Thu, Oct 01, 2026
DISCORD: KMT lawmakers love caning, but would not use it for crimes such as offenses committed by legislators, major economic crimes or treason, a DPP lawmaker said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) plans to propose amendments to the Criminal Code to allow caning as a punishment for certain crimes, after a proposed caning referendum was vetoed by the Central Election Commission (CEC) last month, KMT Legislator Hung Meng-kai (洪孟楷) said yesterday.The party is p
The Ministry of Agriculture is considering paid parental leave for young farmers, with Minister Chen Junne-jih (陳駿季) yesterday saying that the government hopes to introduce the benefit next year. Chen made the remarks at the 100 Outstanding Young Farmers ceremony. The ministry is drafting a budget a
A fight between pilots on a commercial plane traveling from the United Arab Emirates to Israel yesterday forced the aircraft to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia, two officials said. The episode raised concerns about a possible hijacking of a plane carrying dozens of Israelis and prompted Is
After more than a decade, the US-led coalition yesterday ended its mission in Iraq, having helped save the country from the Islamic State (IS) while causing persistent friction. Coalition troops deployed to Iraq and Syria in 2014 to fight the IS, which had seized large swathes of both countries, and
DEFENSE: The US House speaker dismissed speculation that Trump is using arms sales as a negotiating tactic with Beijing amid concern over delayed deliveries Taiwan is a partner whose “stability and independence” are important to US national security and the economy, US House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson said on Monday when asked about arms sales to Taipei in an interview with Fox Business.Asked whether US President Donald Trump was using a lo
Taiwan’s economy maintained its strong momentum last month, with booming demand for artificial intelligence (AI) hardware continuing to drive exports and industrial activity, while improving consumer sentiment pointed to broader confidence in the expansion.The National Development Council’s (NDC) bu
UNDERMINING DEMOCRACY: The rule, which would target Constitutional Court judgements, is seizing power not rightly arrogated to it, DPP officials said The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday criticized the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus’ decision to list a proposed amendment allowing national referendums to overturn Constitutional Court judgments as priority legislation saying it would introduce chaos and undermine the entire demo
DOING THE SPADEWORK: The Ministry of National Defense wants as little delay as possible executing plans such as launching operational drone units, an official said The Ministry of National Defense (MND) is preparing the administrative work for several projects ahead of legislative approval, a senior military official said yesterday.MND Comptroller’s Office Budget Division Director-General Major General Yen Ming-te (嚴明德) said the ministry hopes expedited passag
Washington’s security commitments to Taiwan must be upheld, US senator and Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker said following a meeting on Tuesday with Representative to the US Alexander Yui (俞大?).Four other senators from US President Donald Trump’s political party called on his ad
The government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) and Belize signed two major agreements on Tuesday to reaffirm their longstanding partnership, as Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) was set to conclude his three-day visit to the Central American ally.During Lin’s visit to Belize on Tuesday, he and
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator and Taipei mayoral candidate Puma Shen (沈柏洋) yesterday unveiled an ambitious campaign plan, as Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) doubled down on his drive for a “smoke-free city.”Speaking at a news conference at his headquarters,
NEW THREATS: Some AI models are able to scan software and identify vulnerabilities, which could be linked together for a ‘kill chain,’ digital affairs minister Lin Yi-ching said Taiwan is working with major US technology firms to use advanced artificial intelligence (AI) models to scan government systems and critical infrastructure for vulnerabilities, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said yesterday.Minister of Digital Affairs Lin Yi-ching (林宜敬) made the remarks when asked a
PEDAL POWER: The route would take riders through several railways stations that have covered cycling lanes, bicycle repair areas and bike rental stations nearby Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) yesterday inspected and biked part of the 1,019.4km around-the-nation Cycling Route No. 2 (環島二號線) along with other government officials.Unlike the 960.8km Cycling Route No. 1 (環島一號線), the new route gives people the option of cycling a
The Ministry of Health and Welfare yesterday announced a series of new policy measures taking effect today, including raising the threshold for waiving interest charges on overdue National Pension Insurance payables and expanding National Health Insurance (NHI) coverage for several medications.Inte
Six five-star hotels have been fined a total of NT$466,000 for food safety and hygiene contraventions, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday.The fines followed FDA inspections of restaurants at 48 five-star and international tourist hotels to check compliance with food safety regulat
CLEAR OUTLOOK: Automated optical inspection equipment sales are expected to have the strongest growth, with some orders reaching three years, the Machvision CEO said Automated optical inspection (AOI) equipment supplier Machvision Inc (牧德) yesterday raised its annual capacity expansion target by more than 60 percent, aiming for a production output of NT$10 billion (US$314 million) from the NT$6 billion it estimated in March, driven by a surge in demand for artif
Apple Inc is set to sell about 6 million units of the iPhone Duo this year, Counterpoint Research said, offering the first estimate for how the company’s inaugural foldable device would fare.The figure, more typical of the niche foldable segment than Apple’s usual smartphone sales, is contingent on
WIDER IMPACT: If businesses decide to pass higher labor costs on to customers by raising prices, some of the wage gains could ultimately be eroded, a researcher said Taiwan’s latest minimum wage increase has drawn mixed reactions from employers and workers, with nearly three in 10 companies saying they might scale back hiring while almost half are considering raising prices to offset higher labor costs, a survey released yesterday by online job bank yes123 showe
Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) Tuesday said that US policy toward Taiwan has not changed and that Taipei is in continuous talks with Washington about arms sales. He added that 66 F-16V fighter jets are being readied for delivery after production delays.Koo’s comments come as a re
In 40 years of watching politics, I have never seen anything quite like Taipei mayoral candidate Puma Shen’s (沈伯洋) breed of politician. He has a presence that commands attention, and a combination of qualities that appear to be the result of powerful political currents. What is it that makes Shen di
Taiwan’s energy security debate has been hyperfixated on fuel inventories, generation capacity and diversification of external supplies. While these measures are necessary, national endurance also depends on governance distribution and responsibility sharing. The rollout of the World Alliance for Di
COURT STARS: Taiwan tennis sensations Hsieh Su-wei and Liang En-shuo advanced to the women’s doubles quarter-finals, along with Chan Hao-ching and Wu Fang-hsien Taiwan yesterday picked up two more bronze medals at the Asian Games in Japan, bringing their medal total to 39, including three golds and 10 silvers, to rank 14th in the overall standings.Lin Yu-ting guaranteed herself at least a silver medal in boxing after she outclassed Uzbekistan’s Sitora Turdi
Reigning champions South Korea yesterday struck with eight minutes left to seal a 2-1 win over a “proud” China to reach the Asian Games men’s soccer final.The South Koreans are to face either hosts Japan or Uzbekistan for gold on Saturday as they pursue a fourth consecutive title.Uzbekistan and Japa
The transition from a busy hospital to the international court might surprise some, but Japan’s padel pioneer Kotomi Ozawa finds a striking resemblance between the pressure of elite sport and her previous career — as a midwife.As padel makes its Asian Games debut, the former Keio University Hospital
Manchester City face severe sanctions after being found guilty of serious breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules over a nine-season period, the league said on Tuesday.Abu Dhabi-backed City were found to have arranged “sham” contracts with a number of commercial partners to artificially inf
RARE CRITICISM: The Israeli military said ‘more than 100 Israeli rioters’ were around Jalud overnight as security forces attempted to return a Palestinian family to their home More than 100 Israeli settlers on Tuesday attacked a village in the north of the occupied West Bank, wounding three members of Israel’s security forces and burning two Palestinian homes, authorities and residents said. The attack occurred while the military was attempting to accompany a Palestinian
Detectives were sifting leads yesterday after a massive drug heist in Fiji, searching for dozens of cocaine parcels swiped from an evidence vault and replaced with baking flour. Better known for stunning beaches that draw tourists in droves, the South Pacific nation has become an unlikely stopover f
A shark stranded in a canal in the South Korean port of Busan has become the country’s latest wildlife sensation, with the city saying about 600,000 people have flocked to see it over the past two weeks. The 3.5m shark was first spotted in a narrow waterway in North Port on Sept. 18. As the days pas
The spectacular rise of the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE) in recent months has fueled great excitement among individual stock traders. Gate News reported that the stock market swelled 59 percent in the first half of this year, with margin trading volume surging nearly 20 percent. Local newspapers tel
Mark Carney built a global profile this year by standing up to US President Donald Trump. If some prediction-market traders and prominent admirers are right, the Canadian prime minister could end the year with the Nobel Peace Prize and Time magazine’s Person of the Year.Carney briefly became the fav
At a time when the fight for gender equality is facing a backlash, pressure is mounting for the next leader of the UN to be the first woman in its more than 80-year history.The contradiction isn’t lost on UN Women, the agency facing an uphill struggle pressing for the rights of women and girls — and
A: According to statistics of the 990-point TOEIC Listening and Reading Test, Taiwan’s score rose by 2 points to a new high of 583 points in 2025.B: It’s still far behind Asia’s “700-point Club” members: India, the Philippines and Malaysia, or the nearly 700-point South Korea.A: Why was the avera
At first glance, quinoa looks like just another grain on a supermarket shelf, but this tiny seed carries a history far richer than most people realize. Botanically, it belongs to the same family as spinach and beets. It is not a true grain at all, but a seed humans have relied on for thousands of ye
Taiwanese students have achieved impressive results in four major international assessments in recent years. Across mathematics, science, reading, civic knowledge, computer and information literacy, computational thinking and problem-solving, Taiwanese students ranked among the world’s top five. The
| New Taipei City | 26-34 | 20% |  |
| Hsinchu County | 24-32 | 0% | |
| Hsinchu City | 25-31 | 0% | |
| Taipei City | 25-36 | 20% | |
| Miaoli County | 23-32 | 0% | |
| Taoyuan City | 26-34 | 0% | |
| Keelung City | 24-31 | 10% | |
| Yunlin County | 25-33 | 10% | |
| Taichung City | 26-33 | 0% | |
| Nantou County | 25-33 | 10% | |
| Changhua County | 26-34 | 0% | |
| Chiayi County | 26-33 | 0% | |
| Chiayi City | 25-34 | 10% | |
| Tainan City | 27-31 | 20% | |
| Kaohsiung City | 27-32 | 20% | |
| Pingtung County | 26-33 | 20% |  |
| Yilan County | 24-32 | 20% | |
| Hualien County | 25-31 | 10% | |
| Taitung County | 25-31 | 20% |  |
| Kinmen County | 27-31 | 20% | |
| Penghu County | 26-31 | 0% | |
| Lienchiang County | 27-31 | 10% | |
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