The ministry’s Department of Strategic Planning has requested that the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency push back the deadline, but there did not seem to be much flexibility on the date, Deputy Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) said yesterday. A High Mobility Artillery Rocket System is displayed at the Taipei Aerospace and Defense Technology Exhibition on Sept. 17 last year. Hsu did not disclose what percentage of that amount would have to be paid in the first installment. President William Lai, center, listens to a briefing during an inspection of the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology yesterday. Photo courtesy of the Presidential OfficeThe Cabinet, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party submitted their own special defense budget proposals to cover US-approved arms sales, including the HIMARS, due to disagreement over the budget’s scope.

Hornets sting the Knicks to maintain playoff pushAFP, LOS ANGELESKon Knueppel on Thursday scored 26 points as the Charlotte Hornets maintained their late-season charge for a playoff berth with an emphatic 114-103 defeat of the high-flying New York Knicks. Kon Knueppel of the Charlotte Hornets, right, vies for the ball with Josh Hart of the New York Knicks in their NBA game in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Thursday. Photo: Jim Dedmon-Imagn ImagesThe Hornets have now won 23 of their past 29 games since late January and are firmly in the thick of the Eastern Conference race for the playoffs. Charlotte’s blistering form is part of a remarkable turnaround this season for the franchise, who finished just one place off the bottom of the Eastern Conference last season with just 19 wins. The Pistons improved to 53-20 and enjoy a comfortable four-and-a-half-game lead at the top of the Eastern Conference.

Sabalenka, Sinner keep ‘Sunshine Double’ in sightAFP, MIAMIWorld No. 2 Jannik Sinner, who like Sabalenka lifted his first Indian Wells title two weeks ago, also advanced, dominating Frances Tiafoe of the US 6-2, 6-2 to reach the men’s singles semi-finals. Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus returns to Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in their Miami Open women’s singles semi-final in Miami Gardens, Florida, on Thursday. Rybakina broke back, but Sabalenka broke again to pocket the set and too control in the second with a break for 2-0 in a game which Rybakina led 40-0. He is to face a familiar semi-final foe in Zverev, having beaten the German in straight sets in the same round at Indian Wells.

KMT proposes codifying 80% parental leave subsidyBy Fion Khan / Staff writer, with CNAChinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers yesterday proposed amendments to the Employment Insurance Act (就業保險法) to codify the 80 percent parental leave allowance into law and provide full-pay subsidies for disadvantaged families that would be funded in part by the government. They are reluctant to take parental leave or risk income disruption, he said, adding that the government should provide stable support for families willing to raise children. While many believe parental leave offers 80 percent of their salary, the act guarantees only a 60 percent subsidy, with the additional 20 percent provided through the government’s subsidy guidelines, Wu said. As parental leave has been made available on a daily basis, fathers should participate more in childcare, Niu said. In January and last month, 1,237 men applied for parental leave, accounting for 44.3 percent of applicants, significantly higher than last year’s 27.8 percent, he said.

TSMC shareholders surge despite tech stock volatilitySTRONG INTEREST: Analysts have pointed to optimism in TSMC’s growth prospects in the artificial intelligence era as the cause of the rising number of shareholders The number of people holding shares of chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) hit a new high last week despite a decline in its stock price, the Taiwan Depository and Clearing Corp (TDCC, 台灣集保) said. The number of TSMC shareholders rose to 2.46 million as of Friday, up 75,536 from a week earlier, TDCC data showed. The stock price fell 1.34 percent during the same week to close at NT$1,840 (US$57.55). The decline in TSMC’s share price resulted from volatility in global tech stocks, driven by rising international crude oil prices as the war against Iran continues. Dealers said

US senators target Chinese robots in governmentReutersTwo US senators on Thursday planned to introduce a bill that would ban the government from buying or operating humanoid robots made by Chinese firms. The bill comes as Chinese firms compete with US firms such as Tesla to deliver humanoid robots that can stand in for humans for tasks as varied as dangerous manufacturing work and household chores. At least two Chinese firms — Agibot and Unitree — are preparing to list shares in China this year as their products capture attention there. “Robots made by Communist China threaten Arkansans’ privacy and our national security,” Cotton said. “We must continue to promote and propel America’s robotics superiority while safeguarding our privacy and national security from adversaries,” Stefanik said in a statement.

Global LNG supply hit by cyclone in AustraliaBloombergThree Australian plants that provide about 8 percent of the world’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) have had their output curbed by a cyclone, in a further blow to mainly Asian buyers reeling from the halt of shipments from Qatar. Gorgon, Wheatstone and North West Shelf accounted for almost half of Australia’s exports last month, or about 8.4 percent of global trade, according to advisory EnergyQuest. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Santos Ltd said its Varanus Island gas processing facility off the Western Australia coast also “tripped” as Cyclone Narelle passed over the region. Varanus supplies major mining and industrial customers in Western Australia. Cyclone Narelle is a category four storm, with wind gusts of 250 kilometers per hour, Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology said.

PowerPoint deployed in love search at London pubReuters, LONDONFed up of swiping left or right on dating apps, young London singles are returning to a classic British way of meeting people — the pub — with a modern twist: a PowerPoint presentation by a close friend pitching them as dating material. Now, they are using that skill to enhance their friends’ love lives, just as dating apps are losing their appeal. People react during a Date My Mate event at a pub in London on Wednesday. Photo: ReutersOrganizers said that all 150 tickets for the event, held at a north London pub, were sold in less than five minutes. Dating apps are fading in popularity in the UK, with usage across the 10 biggest platforms falling 16 percent between 2023 and 2024, according to Global Dating Insights.

EDITORIAL: Protect Mandarin instructors’ rightsMandarin-language instructors from National Taiwan Normal University’s (NTNU) Mandarin Training Center on Friday last week protested outside the university, demanding better labor rights and protections, with a focus on ending three-month contracts. Unfortunately, it is common for university Mandarin instructors to be employed on short-term contracts, and they often lack the protections afforded to full-time staff. NTNU’s Mandarin center prides itself on being the largest and most renowned Mandarin language center in Taiwan. When international students arrive, Mandarin instructors often serve as one of the first points of contact. Their ability to fulfill this role effectively determines the quality of Taiwan’s Mandarin education and the nation’s reputation abroad.

Germany eyes Australian Ghost Bat combat droneAFP, SYDNEYGermany is considering Australia’s Ghost Bat robot fighter as it looks to select a combat drone to modernize its air force, German Minister of Defense Boris Pistorius said yesterday. German Minister of Defense Boris Pistorius, left, and Australian Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy ride in an armored vehicle during a visit to the Rheinmetall factory near Brisbane, Australia, yesterday. Photo: AFPAfter inspecting the Ghost Bat in Queensland yesterday, Pistorius told reporters that it was a “serious competitor” and Germany would “make a decision as soon as possible.”Australian sources said that Canberra would consider striking a deal to transfer the technology to Germany to allow the Ghost Bat to be manufactured in Europe. From left, Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Air Marshal Stephen Chappell, German Minister of Defense Boris Pistorius and Australian Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy converse near a Ghost Bat drone during a visit to the RAAF Base Amberley in Ipswich yesterday. Australian Strategic Policy Institute defense analyst Malcolm Davis said that the Ghost Bat was designed to work alongside a crewed jet and return to base — unlike the cheap kamikaze drones used by Iran and in the Ukraine conflict.

Core Pacific chair released on additional NT$30m bailStaff writer, with CNACore Pacific Group chairman Sheen Ching-jing (沈慶京) was on Thursday released on an additional bail of NT$30 million (US$941,029) after the Taipei District Court earlier in the day sentenced him to 10 years in prison for bribery in the Core Pacific City case. Core Pacific Group chairman Sheen Ching-jing leaves the Taipei District Court on Thursday evening. The court in its verdict said Sheen intended to bribe officials to breach their duties. He had instructed seven Core Pacific Group employees to withdraw company funds and transfer NT$300,000 each to a Taiwan People’s Party political donation account controlled by Ko, it said. Ying was sentenced to 15 years and six months in prison, along with a six-year deprivation of civil rights, for pressuring city government officials to facilitate approval of the Core Pacific City development project.

Cathay Financial Holding Co president Lee Chang-ken addresses a press conference in Taipei on Oct. 24 last year. Photo: CNAFour investment funds offered through the group hold related assets with net exposure of about US$100 million, Lee said. Cathay United Bank (國泰世華銀行), the conglomerate’s main lending arm, holds about NT$2.8 billion (US$87.83 million) in Middle Eastern sovereign bonds, he said. Cathay Financial reported a net income of NT$107.6 billion for last year, down 3 percent from a year earlier, largely due to a one-off foreign exchange reserve provision booked in December by its main subsidiary, Cathay Life Insurance Co (國泰人壽). Cathay Life realized NT$114.8 billion in gains from equity investments last year, representing a return of 16.4 percent.

Top Chinese chipmaker alleged to supply to IranReutersSemiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (中芯, SMIC), China’s largest chipmaker, has sent chipmaking tools to Iran’s military, two senior US officials said on Thursday, raising questions about Beijing’s stance in the month-old US-Israeli conflict with Iran. SMIC, which has been heavily sanctioned by the US government over alleged ties to the Chinese military, began sending the tools to Iran about a year ago and “we have no reason to believe that any of this has stopped,” an official said. The Chinese government maintains that it carries out normal commercial trade with Iran. The allegations threaten to heighten tensions between Washington and Beijing as the US wages war against Tehran and as it has sought to choke off China’s advanced chip industry. One of the officials said the tools have been provided to Iran’s “military industrial complex” and could be used for any electronics that require chips.

Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the reigning World Series Most Valuable Player, pitched six strong innings, both runs he allowed coming on Geraldo Perdomo’s two-run homer in the fourth that staked the Diamondbacks to a 2-0 lead. Andy Pages of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits a home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks in their MLB game in Los Angeles, California, on Thursday. Photo: EPAMax Muncy and Teoscar Hernandez led off the fifth with base hits and Pages followed with the first home run of the Dodgers’ three-peat bid into the left-field seats. They chased Gallen later in the inning, adding another run on a single by Will Smith — who added a two-run homer in a four-run seventh inning. The evening at Dodger Stadium started with the Dodgers celebrating last season’s title before opening their bid for a rare third straight title run.

Bolivia and Jamaica close in on World Cup berthsAFP, MONTERREY, MexicoBolivia and Jamaica on Thursday moved to within one win of returning to the FIFA World Cup after decades-long absences after securing opening victories in the intercontinental playoff tournament in Mexico. Bolivia, chasing their first World Cup appearance since the 1994 finals in the US, came from behind to defeat Suriname 2-1 in Monterrey. The South Americans’ victory sends them into a winner-takes-all playoff against Iraq on Tuesday next week, with the victors advancing to a World Cup group of death alongside France, Norway and Senegal. Bolivia’s Juan Godoy, center, vies for the ball with Suriname’s Anfernee Dijksteel, left, and Leo Abena in their FIFA World Cup playoff semi-final in Guadalupe, Mexico, on Thursday. The Reggae Boyz are to play the Democratic Republic of the Congo on Tuesday next week for the right to a berth in World Cup Group K alongside Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal, Colombia and Uzbekistan.