Sun, Mar 01, 2026
The US and Israel yesterday launched a wave of strikes against targets in Iran, triggering explosions in Tehran and an escalation across the region.The joint operation began with smoke seen rising over Tehran after strikes that Israel said were pre-emptive.Shortly after, US President Donald Trump to
TRUST: The KMT said it respected the US’ timing and considerations, and hoped it would continue to honor its commitments to helping Taiwan bolster its defenses and deterrence US President Donald Trump is delaying a multibillion-dollar arms sale to Taiwan to ensure his visit to Beijing is successful, a New York Times report said.The weapons sales package has stalled in the US Department of State, the report said, citing US officials it did not identify. The White House ha
One-person households accounted for more than 40 percent of all registered households for the first time last year, while three-generation family households fell below 10 percent, Ministry of the Interior data showed, suggesting that Taiwanese society appears to be growing increasingly “lonely” as t
A Hong Kong activist in exile in the US said a court ruling in Hong Kong to imprison her father for eight months has only made her more determined to fight for the territory and its people.“I think obviously the [Hong Kong] government wants to use guilt, wants to use a lot of emotions to weight me d
REACTIONS: A KMT official called on the interior minister to subject herself to oversight, while a TPP legislator said no matter where a person works, their rights should be upheld The government would take every measure to defend the rights of Taiwanese against Chinese oppression, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday, after a Hong Kong-based publication reported that a relative of Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) sends her political donations obtained
OTHER OPTIONS: Given possible US intervention and Taiwanese counterattacks, China might opt to blockade Taiwan or take its outlying islands instead of an all-out invasion A US think tank has urged Taiwan to adopt a “hellscape” strategy that would flood the Taiwan Strait with drones and other uncrewed systems to deter invasion by China.In its report, Hellscape for Taiwan, published on Thursday, the Center for a New American Security said Taipei’s asymmetric defense ap
NICARAGUAN LEADER: The foreign ministry defended Taiwan’s sovereignty and urged the president of the Central American nation to ‘stop blindly following China’ The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday issued a stern protest against Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega’s remarks about Taiwan earlier last month, calling them “derogatory” and a reflection of Ortega’s “low moral conscience.”While the statement did not publish Ortega’s full remarks nor elaborate
TWIN ‘RED’ ALERTS: The foreign ministry said it has instructed its overseas offices to maintain contact with Taiwanese in areas affected by unrest and urged vigilance The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday urged the public to avoid nonessential travel to parts of the Middle East amid escalating tensions, adding that Iran remains under its highest-level “red” travel alert.Taiwan has also issued an “red” alert for Israel, and a “red” alert for areas along the Is
The government should provide a firm timeline to transition Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei away from a location that “worships a statue of a dictator,” the Taiwan Youth Association for Transitional Justice and Kiong-seng said yesterday.The association issued the call at its Gongsheng Music
The British Office Taipei and the German Institute Taipei yesterday marked 228 Peace Memorial Day with social media posts reflecting on historical lessons and the importance of democracy.The British Office Taipei on social media drew parallels between Taiwan’s commemoration and the UK’s Remembrance
Archival materials, including a widow’s petition for her slain husband and sons, help show how the 228 Incident spread from Taipei across Taiwan, National Archives Administration researcher Hsu Feng-yuan (許峰源) said as the nation marked 228 Peace Memorial Day yesterday.Among the most compelling docum
COMING AND GOING For the ‘sandwich generation,’ caring for both their own young and their aging parents, Taipei and its mortgage rates are Taiwan’s worst Taipei tops the nation in dependent and mortgage burdens, making it the city where young and middle-aged adults face the heaviest financial and caregiving pressures in Taiwan, juggling responsibilities for both aging parents and children, government statistics show. Taiwan has become a super-aged so
FERTILE SOIL The conditions in Taiwan are good for those looking to start business, with a strong culture and forward-looking thinking Taiwan is ranked second in the latest Global Entrepreneurship Monitor’s (GEM) National Entrepreneurial Context Index (NECI), which assesses the startup business environment in different countries.In its 2025-2026 global report released on Friday, the GEM, which collects data directly from entreprene
The Taiwan International Orchid Show has opened with more than 1,000 award-winning orchid plants presented, featuring a 65m high projection screen for interactive display.Held at the Ministry of Agriculture’s Floral Industry Innovation Park in Tainan and set to run through Mar. 16, the show is divid
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications is rolling out multilingual signage across the nation’s transport hubs in three phases to make travel more tourist-friendly, with signs featuring Mandarin, English, Japanese and Korean. Updates have already been made around Taipei Main Station, inclu
Like so many sectors of the economy, the news industry is hurtling toward a future where artificial intelligence (AI) plays a major role — grappling with questions about how much the technology is used, what consumers should be told about it, whether anything can be done for the journalists who woul
Zimbabwe’s ban on raw lithium exports is forcing Chinese miners to rethink their strategy, speeding up plans to process the metal locally instead of shipping it to China’s vast rechargeable battery industry. The country is Africa’s largest lithium producer and has one of the world’s largest reserves
Formula One is well anchored in the US with its American owners and three Grand Prix races, but the sport hopes to push its growing popularity further with the help of Netflix and Apple. The Netflix documentary F1: Drive to Survive, which began its eighth season on Friday, has already taken motor sp
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) said on Monday that it would be announcing its mayoral nominees for New Taipei City, Yilan County and Chiayi City on March 11, after which it would begin talks with the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) to field joint opposition candidates.The KMT would likely support D
Former legislator-at-large Kolas Yotaka has spoken out on numerous occasions about Taiwan’s electoral system for indigenous candidates and constituents. Despite living in Taipei’s Daan District (大安), she is not eligible to stand as a general legislative candidate in her area due to her indigenous st
In her article in Foreign Affairs, “A Perfect Storm for Taiwan in 2026?,” Yun Sun (孫韻), director of the China program at the Stimson Center in Washington, said that the US has grown indifferent to Taiwan, contending that, since it has long been the fear of US intervention — and the Chinese People’s
BAD FORM: Aston Villa are six points clear of fifth-placed Chelsea and sixth-placed Liverpool, but have won just twice in their last eight league matches Wolverhampton Wanderers on Friday won for just the second time in the English Premier League this season as Joao Gomes inspired a shock 2-0 victory against Aston Villa. Joao Gomes grabbed his first league goal this season in the second half before Rodrigo Gomes finished off lackluster Villa at rain-
Lionel Messi was knocked to the ground as fans invaded the pitch during chaotic scenes at a match in Puerto Rico on Thursday. Messi was playing for Inter Miami in a friendly against Ecuador’s Independiente del Valle when supporters raced onto the field in the game’s 88th minute. While one fan demand
Outfielder Stuart Fairchild on Friday joined Taiwan’s national baseball team at the Taipei Dome to begin preparing for the World Baseball Classic (WBC) and delivered some hard-hit balls in batting practice despite potential jet lag. Fairchild, whose mother is Taiwanese, is on Taiwan’s 30-man roster
Taiwan’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) team yesterday set out for friendly games in Miyazaki, Japan, before heading to Tokyo for the WBC pool stage. Led by 2024 World Baseball Softball Confederation Premier12 Most Valuable Player Chen Chieh-hsien, nicknamed “Captain Taiwan,” the team are to play at M
MONEY GRAB: People were rushing to collect bills scattered on the ground after the plane transporting money crashed, which an official said hindered rescue efforts A cargo plane carrying money on Friday crashed near Bolivia’s capital, damaging about a dozen vehicles on highway, scattering bills on the ground and leaving at least 15 people dead and others injured, an official said.Bolivian Minister of Defense Marcelo Salinas said the Hercules C-130 plane was tr
POSITIVE STEP: The NGOs welcomed the ruling, but said details regarding getting supplies and foreign staff inside, as well as the effect on operations, remained unclear Israel’s Supreme Court in a ruling published on Friday said it would freeze a government ban on 37 foreign non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working in Gaza and the occupied West Bank pending a final decision.“Without taking any position, a temporary interim order is hereby issued,” the court sa
The Argentine Congress on Friday adopted Argentine President Javier Milei’s flagship labor reform, handing victory to the libertarian leader in his push to boost hiring by loosening rules on working hours, dismissals and overtime.The so-called “labor modernization law” allows working days of up to 1
March 2 to March 8Gunfire rang out along the shore of the frontline island of Lieyu (烈嶼) on a foggy afternoon on March 7, 1987. By the time it was over, about 20 unarmed Vietnamese refugees — men, women, elderly and children — were dead. They were hastily buried, followed by decades of silence.
Since its formation almost 15 years ago, Kaohsiung rock band Elephant Gym (大象體操) has shattered every assumption about contemporary popular music, and their story is now on screen in a documentary titled More Real Than Dreams.It’s an unlikely success story that says a lot about young people in Taiwan
Before the last section of the round-the-island railway was electrified, one old blue train still chugged back and forth between Pingtung County’s Fangliao (枋寮) and Taitung (台東) stations once a day. It was so slow, was so hot (it had no air conditioning) and covered such a short distance, that the l
★ 本文由生成式 AI 協作，本刊編輯編修。Continued from yesterday（延續自昨日）https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/langKaohsiung’s deep connection with the sea continues to thrive, with Kaohsiung Harbor remaining a crucial hub for global shipping. In addition to the port, the city has emerged as a major player in another world-
★ 本文由生成式 AI 協作，本刊編輯編修。For tourists looking for a scenic way to spend an afternoon in Kaohsiung, heading to the British Consular Residence of Takao is the perfect choice. Its elevated position allows one to take in the bustling Kaohsiung Harbor to the east and the dazzling sunset over Sizihwan Bay to
A: Harvard professor Robert Waldinger’s “7-day Happiness Challenge” includes: Day 1: Take stock of your relationships; Day 2: The secret power of an 8-minute phone call; Day 3: Small talk with strangers has big benefits.B: That’s not too hard. What’s next?A: Day 4: Why you should write a “living
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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