Thu, Mar 05, 2026
PLANE HIT: The Israeli military said it shot down an Iranian Air Force fighter over Tehran, while an Iranian warship sank off Sri Lanka, with no cause known The US and Israel yesterday hit Iran’s capital and other cities in multiple airstrikes on the fifth day of the war with Iran.Israel targeted the Iranian leadership and security forces, while the Islamic Republic responded with missile barrages and drone attacks on Israel, and across the region.Tehra
An Emirates flight from Dubai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport yesterday afternoon, the first service of the airline since the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on Saturday.Flight EK366 took off from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at 3:51am yesterday and landed at 4:02pm bef
Taiwanese pineapples for the first time are to be exported to the US later this year after the US on Tuesday announced importation requirements, the Ministry of Agriculture said yesterday.The US Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service on Tuesday published a draft of requirements to import Taiwane
A Philippine congressional committee yesterday agreed overwhelmingly to advance an impeachment case against Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte, setting the stage for a potential vote that could decide her political future.The daughter of former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte, who last mont
Taiwan pineapples are to be exported to the US for the first time later this year, after the US yesterday announced importation requirements, the Ministry of Agriculture said today.The US Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service yesterday published a draft of requirements to import Taiwanese pinea
STRAIT OF HORMUZ: In the case of a prolonged blockade by Iran, Taiwan would look to sources of LNG outside the Middle East, including Australia and the US Taiwan would not have to ration power due to a shortage of natural gas, Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) said yesterday, after reports that the Strait of Hormuz was closed amid the conflict in the Middle East.The government has secured liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies for this m
‘RECKLESS CUTS’: The DPP expressed concerns about leaked opposition proposals omitting spending for the ‘T-Dome,’ saying it is like neutering the system helpless Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) member Jaw Shaw-kong (趙少康) yesterday accused the party leadership of overstepping its authority, after KMT lawmakers were told to vote for a defense budget bill they had not reviewed.Jaw made the remarks at a conference with KMT lawmakers, where party members on key l
RESISTANCE: The March 10 uprising is commemorated to remind the world that authoritarian expansion would not stop on its own, Kelsang Gyaltsen Bawa said An annual march commemorating the 1959 Tibetan uprising, the themes of which would be religious reincarnation, autonomy and resistance to transnational repression, is to take place in Taipei on Saturday, organizers said yesterday.“Autonomy over reincarnation is not merely a religious matter, but lie
The Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would announce a joint policy platform on Friday next week, which would be a prelude to a formal cooperation agreement ahead of the local elections in November, TPP Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) said yesterday.The joint policy
Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) yesterday led a delegation to Tuvalu, one of Taiwan’s allies, as special envoy of the president, where the two nations would look at the results of Taiwan-Tuvalu cooperation in smart healthcare and smart agriculture, and engage in in-depth exchanges on
MONEY LAUNDERING: Founder Chen Zhi, whose whereabouts are unknown, allegedly operated forced labor scam compounds in Cambodia and an illegal gambling network Prosecutors yesterday indicted 62 people and 13 companies on money laundering charges involving more than NT$10.7 billion (US$337.59 million) in illicit funds through Taiwan.The funds were linked to the Cambodia-based Prince Holding Group, which the US alleges is a front for a multibillion-US-dollar
The government is to purchase 100 more graphics processing units (GPUs) to boost Taiwan’s high-performance computing power that is essential to the development of the artificial intelligence (AI) industry, the Ministry of Digital Affairs (MODA) said yesterday.The ministry plans to procure 100 more G
Ministry of Labor (MOL) on Wednesday announced an expanded subsidy scheme aimed at encouraging businesses to provide more childcare support to employees, including higher subsidies for employer-provided childcare allowances, with foreign employees also eligible.“We have looked at the results of empl
Although reports of sexual harassment have increased since gender equality laws were amended two years ago, there are still gaps in the system and institutional support should be increased to ensure no one is left behind, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Fan Yun (范雲) said yesterday.Fan held a
WORLD OBESITY DAY: Proper diet, regular exercise and treatment by medical professionals are the three essential components of a healthy weight loss regimen A study conducted last year showed that more than 40 percent of Taiwanese who tried to lose weight resorted to “extreme diets” and other regimens that were harmful to health, a medical group said on World Obesity Day yesterday.The research showed that 52.7 percent of Taiwanese tried to lose weight l
IRAN EFFECT: If irrational selling or market disruptions persist, the National Stabilization Fund would convene an emergency meeting, the executive secretary of the fund said The TAIEX yesterday tumbled 1,494.77 points, or 4.35 percent, to close at 32,828.88, marking the third-largest single-day decline on record as escalating tensions in the Middle East fueled a broad market sell-off. After US President Donald Trump indicated he had not ruled out sending ground troops t
Nanya Technology Corp (南亞科技) yesterday said the DRAM supply crunch could extend through 2028, as the artificial intelligence (AI) boom has led the world’s major memory makers to dramatically reduce production of standard DRAM and allocate a significant portion of their capacity for high-bandwidth me
Export orders in January expanded 60.1 percent year-on-year to US$76.9 billion, the 12th straight month of double-digit percentage growth and the highest for a single month, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday. The figure rose 0.9 percent from the previous month, exceeding the ministry’s
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Saturday warned Taiwanese businesspeople operating in China to reassess mounting economic and political risks.In China, politics and economics are inseparable. Political risk is compounded by deepening structural challenges: a sharp decline in foreign investment
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres this month announced the first meeting of the new Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence (AI), a body composed of 40 experts selected from nearly 2,700 global applicants. It marked AI governance’s formal entry into a more instituti
Last month’s general election in Japan ended in a sweeping victory for Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which achieved an absolute two-thirds majority in the House of Representatives, a milestone unprecedented for any Japanese political party sinc
TOUGH RIVALS: Taiwanese goalkeeper Wang Yu-ting produced a superb performance as Japan attempted 30 shots and enjoyed almost 90 percent of possession Bayern Munich midfielder Momoko Tanikawa yesterday finally cracked a dogged Taiwan as powerhouse Japan won their AFC Women’s Asian Cup match in Perth, Australia, 2-0. Brimming with a talented squad featuring 16 England-based players, Japan dominated a one-sided match played in fierce heat, but they
The World Baseball Classic (WBC) has generally followed a similar script for Taiwan: infinite fan enthusiasm met by a disappointing showing. Taiwan have only advanced to the second round once in five WBCs, but the team’s captain, Chen Chieh-hsien, is looking to do better. “I hope that on March 10, w
Hsu Jo-hsi is to start today in Taiwan’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) opener against Australia, a game Taiwan have to win if they hope to advance in the tournament, manager Tseng Hao-jiu said yesterday. The 25-year-old right-hander who in December last year signed with a Japanese pro team, the Fukuo
Liverpool on Tuesday suffered an embarrassing 2-1 defeat at Wolverhampton Wanderers as Andre’s stoppage-time strike sealed a dramatic victory for the English Premier League’s bottom club. Arne Slot’s side fell behind to Rodrigo Gomes’ strike in the closing stages at Molineux. Mohamed Salah hauled Li
TREATED ‘LIKE MEAT’: Frustrated by a British probe of the alleged crimes of Salah and Mohamed al-Fayed, some have turned to France in the hope of finding justice He traded on the glamour of owning Harrods, the Paris Ritz and luxury yachts, but Mohamed al-Fayed was at the center of a dark web of alleged abuse, said French lawyers for women who liken him to US sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein.French authorities began investigating the late Egyptian businessman
North Korea has unveiled one of its first-known statues of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, using the “highly unusual” sculpture to depict the leader as a smiling man of the people, an analyst told reporters.State-run Korean Central Television recently broadcast images of the half-body sculpture, de
DISSOLUTION: A journalist hailed the decision, as ‘many young people had their lives stolen,’ but warned that a probe into political ties had not been carried out The Unification Church yesterday lost an appeal against a Japanese court’s order to dissolve the sect, which came under investigation following the assassination of former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe.The Tokyo District Court issued a dissolution order in March last year for the Japanese chapt
Japan’s expedition to southern Taiwan in 1874 was ostensibly aimed at chastising the local indigenous people for killing shipwrecked Okinawan and Japanese mariners. In reality, it was a knowing attempt to establish colonies in southern and eastern Taiwan “in the hope that Japan would be able to take
Taiwan’s Chinese-language news media landscape is dramatic, richly textured and moves at lightning speed. It is also surprisingly large, boasting a complexity and variety one would expect from a far larger country. Taiwan is a nation of news junkies. The more neutral outlets come in two varieties. T
Who says to beware the Ides of March?A March 15 Academy Awards may feel late. By then, it will be almost a year since Sinners sunk its teeth into moviegoers last April. Some nominees have been on the campaign trail since the Cannes Film Festival in May.But the upside of a prolonged Oscar race has me
A: The Oscars are set to take place next weekend. It’s a pity that the Taiwanese film “Left-handed Girl” got snubbed.B: And this year, the horror film “Sinners” broke the all-time record with 16 nominations, followed by “One Battle After Another” with 13 nods. Both are nominated for Best Picture.A:
Every February, the US observes Black History Month, a time dedicated to recognizing the contributions, experiences, and achievements of African Americans. The tradition began in 1926, when historian Carter G. Woodson proposed a national week to promote the teaching of Black history in schools. He d
★ 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
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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