Tue, Mar 03, 2026
MIDDLE EAST IN TURMOIL: The chaos of the conflict became apparent when the US military said that Kuwait had ‘mistakenly shot down’ three US F-15E Strike Eagles Iran and allied armed groups yesterday fired missiles at Israel, Arab states and US military targets around the region, while Israel and the US pounded Iran as the war expanded to several fronts and Kuwait mistakenly shot down three US warplanes over its skies.The intensity of the attacks, the killi
The Bureau of Labor Funds yesterday reported record high monthly gains for January from funds that it manages, citing booming global financial markets.The funds’ accumulated gains, which reflect overall increases in the value of assets and investments, totaled NT$394.7 billion (US$12.56 billion) in
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lo Ting-wei (羅廷瑋) yesterday indirectly confirmed that the US had demanded the party propose a defense budget of approximately NT$900 billion (US$28.63 billion).Lo made the remarks in a radio interview when asked about the reported amount mentioned during a
The government has raised its travel warnings for several Middle Eastern countries affected by the ongoing regional conflict, following airstrikes by the US and Israel on Iran over the weekend.The travel alerts for Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar were raised l
CHAOS: Iranians took to the streets playing celebratory music after reports of Khamenei’s death on Saturday, while mourners also gathered in Tehran yesterday Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in a major attack on Iran launched by Israel and the US, throwing the future of the Islamic republic into doubt and raising the risk of regional instability. Iranian state television and the state-run IRNA news agency announced the 86-year-old
State-run CPC Corp, Taiwan (CPC, 台灣中油) yesterday said that it had confirmed on Saturday night with its liquefied natural gas (LNG) and crude oil suppliers that shipments are proceeding as scheduled and that domestic supplies remain unaffected. The CPC yesterday announced the gasoline and diesel pric
RISKS: In the past few years, foreign investors have significantly reduced or withdrawn their investments from China, Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council said The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Saturday issued its first economic risk warning for China this year, saying that Taiwanese businesses should evaluate carefully whether they conduct business there, due to economic loss and personal safety risks. The council referred to a recent case, saying tha
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday expressed hope that Taiwan and the US would deepen cooperation and become comprehensive strategic partners in driving the future of artificial intelligence (AI).Lai made the remarks when meeting with the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) delegation at the
The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) Taiwan policy is expected to become more “standardized,” an academic said yesterday. The CCP is set to convene the fourth session of the 14th National People’s Congress (NPC) on Thursday, during which it is expected to review its latest five-year plan, outlining C
The US’ joint strikes with Israel on Iran dismantled a key pillar of China’s regional strategy, removing an important piece in Beijing’s potential Taiwan Strait scenario, said Zineb Riboua, a senior researcher at the Hudson Institute’s Center for Middle East Peace and Security. In an article titled:
SHOW OF SUPPORT? The visit to Taiwan is happening as China is preparing to host this year’s APEC meetings in November in Shenzhen US Senior Official for APEC Casey Mace is visiting Taiwan from yesterday to today to support the nation’s international participation, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said. During the two-day stay, Mace, who also heads the Office of Economic Policy in the US Department of State’s Bureau of Ea
CONSIDERATIONS: The health ministry already provides subsidies for disadvantaged families, but a broader exemption could create budgetary problems, an expert said A National Health Insurance (NHI) premium exemption for children younger than six, reported to be proposed by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus, should be carefully evaluated, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday.The Chinese-language United Daily News yesterday reported that th
ILLUMINATING: The Tourism Administration is considering holding the Taiwan Lantern Festival at a fixed location in future, potentially at scenic sites run by the administration The annual Taiwan Lantern Festival is to begin tonight in Chiayi County, with an opening ceremony featuring performances by the air force, as well as Taiwanese and overseas artists.The southern county is hosting the festival for the first time since 2018. It is to run until March 15 and feature more
Environmental groups yesterday said they would file an administrative lawsuit after their appeal to revoke the approval of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in Keelung was rejected.Led by the Protect Waimushan Action Group, the groups had sought to overturn an environmental impact assessment (E
Critically endangered orchids reintroduced to the wild have achieved a more than 70 percent survival rate over the past two years, the Taiwan Biodiversity Research Institute (TBRI) said yesterday.Dendrobium linawianum — included in the institute’s Red List of Vascular Plants of Taiwan as critically
UNCERTAINTY: Share prices in most Asian markets except Shanghai fell, while oil prices surged after the US and Israel attacked Iran and killed its supreme leader Shares in Taiwan yesterday closed lower, as market sentiment was hit by war in the Middle East after the US and Israel attacked Iran over the weekend, killing Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The TAIEX ended down 319.40 points, or 0.9 percent, at 35,095.09, after foreign institutional
GROWTH DRIVER: Server demand is promising, with order visibility clear through the second half of the year, spurred by the rising adoption of AI PCs Contract electronics maker Compal Electronics Inc (仁寶) yesterday projected that PC shipments this quarter could fall 15 to 20 percent sequentially due to seasonal factors and memorychip shortages.The shortage of memory chips could persist into next year, Compal president Anthony Peter Bonadero said
Taiwan’s manufacturing sector roared ahead last month, posting its most vigorous improvement in more than four years, as buoyant global demand for semiconductors and artificial intelligence (AI) applications fueled sharp gains in output and new orders, S&P Global said in a report yesterday.The S&P G
Taiwan’s current account surplus in the fourth quarter of last year increased from US$36.02 billion a year earlier to US$69.93 billion, a record high, data released by the central bank show. The change was mainly driven by an annual increase of US$37.9 billion in the goods trade surplus to US$63.64
Lithuania, led by Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene, is considering a definitive shift in its strategy toward China. Such a change would require a significant scaling back of its relations with Taiwan.It was the Lithuanian prime minister herself who introduced this possibility. Ruginiene took office in
When the flames of war leapt from the Caribbean coast of Caracas to the Alborz Mountains overlooking Tehran, the geopolitical map began its most brutal reshuffling since the end of the Cold War.As US-Israeli forces launched a series of precision, regime-targeted strikes against Iran — openly declari
EVERY DAY A VICTORY: Players on the women’s team faced pressure from society just getting out onto the field as they prepare for their first Women’s Asian Cup game today Bangladesh’s national soccer team face daunting odds at their first-ever Women’s Asian Cup, but have already scored a major victory by qualifying.In the South Asian nation of 170 million, social stigma, family expectations, poverty and religious hardliners have long relegated women and girls to spor
From almost US$900 for the opening game to more thanUS$8,000 for the final, match tickets are hardly affordable for the World Cup, which begins in North America in 100 days. According to world soccer governing body FIFA, almost seven million tickets are available. Each person can buy a maximum of fo
Australian Grand Prix head Travis Auld anticipates no impact on the upcoming Formula One season-opener in Melbourne from the travel issues caused by the conflict in the Middle East.The US and Israeli attack on Iran was followed by retaliatory strikes across the Gulf States, throttling air traffic th
Team Taiwan’s warm-up game against a Japanese professional farm team yesterday morning was canceled due to poor weather, as the squad continued to prepare for the upcoming World Baseball Classic (WBC).Team Taiwan was scheduled to face the Orix Buffaloes’ farm team at Sokken Stadium in Miyazaki, Kyus
SUPPORTING IRAN: Protesters angered by the US and Israeli strikes on Iran tried to storm a US consulate and attacked UN and government offices, authorities said Violent clashes between protesters and security forces in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi and in the country’s north left at least 22 people dead and more than 120 injured, as demonstrators supportive of the Iranian government attempted to storm a US consulate on Sunday, authorities said.In
India and Canada yesterday reached a string of agreements, including on critical mineral cooperation and a “landmark” uranium supply deal for nuclear power, the countries’ leaders said in New Delhi. The pacts, which also covered technology and promoting the use of renewable energy, were announced af
Nepal’s election campaign entered its final day yesterday, six months after deadly anti-corruption protests toppled the government, with rival leaders making a last push in a tightly contested race.The Himalayan republic is to elect a new parliament on Thursday, replacing the interim government that
Taiwan has next to no political engagement in Myanmar, either with the ruling military junta nor the dozens of armed groups who’ve in the last five years taken over around two-thirds of the nation’s territory in a sprawling, patchwork civil war. But early last month, the leader of one relatively min
Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) announced last week a city policy to get businesses to reduce working hours to seven hours per day for employees with children 12 and under at home. The city promised to subsidize 80 percent of the employees’ wage loss. Taipei can do this, since the Celestial Dragon
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.
★ Bilingual Story is a fictionalized account. 雙語故事部分內容純屬虛構。The fog came before the knock. It covered the street and pressed against the window. Chao Gung-dao lit a small oil lamp, but his makeshift hut stayed dim. Another knock. Chao opened the door. The inspector stepped inside and removed his ha
對話 Dialogue清清：今天是元宵節，你晚上有什麼節目？Qīngqing: Jīntiān shì Yuánxiāo jié, nǐ wǎnshàng yǒu shénme jiémù?華華：我家人要一起去參加臺北燈節，這次有兩個展區，週末我們去了西門的，今晚要去花博的。你呢？Huáhua: Wǒ jiārén yào yìqǐ qù cānjiā Táiběi Dēngjié, zhè cì yǒu liǎng ge zhǎnqū, zhōumò wǒmen qù le Xīmén de, jīnwǎn yào qù Huābó de. Nǐ ne?清清：我週末去看了今年在嘉義舉辦的臺灣
1. 我記得上個月見過他。ˇ I remember that I met him last month.χ I remember that I ever met him last month.註：ever 表示「曾經」，但不能用在肯定直述句中，只用在疑問句、否定句中，或與最高級連用，強調語氣。例如：Have you ever been to Green Island?Nothing ever happens in this sleepy town.This is the worst book I have ever read.2. 他母親去世已久。His mother has been dea
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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