Lai urges unity on national defensePERCEPTION: The opposition’s boycotting of the defense budget sends a worrying message to friendly nations about Taiwan’s commitment to self-defense, Lai saidStaff writer, with CNAPresident William Lai (賴清德), in his New Year’s Day address yesterday, urged the opposition parties to put national security before partisan politics and swiftly pass a NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.76 billion) special defense budget amid China’s “rising expansionary ambitions.”“As president, my position has always been clear: to staunchly defend national sovereignty, strengthen national defense, and enhance whole-of-society defense and resilience, and to comprehensively establish robust deterrence and democratic defense mechanisms,” Lai said in the address titled “Island of Resilience — Light of Hope.”To that end, Lai said that his administration has drafted legal revisions aimed at bolstering national security, and has proposed the special defense budget to strengthen Taiwan’s overall defense posture over the next eight years and boost the domestic weapons manufacturing industry. People take pictures in front of the Presidential Office Building in Taipei yesterday before the annual New Year’s Day flag-raising ceremony. President William Lai, center, waves a Republic of China flag at the Presidential Office in Taipei yesterday. “Therefore, I very much hope that the opposition parties will allow this budget to pass, to enable us to better protect this country and its people,” he said. Photo: CNA“I hope that the ruling and opposition parties will demonstrate unity,” he said.

US boat strikes kill eightAP, WASHINGTONThe US military on Wednesday said it struck five alleged drug-smuggling boats over two days, killing eight people, while others jumped overboard and might have survived. The latest attacks bring the total number of known boat strikes to 35 and the number of people killed to at least 115 since early September last year, according to numbers announced by US President Donald Trump’s administration. The White house also stepped up a pressure campaign against Venezuela’s oil exports by sanctioning companies based in Hong Kong and mainland China, along with related oil tankers it accused of evading restrictions. US Southern Command, which oversees South America, did not reveal where the attacks on Tuesday and Wednesday occurred. Three people were killed when the first boat was struck, while those in the other two boats jumped overboard and distanced themselves from the vessels before they were attacked, the military said.

Khmer classical dance, performed to traditional music, is renowned for its graceful hand gestures and stunning costumes, and has a 1,000-year history. Dance student Tola Thina, 18, last month practices with other students at the Secondary School of Fine Arts in Phnom Penh. Khmer classical dance, performed to traditional music, is renowned for its graceful hand gestures and stunning costumes and has a 1,000-year history. Photo: AFPEnrollment in the Secondary School of Fine Arts in Phnom Penh is falling, and many entrants do not complete the grueling nine-year curriculum. The Secondary School of Fine Arts has more than 90 classical dance teachers and is the primary training center for the next generation.

Trump to pull National Guard from three citiesReuters and AP, WASHINGTONUS President Donald Trump on Wednesday said his administration was removing — for now — the US National Guard from Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon, a move that comes after legal roadblocks held up the effort. Governors typically control states’ National Guards, and Trump had deployed troops to all three cities against the wishes of state and local Democratic leaders. The court said the president’s authority to take federal control of National Guard troops likely only applies in “exceptional” circumstances. The local leaders who opposed Trump’s deployment of the National Guard on Wednesday said the legal challenges compelled him to end the deployments in those cities. “We’ve said it from day one: the federal takeover of California’s National Guard is illegal.”In New Orleans, about 350 National Guard troops deployed by Trump arrived in the city’s historic French Quarter on Tuesday and were set to stay through Mardi Gras to help with safety.

Viral ‘6-7’ tops list of overused words in 2025APRespondents to an annual Michigan college survey of overused and misused words and phrases say “6-7” is “cooked” and should come to a massive full-stop heading into the new year. Those are among the top 10 words on the 50th annual “Banished Words List,” released yesterday by Lake Superior State University. Photo: APAbout 1,400 submissions came from all 50 US states and a number of countries outside the US, including Uzbekistan, Brazil and Japan, Lake Superior State said. “The list definitely represents the fad and vernacular trends of the younger generation,” Lake Superior State University president David Travis said. Each number can be spoken aloud as “six, seven.” They even can be combined as the number 67; at college basketball games, some fans explode when a team reaches that point total.

Mamdani sworn in as New York mayorReuters and AP, NEW YORKZohran Mamdani was sworn in as New York City mayor in the first minutes of the new year at the historic, decommissioned City Hall subway station, with his wife, Rama Duwaji, standing by his side. The oath, in which he pledged to support the US constitution and the laws of New York, was administered by New York State Attorney General Letitia James. Mamdani, a Democrat, was sworn in as the first Muslim leader of the US’ biggest city, placing his hand on a Koran as he took his oath. Zohran Mamdani, center, is sworn in as mayor of New York at City Hall station in New York yesterday. Mamdani was to be sworn in again, in grander style, in a public ceremony at City Hall at 1pm by US Senator Bernie Sanders, one of the mayor’s political heroes.

Dozens presumed dead following fire at Swiss Alps pubAP, CRANS-MONTANA, SwitzerlandA fire ripped through a bar’s new year celebration in a Swiss Alpine resort less than two hours after midnight yesterday, with dozens of people feared dead and about 100 more injured, most seriously, police said. “Several tens of people” were presumed killed at the bar, Valais Canton Police Commander Frederic Gisler told a news conference. Valais Canton Attorney General Beatrice Pilloud said it was too early to determine the cause of the fire. Helicopters and ambulances rushed to the scene to assist victims, including some from different countries, officials said. Two women told French broadcaster BFMTV that they were inside when they saw a barman carrying a barmaid on his shoulders.

New birth subsidies not enough to boost birthrate: expertBy Chiu Chih-jou, Chung Li-hua and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerNew birth subsidies offering NT$100,000 (US$3,181) per newborn that took effect yesterday would not be enough alone to boost the nation’s dramatically falling birthrate, an expert said. Photo courtesy of Hungchi Women and Children’s HospitalOne-time subsidies would not be a sufficient incentive for young couples to have children, he said. For women up to age 39, subsidies for the first attempt increased to NT$150,000 from NT$100,000, while subsidies for the second and third attempts rose to NT$100,000 from NT$60,000. Subsidies for attempts No. Women aged 39 to 44 are eligible for subsidies for three attempts, NT$130,000 for the first, NT$80,000 for the second and NT$60,000 for the third.

Joshua discharged from hospital following crashAFP, LAGOS, NigeriaFormer world heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua has been discharged from hospital, state officials said on Wednesday, after surviving a car crash in Nigeria that killed two of his close friends. Newspapers reporting on a crash involving boxer Anthony Joshua are displayed at a stall in Abeokuta, Nigeria, on Tuesday. “Anthony Joshua was discharged from hospital late this afternoon,” spokesmen for the Lagos and Ogun state governments said in a joint statement late on Wednesday night. After leaving the hospital, Joshua and his mother paid their respects at the funeral home where the bodies of his friends were “being prepared for repatriation,” the statement said. Joshua, 36, was admitted at Lagos’ Lagoon Hospital, the statement said, contradicting earlier information by a TRACE official who gave the name of a different hospital.

Nsue scores first ‘legal’ goal at CupAP, RABAT and CASABLANCA, MoroccoEmilio Nsue on Wednesday scored a contender for goal of the tournament in his first legal start at the Africa Cup of Nations after an 11-year ineligible career with Equatorial Guinea. Equatorial Guinea’s Emilio Nsue scores during their Group E Africa Cup of Nations game against Algeria at Moulay El Hassan Stadium in Rabat on Wednesday. Algeria’s Zineddine Belaid celebrates scoring during their Group E Africa Cup of Nations game against Equatorial Guinea at Moulay El Hassan Stadium in Rabat on Wednesday. Mozambique’s Bruno Langa, left, and Christian Bassogog of Cameroon vie for the ball during their Group F Africa Cup of Nations match at Grand Stadium in Agadir, Morocco, on Wednesday. Arsene Kouassi sealed the Stallions win with a late goal as Burkina Faso finished second in the group.

Agri-food chain adds NT$1.7tn to GDP: MOAYOUNG FARMERS: A ministry loan program has benefited more than 26,000 young adults getting into agriculture as of November last yearBy Esme Yeh / Staff reporterAgriculture and the agri-food industrial chain in 2024 generated gross value added of more than NT$1.74 trillion (US$55.3 billion) with a workforce of about 2 million people, accounting for 6.8 percent of GDP, the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) said on Tuesday. The gross value added of agriculture and the agri-food industrial chain increased by nearly 90 percent over the previous 15 years, with an additional workforce of 221,000 people, a growth of 12.5 percent over the period, it said. Photo: CNAThe value of the agriculture industry and agri-food industrial chain grew 89.1 percent from 2009 to 2024, it said. In 2024, the agriculture and the agri-food industrial chain accounted for more than NT$1.74 trillion, or 6.8 percent of GDP by production approach, marking another record high after it surpassed NT$1.6 trillion in 2023, it said. The workforce in the agriculture and the agri-food industrial chain in 2024 also hit a three-year high of about 2 million people, or 17.2 percent of the total national workforce, meaning that one in six were in agriculture and the agri-food industrial chain, the ministry said.

Analyst urges rethink of Taiwan’s defense tacticsBy Fang Wei-li and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe military should abolish centralized deployment and instead adopt something like the US’ Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS) to maximize survivability through dispersed deployment and mobile defenses, an Institute for National Defense and Security Research analyst said yesterday. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) demonstrated long-range rocket-strike capabilities during its “Justice Mission 2025” exercise on Monday and Tuesday. The Taiwan Dome would have high-level detection and interception capabilities, and is a part of an eight-year, NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.76 billion) special defense budget, he added. The dome system would prevent the military’s launch capabilities from being paralyzed if radar stations are crippled, Shu said. Asked whether Taiwan could establish a system similar to Israel’s Iron Dome, Shu said that missile interception is costly and its effectiveness is limited.

Stay for foreign national parents extended‘FRIENDLY SOCIETY’: The changes aim to help relieve the childcare burdens of new parents and is part of Taiwan’s efforts to embrace naturalized citizens, the ministry saidBy Lin Tse-yuan and Jason Pan / Staff reportersParents of citizens naturalized through marriage can now extend their stay in Taiwan to one year to help look after grandchildren, according to new regulations that took effect yesterday. “The government is working to protect the rights of our ‘new citizens,’ so restrictions are being loosened to allow foreign national parents of ‘new citizens’ to extend their visit if they qualify under the stipulated conditions,” it said. Foreign national parents of women who have been naturalized through marriage applying to extend their stay in Taiwan must present an official medical document confirming their daughter’s pregnancy and their expected due date, or the Maternal Health Booklet issued by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, it said. Allowing foreign national parents to stay longer in Taiwan is part of the nation’s efforts to embrace its new citizens, so that all families could feel the warmth of a more friendly society, the interior ministry said. The ministry urged foreign national parents to ask about the extension and for those who qualify to apply at National Immigration Agency offices or service stations.

KMT urges Lai to respect oversight amid unity callTHE ‘1992 CONSENSUS’: The KMT said it hoped for ‘reconciliation’ across the Strait, and that Taiwan and China belonging to ‘one China’ was beyond doubtStaff writer, with CNAThe Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday urged President William Lai (賴清德) and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to show respect for legislative oversight, referring to the president’s call for cross-party cooperation in the new year. KMT spokeswoman Chiang I-chen (江怡臻) said Lai’s speech “failed to address any of the opposition party’s demands,” and that he had instead resorted to “emotional blackmail.”Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun, top, waves a Taiwanese flag at a flag-raising event at KMT headquarters in Taipei yesterday. Lai has repeatedly called for cooperation between the ruling and opposition parties in the name of unity, but he should first respect legislative oversight instead of simplifying differing opinions as “boycotts or confrontations,” she added. The opposition has asked Lai to answer questions in the legislature regarding details of the proposal. “The 1992 consensus means that both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one China, and this is beyond doubt,” she said.

Flights and shipping affected by Chinese drillsTrips for more than 100,000 international and domestic air travelers could be disrupted as China launches a military exercise around Taiwan today, Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said yesterday. The exercise could affect nearly 900 flights scheduled to enter the Taipei Flight Information Region (FIR) during the exercise window, it added. A notice issued by the Chinese Civil Aviation Administration showed there would be seven temporary zones around the Taiwan Strait which would be used for live-fire exercises, lasting from 8am to 6pm today. All aircraft are prohibited from entering during exercise, it says. Taipei FIR has 14 international air routes andBy Shelley Shan