Mon, Apr 20, 2026
A scheme to develop urban forests is coming, with the goal of allowing people to walk under seamless shade from MRT stations to their workplace, Minister of Environment Peng Chi-ming (彭啟明) said yesterday.The Ministry of Environment yesterday held a weekend market at Taipei’s Daan Forest Park (大安森林公園
PROJECTIONS: It expects the economy to grow by 4 percent next year, if AI demand moderates, and headline inflation to edge up by 1.8 percent this year The Asian Development Bank (ADB) projected Taiwan’s economy would grow 7.6 percent this year, as surging demand for advanced semiconductors underpins the nation’s technology exports and investments despite higher energy prices amid the Middle East conflict. The figure was up 3.6 percentage points fr
US President Donald Trump said that US negotiators would be in Pakistan today for talks with Iran, but did not detail which officials would be sent to the second round of in-person talks.Trump in a post on social media said Iran violated the ceasefire agreement by firing bullets on Saturday in the S
North Korea yesterday test-fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles, South Korea’s military said, the latest in a recent flurry of launches by the nuclear-armed state.The launches add to a series of weapons tests Pyongyang has carried out in recent weeks, including ballistic missiles, anti-wars
RISKY BUSINESS: The ‘incentives’ include initiatives that get suspended for no reason, creating uncertainty and resulting in considerable losses for Taiwanese, the MAC said China’s “incentives” failed to sway sentiment in Taiwan, as willingness to work in China hit a record low of 1.6 percent, a Ministry of Labor survey showed.The Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) also reported that the number of Taiwanese workers in China has nearly halv
Japan’s rare two-pronged deployment near Taiwan during its first-ever participation in Philippine drills as an “operational combat unit” underscores a shift in first island chain posture and reflects Tokyo’s efforts to play a more central role in regional alliances, analysts said.Japanese destroyer
‘SAME OLD TRICK’: Even if Beijing resumes individual travel to Taiwan, it would only benefit Chinese tourism companies, the Economic Democracy Union convener said China’s 10 new “incentives” are “sugar-coated poison,” an official said yesterday, adding that Taiwanese businesses see them clearly for what they are, but that Beijing would inevitably find some local collaborators to try to drums up support.The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, made th
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday attended a memorial concert in Kaohsiung for democracy activists Yu Teng-fa (余登發) and Yu Chen Yueh-ying (余陳月瑛), where he spoke about Taiwan’s democracy.Taiwan’s transition from authoritarian rule to democracy was hard-won and the sacrifices of democracy activist
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) heavyweight and former Broadcasting Corp of China chairman Jaw Shaw-kong (趙少康) yesterday said he supports an NT$810 billion (US$25.64 billion) special defense budget, but proposed first approving NT$350 billion tied to existing US arms sale offers and freezing the rem
Taiwanese officials and experts last week at a forum in Stockholm discussed joint measures to bolster national resilience in confronting the threat of authoritarian expansionism with their Scandinavian and Baltic counterparts.The Taiwan-Nordic Forum on Wednesday last week focused on securing vital u
A Chinese spouse who is set to begin working at the National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA) cannot be in a position involving national security or classified information, a national security official said yesterday.The official, who declined to be named, made the remarks after the NHIA consu
ANOTHER OPTION: The 13-year-old, whose residency status was revoked for holding a Chinese passport, could still apply for residency on humanitarian grounds, the government said The Executive Yuan has rejected an appeal from a 13-year-old Chinese student surnamed Lu (陸), whose permanent residency was revoked after immigration officers discovered he held a Chinese passport.Lu in December 2023 applied to settle in Taiwan to be with his mother, surnamed Lin (林), who is a Taiwa
Taiwan’s naval goodwill fleet last week concluded port calls in Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and is now headed toward Belize, Taiwanese embassies in the region said.The fleet, officially designated as the 2026 Midshipmen and Cruising Training Squadron (MCTS), first arrived in Sa
EVASIVE METHODS: People prone to driving under the influence of alcohol are increasingly choosing slower methods of transport to avoid detection, the ministry said The National Police Agency (NPA) has urged the Ministry of Transportation and Communications to amend regulations in response to a surge in incidents involving cyclists riding under the influence of alcohol.Statistics from the NPA showed that 56,303 drunk driving cases were recorded last year, up 1.
TROUBLEMAKERS CONDEMNED: People should respect police efforts to maintain order during the pilgrimage, a temple official said after three officers were injured Three police officers were injured and two suspects were arrested after several clashes broke out in Changhua City as the annual Dajia Matzu pilgrimage passed through late on Saturday, the Changhua County Police Department said.At about 10:50pm, a dispute which erupted between members of a group wel
JET JUICE: The war on Iran’s secondary effects have seen fuel prices skyrocket, knocking flight schedules down to earth in return as airlines struggle with costs Airline passengers should brace for more irritation in the next few months as carriers worldwide cancel flights and ground planes to cope with stratospheric increases in jet-fuel prices.Dutch flag carrier KLM is the latest company to cut its schedule, saying on Thursday that it would scrap 80 return
EATING THE COST: CPC and Formosa Petrochemical are eating the costs of the sky-high fuel prices for now to keep inflation low as the effects of the war on Iran persist CPC Corp, Taiwan (台灣中油) on Saturday said its gasoline and diesel prices would remain unchanged this week to stabilize domestic consumer prices, while Formosa Petrochemical Corp (台塑石化) said yesterday that it would follow suit.It is the third consecutive week that CPC and Formosa have maintained domes
FORESEEABLE CONSEQUENCES: New technology always comes with new innovations by the iniquitous in exploiting users for financial gain or more nefarious ends Artificial intelligence (AI) “agents” say they can save users time and energy by automating tasks, but the growing power of systems such as OpenClaw is putting cybersecurity experts on edge.Powered by a wave of hype, OpenClaw today says it has more than three million users worldwide.The system allow
A cross-caucus negotiation at the Legislative Yuan on Wednesday last week reached a consensus that the legislature would invite Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) to report on this year’s general budget and refer it to committees for review tomorrow. If tomorrow’s meeting proceeds smoothly, it could end the
Following Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun’s (鄭麗文) visit to China last week, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has once again resorted to its old tactics, offering to purchase Taiwanese agricultural products as a condition in exchange for support for unification. I strongly di
In the face of China’s daily escalating military pressure, “gray zone” threats, cognitive warfare and economic coercion, it is no longer enough for the nations along the First Island Chain to individually defend themselves and respond. The First Island Chain is no longer just a line on a map. It has
BRUISING BATTLE: All five Lakers starters scored in double figures, with Luke Kennard leading the way with 27 points on nine-of-13 shooting, including five three-point shots LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday eased past the Houston Rockets 107-98 as the Denver Nuggets held off Minnesota in a bruising battle to open the NBA playoffs. The Nuggets, fueled by Nikola Jokic’s 25-point triple-double and 30 points from Jamal Murray beat the Timberwolves 116-105
Matheus Cunha on Saturday fired Manchester United toward the UEFA Champions League with a 1-0 win at Chelsea, while Tottenham Hotspur remain in the relegation zone after twice blowing the lead to draw with Brighton & Hove Albion. Chelsea failed to take advantage of a United defense ravaged by injury
Yesterday, voters in Germany’s Rhine-Ruhr region were to be the latest to have their say on a possible bid to host the Summer Olympics in 2036, 2040 or 2044. About 4 million voters in the former German industrial heartland were expected to cast their ballots, six months after a similar initiative wa
Taiwan’s Lee Hao-yu on Friday went 0-for-3 in his MLB debut for the Detroit Tigers against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, becoming the 19th Taiwan-born player to reach the big leagues. The Tigers ultimately lost 1-0 in 10 innings, ending their six-game winning streak. The 23-year-old started at
CHANGE WANTED: Voter turnout was expected to be high, with the party Progressive Bulgaria, which has positioned itself as an alternative to ‘old-style’ parties, poised to win Bulgarians yesterday voted in the country’s eighth election in five years, with former Bulgarian president Rumen Radev’s grouping tipped to win on a pledge to fight corruption, after an anti-graft movement triggered a long political crisis.Bulgaria has been through a spate of governments since 2021,
TRAGEDY STRIKES: Authorities do not yet have a motive for the violence, which has been described as an act of terrorism, one unheard of since the 2022 invasion began A gunman wielding an automatic weapon on Saturday killed six people and barricaded himself inside a supermarket with hostages in Kyiv before he was shot and killed by police, authorities said.At least 14 people were wounded and taken to the hospital.The 58-year-old attacker was not named by police,
A humanoid robot that won a half-marathon race for robots in Beijing on Sunday ran faster than the human world record in a show of China’s technological leaps.The winner from Honor, a Chinese smartphone maker, completed the 21km race in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, said a WeChat post by the Beijing Ec
In our discussions of tourism in Taiwan we often criticize the government’s addiction to promoting food and shopping, while ignoring Taiwan’s underdeveloped trekking and adventure travel opportunities. This discussion, however, is decidedly land-focused. When was the last time a port entered into it
April 20 to April 26After a hundred years, Matsu finally made it onto the boat.On April 25, 1926, vessels carrying a statue of Cheng Cheng-kung (鄭成功, also known as Koxinga) from the Kaishan Shrine (開山神社) sailed down the Tainan Canal during the inauguration ceremony of the waterway, followed by the J
The entire Li Zhenxiu (李貞秀) saga has been an ugly, complicated mess. Born in China’s Hunan Province, she moved to work in Shenzhen, where she met her future Taiwanese husband. Most accounts have her arriving in Taiwan and marrying somewhere between 1993 and 1999. She built a successful career in Tai
1. 他甚至還自認為是個了不起的領導人。ˇ He even went so far as to think himself a great leader.ˇ He even went so far as to think of himself as a great leader.χ He even went so far as to think himself as a great leader.註：認為某人或某事為何等樣人或何等樣事，可用 think＋受詞＋受詞補語，或 think of ... as ...，正句第一句比第二句普遍些。用了 of，後面用 as；沒有 of，就不可以用
For a drink that’s essentially water with bubbles, carbonated water is at the center of an unexpected debate. With a few myths bubbling up, it’s time to set the record straight on this fizzy beverage. Some people worry that carbonated water melts away tooth enamel like soda does. While it is slight
When you twist open a bottle of carbonated water, bubbles rush out with a hissing sound. This drink is simply water infused with carbon dioxide (CO2) under pressure, giving it that fizz on your tongue. But this basic description barely scratches the surface of the carbonated water family. Although
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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