In an interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (sister newspaper of the Taipei Times) Minister of Education Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) on Wednesday said that international exchanges are a positive experience for students.However, he did not encourage attending exchange programs in China.“I don’t
On April 22, terrorists killed 25 Indian civilians and one Nepali national in Indian-administered Kashmir. The Resistance Front (TRF), an alleged proxy of the Pakistan-based group Lashkar-e-Taiba, initially claimed responsibility before quickly retracting the statement. When India sought to name the
A frequently voiced concern within the international community was that if US President Donald Trump returned to the White House, he might seek a grand bargain with Beijing — treating Taiwan as a transactional asset in exchange for economic gains.That fear has been reignited by Trump’s trip to the M
Support MOE’s phone policyMinister of Education Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) on Wednesday said that from the start of the new semester in September, schools are to ban students from bringing phones or other mobile devices to classrooms, with the new rules allowing educators to collect students’ mobile devic
EDITORIAL CARTOON
Smaller cars are an obvious fix for crowded cities, limited resources and a warming planet. Yet they have become an endangered species, as tougher regulations made them uneconomical to produce and we gravitated toward muscular SUVs.A continent that built iconic, utilitarian and wildly popular city c
The problem of maritime plastic-waste pollution first became apparent in the 1970s. In the half-century since then, the problem has become ever more widespread, as scientific expeditions conducted by the Tara Ocean Foundation have shown.Large pieces of debris, such as fishing nets, and their disastr
It is no secret that US President Donald Trump loves fanfare and superlatives. This is why Air Force One had not one, but two fighter jet escorts during his visit to Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Who can forget how Trump beamed during a military parade that French President Emmanuel Macron threw him in Pa
The Executive Yuan recently revised a page of its Web site on ethnic groups in Taiwan, replacing the term “Han” (漢族) with “the rest of the population.” The page, which was updated on March 24, describes the composition of Taiwan’s registered households as indigenous (2.5 percent), foreign origin (1.
On Wednesday last week, the Rossiyskaya Gazeta published an article by Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) asserting the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) territorial claim over Taiwan effective 1945, predicated upon instruments such as the 1943 Cairo Declaration and the 1945 Potsdam Proclamation. T
South Asia is once again at the brink. The recent military escalation between India and Pakistan — sparked by a deadly terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Indian-administered Kashmir — has reignited fears of a wider regional conflict. India blamed Pakistan for harboring militant groups responsible for the
Abandoning responsibilityA teenager, dressed for a night out on the town, is standing at the door with one hand on the knob, just about to step outside. Instead of having a proper conversation, the kid shouts: “Dad! I’m going to karaoke — I’ll be back by midnight,” and dashes out before the parent h
EDITORIAL CARTOON
Negotiators from the US and Iran have just convened in Oman for their fourth round of nuclear talks. The two sides remain far apart on fundamental questions, they have diverging expectations and they are running out of time. However, for the first time in years, there is cause for optimism. What dis
US President Donald Trump’s Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff did not mince his words. In a meeting late on Sunday with former hostages and relatives of those still held in Gaza, he told them Israel is drawing out a war the US wants to end, local media reported.On the eve of the release
As part of her ongoing trip to Europe, including visits to Lithuania, Denmark and the UK, former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) spoke at the Copenhagen Democracy Summit on Tuesday. Her message was the need for unity among democracies in the face of geopolitical and economic uncertainties and mounting
The Legislative Yuan passed an amendment on Friday last week to add four national holidays and make Workers’ Day a national holiday for all sectors — a move referred to as “four plus one.” The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), who used their combined legislative ma
US President Donald Trump said last week: “I want China to do great. I’m very friendly with [Chinese] President Xi [Jinping (習近平)]. I have great respect for him and for China.” Trump believes the way for China to do well is simply to open its markets to US goods. That would be a step in the right di
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) continues to play a vital role in bridging the gap between Taiwan and the West. Her European tour is a clear illustration of this.Her tour to Lithuania, Denmark and the UK clarifies the continued importance of her role in reinforcing Taiwan’s standing in the world
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