Ministry awaits scheduled visit by European groupBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterThe Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said it welcomes a planned visit from Sunday to Friday next week of a delegation from the European Parliament. Eleven members of the European Parliament, led by Michael Gahler, chairman of the European Parliament-Taiwan Friendship Group, would be the first delegation from the parliament to visit Taiwan next year, Department of European Affairs Director Eric Huang (黃鈞耀) said. Member of the European Parliament Michael Gahler, chairman of the European Parliament-Taiwan Friendship Group, speaks at a news conference in Islamabad on July 28, 2018. “Serving as the chair of the European Parliament-Taiwan Friendship Group and cochair of the Formosa Club in Europe since the previous European Parliament term [2019 to last year], Gahler has been a long-standing supporter of Taiwan,” Huang said. Gahler has been dedicated to promoting parliamentary exchanges between Taiwan and the EU, and assisting Taiwan to expand its network of supporters within the European Parliament, he said.

Taiwan’s military highlights Chinese disinformation during large-scale drillStaff Writer, with CNATaiwan’s military on Tuesday warned the public about a wave of Chinese disinformation circulating online amid Beijing’s ongoing large-scale military exercise around the island, urging people not to fall for false claims aimed at undermining public morale. The MND has been monitoring Chinese disinformation and issuing clarifications where necessary, Chu said. Although drone activity was detected during the exercise, none entered Taiwan’s contiguous zone, which extends 24 nautical miles (44.4 kilometers) from the coastline, Hsieh said. Earlier in the day, President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) urged the public in a social media post to be mindful of disinformation accompanying the exercise. “At this critical moment, unity between the military and civilians in countering misinformation and disinformation constitutes the strongest defense of our democratic homeland,” Lai wrote.

Exercises force the cancelation of 36 domestic flightsBy Shelley Shan / Staff reporterChina’s military exercises in the Taiwan Strait forced 36 domestic flights to be canceled, while some international flights could not transit in Taiwan, the Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said yesterday. People at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport walk under a board showing flight details amid Chinese military drills around Taiwan yesterday. As of midday yesterday, no international flights had been canceled, although some canceled stopovers in Taiwan, CAA data showed. It coordinated with airlines to add 10 extra flights on the Kinmen route after the drills ends, including originally scheduled flights that were delayed, it said. As a result, 26 delayed flights on the Kinmen route would take off after the exercises conclude, it said.

Labor law changes passedBy Lee Ching-hui and Fion Khan / Staff reporter, with staff writer and CNAThe Legislative Yuan yesterday passed the third reading of proposed amendments to the Labor Insurance Act (勞工保險條例) to institutionalize government funding support. Lawmakers hold placards to mark the passage of amendments to the Labor Insurance Act at the legislature in Taipei yesterday. The central government is required to allocate annual budgetary appropriations based on its fiscal capacity and the financial status of labor insurance, the proposed changes say. The Bureau of Labor Insurance may temporarily withhold benefits in such cases until all outstanding fees are settled, the proposed amendments say. The revisions stabilize the labor insurance fund from three directions to safeguard insured workers’ rights, Minister of Labor Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) said.

Building character in children through good worksVolunteering with children can instill confidence in youngsters, teach social and problem-solving skills and provide unique ways for families to bondBy Cathy Bussewitz / AP, NEW YORKWhen Cami Teacoach’s son turned three she set out to find volunteer opportunities they could do together. Photo: APCONFIDENCE BOOSTERVolunteering with children can instill confidence in youngsters, teach social and problem-solving skills and provide unique ways for families to bond. Finding volunteer work to do as a family with young children can be challenging, but there are opportunities, if you persist. She also turned half of her son’s graduation party into a volunteer project assembling kits of bean soup. You get quality time, you’re raising your children with what feels like good values, and people benefit,” she said.

Micron Memory granted NT$4.7bn subsidy: ministryBy Meryl Kao / Staff reporterMicron Memory Taiwan Co, a subsidiary of US memorychip maker Micron Technology Inc, has been granted a NT$4.7 billion (US$149.5 million) subsidy under the Ministry of Economic Affairs A+ Corporate Innovation and R&D Enhancement program, the ministry said yesterday. The US memorychip maker’s program aims to back the development of high-performance and high-bandwidth memory chips with a total budget of NT$11.75 billion, the ministry said. Aside from the government funding, Micron is to inject the remaining investment of NT$7.06 billion as the company applied to participate the government’s Global Innovation Partnership Program to deepen technology cooperation, a ministry official told the Taipei Times by telephone yesterday. The Micron Technology Inc offices in San Jose, California, are pictured on Dec. 16. The project is to run until October 2028 and the ministry hopes to strengthen Taiwan’s technological capabilities in advanced memory through large-scale research and development investment, the official said.

Game helps Filipinos prepare for worstAFP, MANILAIn a library in the Philippines, a dice rattled on the surface of a board before coming to a stop, putting one of its players straight into the path of a powerful typhoon. The teenagers huddled around the table leapt into action, shouting instructions and acting out the correct strategies for just one of the potential catastrophes laid out in the board game Master of Disaster. People play Master of Disaster, a board game about disaster preparedness in Valenzuela, Philippines, on Monday. More than 10,000 editions of the game, aimed at players as young as nine years old, have been distributed across the archipelago nation. While conceding the evidence was so far anecdotal, Macatulad said he believed the game was bringing a “significant” improvement in its players’ disaster preparedness knowledge.

MSI eyeing double-digit growthLOCAL ADVANTAGES: Micro-Star International Co is confident it would expand its share to 10 percent of Taiwan’s charging pile market next year from 7 to 8 percentBy Meryl Kao / Staff reporterMicro-Star International Co (MSI, 微星科技) yesterday said it is targeting a double-digit percentage revenue growth in its electric vehicle (EV) charging pile business next year, driven by the launch of new products and the rollout of its sales channel strategy over the past six months. The new product and the introduction of charging pile software developed by MSI and after-sales services are to be the main driving forces next year, Yeh said. The company entered the North American charging pile market in September with its previous wall-mounted EV charging pile model, the EV Premium, through Amazon.com Inc and Best Buy Co Inc sales channels, Yeh said. Aside from wall-mounted charging piles, MSI also launched a portable EV charger in April that is waterproof and dustproof, with the response proving positive, Yeh said. The wall-mounted and portable charging piles are expected to each account for about 50 percent of total charging pile revenue next year, she added.

Anthony Joshua ‘stable’ after fatal accident in NigeriaAFP, SAGAMU, NigeriaFormer world heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua was in a “stable condition” in hospital after a car accident in Nigeria that killed two close friends and associates, his promoter announced on Monday. Anthony Joshua celebrates winning his bout against Andy Ruiz Jr in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, on Dec. 7, 2019. Sharing a photograph of himself with Joshua on social media, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu wrote: “As a sportsman, you have always shown courage, discipline, and unwavering love for our country.”Tinubu later said on social media that he had spoken with “AJ” and the boxer’s mother. I am praying for the lost lives, AJ and anyone impacted by today’s unfortunate accident,” Paul said on social media. Former Olympic champion Joshua has since been linked with a fight against compatriot and fellow former world champion Tyson Fury.

Cumulative credit card spending reached NT$4.14 trillion (US$131.7 billion) in the first 10 months of the year, marking a 6.65 percent increase from the same period last year, Financial Supervisory Commission data showed. Photo: Lee Chin-hui, Taipei TimesCathay United Bank (國泰世華銀行) reported double-digit growth in overseas spending and transactions via online travel agencies, while Taishin International Bank (台新銀行) saw overseas card spending surge 22 percent year-on-year. Demographically, consumers aged 30 to 49 accounted for more than half of total spending at Cathay United Bank, while Taipei Fubon Bank said its core spending cohort was aged 40 to 49. Looking ahead, the banks expect credit card spending to post double-digit percentage growth next year, supported by sustained demand for overseas travel, experiential consumption and the continued expansion of digital payment ecosystems. These moves set the stage for an increasingly competitive credit card market, as issuers vie for consumers drawn to convenience, rewards and a seamless digital payment experience.

Nvidia reaches tech deal with GroqAI TALENT: No financial details were released about the deal, in which top Groq executives, including its CEO, would join Nvidia to help advance the technology Nvidia Corp has agreed to a licensing deal with artificial intelligence (AI) start-up Groq, furthering its investments in companies connected to the AI boom and gaining the right to add a new type of technology to its products. The world’s largest publicly traded company has paid for the right to use Groq’s technology and is to integrate its chip design into future products. Some of the start-up’s executives are leaving to join Nvidia to help with that effort, the companies said. Groq would continue as an independent company with a new chief executive, it said on Wednesday in a post on its Web

TSMC officially begins 2nm chip volume production in Q4 2025Staff Writer, with CNATaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), the world’s leading advanced chipmaker, officially began volume production of its 2- nanometer chips in the fourth quarter of 2025, according to a recent update on the company’s website. The low-key announcement confirms that TSMC met its original roadmap for the next-generation technology. Production is currently centered at Fab 22 in Kaohsiung, utilizing the company’s first-generation nanosheet transistor technology. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s logo is pictured at a company site in Tainan on Dec. 29, 2022. Looking ahead, TSMC is already developing the N2P manufacturing process, an enhanced version of the 2nm node, which is slated for mass production in the second half of 2026.

Science still made incredible breakthroughs while under attackButterfly loss, ancient human intelligence and hereditary fitness are among the findings that might be more significant than some people realizeBy F.D. Thousands of research grants, including more than 3,800 from the US National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation alone, were frozen or canceled. After several false starts, a group of paddlers completed the journey in 44 hours and 10 minutes, publishing their findings in Science Advances in June. In one study, published in October in Nature Communications, scientists infected mice with a virus similar to SARS-CoV-2, then let them mate. However, a study published in August, based on more than 21,000 volunteers, found that women with extra weight around the hips and thighs had healthier hearts than slimmer women.

National language act is not honoredBy Huang Li-fen 黃麗芬In 2009, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) made a welcome move to offer in-house contracts to all outsourced employees. Every day across Taiwan, local language teachers are traveling between schools to classes, promoting culture and mother tongue development. The government has repeatedly made noises about wanting to “protect language rights” and “cultivate language talent,” but local language teachers continue to be left out in the cold. The driving force of this practice is, of course, those educators who quietly travel from school to school as local language teachers. Reforms must begin with respect for local language teachers, just as linguistic equality begins with addressing systemic injustices.

Japan-China relations next yearBy Gurjit SinghWith the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue in a period of enforced dormancy and India-Japan-Australia not attempting a trilateral engagement, the fortunes of each of the three nations have a bearing on the others. Officials cited the 1972 Japan-China Joint Communique, recognizing the People’s Republic of China as China’s sole legal government and “understanding and respecting” Beijing’s Taiwan position. The National Security Strategy report of US President Donald Trump’s administration prioritizes the western hemisphere and domestic security, while still invoking deterrence in Asia. If brinkmanship grows, Washington, Tokyo and Beijing risk being pushed into reactive postures, increasing accidents and self-fulfilling escalation. Next year, Japan-China relations are likely to remain tense, competitive and fragile, but not necessarily uncontrollable.