Thu, Apr 03, 2025
SECURITY ISSUE: Investigators suspect that Sheng Chu-ying handed over legislative information to Chinese intelligence officials in exchange for cash, local media reported An assistant to former legislative speaker You Si-kun (游錫?) when he served in the Legislative Yuan has been released on bail amid an investigation into allegations that he was recruited by Chinese intelligence agents during a trip to China. The assistant, Sheng Chu-ying (盛礎纓), is suspected of handin
The hacker responsible for illegally accessing MacKay Memorial Hospital’s systems and trying to sell patients’ personal information after a failed ransom attempt is a Chinese national named Lo Chengyu (羅政宇), residing in China’s Zhejiang Province, the Criminal Investigation Bureau said yesterday. The
Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff General Romeo Brawner Jr on Tuesday said his country would “inevitably” be involved if Taiwan is invaded, as the US approved the possible sale of US$5.58 billion of F-16 jets to the Philippines. The US Department of State in a statement said it was gree
US President Donald Trump was to unveil sweeping new “Liberation Day” tariffs after press time last night, but kept the world guessing until the last minute about the scope of an onslaught that could spark a global trade war. While Trump insisted he had decided on the reciprocal tariffs hitting coun
China's military said it practiced hitting key ports and energy sites during "live-fire" drills today as part of exercises aimed at Taiwan.Named "Strait Thunder-2025A," the drills are located in the middle and southern parts of the Taiwan Strait, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) said, whic
‘TROUBLEMAKER’: China’s military provocations are escalating regional tensions and are a blatant challenge to the international order, the Presidential Office said The Presidential Office yesterday denounced the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) for launching joint military drills around Taiwan, calling Beijing a “troublemaker.”The condemnation came after the PLA’s Eastern Theater Command yesterday morning announced the start of a new round of joint exerc
LEVERAGE AMBITIONS: The drills could seek to voice dissatisfaction with Lai, drum up support domestically or create negotiation opportunities for Xi, experts said China’s military drills around Taiwan this week were aimed at testing the US’ response and strategic bottom line ahead of a potential Washington-Beijing summit, rather than the stated goal of deterring “Taiwanese independence” forces, academics said.The Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Easte
WAR GAMES: China said the drills were to test its troops’ blockade-and-control capabilities, a day after the PLA performed ‘precision strikes’ exercises China’s military last night announced it had ended two days of “live-fire” drills in which it practiced hitting key ports and energy sites, as part of exercises aimed at Taiwan.Named “Strait Thunder-2025A,” the drills were in the middle and southern parts of the Taiwan Strait as well as the East Chi
Advocates seeking to recall a group of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators yesterday said the expulsion of a woman who had advocated for China to take Taiwan by force was not a free speech issue, but a national security matter.At a news conference in Taipei, the groups urged Taiwanese to par
China on Tuesday launched its latest round of war games around Taiwan, which Beijing yesterday said were a “stern warning” against separatism.The Chinese military last night said it had concluded the two days of drills, codenamed “Strait Thunder-2025A.”The People’s Republic of China has claimed Taiw
Taiwan’s largest-scale annual military drills, the Han Kuang exercises, will be lengthened this year to include two weeks of computerized tabletop wargames and 10 days of live-fire drills, the nation’s armed forces announced on Wednesday.The Han Kuang exercises are held annually in two stages. This
CONDITION STABLE: Doctors removed a small kidney stone in a surgery that lasted about 45 minutes, after which Ko was to remain in hospital overnight to recover Former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), who is being detained while on trial on corruption charges, had a kidney stone surgically removed yesterday, according to the hospital in Taipei where the surgery was performed.Escorted by personnel from the Taipei Detention Center, Ko arrived at the hospital at
NEW MARKETS: Tourism from Western countries and South Korea has increased, while Japanese visitors have declined due to Japan’s struggling consumer spending The number of foreign tourists visiting Taiwan is expected to increase to 2.1 million by the end of this quarter in a sign of the tourism sector’s recovery from COVID-19 pandemic doldrums, the Tourism Administration said yesterday.Overall, tourism had a promising start in the first month of the year
Taiwan has recorded its first fatal case of Coxsackie B5 enterovirus in 10 years after a 1-year- old boy from southern Taiwan died from complications in early March, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported yesterday.CDC Spokesman Lo Yi-chun (羅一鈞) said at a press conference that the child init
Taiwanese young people’s suicide rate has gone from 4.5 per 100,000 people in 2021 to 7 per 100,000 people in 2023, a trend that experts attribute to increased divorce rates, Internet habits and lack of sleep.“The National Taiwan University (NTU) Children and Family Research Center Sponsored by CTBC
‘LIBERATION DAY’: Fears of a global trade war have intensified, as several countries said they were lining up their responses, while analysts warned of an economic hit Equity markets were mixed yesterday, as nervous investors braced for US President Donald Trump’s wave of tariffs later in the day, with speculation about what he has in store stoking uncertainty on trading floors.Shares in Taiwan closed slightly higher as investors appeared reluctant to chase prices
CAUTIOUS: Stock market fluctuations and global uncertainties would still weigh on the property market in the short term, a Sinyi Realty manager said Housing transactions in the six special municipalities in the first quarter of this year fell 23.6 percent year-on-year to 48,035 units, the lowest level for the same period in eight years, data released by local government agencies on Tuesday showed.Market watchers said the central bank’s selective
Msscorps Co (汎銓科技) yesterday said it expects silicon photonics-related and artificial intelligence (AI) analysis services to fuel revenue growth, as it benefits from the AI boom.The company provides advanced semiconductor materials analysis and failure analysis to semiconductor firms, including Taiw
Actress Michelle Yeoh (楊紫瓊) on March 13 posted an Instagram caption after the opening of Tiffany’s Taipei flagship store two days earlier that read: “Thank you Tiffany for inviting us to Taipei China.” We know that Yeoh knows Taipei is in Taiwan, not China, because the caption was posted following c
The decline of US soft power in Indonesia has significant implications not just for Washington, but also for Taiwan. As US public diplomacy retreats, particularly with cuts to Voice of America (VOA) and the US Agency for International Development, the space for balanced geopolitical discourse in Ind
Taiwan’s medical dispute mediation mechanism appears to provide patients with a pathway for compensation. In reality, it is an institutional charade that places patients at a disadvantage.Taipei, despite having the highest concentration of medical resources nationwide, does not even have a basic pro
‘THE SKILL, THE BELIEF’: Stephen Curry’s display helped the Warriors vault over the Grizzlies into fifth in the Western Conference, closer to an automatic playoff berth Stephen Curry on Tuesday delivered a majestic 52-point performance as the Golden State Warriors clinched a crucial victory over the Memphis Grizzlies, while Nikola Jokic bagged a career-high 61 points in vain as Denver lost a double overtime thriller to Minnesota.Curry, the NBA’s all-time leader in
On his first appearance after more than three months out injured, England winger Bukayo Saka on Tuesday scored what proved to be the clinching goal in a 2-1 win over Fulham as Arsenal trimmed the gap to Premier League leaders Liverpool to nine points.Saka — Arsenal’s star player and easily their mos
Arminia Bielefeld on Tuesday pulled off a major upset in the DFB-Pokal by defeating defending champions Bayer 04 Leverkusen 2-1 in their semi-final.The third-division team came from behind after Jonathan Tah gave the visitors a 17th-minute lead.Marius Worl replied three minutes later and Maximilian
It was mission accomplished, Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said on Tuesday after his side fought back from two goals behind to snatch a rip-roaring 4-4 draw for a 5-4 aggregate win that put them through to the Copa del Rey final.Ancelotti brushed off questions about a sub-par performance by his
FUNDING: As the two candidates’ campaigns combined have spent more than US$98m, the Wisconsin race has become the most expensive in US judicial history US President Donald Trump’s second presidency was dealt a spinning blow by voters in Wisconsin on Tuesday as they elected a liberal judge to the state’s Supreme Court, despite his powerful adviser Elon Musk pouring millions into the race to sway the polls. Two months into his barnstorming return to
Rescuers yesterday pulled a man alive from the rubble five days after Myanmar’s devastating earthquake, as calls grew for the junta to allow more aid in and halt attacks on rebels. The shallow magnitude 7.7 earthquake on Friday last week flattened buildings across Myanmar, killing more than 2,700 pe
A Chinese construction company is facing questions over the deadly collapse of a Bangkok skyscraper — the only major building in the Thai capital to fall in a catastrophic earthquake that has killed more than 2,000 people in Thailand and neighboring Myanmar. The 30-story tower, still under construct
Mother Nature gives and Mother Nature takes away. When it comes to scenic beauty, Hualien was dealt a winning hand. But one year ago today, a 7.2-magnitude earthquake wrecked the county’s number-one tourist attraction, Taroko Gorge in Taroko National Park. Then, in the second half of last year, two
In 2023, Emily Feng was one of a slew of reporters expelled from China, as the ruling Communist Party thinned the international press corps in retribution for coverage it deemed unflattering. Feng had started out in China in 2015 at age 22 as a researcher for the New York Times, then went on to writ
Up until 2020, Anna Wong had gone her entire adulthood in Los Angeles without ever facing blatantly racist abuse for being Asian. After COVID-19 hit, she was accosted twice in six months.The first time, she was browsing an aisle in Bed Bath & Beyond when a white, 30-something woman suddenly yelled:
A: The four-day long weekend for Tomb-sweeping Day begins today. Are you going south to sweep tombs this weekend?B: I went south early last weekend, so I could attend South Korean actor Kim Soo-hyun’s show at the Kaohsiung Sakura Festival, but he canceled his visit after a scandal broke out.A: Th
In the vast landscapes of Australia, a unique and charming creature roams — the “wombat.” These round, adorable animals possess surprising abilities and fascinating traits that never fail to amaze. Let’s explore the world of this remarkable creature. Wombats are marsupials native to Australia, meas
Bilingual Story is a fictionalized account. 雙語故事部分內容純屬虛構。Echo pulled out a worn and tattered shoe box under father’s large oak desk. “Mariko, what should we do with these family photos?” Mariko stared at the old box with a slightly hurt expression, and then blankly at the photos. “Throw them in t
In 2020, a labor attache from the Philippines in Taipei sent a letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs demanding that a Filipina worker accused of “cyber-libel” against then-president Rodrigo Duterte be deported. A press release from the Philippines office from the attache accused the woman of “using several social media accounts” to “discredit and malign the President and destabilize the government.” The attache also claimed that the woman had broken Taiwan’s laws. The government responded that she had broken no laws, and that all foreign workers were treated the same as Taiwan citizens and that “their rights are protected, including freedom of speech.” Last week the government announced that the National Immigration Agency (NIA) would revoke the spouse-based residence permit of social media influencer Liu Zhenya (劉振亞), a national of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), who is married to a local. This became a major news story, even making the international media. The NIA investigated reports that Liu advocated annexing Taiwan to the PRC through military force in videos posted on social media, including Douyin (where she has 400,000 followers), YouTube and TikTok. On all three, her account name is Yaya in Taiwan (亞亞在台灣). The NIA press release said that Liu’s residence permit will be revoked in accordance with Article 14 of the Measures for the Permission of Family-based Residence, Long-term Residence and Settlement of People from the Mainland Area in the Taiwan Area (大陸地區人民在台灣地區依親居留長期居留或定居許可辦法). The NIA said that her calls for military force against the people of Taiwan violate the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例). Liu thus violated specific rules that govern PRC citizens. She will be barred from re-applying for residence within the next five years. The government is giving her time on humanitarian grounds to arrange her family
March 24 to March 30 When Yang Bing-yi (楊秉彝) needed a name for his new cooking oil shop in 1958, he first thought of honoring his previous employer, Heng Tai Fung (恆泰豐). The owner, Wang Yi-fu (王伊夫), had taken care of him over the previous 10 years, shortly after the native of Shanxi Province arrived in Taiwan in 1948 as a penniless 21 year old. His oil supplier was called Din Mei (鼎美), so he simply combined the names. Over the next decade, Yang and his wife Lai Pen-mei (賴盆妹) built up a booming business delivering oil to shops and restaurants all over Taipei and Taoyuan. The major Shanghai restaurants in Taipei all ordered from him, and the owners were quite fond of the honest, no-nonsense and hard-working Yang. In 1963, the couple bought their own shop front, a one-story red brick structure on Xinyi Road (信義路) by Yongkang Street (永康街). Unfortunately, the traditional oil industry took a major hit around 1972 due to a health scare and the advent of mass-produced “salad oil.” With sales faltering, Yang’s friends suggested that he switch to selling Shanxi specialties such as knife-sliced noodles. However, Tang Yung-chang (唐永昌), owner of Shanghai restaurant Fuxingyuan (復興園), recommended the more delicate, varied Shanghai-style dim sum instead, even setting him up with one of his former dim sum chefs Lu Chi-chung (魯紀忠). In 1972, Yang set up three tables in one-half of his oil shop, and Lu got to work. Business was lousy at first, but Yang persisted, thinking that he had nothing to lose — at that time, he never expected Din Tai Fung (鼎泰豐) to become a global empire. ESCAPING WAR Several books provide details on Yang’s early life, including Huang Hung-hu’s (黃鴻湖) Exemplary Din Tai Fung (典範鼎泰豐), Lin Ching-yi’s (林靜宜) Din Tai Fung: Warmth in Perfection (有溫度的完美)
| New Taipei City | 13-23 | 10% |  |
| Hsinchu County | 13-24 | 10% | |
| Hsinchu City | 14-24 | 10% | |
| Taipei City | 13-24 | 10% | |
| Miaoli County | 11-25 | 10% | |
| Taoyuan City | 13-24 | 10% | |
| Keelung City | 13-21 | 20% | |
| Yunlin County | 13-24 | 10% | |
| Taichung City | 14-25 | 10% | |
| Nantou County | 13-24 | 10% | |
| Changhua County | 14-25 | 10% | |
| Chiayi County | 13-25 | 10% | |
| Chiayi City | 13-25 | 10% | |
| Tainan City | 17-24 | 10% | |
| Kaohsiung City | 19-25 | 10% | |
| Pingtung County | 18-27 | 10% | |
| Yilan County | 13-21 | 20% | |
| Hualien County | 15-22 | 20% | |
| Taitung County | 17-23 | 20% |  |
| Kinmen County | 12-25 | 10% | |
| Penghu County | 18-24 | 10% | |
| Lienchiang County | 13-19 | 10% | |
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