Team Taiwan welcomed by minister, 300 fans at airportStaff writer, with CNAMembers of Taiwan's World Baseball Classic (WBC) team were welcomed by Minister of Sports Lee Yang and more than 300 fans early this morning at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport upon their return from Japan. Fans gather at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to greet Taiwan's national baseball team upon their arrival from Tokyo early this morning. Fans gathered in the terminal's arrival lobby cheered for the team and its players while waving banners and flags. They were most excited when outfielder Sung Cheng-jui held up the ball that he said was "the final out against South Korea." She returned to Taiwan yesterday afternoon before heading to the airport at night to welcome the team.

Fans barred from cheering ‘Taiwan’ during soccer matchBy Chen Cheng-yu and Sam Garcia / Staff reporter, with staff writerTaiwan’s former national team head coach was reportedly removed from an AFC Women’s Asian Cup match in Sydney yesterday for cheering “Go Taiwan,” after organizers told fans to use the name “Chinese Taipei.”Taiwan defeated India 3-1 in the match, sending the nation’s women's soccer team to the quarter-finals of the tournament. Photo courtesy of the Chinese Taipei Football AssociationHowever, when fans of India’s team were standing, cheering and banging drums, the organizers did not restrict them in the same way, they said. Restricting the way fans cheer and forbidding them to say “Taiwan” goes beyond crowd management — it suppresses the basic rights and national identity of Taiwanese fans, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lee Po-yi (李柏毅) said. Cheering for one’s national team and shouting the country’s name should be the most basic, fundamental right, Lee said. No matter how challenging the international environment, the voices of Taiwanese cheering for their national team should not be silenced, Lee said.

Firefighters search for missing people after heavy rains caused flooding in Wajima, Japan, on Sept. 22, 2024. The two sides should expand cooperation in disaster prevention, humanitarian assistance and social resilience, enabling both to remain trusted and important partners to each other, he said. Government and civilian search-and-rescue teams assembled and departed for Japan within 72 hours, he said. Similarly, Japan has come to Taiwan’s aid during natural disasters such as the 921 Earthquake in 1999 and Typhoon Morakot in 2009, dispatching its own search-and-rescue teams, Lai said. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Japan also donated supplies, funds and vaccines to Taiwan, he added.

Snow falls briefly on Yushan as cold persistsStaff writer, with CNASnow fell briefly on Yushan (Jade Mountain, 玉山) early this morning, as a continental cold air mass kept temperatures down across the country. Snow fell on 3,952m mountain between 2am and 4am, when the weather monitoring station there recorded a temperature of minus-8.9°C, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. A dusting of snow is pictured on Yushan at sunrise this morning. Chilly weather conditions are expected to continue in northern, northeastern and eastern Taiwan today, the agency said, issuing several cold surge warnings for those areas. While partly cloudy to sunny skies are expected for most of Taiwan today, brief showers are likely in the east, Wu said.

Ban on new pet raccoons, crocodiles to take effect on May 1Staff writer, with CNARegulations prohibiting people in Taiwan from having raccoons, saltwater crocodiles, vipers and elapid snakes (such as cobras and mambas) as pets will take effect on May 1, with exemptions for those who already own them, the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) said yesterday. The new rules, for which a 30-day public notice period was announced in October, will prohibit getting such animals as new pets from May 1. The banned species can also pose a serious threat to the public if they escape or are abandoned, the MOA said, while saltwater crocodiles are highly aggressive. The ban will apply primarily to the general public. A total of 641 species will be banned as pets once the new regulations are in place, including pit bulls and electric eels, according to the ministry.

KMT lawmakers to propose ‘graded parole’ systemBy Lin Hsin-han and Jason Pan / Staff reportersChinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers on Monday said they would seek to amend the Juvenile Justice Act (少年事件處理法) to require that victims’ opinions be considered in parole reviews, following an outcry that the sentencing of two teenagers for the stabbing death of a fellow student was too lenient. The female student allegedly urged the other male student to “kill” Yang during an ensuing fight. Yang was taken to Far Eastern Memorial Hospital in New Taipei City’s Banciao District (板橋), where he died the following evening. The New Taipei City District Court’s juvenile court in October 2024 sentenced the male student to nine years in prison and the female student to eight years. KMT legislators, led by Hung Meng-kai (洪孟楷), on Monday told reporters they would propose a “graded parole” mechanism for serious crimes, and that input from the victim and their family must be considered during parole reviews.

‘Rabbit’ restaurant faces investigation over animal abuseBy Lo Kuo-chia and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe operator of a “rabbit restaurant” in New Taipei City’s Bali District (八里) has been referred to prosecutors after multiple bunnies allegedly died at the eatery, New Taipei City Animal Protection and Health Inspection Office Director Yang Shu-fang (楊淑方) said yesterday. The restaurant promoted itself on social media as a “rabbit restaurant,” where customers could interact with the furry mammals while enjoying their meal, the office said. Photo courtesy of the New Taipei City Animal Protection and Health Inspection OfficeSuch activities constitute an unauthorized animal exhibition, which under the Animal Protection Act (動物保護法) carries a fine of up to NT$250,000 (US$7,855), she said. Officials ordered the operator to stop the activity immediately and sent the sick rabbits for medical treatment, the office said. Authorities confiscated the remaining animals and arranged for the Taiwan Rabbit Saving Association to provide medical care and shelter.

Taiwan fans roar for their team at WBCLOUD AND PROUD Taiwan might have taken a drubbing against Australia and Japan, but you might not know it from the enthusiasm and numbers of the fans Taiwan might not be expected to win the World Baseball Classic (WBC) but their fans are making their presence felt in Tokyo, with tens of thousands decked out in the team’s blue, blowing horns and singing songs. Taiwanese fans have packed out the Tokyo Dome for all three of their games so far and even threatened to drown out home team supporters when their team played Japan on Friday. They blew trumpets, chanted for their favorite players and had their own cheerleading squad who dance on a stage during the game. The team struggled to match that exuberance on the field, with

Maritime incidents fell about 30% last year, data showBy Shelley Shan / Staff reporterTaiwan’s maritime incidents decreased last year by about 30 percent compared with 2021, thanks to the implementation of new safety measures, the Maritime and Port Bureau said yesterday. A total of 101 maritime incidents were recorded last year, down from 144 in 2021 and a record low, bureau data showed. Excluding incidents involving fishing vessels, the figure fell to 57 from 93 in 2022. The logo of the Maritime and Port Bureau is pictured in a screen grab from a video. Separately, more than 99 percent of shipowners have followed new insurance rules that took effect last year, the bureau said.

HIV/AIDS cases falling, but syphilis is on the rise: CDCBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterWhile HIV/AIDS cases have fallen since last year, syphilis infections rose 2 percent, with cases among those aged 15 to 14 rising 8 percent, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. Newly reported HIV cases have been steadily falling since 2018, reaching 819 cases last year, while gonorrhea cases fell 16 percent from the previous year to 6,417 cases, CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Deputy Director Lee Chia-lin (李佳琳) said. The majority of people with gonorrhea were men, while the most common age group was 25 to 34, she said. A breakdown by age groups shows that syphilis is also most common among people aged 25 to 34, but cases reported among people aged 15 to 24 have been steadily and significantly growing, she said. Syphilis cases among people aged 15 to 24 have increased from 938 cases in 2020 to 1,754 cases in 2024, with 1,892 cases reported last year, indicating an increasing trend, CDC data showed.

A coconspirator in a 1,200kg drug trafficking plot sentenced to 15 yearsStaff writer, with CNAThe Kaohsiung District Court yesterday sentenced a man to 15 years in prison for his role in a scheme to smuggle more than 1.2 tonnes of methamphetamine and ketamine into Taiwan on a rented cargo ship. Lee Hsin (李鑫) and several others planned and recruited accomplices to smuggle the drugs into Taiwan from overseas in 2023, the verdict showed. Lee Hsin advised the main suspect in the plot, Lee Chien-liang (李建良), to use an agency to set up an overseas shell company and lease the cargo ship Fei Yan to evade detection, it said. Additionally, a hired captain and crew, who were not part of the criminal operation, accompanied the drugs aboard the cargo ship, prosecutors said. The court sentenced Lee Hsin to 15 years in prison for drug trafficking, citing his role in planning the crime, his continued denials of guilt, and the public safety risk posed by such a large quantity of drugs.

Taiwan receives US letter for HIMARS purchase: KooStaff writer, with CNAThe Ministry of National Defense has received a letter of acceptance (LOA) from the US for the sale of High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) that expires on March 26, Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said yesterday. The US announced the sale of 82 HIMARS to Taiwan on Dec. 17 last year at an estimated cost of US$4.05 billion as part of a historic US$11.1 billion arms package. Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo, center, speaks to reporters at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday. In addition to the HIMARS letter, Taiwan has received LOAs for M109A7 self-propelled howitzers (US$4.03 billion), Javelin anti-armor missiles (US$375 million) and TOW missiles (US$353 million). The ministry said it is still awaiting the acceptance letter for Altius-700M and Altius-600 drones.

In Bahrain, authorities said an Iranian attack hit a residential building in the capital, Manama, killing a 29-year-old woman and wounding eight people. Saudi Arabia said it destroyed two drones over its oil-rich eastern region and Kuwait’s National Guard said it shot down six drones. An Israeli soldier looks at pictures of US soldiers killed in the war with Iran in Dizengoff Square, Tel Aviv, Israel, yesterday. Another top Iranian security official, Ali Larijani, appeared to threaten US President Donald Trump himself, writing on X: “Iran doesn’t fear your empty threats. The attacks appear aimed at generating enough global economic pain to pressure the US and Israel to end their strikes.

US has not approached Taiwan on weapons redeployment: KooReuters and Bloomberg, TAIPEIThe US has not approached Taiwan about transfers of weapons to the Middle East, Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said yesterday, after South Korea said it was in talks about the possible redeployment of some US Patriot missile systems. The US stations about 28,500 soldiers and multiple missile defense systems, including Patriot missile batteries, in South Korea. Notwithstanding North Korea’s nuclear weapons, Seoul’s conventional capabilities are “undeniably overwhelming,” he said. US military transport planes have flown out of South Korea in recent days, flight-tracking data showed. Lee’s remarks come shortly after North Korea warned of “terrible consequences” over annual combined exercises that the US and South Korea began on Monday.

Taiwan to have highest anti-ship missile densityDETERRENCE: With 1,000 indigenous Hsiung Feng II and III missiles and 400 Harpoon missiles, the nation would boast the highest anti-ship missile density in the worldBy Lo Tien-pin and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writerWith Taiwan wrapping up mass production of Hsiung Feng II and III missiles by December and an influx of Harpoon missiles from the US, Taiwan would have the highest density of anti-ship missiles in the world, a source said yesterday. Combined with the 400 Harpoon anti-ship missiles Taiwan expects to receive from the US by 2028, the nation would have an arsenal of 1,400 anti-ship missiles, making it the country with the highest density of anti-ship missiles in the world, the official said. A Hsiung Feng III medium-range supersonic missile is launched from a Tuo Jiang-class corvette in an undated photograph. The institute has been producing 131 Hsiung Feng II and Hsiung Feng II extended range missiles and 70 Hsiung Feng III and Hsiung Feng III extended range missiles per year, the official said. The new headquarters would bring all coastal defense anti-ship missile units under the same command to improve the military’s capability to conduct multilayered saturation strikes on the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy, they said.