Sun, Aug 09, 2026
Taiwan is to attend an annual gathering of Pacific island leaders in Palau this month, the regional bloc said, overcoming protests from China that saw Taipei barred from the event last year.China and Taiwan are important partners to the region, a Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) official told reporters l
Typhoon Dolphin was expected to make its closest approach to Taiwan yesterday afternoon through today before continuing west toward China, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, forecasting that mountainous areas of Hsinchu and Miaoli could receive the heaviest rainfall, with preci
STILL RUSSIAN ALLY: Although Serbia ahead of the talks reiterated that it would not sanction Russia, it has previously supplied non-military aid to Ukraine Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy yesterday made his first official visit to Serbia — a rare European country still closely aligned with Moscow — as Ukraine seeks to bolster international support in the face of intensifying Russian strikes.Zelenskiy received a ceremonial welcome before talks b
Iran yesterday said a deal with Oman on control of the Strait of Hormuz was close, but would not be enough to free up the waterway.A US official, who declined to be identified, on Friday said Washington anticipated an agreement soon between Iran and Oman so that normal oil traffic could resume.Agree
WAR GAMES: The military practiced defending a bridge to prevent PLA troops from advancing into the capital and deployed Mirage jets in rapid turnaround drills Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) yesterday emphasized the importance of conducting rigorous defense exercises during an inspection of Kaohsiung’s urban resilience drills, which were for the first time merged with the annual Han Kuang military exercises.Yesterday was the third day of the 10-day dri
‘STATUS QUO’: The two countries’ defense chiefs encouraged dialogue instead of the use of force, and slammed China’s aggressive moves in disputed waters The defense chiefs of Australia and the Philippines yesterday reaffirmed the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, voicing opposition to any unilateral attempts to change the “status quo,” as they pledged to deepen bilateral security cooperation.The joint statement was issued f
HAN KUANG: ‘The purpose of the exercises is to use live troops, live terrain and live equipment to test homeland defence capabilities,’ William Lai said President William Lai (賴清德) oversaw coastal strike drills yesterday during the Han Kuang Exercises, boarding a missile boat and watching the deployment of low-flying attack drones to simulate defending against a Chinese assault.Taiwan began the exercises on Wednesday. Lasting 10 days, they focus on
STORM COVER: The CGA said that the waters more than 22.2km from Taiwan’s and China’s coasts are not territorial waters, and Beijing should abide by international laws Taiwan on Friday evening criticized Chinese maritime authorities after they claimed to have authority to direct international shipping in the Taiwan Strait during Typhoon Dolphin.The China Maritime Safety Administration’s Guangdong branch earlier on its Web site said that international shipping tran
Taiwan has never been independent and has never been a country, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) said in an interview broadcast online on Friday.Cheng was asked by show host Dennis Peng (彭文正) to choose among “peaceful unification [with China], unification by force, peace
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said that it had received reports about Taiwanese being denied entry into Uganda and having their passports withheld by local authorities, and that Taiwan’s representative office in Somaliland was making contact to negotiate about the matter.The Chinese-lang
EXPANDED PAYMENTS: The increased disbursements cover a variety of categories including childbirth, pediatric care, nursing care and a range of surgical procedures Reimbursement rates for two major categories of medical services are to increase, the National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA) said in a statement yesterday.Higher reimbursement rates for 90 major surgical procedures were approved at a joint meeting on the NHI medical service payment schedule
The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office has launched an investigation into a foreign-based group that allegedly defrauded a woman of more than NT$150 million (more than US$4.6 million) in a weight-loss drug scheme, a source said yesterday.Speaking on condition of anonymity, an official of the Crimin
SWIFTWATER SAR: Rescue teams traveled to Turkey to take part in joint exercises aimed at trading knowledge and developing improved techniques Taiwan sent 10 search-and-rescue (SAR) personnel to Turkey to participate in joint field exercises on swiftwater rescue and drone operations at the invitation of the country’s Search and Rescue Association (AKUT).According to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Mission in Ankara on Thursday, the weeklo
Wild dogs have been digging up and eating sea turtle eggs and attacking the turtles on Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼), the Iratay Community Development Association said.The association, which joined the Ocean Conservation Administration’s (OCA) sea turtle protection program in 2023, said it has observed
The Hualien District Agricultural Research and Extension Station has improved cantaloupe by using a new cultivar named Peilossu (佩洛斯) to increase cantaloupe production by up to 10 percent while preserving sweetness.Lin Wen-hwa (林文華), associate researcher of the station’s Lanyang branch, said cantalo
Work to build Google’s planned Indian data center hub is in full swing, with a hillside above the site stripped to red earth and terraced into steps, but mounting opposition from environmentalists is creating hurdles for the US tech giant’s US$15 billion project.The southern state of Andhra Pradesh,
The idea was unique for sub-Saharan Africa: Use cable cars to lift thousands of commuters above the daily gridlock in one of Africa’s fast-growing cities.However, the system ran for only a few weeks, and now the carless cables hang unused above Madagascar’s capital in what might be a US$170 million
Glinting in the night, halfway up a hill in Japan, the greenhouse-like Ku-An test lab is lit by electricity harnessed from 1,500 wooden boxes of soil and compost.Designer Satoshi Nakagawa has long battled sceptics, but believes that the technology powering the 800 LEDs has a role to play in solving
The phrase “at sixes and sevens” refers to being in a state of disarray. How telling it is that the two numbers had a special significance for the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) last week.The TPP was formally established on Aug. 6, 2019. Thursday was its seventh anniversary and it marked the event at t
On Aug. 1, about 30 young people gathered in a renovated theater space in Taipei’s Dadaocheng (大稻埕) area. International students, foreign professionals, overseas Taiwanese and local youth spent an afternoon answering trivia questions about Taiwan. The event was held entirely in English. One question
In 2018, the Executive Yuan published its blueprint for developing Taiwan into a bilingual nation by 2030, the policy now known as Bilingual 2030. In 2021 the Ministry of Education unveiled its Bilingual Education for Students in College program (BEST), which tasks universities with expanding Englis
ON TO THE NEXT: The world No. 2 took down Ann Li of the US in 90 minutes at the WTA Toronto Masters, while the US’ Ben Shelton dominated Zizou Bergs in Montreal Reigning Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina advanced to the fourth round of the WTA Toronto Masters on Friday, while French Open winner Mirra Andreeva was eliminated by Canada’s Leylah Fernandez.World No. 2 Rybakina from Kazakhstan defeated American 28th seed Ann Li 6-2, 7-5 in 90 minutes, winn
The Los Angeles Dodgers lost their season-high seventh game in a row in a stunning collapse on Friday after the Arizona Diamondbacks rallied for a 4-3 win when rookie Ryan Waldschmidt hit a two-run, walk-off homer against closer Edwin Diaz.“A loss is a loss, but to get walked off never feels good,”
A Fijian rugby player with a Japanese professional team has died after being taken to hospital with “symptoms consistent with severe heatstroke,” Saimoni Vunilagi’s club said yesterday.Second-division side Kyushu KV said that 26-year-old Vunilagi was taken to hospital in the southern city of Fukuoka
South Korea’s national soccer association apologized yesterday after a media report alleged it had provided “sexual services” to foreign referees when they were in the country for international matches more than a decade ago.South Korean broadcaster JTBC reported on Thursday that the Korea Football
PRESIDENTIAL PLANS: Abelardo de la Espriella wants to eliminate all coca crops, lower taxes for the rich and forge a military alliance with Washington and Israel Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella vowed to restore order and eradicate “narco-terrorists” in a fiery first speech as leader on Friday.The US-backed millionaire flew by helicopter to address soldiers in a military garrison after his inauguration in the southwestern city of Cali.His mandate
ENERGY: The Russian embassy condemned the move, saying that, given the energy crisis, sanctioning Russia and its partners would be ‘extremely counterproductive’ The US Senate on Friday passed a sweeping sanctions package targeting Russia’s energy revenues.The legislation now heads to the US House of Representatives, although a vote there would not take place until at least early next month due to the congressional summer recess.“This could finally bring Rus
The Djidji Ayokwe, a sacred “talking drum” which was looted by French colonial troops in 1916 and taken to France, on Friday arrived back in its home village in Ivory Coast.The ceremony, on Ivory Coast’s national independence day holiday, was the first time today’s Ivorians were able to see it.The i
Aug.10 to Aug.16 Yuko remembers getting into frequent fights with children from neighboring villages who called him huana (番仔), a derogatory term for Indigenous people meaning “savage.”“I was mad because they made fun of me. I had no idea that it had anything to do with my identity,” the Pataran (
The next three weeks will be intense for the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) ahead of candidate registration for this year’s local nine-in-one elections. Registration opens Aug. 31 and ends on Sept. 4. The Central Election Commission (CEC) will vet the candidat
Every functioning country on Earth maintains a national archive to preserve its official records. In Taiwan, that institution is the National Archives Administration (檔案管理局, NAA), a unit of the government’s National Development Council. Since September last year, part of the NAA’s purpose-built head
ntinued from yesterday（延續自昨日）https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/langBefore air conditioning was invented, summer heat could be especially uncomfortable in dense urban areas. Like families today, many households would __5__ to the mountains or seaside in summer to beat the heat. For schools __6__ year-
After a long school year, almost every student looks forward to summer vacation. But what if there were no summer break at all? While that might sound __1__ to most students, it was the reality for those living in the 1800s. In fact, the long summer break, which typically spans 10 to 12 weeks in th
A: Besides the Michelin Guide, Nvidia founder Jensen Huang’s gourmet map has also sparked a viral trend.B: Since Huang hosted several “trillion-dollar banquets” for his tycoon friends at Juan Yau (Brick Kiln) Restaurant, it’s become so popular.A: The news reports that his favorite upscale restaurant
| New Taipei City | 27-29 | 100% |  |
| Hsinchu County | 27-29 | 90% | |
| Hsinchu City | 27-29 | 80% | |
| Taipei City | 27-29 | 90% | |
| Miaoli County | 26-28 | 70% | |
| Taoyuan City | 27-28 | 100% | |
| Keelung City | 27-28 | 100% | |
| Yunlin County | 26-28 | 60% | |
| Taichung City | 27-28 | 70% | |
| Nantou County | 26-27 | 60% | |
| Changhua County | 27-28 | 60% | |
| Chiayi County | 26-28 | 50% | |
| Chiayi City | 26-27 | 60% | |
| Tainan City | 28-29 | 20% | |
| Kaohsiung City | 27-29 | 20% | |
| Pingtung County | 26-28 | 20% | |
| Yilan County | 29-30 | 70% | |
| Hualien County | 31-32 | 20% |  |
| Taitung County | 31-33 | 20% | |
| Kinmen County | 29-29 | 20% |  |
| Penghu County | 27-28 | 20% | |
| Lienchiang County | 29-30 | 50% | |
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