Ketagalan Boulevard from last night to accommodate the second annual “Taiwan Let’s Play Day,” which is today to transform the area in front of the Presidential Office Building into a large outdoor playground for children.Ketagalan Boulevard between
COMMITMENT: As an APEC member state, Taiwan pledged to increase domestic forest cover, and approval of a project in Kaohsiung would break that pledge, groups said Taiwan should not go back on its commitment to the APEC target of increasing regional forest cover by destroying forests around Kaohsiung’s Ciaotou Sugar Refinery (橋頭糖廠), environmental groups said on World Environment Day yesterday.APEC in 2007 set the target of increasing forest cover in the Asia-P
ANGUISH: Chang, who has been handed three death sentences, maintains his innocence, a stance that has been painful for the victims’ families, their lawyer said Lay judges yesterday found 73-year-old Chang Chieh-tsung (張介宗) guilty of murdering three people, handing him a verdict of three death sentences and disenfranchising him for life.The court proceedings, conducted at the Kaohsiung District Court, started on April 26 and concluded yesterday.Chang was ac
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said that rainfall is expected to ease across most of Taiwan today, although localized heavy rain is still forecast in western parts of the country.Yesterday evening, the agency issued heavy rain and extremely heavy rain advisories for eight areas a
FUEL-DRIVEN: Last month’s 2.2% growth breached the bank’s 2% alert level, with communications and transportation prices rising 4% due to higher crude oil costs Consumer price index (CPI) growth last month topped a 2 percent alert level set by the central bank largely due to a spike in crude oil prices amid military conflicts in the Middle East, the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) said yesterday.Data compiled by the DGBAS sh
BRIGHT PROSPECTS: The company expects second-quarter performance to beat its forecast, but global political and economic factors bear watching Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密) yesterday reported a 39.57 percent annual increase in revenue last month to a record NT$859.4 billion (US$27.3 billion), driven by strong growth in its cloud and networking business.On a sequential basis, revenue grew 3.28 percent from NT$832.1 billion in April,
Nvidia Corp CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) yesterday said that his company has arranged to boost capacity in the second half of this year to next year to meet robust demand.Before boarding his private jet at the Songshan Airport in Taipei to wrap up a 14-day trip to Taiwan, Huang told reporters that Nvidia
The government’s efforts to tackle the nation’s declining birthrate have seen a small victory, as just over half of the applications for flexible parental leave last month were submitted by men. Implemented on Jan. 1 as part of the “child-friendly workplace” policy, the flexible parental leave progr
In the past few years, the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) short-form video platforms and social media apps have become increasingly popular in Taiwan, to the point where even everyday vocabulary is gradually being assimilated. If Taiwanese fail to remain vigilant in the face of this subtle cultural
The bringing forward of new mandates for nurse-to-patient ratios to be enacted in May next year should represent a turning point for the chronically overstretched profession. However, not long after the legislation’s fast-tracking was announced, a number of leading medical centers began floating the
MAKING HISTORY: The Polish qualifier is to face Mirra Andreeva, who raced into her first Grand Slam final as she beat an erratic Marta Kostyuk 6-1, 6-3 Maja Chwalinska on Thursday made history as the world No. 114 became the first qualifier in the professional era to reach the French Open final, where she is to take on Mirra Andreeva.The Pole downed Diana Shnaider 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 in the last four to join Russian 19-year-old Andreeva, a straight-sets
Seth Jarvis on Thursday scored the overtime game-winner as the Carolina Hurricanes rallied for a thrilling 4-3 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights to level the Stanley Cup Final.Jarvis scored on the power play at 3 minutes, 56 seconds of overtime, firing a one-timer past Golden Knights goaltender
Ketel Marte on Thursday hit a homer with one out in the ninth inning after Taiwanese-American outfielder Corbin Carroll homered in a two-run eighth as the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2 in Phoenix to gain a split of a four-game series.Marte hit the first pitch he saw from Tann
Liverpool on Thursday named Andoni Iraola as their new head coach after sacking Arne Slot following a calamitous English Premier League title defense.Iraola quickly emerged as Liverpool’s top target to replace Slot, whose two-year reign came to a shock end when he was dismissed on Saturday last week
‘HEAVY GUNFIRE’: Opposition leaders including a former prime minister accused security forces of attacking residences linked to them twice in less than 24 hours Somalia’s opposition supporters and security forces clashed in the capital, Mogadishu, on Thursday for a second day ahead of a planned demonstration against the government.No official casualty figures were immediately available from the clashes that prompted calls for restraint from the UN and the U
‘ABSURD MISTAKE’: The election commission said that there had been a failure to anticipate turnout after 14 polling stations ran short of ballot papers South Korean riot police yesterday cleared protesters from a Seoul polling station after a 35-hour blockade sparked by a shortage of ballot papers during local elections earlier this week.Wednesday’s election was the first nationwide vote since South Korean President Lee Jae-myung took office follow
A Sherpa guide was found crawling to base camp on Mount Everest a week after he went missing and was reunited with his family, who had given up hope he would return.Dawa Sherpa was last seen on Friday last week descending the mountain, but he did not reach base camp even though his client did.The pa
With weighty, anxiety-inducing geopolitical topics dominating the headlines, checking in on the wild and weird state of local politics can take some of the edge off. This November’s elections will determine who will be in charge of fixing potholes in your neighborhood, not the potholes in Taiwan’s c
Raw, bleak and at times difficult to watch, That Burning House (失樂園) does not shy away from depicting child sexual and physical abuse within children care homes. The movie is structured in three parts. “Stuffed Toy” depicts a severely bullied and abused boy (Hung Chun-hao, 洪君昊) living in a group ho
Democracy came to the cradle of Voodoo religion in 1991, when Benin’s military dictator of many years surprisingly lost an election that he had organized.Mathieu Kerekou had amassed power partly by banning the practice of so-called sorcerers, whose authority he deemed subversive to his own. Voodoois
Vincenzo Peruggia looked like any other handyman at the Louvre on a Monday morning in 1911, when the museum was closed to the public for maintenance. In a white worker’s blouse, he entered the museum without drawing attention, took the Mona Lisa off the wall, and walked out into the streets of Paris
A: While AI is reshaping the world, “Money Talks News” revealed seven career fields that are “AI-proof.” First is the healthcare field, like nursing jobs, personal care aides, and social work specialists. B: This type of job is indeed in high demand. So what’s next? A: Up next are skill-based po
A: Over 130,000 college graduates are about to enter the workforce upon graduation.B: According to a survey, the top 10 most desired careers among Taiwanese are: independent content creator, civil servant, information engineer, financial professional, medical worker, content planner, flight attend
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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