Taiwan falls by 20 percent in latest QS World University rankings by subjectStaff Writer, with CNATaiwan’s higher education system saw a net drop of 20 percent in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings by Subject released yesterday. National Taiwan University campus in Taipei is pictured in an undated photograph. National Taiwan University (NTU) led Taiwan’s performance, with 39 subjects in the global top 100. He attributed the results to structural pressures, including a demographic decline affecting university enrollment in Taiwan. This year’s QS World University Rankings by Subject covered more than 21,000 academic offerings from 1,900 institutions across 100 countries, a statement released by the ranking service said.

No major LNG concern through May: ministerABOVE LEGAL REQUIREMENT: The Ministry of Economic Affairs is prepared if LNG supply is disrupted, with more than the legal requirement of 11 days of inventoryBy Meryl Kao / Staff reporterTaiwan has largely secured liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies through May and arranged about half of June’s supply, Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) said yesterday. The Economic Committee aims to increase the figure to 14 days by the end of next year, he said. Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin speaks at a meeting of the legislature’s Economics Committee in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Peter Lo, Taipei TimesWhile one or two LNG or crude oil shipments for May might be short, overall supply is expected to remain stable, he said. Regarding other energy reserves, coal inventories stand at about 40 days, above the required 30 days, and oil reserves have reached about 150 days, significantly higher than the required 90 days, Kung said.

Firms upbeat amid slump: TIERservices slipping: Holiday spending in February helped cushion the decline of the services business climate, a survey by the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research saidBy Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterTaiwan’s business climate weakened last month as manufacturing, services and construction sectors all cooled, although firms remained cautiously optimistic about the longer-term outlook, a survey released yesterday by the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research (TIER, 台灣經濟研究院) showed. The services business climate index slipped to 94.55 from a revised 95.42 in January, ending four months of gains, although holiday spending helped cushion the decline, the institute said. In construction, the business climate index dropped to 95.81 from 99.92 in January, marking a second consecutive monthly decline. TIER said the weakness stems mainly from the government’s new soil disposal regulations, which have caused delays and temporary halts in some construction projects. Meanwhile, the property market remained listless, with transaction volumes declining amid tight credit controls.

Child rescued after jumping onto safety net at Taoyuan airportBy Chu Pei-hsiung / Staff reporterA seven-year-old was rescued by firefighters after jumping onto a safety net at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport today, the airport’s operator said. The incident occurred at about 12:52pm in the arrival hall on the first floor of Terminal 2, Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC) said. Firefighters rescue a child who climbed over a barrier at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport this afternoon. The child, who was unhurt in the incident, left the airport with a parent after aviation police clarified the situation, it said. Parents should ensure that children do not climb on airport facilities, cross barriers or enter restricted areas for their own safety, it added.

Winning numbers for Jan-Feb invoice lottery announcedStaff writer, with CNAThe Ministry of Finance today released the winning numbers for the January-February uniform invoice lottery, with the NT$10 million (US$312,627) special prize number announced as 87510041. The NT$2 million grand prize number was 32220522, while the three NT$200,000 first-prize numbers were 21677046, 44662410 and 31262513. Photo: CNAReceipts matching the last seven digits of any first-prize number qualify for the NT$40,000 second prize, while those matching the last six digits win NT$10,000. In addition, prizes handed out in the separate cloud invoice lottery for the January-February period included 30 NT$1 million winners, 16,000 NT$2,000 winners, 100,000 NT$800 winners and 3.85 million NT$500 winners. Prizes of up to NT$40,000 may also be claimed at credit cooperatives and the credit departments of farmers' and fishers' associations nationwide.

US has ‘high’ urgency in speeding up weapons deliveries: KooBy Ben Blanchard / Reuters, TAIPEIThe US has "quite a high" sense of urgency in helping Taiwan strengthen its military capabilities and is working to help ​speed up delayed weapons deliveries, Minister of National Defense Wellington ‌Koo (顧立雄) said today. Taiwan has complained of repeated delays to weapons ordered from the US. Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo, center, answers questions from lawmakers at the legislature in Taipei today. Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei TimesDeliveries of many of the weapons systems ordered have already begun or arrived, Koo told reporters at the legislature. Deliveries of ​F-16V jets for ​Taiwan are to ⁠begin this year with production at "full capacity," the Ministry of National Defense said over the weekend.

Anti-scam caller alerts to be launched by May: NCCBy Hollie Younger / Staff writer, with CNAThe National Communications Commission (NCC) has joined with mobile telecom operators to pilot a voice alert system for incoming calls from hidden numbers as a way to combat fraud. Chunghwa Telecom has been trialing the system for mobile users since March 2. Data show that fraud cases have trended downward since the trial began, as telecom operators proactively terminated 40,000 calls, Chen said. The measure has proven particularly effective among high-risk groups such as the elderly and has also helped younger users, who often answer calls quickly without first checking the number, he added. However, the NCC would convene meetings with telecom operators to review and improve safeguards, while discussing with Line ways to strengthen landline user verification mechanisms, he added.

Survey shows majority of teachers stressed and unsatisfiedBy Rachel Lin and Sam Garcia / Staff reporter, with staff writerNearly 60 percent of elementary and middle-school teachers intend to leave their positions within the next five years amid high job dissatisfaction, a survey released yesterday by CommonWealth Education Media and Publishing showed. In addition, 66.9 percent of teachers do not support the next generation becoming educators, showing a decline in the attractiveness of the profession, it added. The top three factors affecting teachers’ willingness to stay were low teacher dignity at 51.9 percent, changes in student quality at 40.1 percent and frequent changes in education policies at 34 percent, the survey showed. Due to this concern, 79 percent of teachers prioritize procedural legality over educational effectiveness when managing the classroom, it said. A three-tier support system should be established for teachers, covering improvement of school administration and staffing; social-emotional learning for parents, teachers and students to enhance communication; and strengthening support and mentoring for new teachers, it said.

New trade office to boost public-private ties with allies: diplomatStaff writer, with CNAA trade promotion office to be launched under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is to serve as a platform to build public-private cooperation and create business opportunities with Taiwan's diplomatic allies, the diplomat in charge of the project said today. The project, called the "Diplomatic Allies Prosperity Economic and Trade Office," was announced by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) on Monday, but Lin offered few details of what it would entail. Photo: Taipei TimesDepartment of International Cooperation and Economic Affairs Director-General Yeh Chih-cheng (葉至誠) today said that the office would be modeled on the Central America Trade Office (CATO) and be aimed at promoting economic development among Taiwan's allies. Lin announced the establishment of the office to coordinate private-sector initiatives under the agency's Diplomatic Allies Prosperity Project. Launched in May 2024 after Lin took office, the project aims to deepen substantive relations with allies through concrete development initiatives.

Taiwan, Philippine 7-Eleven stores to join Earth Hour lights-off eventStaff writer, with CNATaiwan's 7-Eleven chain is to partner with its Philippine counterpart in Saturday's Earth Hour campaign by having each store turn off their sign lights from 8:30pm to 10:30pm, operator Uni-President Chain Store Corp said yesterday. 7-Eleven employees hold signs for an Earth Hour event outside a store in an undated photograph. Some 7-Eleven stores already began in June 2024 to regularly shut off sign lighting early in the morning, and more than 3,000 stores are doing this now, Uni-President said. OK Mart also said it would join in switching off all sign lighting in its stores across the country for one hour starting at 8:30pm. Earth Hour, also known as the "lights off" moment, was initiated in 2007 by the World Wide Fund for Nature and is now recognized as the world's largest annual environmental grassroots movement, according to its official Web site.

The indirect ways of Lu Shiow-yenBy Huang Wei-ping 黃惟冰Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Huang Jian-hao (黃健豪), a close ally of Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕), said that Lu favors an NT$810 billion (US$25.29 billion) version of a special defense procurement plan over the KMT’s NT$380 billion “plus additional items” proposal. Huang said that a visit Lu made to the US was intended to assuage concerns over the KMT’s pro-China and US-skeptic leanings. This is not the first time that Lu has faltered under pressure. Lu tends to prioritize self-preservation in the face of risks and struggles in high-stakes situations. Huang Wei-ping works in public service.

Jay Chou returns with first album in nearly four yearsBy Angie Teo and Ann Wang / Reuters, TAIPEITaiwanese Mandopop star Jay Chou (周杰倫) is to release his first album in nearly four years this week, yesterday unveiling its lead single accompanied by a music video in which he battles a vampire. His new album, Children of the Sun (太陽之子), is his 16th studio release and features 13 tracks. “King of Mandopop” star Jay Chou attends a news conference in Taipei yesterday ahead of the release of his first album in nearly four years. Chou told fans and reporters in Taipei that he hoped to send “positive energy” with the lead single, recalling earlier occasions of stage fright before concerts. Raised in suburban Taipei by his mother, Chou failed his college entrance exam and once considered becoming a piano teacher.

On-the-run CPC executive captured in TaitungStaff writer, with CNAHsu Han (徐漢), a former executive at state-run oil supplier CPC Corp, Taiwan, who went missing days before being sentenced to 25 years in prison for corruption, was captured yesterday in Taitung County, prosecutors said. In a statement issued yesterday evening, the Ciaotou District Prosecutors' Office said Hsu had been taken into custody in Taitung’s Jinfeng Township (金峰), without providing additional details. Hsu went missing on Thursday last week after breaking and removing his ankle monitor in Pingtung County’s Wanluan Township (萬巒). Former CPC Corp, Taiwan refinery division head Hsu Han is pictured in an undated photograph. Photo: Taipei TimesHe was sentenced on Monday by the Ciaotou District Court to 25 years in prison.

The finding came from a Taiwan Public Opinion Survey released at a news conference yesterday. Among TPP supporters, 40.7 percent of respondents said she was ineligible. National Cheng Kung University political science professor Wang Hung-jen (王宏仁) said the fact that even TPP supporters have doubts about Lee’s eligibility indicates that her voter base is relatively weak. By party affiliation, dissatisfaction rates among Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and TPP supporters both reached 70 percent, while only 11.2 percent of DPP supporters expressed dissatisfaction. Among KMT supporters, opposition reached 70 percent, while 54.3 percent of TPP supporters were opposed.

Denmark votes in close electionPARLIAMENT: Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen is tipped to win, earning praise for her leadership after fending off Trump’s repeated demands to annex GreenlandAFP, COPENHAGENDanes yesterday began voting in general elections, with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen seen as the favorite after standing up to US President Donald Trump over Greenland. The centrist Moderate party, led by Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs Lars Lokke Rasmussen, a two-time former prime minister, could also prove decisive if things go down to the wire. However, in metropolitan Denmark, the row over the vast Arctic island has not been central in the campaign. The most established of those is the far-right Danish People’s Party, which slumped in the 2022 election, but has seen an upswing in opinion polls. In metropolitan Denmark, polling stations close at 8pm, with exit polls expected to be published just after.