Sun, Nov 02, 2025 page3

• Taiwan News Quick Take

  • Staff writer, with CNA
  • • 
    • 
    • 

  WEATHER

  Rain and chills expected

  Rain and cooler temperatures are expected in northern Taiwan next week due to stronger seasonal northeasterly winds, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said on Friday. CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕) said that moisture levels in northern Taiwan would be particularly high from tomorrow to Wednesday, with rain also likely in areas north of Taoyuan, including Yilan County. The seasonal winds are forecast to weaken slightly on Tuesday, regain strength on Wednesday and dissipate on Thursday, Liu added. Temperatures in northern Taiwan began to dip on Friday and could drop to 19°C in some areas today. According to the CWA Web site, areas north of Taoyuan, including Yilan County, would experience cloudy to rainy conditions until Thursday, with temperatures ranging between 20°C and 23°C. In eastern Taiwan, skies would be mostly sunny to partly sunny, with daytime highs reaching 25°C to 29°C.

  AVIATION

  EVA sick leave changes

  EVA Airways has agreed to ease penalties for taking sick leaves, following the death of a flight attendant who fell ill on duty and had to keep working. EVA Air Union on Friday wrote on Facebook that flight attendants’ first three sick leaves would not impact performance evaluations and their right to pick shifts (three days per quarter). Flight attendants would not face additional penalties on performance reviews for taking days off during peak periods, they added. The changes are part of an agreement reached by the union and EVA Air representatives during negotiations earlier that day. EVA Air rejected proposals for more sick leaves and that all paid leaves be exempt from performance evaluations, citing operational concerns, the union said. The union described the changes as “interim results,” adding that it plans to cooperate with the Taoyuan Flight Attendants Union, and unions representing medical and transport workers to push for legal amendments. It also invited other major airline labor unions to urge the Civil Aeronautics Administration to include labor conditions and major labor disputes in its review of aviation rights.

  ECONOMY

  R&D spending jumps 11.9%

  Taiwan’s research and development (R&D) spending surpassed the NT$1 trillion (US$32.52 billion) mark for the first time last year, up nearly 12 percent from the previous year, the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) said on Friday. Combined R&D spending by the private and public sectors was about NT$1.049 trillion last year, up 11.9 percent from 2023, the council said, adding that the increase beat the average growth of 9.7 percent over the past five years. The spending accounted for 4.1 percent of GDP last year, up from 3.97 percent in 2023, hitting a new high, it said. The rise reflected global economic recovery, and external and internal demand, which prompted the private sector and the government to raise their R&D workforce, the NSTC said. Large private enterprises that have a workforce of more than 500 contributed about 82.4 percent of NT$898.6 billion spent by the entire business sector, up 0.7 percentage points from a year earlier, it said, adding that those companies dominated the country’s R&D expenses. In the country’s science parks, R&D spending accounted for 47.5 percent of the total expenses of the enterprises last year, up from 42.3 percent in 2020, as the semiconductor industry was keen to upgrade its technologies to boost competitiveness, the NSTC said. The total number of full-time R&D personnel was 311,156, up 2.8 percent from a year earlier.
• Most Popular

  • 1

    Xi, Trump differ on outcome of talks

  • 2

    Takaichi vows ‘golden age’ of ties with the US

  • 3

    Officer neglects shooting reports, goes to pizzeria

  • 4

    Taiwan unveils undersea cable security initiative

  • 5

    Taiwan is no bargaining chip: Rubio