On Tuesday, in Taipei’s Ximending shopping area, a group of Taiwanese and Hong Kongers were standing on a street corner holding a protest against China’s National Day celebration. They had banners and flags with the slogan “Liberate Hong Kong, Revolution of our Times.” Two Chinese tourists provoked
Workers, teachers and students in Taipei, New Taipei City, Keelung and Taoyuan on Wednesday got a typhoon day for a typhoon that was, well, not very typhoonish.It appears that residents in the region earned an extra day off for no good reason at all. Unfortunately, as we all know, there is no such t
The People’s Republic of China (PRC) celebrated the 75th anniversary of its establishment on Tuesday. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has managed to stay in power for 75 years, even though it has been responsible for the loss of tens of millions of people through its missteps during that time.Chin
The recent arrest of a prominent politician who led a third party to run for the presidency in Taiwan is a wake-up call for political elites and the general public alike. Re-examining the political landscape and the national conscience is necessary to figure out why society is not providing the oppo
EDITORIAL CARTOON
The Middle East resembles nothing so much as an earthquake zone with multiple fault lines. This week, fighting increased sharply along one of those lines, Israel’s border with Lebanon, and more specifically, between Israel and Hezbollah. This in turn triggered activity along another fault line, as I
OPEC has enough spare oil capacity to compensate for a full loss of Iranian supply if Israel knocks out that country’s facilities, but the producer group would struggle if Iran retaliates by hitting installations of its Gulf neighbors.Iran on Tuesday fired hundreds of missiles at Israel in response
One of the WHO’s most important jobs is managing viral outbreaks. The rapid spread of mpox, a disease related to smallpox, is a reminder of its shortcomings.Although well-intended, the WHO’s overcautious and convoluted regulatory process stalled vaccine delivery for months before an approval was gra
President William Lai (賴清德) on Tuesday last week said that “Taiwan would absolutely not sign a cross-strait peace accord,” underlining that peace should be achieved from a position of strength.The president made the address at a meeting with community-based groups committed to civil defense, a day a
Saturday was Teachers’ Day, but the learning environment in Taiwan has become worrying.Charles Dickens wrote: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” This might well describe the situation in today’s classrooms.First of all, it is the best of times because students do not have to rely
Italy has taken a significant step in contributing to assure Taiwan’s legitimate right to participate in the UN system. The Italian Chamber of Deputies Foreign Affairs Committee on Sept. 19 unanimously approved a resolution aimed at “committing the Italian government to take steps to support Taiwan’
The high-school admission system in Hsinchu and Miaoli counties faces differing expectations from parents depending on where they live, whether they are in the city or the county, leading to contrasting opinions on score assessments. Parents in metropolitan areas clearly prefer adopting a more metic
Teachers’ perceptionsAfter reading Sheng Ni-tsai’s letter about teachers’ classroom management challenges (“Teachers’ struggles,” Oct. 3, page 8), I, as an assistant professor who is also on the front line, have a different take on the issue.I noticed that there is a conflict between paragraph 8 and
EDITORIAL CARTOON
Tech billionaires such as Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk are not just among the richest people in human history. They also are exceptionally powerful — socially, culturally and politically. While this is partly a reflection of the social status that our society attaches to wealth in gener
We have heard a great deal about so-called “real Americans” in this presidential campaign.It was a theme of this summer’s Republican National Convention, where speakers such as retired professional wrestler Hulk Hogan and UFC CEO Dana White used the phrase to praise former US president Donald Trump
Recently inaugurated Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said he wants to station Japanese troops in Guam, for the first time since 1944. He also wants to realize his vision of an Asian NATO, with the US-Japan alliance as a foundation, expanded to a circle of friendly and like-minded nations. Tha
On Thursday last week, the International Crisis Group (ICG) issued a well-researched report titled “The Widening Schism across the Taiwan Strait,” which focused on rising tensions between Taiwan and China, making a number of recommendations on how to avoid conflict.While it is of course laudable tha
Taiwan is facing multiple economic challenges due to internal and external pressures. Internal challenges include energy transition, upgrading industries, a declining birthrate and an aging population. External challenges are technology competition between the US and China, international supply chai
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