NATIONAL SECURITY: Taiwan had been in talks with Starlink to provide service, but the talks failed due to a disagreement over ownership of a joint venture
The Taiwan Space Agency (TASA) plans to launch a satellite communications system similar to Space Exploration Technologies Corp’s (SpaceX) Starlink service by 2029, sources said. TASA plans to invest about NT$2.5 billion (US$75.54 million) and work with private companies to develop four low Earth or
People yesterday scoured collapsed buildings searching for survivors as aftershocks rattled the devastated city of Mandalay, two days after a massive earthquake killed at least 1,700 people in Myanmar and at least 18 in neighboring Thailand. The initial magnitude 7.7 quake struck near the central My
More than 600,000 elderly people live alone — a new high, the latest data from the Ministry of the Interior’s Real Estate Information Platform showed. In the fourth quarter of last year, the number of households composed of only people aged 65 or older surpassed 800,000 for the first time at 803,600
China, South Korea and Japan yesterday agreed to strengthen free trade in the face of a raft of new tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump. The agreement came at a meeting of top trade officials — the first at that level in five years — days ahead of the start of tariffs on a huge range of US
AIR SUPPORT: The Ministry of National Defense thanked the US for the delivery, adding that it was an indicator of the White House’s commitment to the Taiwan Relations Act
Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) and Representative to the US Alexander Yui on Friday attended a delivery ceremony for the first of Taiwan’s long-awaited 66 F-16C/D Block 70 jets at a Lockheed Martin Corp factory in Greenville, South Carolina.“We are so proud to be the global
DISASTER: At least 1,007 people were killed and about 2,400 were injured in Myanmar, the junta said, while the Bangkok governor said about 10 people died in the Thai capital
The death toll from a huge earthquake that hit Myanmar and Thailand passed 1,000 yesterday, as rescuers dug through the rubble of collapsed buildings in a desperate search for survivors. The shallow magnitude 7.7 quake struck northwest of the city of Sagaing in central Myanmar in the early afternoon
Taiwan is willing to send aid, and search and rescue teams to Myanmar and Thailand after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the two countries on Friday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday. The ministry said it updated its travel advisory on Friday evening, advising people to avoid traveli
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) is in discussions with the White House over potential US tariffs on semiconductors, seeking a solution that benefits both sides, a senior company executive said on Friday.Speaking at a forum hosted by the US think tank Hudson Institute in Washington,
Japan and the US yesterday called for strengthening their alliance as Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth attended a ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima. The tiny island of Iwo Jima in the Pacific Ocean lies about 1,250km from T
SELF-DEFENSE: The president urged legislators across party lines to support indigenous defense industry budgets to help safeguard the nation’s way of life
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday reaffirmed the nation’s commitment to funding indigenous shipbuilding and aircraft programs to lay the foundations for developing local defense industries, adding that they are key to strengthening the nation’s self-defense capabilities.Lai made the remarks whil
GRIDLOCK: The National Fire Agency’s Special Search and Rescue team is on standby to travel to the countries to help out with the rescue effort
A powerful earthquake rocked Myanmar and neighboring Thailand yesterday, killing at least three people in Bangkok and burying dozens when a high-rise building under construction collapsed. Footage shared on social media from Myanmar’s second-largest city showed widespread destruction, raising fears
The Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau is investigating whether China’s leading chipmaker Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC, 中芯) illegally poached local engineers as part of an effort to access Taiwan’s cutting-edge chip technology.SMIC set up a branch in Taiwan posing as a
The US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on Thursday approved a bill mandating the US Department of State to review and update its policy guidance on Taiwan every five years due to the ever-changing geopolitical situation and growing risk of a Chinese invasion.The Taiwan assurance implementation
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Thursday said the era of deep ties with the US “is over,” as relations between the two North American countries plummet amid escalating trade tensions.Speaking at a news conference in Ottawa following a Cabinet meeting addressing US President Donald Trump’s ann
SOCIETAL RESILIENCE: Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim was in attendence, alongside representatives from 13 countries, including the US, the UK, Poland and India
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday oversaw the first civil defense drills under his newly created social resilience committee simulating how to respond to a large-scale disaster such as a tsunami or attacks on critical infrastructure.The drill in Tainan was held under the auspices of Lai’s new Wh
‘CONTINGENCY’: The lawmakers called for deeper economic ties and culture exchanges, and are working on organizing an in-person security summit this year
Japan must prevent a Taiwan contingency from happening, a group of pro-Taiwan Japanese lawmakers from multiple political parties said in a joint resolution on Wednesday.Tokyo must do all in its power to avert a conflict in the Taiwan Strait, Japanese lawmakers said in the annual agenda of the Japan-
Randall Schriver, former US assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs, on Wednesday said that the US should “strengthen” training of Taiwan’s armed forces to help boost their combat readiness.Schriver, now chairman of the board of the US think tank Project 2049 Institute, made
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced plans to impose sweeping 25 percent tariffs on cars from overseas, days before he is expected to announce wide-ranging levies on other goods from around the world.“What we’re going to be doing is a 25 percent tariff for all cars that are not made in t
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday dismissed a scandal over leaked plans for Yemen airstrikes as a “witch hunt” and defended his embattled Pentagon chief amid calls by Democrats for him to quit.Republican Trump lashed out after The Atlantic magazine published the transcript of messages accidenta
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