Fri, Apr 10, 2026
‘SEA FOR FISH’: As Cheng touted peace, the Ministry of National Defense reported that six Chinese aircraft and eight naval vessels were operating around Taiwan Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday emphasized peace as the foundation for cross-strait prosperity during her visit to Shanghai, saying it was the “greatest gift” she hoped to take back to Taiwan, even as China announced military drills in the Yellow Sea.Speaking
This year’s Taiwan Athletics Open, which typically draws top international athletes, has been canceled ahead of its June schedule, as funding for the Ministry of Sports has not yet cleared the legislature, the organizing body said on Wednesday.All registration fees would be fully reimbursed, the Chi
A tentative ceasefire in the Iran war yesterday staggered under the weight of Israel’s intense bombardment of Beirut, Tehran’s continued chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz and uncertainty over whether negotiators can find common ground on a range of other differences.Hours after the ceasefire was ann
The Philippines yesterday unveiled a major coast guard base on an island in the South China Sea to serve as a “steadfast sentinel of our sovereignty” in a disputed region closely guarded by China’s forces.Chinese officials did not immediately react to the Philippines’ opening of its coast guard dist
AIR ALERT: China’s reservation of airspace over the Yellow Sea and East China Sea could be an attempt to test the US’ response ahead of a Trump-Xi meeting, the NSB head said China’s attempts to infiltrate Taiwan are systematic, planned and targeted, with activity shifting from recruiting mid-level military officers to rank-and-file enlisted personnel, National Security Bureau (NSB) Director-General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥) said yesterday.The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) i
DIFFERENCES: Pakistan, which helped mediate the deal, said it includes fighting in Lebanon, but Israel said it did not, launching a series of strikes on Beirut yesterday Iran, the US and Israel late on Tuesday agreed to a two-week ceasefire, an 11th-hour deal that headed off US President Donald Trump’s threat to unleash a bombing campaign that would destroy Iranian civilization, but yesterday, hours after the announcement, Iran and Gulf Arab countries reported new a
BREACH OF CONTRACT: The bus operators would seek compensation and have demanded that the manufacturer replace the chips with ones that meet regulations Two bus operators found to be using buses with China-made chips are to demand that the original manufacturers replace the systems and provide compensation for breach of contract, the Veterans Affairs Council said yesterday.Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Michelle Lin (林楚茵) yesterday said tha
The National Immigration Agency has banned two Chinese from returning to Taiwan, after they published social media content it described as disrespectful to national sovereignty.The agency imposed a two-month ban on a Chinese man surnamed Liang (梁) and a permanent ban on a woman surnamed Yang (楊), an
The nation’s domestically developed subsonic anti-ship cruise missile system is expected to enter initial capability assessment later this year, a source said yesterday.The prototype missile system is designed primarily to be launched by vehicles to attack ships at a range of 900km to 1,000km, a sou
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers yesterday boycotted cross-caucus negotiations on the special defense budget, instead submitting a supplementary resolution that demands all US arms sales undergo separate legislative reviews — a move Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators criticized
The Executive Yuan yesterday unveiled two amendments to laws governing recycling to accomplish circular economy benchmarks as part of Taiwan’s policy to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. The government has prepared amendments to the Waste Disposal Act (廢棄物清理法) and the Resource Recycling Act
Eight opposition-nominated members of the Public Television Service (PTS) board review committee resigned yesterday, escalating a dispute over nomination procedures and political norms ahead of a scheduled review meeting on Thursday next week.In a joint open letter addressed to Legislative Speaker H
PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH: US Senator Jim Banks told William Lai the legislature should pass the special defense budget to send a signal to China and the world Canadian Senate Opposition Leader Leo Housakos is visiting Taiwan at the head of a delegation to deepen bilateral ties and enhance cooperation on foreign information manipulation and interference, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.During a luncheon with Deputy Minister of Foreign Affair
COLLABORATION: The forestry agency and the Saisiyat developed tourism and under-forest economies, with the latter applying their traditional knowledge to reforestation The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) yesterday presented Saisiyat Cooperative a membership certificate during a ceremony at the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency, marking the organization’s acceptance into the council.The Miaoli County-based organization is the first Taiwanese member of the co
The government has budgeted NT$11.5 million (US$362,228) to improve wind noise on the Danjiang Bridge (淡江大橋), which connects New Taipei City’s Tamsui (淡水) and Bali (八里) districts, ahead of its official opening next month, the Highway Bureau said yesterday.The bureau said it had received multiple com
UNCERTAINTY CONTINUES: After a brief rally in global stocks, investor sentiment turned skeptical over the ceasefire between the US and Iran following Israeli strikes on Lebanon Oil rose again and world shares were mostly down Thursday due to skepticism over a fragile ceasefire between the US and Iran.Investors were closely watching whether a two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran was already slipping after a round of intense Israeli strikes on Lebanon which killed and
LED chipmaker Ennostar Inc (富采集團) expects to ship its first pluggable optical modules used in artificial intelligence (AI) server racks as soon as next year to meet customer demand, a company executive said yesterday.Cloud service providers have increasingly adopted micro LED-based pluggable optical
SAFE PASSAGE: Ship owners are preparing for an opportunity to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, but a fragile ceasefire threatens to close the window Two fully laden Chinese oil tankers are waiting near the Strait of Hormuz, putting them in a position to become the first such vessels to leave the Persian Gulf under a days-old US-Iran ceasefire, even as ship owners scrutinize the status of the narrow waterway.The Cospearl Lake, a very-large crude
On Monday, the day before Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) departed on her visit to China, the party released a promotional video titled “Only with peace can we ‘lie flat’” to highlight its desire to have peace across the Taiwan Strait.However, its use of the expression
Taiwan has witnessed a stark and highly controversial shift. On one hand, Ocean Affairs Council (OAC) Minister Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) on Monday publicly revealed the locations of eight Chinese naval ships and coast guard vessels operating around Taiwan, making it clear to the public that the Taiwan Stra
In a society that prides itself on the rule of law, the presence of avenues for legally evading responsibility is more dangerous than the act of breaking the law itself. Under the People with Disabilities Rights Protection Act (身心障礙者權益保障法), government agencies and companies of a certain size have a
WINNING BENEFITS: Oklahoma City claimed the spot for the third year running and with the best overall record, they have home-court advantage in the playoffs The Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday secured the Western Conference top seed and best record in the NBA with a 128-110 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.Center Chet Holmgren poured in 30 points and pulled down 14 rebounds, while NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 20 p
Ousmane Dembele had an off night on Wednesday, but Khvicha Kvaratskhelia added another solo goal to his collection as Paris Saint-Germain beat Liverpool 2-0 in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final.The Georgia star cut in from the left flank midway through the second half and, w
Atletico Madrid on Wednesday scored twice after Barcelona were reduced to 10 men to earn a valuable 2-0 road win and take the advantage in their UEFA Champions League quarter-final.A superb free-kick by Julian Alvarez and a goal by Alexander Sorloth gave Diego Simeone his first win at the Camp Nou s
Japan is fighting back against online abuse of athletes and sports authorities have a warning for trolls planning to target competitors at this year’s Asian Games: You are being watched.Online abuse is felt by athletes all over the world, affecting their performances and mental health, leaving them
‘COLLAPSE OF PROTECTION’: More than 320 aid workers were killed in 21 countries last year, while 383 were killed distributing food and medicine in 2024, a UN official said More than 1,000 humanitarian workers have been killed across the globe in the past three years, nearly triple the death count in the previous three years, the UN said on Wednesday.“This is not an accidental escalation — it is the collapse of protection,” UN Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Af
In the cramped backroom of a theater, Vicki Taylor glued together tiny figurines that peered over electrical boxes, canoed down drainage pipes, and hid in nooks and crannies waiting to be found by someone curious enough to get on their hands and knees to search.Taylor and her husband, Rick Taylor, o
Argentine lawmakers yesterday approved a bill promoted by Argentine President Javier Milei that authorizes mining in ecologically sensitive areas of glaciers and permafrost, a step environmentalists and scientists have said would weaken protections and threaten water resources.The amendment to the s
The town of Jhihben (知本) in Taitung County is most well-known for its hot springs, but if you’re looking for an interesting nearby daytime excursion to complement an evening soak at your hotel, don’t miss the Jhihben National Forest Recreation Area (知本國家森林遊樂區).From the resort area, simply take Bus 8
On July 8, 1989, a young music fan named Aadam Jacobs, with a compact Sony cassette recorder in his pocket, went to see an up-and-coming rock band from Washington for their debut show in Chicago.After a blast of guitar feedback, 20-year-old Kurt Cobain politely announced to the crowd at the small cl
The new film by Japanese director Genki Kawamura is both devilishly simple and metaphorically rich Hallways, generally speaking, are not places you want to be in the movies. You can be just strolling down one when, all of a sudden, elevator doors open up and a river of blood comes flowing out.They are often corridors of violence — the site of the hammer rampage of Oldboy or the rotating fisticuff
A: Several Japanese and South Korean acts, such as BigBang, are participating in this year’s Coachella Music Festival. Have any Mando-pop singers ever performed at Coachella?B: Yup, K-pop group GOT7’s Hong Kong member Jackson Wang, and Taiwanese band Sunset Rollercoaster, which primarily performs
A: Isn’t the 2026 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival — a massive music event held every April — about to open in California?B: Yeah the festival is set to take place over two weekends, from April 10 to 12 and 17 to 19, US time.A: I heard this year’s main stage headliners include Sabrina Car
You might think knitting is only for grandmas, but surprisingly, many young people are embracing so-called “grandma hobbies.” On social media platforms, activities such as home cooking, embroidery and gardening are becoming popular among teenagers and young adults who are drawn to their relaxing and
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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