Sun, Mar 15, 2026
DEFENSE BOOST: Taiwan will use AI to establish a real-time defense system, and the budget would also aim for economic and industrial development, Lai said Taiwan can well afford a NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.16 billion) special defense budget given its booming economy, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, citing US emphasis on collective burden-sharing. Lai’s proposed spending, which he says is needed to better face a rising threat from China, has
Gasoline and diesel prices are to remain unchanged this week from tomorrow, CPC Corp, Taiwan (台灣中油) and Formosa Petrochemical Corp (台塑石化) announced yesterday amid the ongoing Middle East conflict and rising global oil prices. The electricity rate next month would also remain unchanged after the Mini
Israel yesterday said the war against Iran was entering its “decisive phase,” as explosions rocked cities across the Middle East, with strikes on the US embassy in Baghdad and a major Emirati energy facility. Black smoke rose above the embassy in Iraq, the second time it has been targeted since Feb.
North Korea yesterday fired about 10 ballistic missiles to the sea toward Japan, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, days after Pyongyang warned of “terrible consequences” over ongoing South Korea-US military drills. Pyongyang recently dashed hopes of a diplomatic thaw with Seoul, Was
‘CONFIDENCE IN TRUMP’: The expected approval of the arms package signals the US’ continued security commitment ahead of a US-China meeting later this month A major US arms package for Taiwan that includes advanced interceptor missiles is ready for US President Donald Trump’s approval and could be signed after his trip to China this month, sources briefed on the discussions said.With a price tag of about US$14 billion, the arms deal would be the largest
WEAPONS TIME FRAME: The motion also directed the Executive Yuan to brief the legislature on the estimated delivery dates of the US weapons systems The Legislative Yuan yesterday passed a motion authorizing the Cabinet to sign letters of acceptance (LOA) for four weapons systems approved for sale by the US that were set to expire this month.The motion was passed by the legislature in line with the conclusion reached following cross-caucus talks
REGULATORY TOOLS: The government could delay permits for manufacturers suspected of exploiting loopholes, impose tariffs or invoke eminent domain Experts at a forum in Taipei yesterday called on the government to use executive orders to counter Beijing’s bid to flood the Taiwanese market with Chinese electric vehicles (EV) by exploiting legal loopholes.Taiwan National Security Institute board member Yang Chung-ting (楊仲庭) told the forum that C
Kaohsiung on Thursday signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Arizona and Japan’s Kumamoto Prefecture, paving the way for a three-front partnership in semiconductor development, the Kaohsiung City Government said yesterday.Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁), who is leading a Taiwan-Kumamoto
SAME DREAMS: The two share a commitment to making their cities great places to live in, and hopes of improving infrastructure, education and healthcare Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕), who is on an 11-day trip in the US, on Friday met with Boston Mayor Michelle Wu (吳弭). The two talked about potential cooperation between their cities.“It was an honor to welcome Ms. Lu Shiow-yen, Mayor of Taichung City, Taiwan [@lushiowyen] and members of the Taich
Two Taiwanese have left Bahrain on a charter flight arranged by the Japanese government, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday. The move was part of ongoing efforts to help Taiwanese stranded in the Middle East return home.The two Taiwanese were on Thursday accompanied by Taipei Trade Offic
Leaders of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) yesterday pledged to work together to promote a shared vision they said would benefit the public ahead of, and beyond, the 2028 presidential election.Speaking at a news conference in New Taipei City, KMT Chairwoman Ch
HPA RECOMMENDATIONS: A dietician said people might have the misconception that more meat is needed if the daily protein intake recommendation increases Eating more meat would not be necessary to adhere to the Health Promotion Administration’s (HPA) draft revisions to its Dietary Reference Intakes and Daily Dietary Guidelines, a dietician said yesterday.The HPA on March 5 announced changes to its dietary recommendations, including an increase in the
MORE OPEN: Emergency-room visits for urgent illness remained about the same as in the Lunar New Year period last year, but visits for less severe issues decreased Incentive payments for hospitals and clinics for opening during the Lunar New Year holiday reduced emergency room visits by 25 percent from the holiday period last year, the National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA) said yesterday.After emergency rooms reported overcrowding during the Lunar Ne
Taiwan’s three major international carriers are increasing booking fees, with EVA Airways having already increased the charge to US$28 per flight segment from US$25, while China Airlines (CAL) and Starlux Airlines are set to follow suit.Booking fees are charged by airlines through a global distribut
A man allegedly killed his girlfriend on Friday following a heated argument over a breakup, Taichung police said yesterday.A 62-year-old man surnamed Fu (傅) turned himself in at Wengzi Police Station, saying that he had killed his 42-year-old girlfriend, surnamed Chi (紀), police said.Officers checke
At a massive shipyard in North Vancouver, Canadian workers grind metal beams for a powerful new icebreaker crucial to cementing the country’s presence in the increasingly contested arctic.Icebreakers are specialized, expensive vessels able to navigate in the frozen far north.And “this is the crown j
Gina Tindale, 22, graduated from college ￡90,000 (US$119,113) in debt, a common experience across the UK, where young people saddled with huge debts are calling for a reform of the student loan system.The British parliament’s treasury committee has launched an inquiry into the student loan system, a
Chinese entrepreneur Frank Gao used to spend long hours running his social media accounts but now outsources the chore to artificial intelligence (AI) agent tool OpenClaw, which is taking China by storm despite official warnings over cybersecurity.OpenClaw, created in November by an Austrian coder,
An article published in the Dec. 12, 1949, edition of the Central Daily News (中央日報) bore a headline with the intimidating phrase: “You Cannot Escape.” The article was about the execution of seven “communist spies,” some say on the basis of forced confessions, at the end of the 713 Penghu Incident.Th
The Ministry of Education recently launched an online learning resource on transitional justice. Beginning with a class on the 228 Incident of 1947, the Web site provides videos and extended readings organized in a thoughtfully designed online classroom. It compiles Taiwan’s most unsavory chapters o
I often get the sense that I stand with a view of several events of historical significance.When my grandfather balanced the books in his shop, he recited the multiplication table in Japanese. The ledger pages flipped quickly as he kept count while murmuring, “three sixes are 18, three sevens are 21
MAGNIFICENT MERCEDES: Russell continued a winning streak, hot off last week’s victory in Australia, at the sprint race in Shanghai, against aggressive Ferrari drivers George Russell of Mercedes stood off a strong challenge from Ferrari to win yesterday’s sprint race at the Chinese Grand Prix, continuing his early dominance in a new and different season of Formula 1.Charles Leclerc was second, with his Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton taking third.Russell won the f
Brice Turang and Pete Crow-Armstrong’s consecutive RBI singles proved to be the difference in the US’ 5-3 win over Canada in a World Baseball Classic (WBC) quarterfinal on Friday night in Houston.The US faces the Dominican Republic, which crushed South Korea 10-0 in seven innings in its quarter-fina
Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions’ outfielder Chen Chieh-hsien, who fractured his left index finger earlier during the World Baseball Classic (WBC), is expected to be sidelined for four to six weeks.The Uni-Lions confirmed in a news statement on Friday that Chen had a distal fracture in his left index fi
The world of sport appears to be softening the hardline stance it took when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.Russian athletes are back competing under their own flag at the Paralympics. FIFA president Gianni Infantino said the international ban on Russian soccer teams “has not achieved anything.” His
KINGPIN: Marset allegedly laundered the proceeds of his drug enterprise by purchasing and sponsoring professional soccer teams and even put himself in the starting lineups Notorious Latin American narco trafficker Sebastian Marset, who eluded police for years, was handed over to US authorities after his arrest on Friday in Bolivia. Marset, a Uruguayan national who was on the US most-wanted list, was passed to agents of the US Drug Enforcement Administration at Santa C
A wave of affection for Spain has swept Turkey the past few weeks over Madrid’s firm stance against the war in the Middle East, with soccer fans roaring their support and social media awash with pro-Spanish sentiment. Countless images of Turkish and Spanish flags flying side-by-side have emerged alo
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Friday banned a US diplomat who wanted to visit the jailed former far-right Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro amid fears of US meddling ahead of elections this year. Bolsonaro, sentenced for plotting a coup, was on Friday hospitalized in intensive ca
March 16 to March 22 Hidden for decades behind junk-filled metal shacks, trees and overgrowth, a small domed structure bearing a Buddhist swastika resurfaced last June in a Taichung alley. It was soon identified as a remnant of the 122-year-old Gokokuzan Taichuu-ji (Taichung Temple, 護國山台中寺),
The race for New Taipei City mayor is being keenly watched, and now with the nomination of former deputy mayor of Taipei Hammer Lee (李四川) as the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) candidate, the battle lines are drawn. All polling data on the tight race mentioned in this column is from the March 12 F
When my friend invited me to take a tour of a wooden house hand-built by a Pingtung County resident, my curiosity was instantly piqued and I readily agreed to join him. If it was built by a single person, it would surely be quite small. If it was made of wood, it would surely be cramped, dingy and m
Jane Goodall, the pioneering scientist whose groundbreaking research changed our understanding of chimpanzees and reshaped the study of animal behavior, has died at the age of 91. The Jane Goodall Institute confirmed that she passed away from natural causes in California in October 2025 while on a s
Candles were made from animal fats in ancient times. As knowledge and materials improved, people began making them with beeswax and vegetable wax, which burned more cleanly and produced less odor. Before __1__ lighting, candles were considered highly valuable. In many religions, they came to symboli
A: Which team do you think will win the championship in the 2026 World Baseball Classic?B: The previous champion Japan and runner-up the US are exceptionally strong. A: The Taiwan team was captained by Chen Chieh-hsien with a roster of 16 pitchers, 3 catchers and 11 fielders, and was quite strong
Two moves show Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) is gunning for Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) party chair and the 2028 presidential election. Technically, these are not yet “officially” official, but by the rules of Taiwan politics, she is now on the dance floor. Earlier this month Lu confirmed in an interview in Japan’s Nikkei that she was considering running for KMT chair. This is not new news, but according to reports from her camp she previously was still considering the case for and against running. By choosing a respected, international news outlet, she declared it to the world. While the outside world likely paid little attention, domestically the message was unmistakable: She is moving on to a larger stage. Part of the dance is to leave options open before formally committing, and with the chair race due in late September, she has time. If something goes wrong in the meantime, or if power brokers in the party offer her a deal that provides more benefits than taking on the role of chair, she can pivot accordingly. Earlier this year, I suggested that strategically, she would be better off concentrating on her job as Taichung mayor until she is term-limited out of office in December next year. Taichung mayor is obviously a full-time job, and concurrently running the Taipei-headquartered party runs the risk of doing one or both jobs poorly and making mistakes that could imperil her shot at the presidency in 2028. The situation has changed. Current KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), knowing he is likely to face challengers of a higher caliber than the three relative nobodies already declared, has gone all in on appealing to the base. The base is more likely to turn out to vote in the chair election, so this makes some strategic sense in the short term.
Among Thailand’s Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) villages, a certain rivalry exists between Arunothai, the largest of these villages, and Mae Salong, which is currently the most prosperous. Historically, the rivalry stems from a split in KMT military factions in the early 1960s, which divided command and opium territories after Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) cut off open support in 1961 due to international pressure (see part two, “The KMT opium lords of the Golden Triangle,” on May 20). But today this rivalry manifests as a different kind of split, with Arunothai leading a pro-China faction and Mae Salong staunchly aligned to Taiwan. Last spring at Arunothai’s Jiaolian School, principal Wang Mingming (王明明) had forewarned me of the division between villages, saying, “We are not like the people in Mae Salong. They are rich. Because of the Taiwanese.” Arunothai has in recent years become split in its loyalties between Taiwan and China (see part one, “A tale of two schools,” on May 15), but in Mae Salong, links to Taiwan remain strong. Taiwan-funded monuments pay homage to the Lost Army, villagers wear T-shirts emblazoned with the Republic of China (ROC) flag and tea plantations grown Taiwan’s most famous tea varieties, including Dong Ding (“frozen peak”) Oolong, Oriental Beauty and Jin Xuan (Golden Daylily or Milk Oolong). Even the numerical classifications of the teas — Oolong No. 12 or No. 17, for example — are the same, and the shops resemble those found on Alishan. At the tomb of General Tuan Hsi-wen (段希文) — perched on a Mae Salong hilltop with a view of his ancestral homeland in China’s Yunnan province — a third generation villager wearing a vintage KMT army uniform, Yan Si-Chung (岩思中), greets visitors with sharp military salutes. “Both my father and my grandfather were soldiers in the KMT army,” the 44-year-old
| New Taipei City | 27-28 | 20% |  |
| Hsinchu County | 26-27 | 10% | |
| Hsinchu City | 26-27 | 10% | |
| Taipei City | 27-28 | 20% |  |
| Miaoli County | 24-26 | 10% | |
| Taoyuan City | 26-27 | 10% | |
| Keelung City | 27-28 | 20% | |
| Yunlin County | 26-27 | 10% | |
| Taichung City | 26-28 | 10% | |
| Nantou County | 25-26 | 10% | |
| Changhua County | 27-28 | 10% | |
| Chiayi County | 26-27 | 10% | |
| Chiayi City | 25-27 | 10% | |
| Tainan City | 27-28 | 10% | |
| Kaohsiung City | 27-28 | 10% | |
| Pingtung County | 26-27 | 10% | |
| Yilan County | 25-26 | 30% |  |
| Hualien County | 25-26 | 30% | |
| Taitung County | 25-27 | 30% | |
| Kinmen County | 27-28 | 10% | |
| Penghu County | 27-27 | 20% | |
| Lienchiang County | 27-28 | 20% | |
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