Fri, Sep 25, 2026
UNITY: Lai thanked the nations who spoke up for Taiwan, saying that democracies must stand together to face global authoritarian expansion Taiwan yesterday thanked eight European and Indo-Pacific countries for opposing unilateral changes to the “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait in a joint statement earlier this week, as well as three of Taiwan’s allies for speaking up for the nation’s participation in the UN at the body’s General Assem
Four US Senate Republicans as well as a bipartisan group of US representatives wrote letters to the White House on Wednesday calling on the administration to uphold US commitments to supply Taiwan with arms ahead of US President Donald Trump’s summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平).Xi is exp
A US federal judge early yesterday temporarily blocked US President Donald Trump’s ban of three news outlets from the White House grounds, ordering that CNN, MS NOW and Politico must have their access restored. However, reporters for two of the outlets were denied entry hours after the ruling.The ba
An OpenAI agent breached an Australian government health data portal in June, gaining unauthorized access to files, Australia said yesterday, in what could be the first known instance of an artificial intelligence (AI) agent hacking a government Web site.The breach is one of the highest-profile inci
COMMON INTEREST: The Democrats said China presents a greater threat to US security than ever before as it continues its pressure campaign against Taiwan US senators on Tuesday urged US President Donald Trump to “stand with Taiwan” and not let China influence US support for Taiwan’s defense, ahead of his planned meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in Washington.“We can’t let President Xi leave stronger than when he arrived. That is not di
BIG BANG: The new Cheetah prototype demonstrated different firing techniques on stationary and moving targets, as well as its ‘hunter-killer’ mode in Tainan The Armaments Bureau yesterday showcased the Cheetah (獵豹), a 105mm wheeled armored fighting vehicle, which is to enter mass production next year.The vehicle, jointly developed by the Armaments Bureau and the National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology, first passed army tests in 2023. The
SUSTAINING THE INDUSTRY: With production for the trainers completed, experts warned of a potential talent drain, with one suggesting combat drone development Taiwan has completed production of all 66 domestically developed Brave Eagle (勇鷹) advanced jet trainers (AJT), with Aerospace Industrial Development Corp (AIDC) chairman Tsao Chin-pin (曹進平) yesterday personally piloting one of the final two aircraft to the Air Force Academy in Kaohsiung’s Gangshan D
ISSUE: Seven of the candidates were involved in attempted sexual assault, indecency or harassment cases, and at least four of them are sitting borough or village wardens The Taiwan Go Go political alliance yesterday called for greater electoral transparency, saying that 107 of the 14,100 candidates for borough and village wardens have criminal records.Such information is not included in election bulletins, limiting public knowledge of candidates’ offenses, the allia
The Executive Yuan yesterday approved a three-year, NT$3.6 billion (US$113.28 million) plan to increase the number of safety personnel at junior-high schools to 2,000 from 620.Local governments would provide annual subsidies of NT$120 million to 966 eligible schools from Thursday next week to July 3
Foundation for Defense of Democracies China Program chair Matt Pottinger yesterday praised Taiwan for taking “creative and resilient” steps to maintain a secure communications environment.He made the comment during a meeting with President William Lai (賴清德) at the Presidential Office in Taipei, his
Ocean Affairs Council (OAC) Minister Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) on Wednesday said decommissioned coast guard vessels were given to the Philippines to enhance regional rescue capacity and would not affect Taiwanese fishers’ rights and benefits.Kuan made the remarks after confirmation on Tuesday that a 500-to
Taiwan has upgraded its maritime patrol capacity around the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) in the disputed South China Sea, including regularly sending larger ships there, the government said on Wednesday, responding to an increase in Chinese activities.Lying roughly between southern Taiwan
Prosecutors on Thursday indicted two Chinese nationals for illegally entering Taiwan after sailing across the Taiwan Strait on a rubber dinghy, recommending that each be sentenced to two years in prison.The case came to light on Aug. 10, when an unidentified user on Threads wrote that a fisherman ha
Responses from mayoral candidates for Taipei and New Taipei City invited to attend a series of forums hosted by a coalition of youth and student organizations next month have been mixed, the groups said yesterday.Four candidates seeking to represent Kaohsiung and Hsinchu City have already announced
BETTER DATA: Many readings from across Taiwan were added to the data used to generate the new map, the Geological Survey and Mining Management Agency said The classification of soil liquefaction risk at several areas near major population centers has changed — some for the better and some indicating greater danger — updates to a map released yesterday by the Geological Survey and Mining Management Agency showed.Liquefaction risk classifications have c
GLIMPSE OF LIGHT: While manufacturers turned cautious because of Mideast tensions, confidence in AI remains, as the US is keen to maintain its edge over China, TIER said Taiwan’s business confidence weakened across major sectors last month as Middle East tensions raised costs and uncertainty, although manufacturers remained broadly confident in the artificial intelligence (AI) boom, the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research (TIER, 台經院) said yesterday.The institute’s
FULL SPEED AHEAD: Growth in the healthcare, semiconductors and robotics businesses will lift full-year sales to NT$1 billion, an executive said Industrial computer maker Advantech Co (研華) on Wednesday said that order momentum in the US should remain robust in the second half of this year, supported by continued growth in the healthcare, semiconductor equipment and robotics businesses.The company’s US book-to-bill ratio currently stands at 2
Taiwan’s housing market has shown signs of stabilizing as consumers become less bearish on property prices, but tight mortgage lending is likely to keep any recovery in transactions modest, a survey released by Evertrust Rehouse Co (永慶房屋) on Wednesday showed.The share of consumers expecting home pri
With campaigns for the Nov. 28 nine-in-one elections in full swing, former Financial Times Taiwan correspondent Kathrin Hille’s statement in an interview last month that “all the votes are bought” in Hualien County has sparked concern over the elections and cast a shadow over Taiwan’s democracy.Hill
Artificial intelligence (AI) is usually discussed as a technology story, but in Asia it has become a trade story, and nowhere is that more visible than in Taiwan. The nation has spent four decades mastering semiconductor manufacturing, and now finds itself at the center of the fastest redrawing of A
On Sept. 23 last year, an overflow from a Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) barrier lake devastated Hualien County’s Guangfu Township (光復). In the aftermath, tens of thousands of people boarded trains with their shovels, rain boots and tools to travel to the disaster site and help clear away the mud. The so-call
MORE MEDALS: Taiwan’s men’s table tennis team added a bronze to the nation’s medal haul, while the women’s basketball team advanced to the semi-finals Taiwan yesterday secured their first e-sports medal at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, claiming bronze in the Naraka: Bladepoint tournament after falling 0-3 to China in the semi-finals.The Taiwanese squad, comprising Liu Tang-shiun, Chen Shang-yi, Cheng Hsu-yu, Yen Kai-en and Yeh Chih-yu, had already
Several teams yesterday rounded on the organization of the Asian Games in Japan, with Thailand likening it to a “chaotic” game of “musical chairs” and South Korea saying “they deserve a failing grade.”The biggest issue at the Aichi-Nagoya Games has been a shortage of rooms for the 17,000 participant
Japan’s 11-year-old e-sports whizz-kid Yuki Kurihara yesterday crushed the competition on his debut at the Asian Games, beating opponents almost three times his age.The bespectacled primary-school student, who says he eats eel to prepare for contests, is the youngest athlete at the Games. He is also
Christian Encarnacion-Strand on Wednesday homered and drove in three runs, while Trey Gibson took a shutout into the seventh inning as the Baltimore Orioles completed a doubleheader sweep of the visiting Toronto Blue Jays, winning 4-2 twice to stay in contention for the MLB playoffs.Baltimore (78-81
TALKS: Rubio said Kyiv and Moscow had expressed interest in a limited ceasefire that would halt attacks on grain shipments, but a Russian minister made no mention of it Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Wednesday told world leaders that Russian President Vladimir Putin is the only obstacle to ending “the ridiculous and never-ending war,” as he urged nations to pressure Putin for peace by choking the country’s revenues and impeding its war efforts.“Our targ
BAD TIMING: The disclosure of the incident, which is under investigation by at least two congressional committees, comes as Xi was to meet with Trump The Pentagon is investigating how parts of the US’ most advanced fighter jet ended up in Hong Kong, with a news outlet on Wednesday reporting that China has obtained the F-35 equipment.The F-35 Joint Program Office said in a statement that it and the US Department of Defense are aware of “a shipment
Thai teenage guitar sensation Nene Royal on Wednesday won the US$1 million top prize on America’s Got Talent, capping a viral run that made the 16-year-old a national celebrity and drew support from across her home country.Rattikarn Amloy, better known by her stage name Nene Royal, was crowned the w
Located a 40-minute drive south of Changhua City, the Cheng Mei Cultural Park (成美文化園) lies beyond a roadside verge of tall, thick trees.A right turn follows a long allee flanked by manicured foliage, from the thick, burly heads of large bonsai trees to the crimped bark of Japanese black pine and lus
Wang Yan-cheng (王彥程) is enjoying a strong first season in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) League, where he has posted an 11-6 record with a 3.97 ERA, 100 strikeouts and a 1.52 WHIP. His 11 wins rank among the most by foreign starting pitchers in the KBO, while he has emerged as one of the top
In April 1933, US president Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an executive order banning the hoarding of gold and requiring Americans to deliver excess quantities to a Federal Reserve Bank by that May. The policy isn’t the subject of much discussion in the tense and earthy thriller The Weight, but it doe
A: The four-day Mid-Autumn Festival-Teachers’ Day holiday weekend begins today. The lunar phase-themed luck quiz from yesterday’s “Speak Up!” was interesting. I’ll test my classmates during the barbecue party at our teacher’s house. B: Taiwanese love barbecue and music. There’ll be multiple shows
A: The four-day Mid-Autumn Festival-Teachers’ Day holiday weekend will begin tomorrow. I’m going to several concerts, and then Maokong hill to admire the moon. B: I heard astrologer Celine has released a lunar phase-themed luck quiz that can predict your fortune. A: Yeah, which shape would you ch
When we use phones, laptops, or wireless earbuds, we rarely pause to ask what makes these devices so light, efficient and powerful. Hidden inside them are “rare earth elements” (REEs), indispensable to modern life yet central to global controversy.REEs are a group of 17 similar metals that are diffi
| New Taipei City | 24-32 | 20% |  |
| Hsinchu County | 23-31 | 0% | |
| Hsinchu City | 23-31 | 0% | |
| Taipei City | 24-33 | 20% | |
| Miaoli County | 22-31 | 10% | |
| Taoyuan City | 24-34 | 10% | |
| Keelung City | 24-29 | 10% |  |
| Yunlin County | 25-33 | 10% | |
| Taichung City | 25-33 | 0% | |
| Nantou County | 24-33 | 10% | |
| Changhua County | 25-32 | 0% | |
| Chiayi County | 25-33 | 20% | |
| Chiayi City | 25-34 | 20% | |
| Tainan City | 27-32 | 20% | |
| Kaohsiung City | 27-33 | 20% | |
| Pingtung County | 26-33 | 40% |  |
| Yilan County | 23-31 | 20% | |
| Hualien County | 24-31 | 10% | |
| Taitung County | 25-31 | 10% | |
| Kinmen County | 25-30 | 0% | |
| Penghu County | 26-30 | 0% | |
| Lienchiang County | 25-28 | 10% | |
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