Wed, May 13, 2026
NURSE-TO-PATIENT RATIO: Nursing groups accused the government of failing to live up to its policies, saying that it was attempting to profit illicitly from the delay Amendments to the Medical Care Act (醫療法) stipulating a three-shift nurse-to-patient ratio are to be implemented in phases starting on May 20 next year, President William Lai (賴清德) said at an event observing International Nurses Day yesterday.Lai’s response came after nurses’ rights groups accused th
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications yesterday inaugurated the Danjiang Bridge across the Tamsui River in New Taipei City, saying that the structure would be an architectural icon and traffic artery for Taiwan.Feted as a major engineering achievement, the Danjiang Bridge is 920m long, 2
Climate change has driven record-breaking outbreaks of fire in Africa, Asia and elsewhere this year, with conditions expected to get worse as the northern hemisphere’s summer approaches and El Nino weather patterns kick in, scientists said yesterday.Fires from January to last month have already caus
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer yesterday told his top team that he was getting on with governing the UK, defying mounting calls from ministers and members of parliament (MPs) to step down.The Labour prime minister dared any leadership hopefuls to challenge him, but his position looked precariou
STALLED: Donald Trump has indicated a willingness to discuss the sale with Xi Jinping, raising concern that Taiwan’s defense needs would become part of broader negotiations US senators have reportedly urged US President Donald Trump to move ahead with a Taiwan arms sale package that has been delayed ahead of his upcoming visit to China.Trump is scheduled to visit China from tomorrow through Friday, during which he is expected to hold a summit with Chinese President Xi
PROMOTING TAIWAN: The action team is to hold four forums during the WHA to serve as platforms for exchanges with health experts from other nations The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Health and Welfare yesterday jointly announced that a “Taiwan Action Team,” a Taiwanese delegation led by Minister of Health and Welfare Shih Chung-liang (石崇良), would head to Switzerland on Friday to promote Taiwan’s smart healthcare and global hea
CHESS PIECE: Past US-Taiwan understandings could be skirted or waived entirely due to Donald Trump’s mercurial temper and transactional tendencies, a KMT legislator said While the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is “confident” in US-Taiwan ties in light of the impending visit to China by US President Donald Trump, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) urged action to increase national security, while the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) urged a temperance in opti
Moth orchid and anthurium cut flowers grown in Taiwan were yesterday cleared for export to New Zealand under an agreement that outlines measures local exporters need to follow to secure access to the market.The agreement was signed during a meeting of the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Joint Ma
Ships registered under the Republic of China flag ranked a record fifth among 66 flag states inspected in the Asia-Pacific region last year, with zero detentions recorded for the second consecutive year, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications’ Maritime and Port Bureau said yesterday.The r
‘CENTER OF EXCELLENCE’: Taiwan was chosen for the regional hub because of its success in treating rare diseases and high level of clinical expertise, a Roche official said International biotech company Roche Pharmaceuticals and Medical Excellence Taiwan (MET) yesterday announced the launch of the Asia Pacific Hub for Rare Disease Innovation and Treatment, signing a letter of intent under the witness of the Ministry of Health and Welfare.The hub would integrate Taiwan’
A former soldier and an active-duty army officer were yesterday indicted for allegedly selling classified military training materials to a Chinese intelligence operative for a total of NT$79,440.The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office indicted Chen Tai-yin (陳泰尹) and Lee Chun-ta (李俊達) for contravenin
The Taipei District Court yesterday sentenced 13 people in connection with the death of a woman whose body was found at the meeting place of a Buddhist group in the city’s Daan District (大安) in 2024.The court sentenced the group’s leader, Buddhist writer Wang Yun (王薀), to 12 years in prison for caus
President Lai Ching-te (賴清德), speaking at the Copenhagen Democracy Summit yesterday, cited China’s alleged obstruction of his recent state visit to Eswatini, Taiwan’s only African ally, as evidence of “consolidating” authoritarian regimes worldwide.The world is at a “critical inflection point”
CHALLENGING CHIANG? A spokesperson said that the lawmaker’s campaign team has already quietly begun operations, including by naming a campaign manager The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is expected to select Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋) as its nominee for Taipei mayor today, which would set up a contest with Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).Members of the DPP’s Election Strategy Committee were notified on Monday evening
TRIVALENT: The enhanced immune response vaccine procurements mark the first time an Asian nation has had them in a government program, the CDC said The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday announced that it would procure 7,050,150 trivalent influenza vaccine doses for this year, up 35,000 doses from last year.Public health officials in January approved the procurement of the trivalent flu vaccines in accordance with the WHO’s recommenda
GOOD WITH THE BAD: The forecast looks rosy for the most part from AI to gaming sectors, but acute price turbulence for key components could pose a challenge Asustek Computer Inc (華碩) yesterday said revenue this quarter is expected to remain strong, driven by robust growth in its artificial intelligence (AI) server business and a sequential rebound in PC sales.Revenue last quarter increased 2 percent quarter-on-quarter and surged 44 percent year-on-year
HUNGRY FOUNDRIES: Rising energy prices and costs for the iron ore and coking coal to feed the forges have caused the company to raise prices China Steel Corp (CSC, 中鋼), Taiwan’s largest integrated steelmaker, yesterday announced it is raising domestic prices of all products next month, as the global steel market is recovering amid strong demand, higher raw material costs and tight supply.The move came after the US-Israeli war on Iran dro
The Ministry of Finance yesterday reported a strong year-on-year increase in tax revenue for last month, driven largely by a surge in securities transaction tax receipts amid a sharp rally in the local equity market.Total tax revenue for the month rose 23 percent year-on-year to NT$189.5 billion (US
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) on Friday used their legislative majority to push their version of a special defense budget bill to fund the purchase of US military equipment, with the combined spending capped at NT$780 billion (US$24.78 billion). The bill, wh
The US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations has formally elevated damage to undersea cables to a national security issue, pointing to Russia and China as allegedly using tactics with low attribution risks — such as dragging anchors — to threaten subsea infrastructure.Meanwhile, the rupture of the T
The Taiwan Culture in Europe initiative has chosen a promising theme. This year’s program would highlight Taiwan’s commitment to human rights through film festivals, academic collaborations and live performances across Europe, the Ministry of Culture said.It is a sensible choice. Taiwan’s internatio
‘DONE IT ALL’: LeBron James is now out of contract with the Lakers and would head into the off season as a free agent with uncertainty swirling around his future LeBron James on Monday said he would take time to consider his future after the Los Angeles Lakers were swept out of the NBA playoffs by the Oklahoma City Thunder in what could turn out to be the final game of his career. James, 41, delivered a typically defiant performance with 24 points and 12 reb
Mathys Tel was hero and villain as Tottenham drew 1-1 at home to Leeds United on Monday — a result that leaves their English Premier League future hanging in the balance. The Frenchman broke the deadlock early in the second half to ease the tension at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but then gave away a
This year’s FIFA World Cup will be the first to feature 48 teams, with the expansion of the field offering opportunities to several debutants — but would FIFA’s determination to have more nations participating remove much of the jeopardy which helped make the competition so great? The expansion is t
Jannik Sinner set up a David v Goliath clash with countryman Andrea Pellegrino in the last-16 of the Italian Open after demolishing Alexei Popyrin in straight sets 6-2, 6-0 on center court on Monday.The world No. 1 easily won his 25th straight match, taking just over an hour to see off Australia’s P
IN PROTECTION: Video released by the Senate showed Ronald dela Rosa being chased through the halls of the upper chamber, pursued by National Bureau of Investigation officers Philippine authorities on Monday said that they would not arrest for now a lawmaker wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for his alleged role in former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war, capping a lengthy Senate standoff.Philippine Senator Ronald dela Rosa, who served as po
‘PERSONAL MISTAKES’: Eileen Wang has agreed to plead guilty to the felony, which comes with a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison A southern California mayor has agreed to plead guilty to acting as an illegal agent for the Chinese government and has resigned from her city position, officials said on Monday.Eileen Wang (王愛琳), mayor of Arcadia, was charged last month with one count of acting in the US as an illegal agent of a fo
A top South Korean official has proposed a tax on artificial intelligence (AI) profits to be redistributed among society as a semiconductor boom drives massive earnings for technology giants Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix.The two South Korean firms have emerged as key suppliers of high-performance
Despite its “legendary songstress” billing and colorful poster of a woman singing into a microphone, La Paloma (傳奇女伶高菊花) is not a story of stardom. Instead, it unfolds as a tragic, heart-rending account of a promising young life derailed by the White Terror.Since childhood, Shih Chao-ling (施昭伶) ofte
Donald Trump has said he expects a “big, fat hug” from China’s Xi Jinping (習近平) when they meet in Beijing this week, though multiple thorny issues between the two sides could see the US president kept at arm’s length.Taiwan, tariffs, rare earths and the war in Iran are among the contentious topics s
An eye-catching crowd is gathered in front of Mess-age Studio & Graffiti Supplies (寫手城市工作室), a shop on a small Kaohsiung street.Young men wear fashionable streetwear, looking like the sleek extras of a hip-hop video, and girls wear improbable combinations of colorful garments and carefully crafted h
Have you ever wondered how people navigate the world when they can’t see a map? For individuals with visual impairments, conventional maps are nearly impossible to use. This is where tactile maps come in — essential tools that allow people to “see” the world through touch. A tactile map is speciall
An outbreak aboard a cruise ship of a rare rodent-borne illness called hantavirus has left three passengers dead and sickened others, but global health officials say the risk to the general public remains low because the germ does not easily spread between people.“This is not the next COVID, but it
對話 Dialogue清清：這個週末就是母親節了，你們打算怎麼過？Qīngqing: Zhè ge zhōumò jiù shì mǔqīn jié le, nǐmen dǎsuàn zěnme guò?華華：有啊，我們家通常會去餐廳吃飯，不過很難訂位。Huáhua: Yǒu a, wǒmen jiā tōngcháng huì qù cāntīng chīfàn, búguò hěn nán dìngwèi.清清：而且那天的餐廳都比較貴。Qīngqing: Érqiě nà tiān de cāntīng dōu bǐjiào guì.華華：所以也有人選擇在家吃，比較輕鬆。Huáhua: S
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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