Sat, May 23, 2026
TABLET RATIOS: Experienced teachers will not always be available to advise aspiring teachers, but artificial intelligence programs could be a ‘better’ option, an official said The Ministry of Education yesterday launched a four-year, NT$11.76 billion (US$372.53 million) Artificial Intelligence (AI) Talent Ark Project aimed at cultivating AI literacy among students and attaining a nationwide one-to-one student-to-tablet ratio.The program is expected to drive local governme
The Supreme Court on Thursday finalized a seven-year sentence for air force captain Hsu Chan-cheng (許展誠), who was found guilty of collecting military information for China, including data on Hsiung Feng III (Brave Wind III, 雄風) anti-ship missiles.In a second-instance trial in February, the Taichung
Gang members on Thursday killed at least 25 people, including civilians and police officers, in two attacks in northern Honduras, authorities said.The deadliest attack took place at dawn in the municipality of Trujillo in Colon department, where 19 people were shot dead with long guns in an area riv
NATO allies and defense officials expressed bewilderment yesterday over US President Donald Trump’s announcement that he would send 5,000 US troops to Poland just weeks after he ordered the same number of forces pulled out of Europe.The apparent change of mind came after weeks of statements from Tru
The government is aware of reports that the White House is pausing a US$14 billion arms sale to Taiwan, but has not yet received notification regarding the US’ change of plan, Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said today.Acting US Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao today said that Washingt
DRONE CENTRAL: Taiwan aims to become Asia’s democratic hub for drones, with most exports focused on high-quality military-grade models, an official said Taiwan’s drone industry is expected to expand significantly by 2030, producing 100,000 units per month and exporting half of them, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday.Current drone production capacity is about 15,000 units per month, but the industry can quickly scale up as demand increa
FIGHTING MISINFORMATION: Product promotions should not be exaggerated, easily misunderstood or claim to have medical or healing effects, the FDA said The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) earlier this week released new compliance guidelines for food advertising, warning businesses and influencers that using images, metaphors or testimonials to imply medical benefits could breach regulations and result in fines of up to NT$5 million (US$158,388).
WORKING IN HARMONY: The designated conservation areas show that economic development and ecological conservation are not mutually exclusive, an official said The Ocean Affairs Council yesterday unveiled the first three marine areas in Taiwan that have been certified under the “other effective area-based conservation measures” (OECM), showing that economic development can coexist with ecological conservation.The three areas include the undeveloped zone of
Despite rising fuel costs, prices of package tours to Southeast Asia, Japan and South Korea this summer are expected to remain largely unchanged from last year, the Travel Quality Assurance Association said on Thursday.The association released price ranges of overseas and domestic package tours from
Taiwan Travelogue (臺灣漫遊錄), which earlier this week became the first Taiwanese novel to win the International Booker Prize, is to be adapted into a television series through a Taiwan-Japan coproduction, producer Chang Chen-yu (張辰漁) said yesterday.Chang, a producer at World Softest Production Film Co,
STRATEGIC COOPERATION: Taiwan and Europe should work together to build resilience centered on democracy, rule of law and trusted technology, the foreign minister said Calling for deeper strategic cooperation between Taiwan and Europe, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) on Thursday said that Taiwan could become a key partner in Europe’s reindustrialization and rearmament efforts amid rising geopolitical tensions and rapid advances in artificial intell
Former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday expressed “shock and regret” over a statement issued by his wife without his consent, and rejected her assertion that his eldest sister, Ma Yi-nan (馬以南), would manage his medical care or act as his spokesperson amid an ongoing embezzlement probe into his
Turkish Trade Office in Taipei Representative Fikret Turkes yesterday hosted a luncheon at his official residence in Taipei to celebrate Turkish Cuisine Week.Turkish Cuisine Week is an annual event held in May in Turkey and by its overseas missions.This year’s event, the theme of which was “The Heri
The Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Digital Affairs should tighten controls over commercial satellite maps to obscure sensitive military installations, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lin Chun-hsien (林俊憲) said yesterday, warning that the clear visibility of air bases on thes
CRITICAL: Pension reform was urgent to avoid the system going bankrupt and communication was vital in promoting marriage equality, Tsai Ing-wen said Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said that pension reform and marriage equality were the most challenging issues of her eight years in office, citing deep divisions in Taiwanese society over same-sex marriage.Pension reform was urgent at the time, as the system could have gone bankrupt within lit
DEMAND IS REAL: AMD’s CEO brushed off skepticism about the AI boom and said there are a lot of innovations and opportunities for companies in the AI ecosystem Advanced Micro Devices Inc (AMD) yesterday said it is investing US$10 billion in the Taiwanese microchip ecosystem to ensure the availability of advanced packaging technology capacity over the next three years, given rapidly growing artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure demand.In addition to a
The jobless rate dropped to 3.3 percent last month, the lowest for the month in 26 years, the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) said yesterday.The country’s unemployment rate fell 0.04 percentage points from a month earlier, ending two months of increases, data compile
Lending costs at Taiwan’s five major state-run banks rose last month, pointing to a gradual tightening in credit conditions as stronger corporate earnings and investment activity lifted demand for loans, the central bank said on Thursday.The central bank based its assessment on data from Bank of Tai
The government this week announced a broad package of family support measures as part of its wider effort to address Taiwan’s declining birth rate. During a speech marking the second anniversary of his first term in office on Wednesday, President William Lai (賴清德) unveiled a plan to provide every fa
The controversy surrounding proposed amendments to Article 26 of the Public Officials Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法) has expanded into questions over whether the legislature is adjusting candidacy eligibility ahead of political cases. The Legislative Yuan’s Internal Administration Committee is
As a young public health student in the US, reading the book The Coming Plague: Newly Emerging Diseases in a World Out of Balance by the Pulitzer Prize- winning journalist Laurie Garrett was eye-opening. One chapter described a viral outbreak among Native Americans in the southwestern US who had inh
VICTORY NEEDED: The Cavs head home knowing they face a virtual must-win in Game 3, since no team has rallied from a 3-0 deficit to win an NBA playoff series The New York Knicks on Thursday used an explosive third quarter to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 109-93 and take a 2-0 lead in the NBA Eastern Conference Finals.Josh Hart led the Knicks with a career playoff high 26 points, drilling five of New York’s 13 three-pointers.New York star Jalen Brunson, wh
The Montreal Canadiens never flinched in winning two Game 7s on the road to reach the Eastern Conference Finals. Opening on the road again was no different, even against well-rested top seeds who had yet to lose in the post-season.Montreal on Thursday pounced for four first-period goals on slow-star
Taiwanese-American outfielder Corbin Carroll on Thursday lined a run-scoring single with two outs in the ninth inning as the Arizona Diamondbacks extended their winning streak to five games with a 2-1 victory over the Colorado Rockies.Arizona’s Eduardo Rodriguez pitched seven scoreless innings after
Alec Segaert on Thursday won the 12th stage of the Giro d’Italia after a surprise late attack denied the sprinters their chance of a bunch finish, as his teammate Afonso Eulalio again stayed in the overall lead.Belgian Segaert won his first-ever stage on a Grand Tour after making a charge for the li
HITMAN PLOT: Prosecutors said that in 2021 Gabriela Gonzalez’s father sent her then-boyfriend Kai Cordrey US$10,000 as front money for the killing of Jack Avery A former girlfriend of a member of a Los Angeles-based boy band has been charged with trying to hire a hitman online to kill him as part of a custody dispute over their seven-year-old daughter, prosecutors said.Gabriela Gonzalez, a 24-year-old with a large social media following, was charged on Tues
‘TANK DAY’: Conduct that makes light of the history of the Gwangju uprising is an issue that cannot be taken lightly, the interior minister said of the marketing campaign South Korean Minister of the Interior Yun Ho-jung on Thursday said that his ministry would stop offering products from companies that “make light” of the country’s democratic history, after a public outcry over a Starbucks South Korea marketing campaign that evoked a brutal 1980 military crackdown o
It began as a satirical online project. Now millions of young people in India are flocking to it as an outlet for their frustration.A parody political party called the Cockroach Janta Party, with the insect as its symbol, has exploded across India’s social media by turning absurdist humor into prote
There is considerable frustration and confusion among many, both in Taiwan and abroad — including in Washington — as to why the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) seems so dead set on using their legislative leverage to slash defense spending and disrupt the ability of the ruling Democratic Progressive
It took 12 years and months of standing in the same mountain location for director Liang Chieh-te (梁皆得) to capture a few seconds of footage: Taiwan’s largest resident raptor locking talons with its mate and spinning through the air in a courtship ritual.With only about 1,000 left in the wild and ver
They have been our meat and our messengers, a source of fertilizer and a religious symbol: while pigeons are now mostly reviled as dirty city pests, they long played an important role in human society.Now, research published yesterday has revealed that the humble birds were first domesticated 3,500
Cities around the world are testing “robotaxis,” hoping that autonomous vehicles will ease traffic and reduce emissions. However, recent analyses suggest these expectations may be overly optimistic. According to consulting firm Kearney, robotaxis could actually make congestion worse rather than bett
A: While Taiwan is celebrating the 7th anniversary of legalizing same-sex marriage, a poll shows that the support rate for same-sex marriage rose sharply from 37.4 percent seven years ago to 69.9 percent last year.B: Actually, I’m a bit curious about the size of Taiwan’s LGBT population.A: I’m no
A: Taiwan legalized same-sex marriage on May 24, 2019, so this week marks the seventh anniversary of that milestone. By the end of 2024, a total of 32,126 LGBT couples had tied the knot.B: How many of them got married to foreign partners?A: In 2024, there were 504 cross-border same-sex marriages.
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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