Tomorrow’s presidential election in Venezuela is shaping up to be a pivotal event in the country’s history, signaling a potential turning point after 25 years of Chavista leadership. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who has led the nation since 2013, faces significant challenges due to an econom
The issue of whether to call the language spoken in Taiwan “Minnanese” (閩南語) or “Taigi” (台語, taiyu, also called Hoklo or Taiwanese) has long been a subject of debate. On the surface, it seems to be a simple question about language, but in essence it is a political question of identity.Perhaps we cou
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) decided not to attend the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) national convention, but some people are spreading rumors that Tsai is unhappy with the party or claiming that her faction within the DPP is somehow dissatisfied. However, such hearsay lacks the elevat
EDITORIAL CARTOON
Beijing’s rigorous push for chatbots with core socialist values is the latest roadblock in its effort to catch up to the US in a race for artificial intelligence (AI) supremacy. It is also a timely reminder for the world that a chatbot cannot have its own political beliefs, the same way it cannot be
The shooting of former US president Donald Trump was the second assassination attempt on a populist political leader this year. Just two months ago, Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico was seriously injured after being shot four times at close range, highlighting the danger posed by the resurgence
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s decision not to back Ursula von der Leyen as European Commission president was driven by fear of losing right-wing grassroots supporters, but might curb her influence over EU choices, analysts said. The European Parliament elected Von der Leyen for a second fi
When it comes to national security and foreign affairs, President William Lai (賴清德) has said he wants to maintain the same policies as his predecessor, Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文). Unfortunately, he does not find himself in the same geopolitical circumstances as Tsai during her presidency. The loss of a legi
The return to power of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in Taiwan and the Bharatiya Janata Party in India marked a pivotal moment for advancing India-Taiwan relations. With the DPP now in its third term and the National Democratic Alliance government in India, expectations for continuity are h
On June 19, President William Lai (賴清德) announced the establishment of the Whole-of-Society Defense Resilience Committee (全社會防衛韌性委員會) at the Presidential Office. This initiative originates from Lai’s policy of integrating civil and national defense to strengthen Taiwan’s social resilience to natural
Huang’s selfish politics Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) caucus whip Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) on Monday night released a live stream on YouTube where he commented on the Constitutional Court’s injunction. He criticized the injunction papers as being badly written, adding that he intended to invite the just
EDITORIAL CARTOON
When Volkswagen Group last month invested US$5 billion in US electric truck and sports utility vehicle (SUV) maker Rivian, the start-up’s shares soared on the cash infusion.Volkswagen’s stock dropped 1.6 percent. Some analysts praised the creation of a Volkswagen-Rivian joint venture to help the Ger
The 2020 Tokyo Olympics were a “suicide mission,” one of Japan’s richest men said. “Cursed,” a former prime minister said. Even contemplating hosting them in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic would be “simply beyond reason,” one sponsor said.In July 2021, as Japan prepared to host the year-delayed
While new immigrants and their children born in Taiwan have grown to a population of more than 1 million, the legislature in a late-night session on Tuesday last week passed a basic act governing “new residents” to facilitate their integration into Taiwanese society.In addition to setting up a new s
On Thursday last week, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was re-elected in Strasbourg, France. Before her re-election she gave a speech to the European Parliament and published a document entitled “Europe’s Choice: Political Guidelines for the Next European Commission 2024-2029.”Her
The proposed amendments to the Constitutional Court Procedure Act (憲法訴訟法) are yet another attempt by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators to destroy the constitutional order and introduce chaos in the government.Some believe that the changes would paralyze the Constitutional Court, causing Ta
Responding to KMT, TPP billA set of amendments that extend the powers of the Legislative Yuan were enacted last month with the support of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP).In response, the Presidential Office, the Executive Yuan, the Control Yuan and the Democra
EDITORIAL CARTOON