Military says budget delay threatens US$2.4bn in weapons buying, training
Military says budget delay threatens US$2.4bn in weapons buying, trainingBy Ben Blanchard / Reuters, TAIPEIA delay in approving the general budget this year threatens NT$78 billion (US$2.44 billion) in weapons procurement, maintenance and training, a senior Ministry of National Defense official said today. Defense spending is set to increase by 22.9 percent to NT$949.5 billion this year, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration said in August last year. A Ministry of National Defense plaque is pictured at the ministry in Taipei in an undated photograph. The tabletop exercises would incorporate "recent international military operations as important references," Tung Chi-hsing (董冀星), director of the ministry’s Joint Operations Planning Division, told the same news conference. Lessons Taiwan has drawn include early warning and immediate response, how to counter drones, the use of layered air defenses and anti-infiltration operations, Tung said.
Source:Taipei Times
April 02, 2026 04:55 UTC
Bureau warns of heavy traffic for Tomb Sweeping holiday
Bureau warns of heavy traffic for Tomb Sweeping holidayBy Wu Liang-yi and Fion Khan / Staff reporter, with staff writerHeavy congestion is expected over the four-day Tomb Sweeping long weekend, as millions prepare to travel for ancestral rites and spring outings, the Freeway Bureau said. Fifty two percent of trips during the holiday are expected to be for tomb sweeping activities and visiting hometowns, while 34 percent would be for tourism, the bureau’s data showed. Vehicles travel on the northbound lane of the Sun Yat-sen Freeway near New Taipei City’s Taishan District during the Tomb Sweeping Day weekend in 2024. National Freeway No. Traffic controlsTomorrow, the southbound entrances in Shiding District (石碇) and Pinglin District (坪林) on National Freeway No.
Source:Taipei Times
April 02, 2026 04:21 UTC
Strong winds, warmer weather forecast ahead of rain
Strong winds, warmer weather forecast ahead of rainStaff writer, with CNATemperatures are today expected to rise across Taiwan before a weather front brings rain and thunderstorms tomorrow, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Northeasterly seasonal winds weakened today, allowing temperatures in the north and northeast to rebound, the CWA said. A weather front is expected to bring rain and thunderstorms tomorrow. A frontal system is forecast to arrive on Saturday, bringing localized showers or thunderstorms and cooler temperatures to the north, Wu said. Another front is expected to move southward on Tuesday next week, bringing more showers and possible severe weather, before weakening on Wednesday, Wu said.
Source:Taipei Times
April 02, 2026 03:50 UTC
EDITORIAL: Supercomputer benefits for Taiwan
EDITORIAL: Supercomputer benefits for TaiwanTaiwan would increase its total computing power threefold to 114.31 petaflops when its fastest supercomputer, Nano 4 (晶創26), launches in the third quarter, the National Center for High-Performance Computing (NCHC) said. The supercomputer would be deployed to create large language models in finance, law, national defense and other sectors. It also has strong research infrastructure through the NCHC and leading engineering programs at National Taiwan University, National Tsing Hua University and National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University. The power supply issue might soon improve, as there is cross-party consensus on restarting shuttered nuclear power plants. Most crucially for Taiwan, supercomputing could enhance national defense.
Source:Taipei Times
April 02, 2026 01:58 UTC
Doncic returns and James shines in win over Cavs
Doncic returns and James shines in win over CavsAFP, LOS ANGELESLuka Doncic on Tuesday returned from suspension to score 42 points as the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 127-113 to extend their impressive form with a fourth straight victory, which was also LeBron James’ NBA-record 1,229th career win. The Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James dunks in their NBA game against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Los Angeles on Tuesday. “If you don’t win, it doesn’t really mean anything,” Doncic told reporters. LeBron James finished with 14 points as the win saw him pass yet another statistical milestone. Lakers coach J.J. Redick singled out James for praise in helping knit the team together during their recent resurgence.
Source:Taipei Times
April 01, 2026 23:17 UTC
Driver in fatal Changhua crash receives suspended sentence after settlement
Driver in fatal Changhua crash receives suspended sentence after settlementStaff Writer, with CNAAn unlicensed driver who caused a fatal crash that killed two young sisters in Changhua County received a heavier sentence but avoided jail after reaching a settlement with the victims’ family, a court ruling showed yesterday. The Taiwan High Court’s Taichung branch overturned a lower court decision and sentenced the man, surnamed Hsiao (蕭), to two years in prison, suspended for five years. Photo: Hsu Kuo-cheng, Taipei TimesHsiao had previously been sentenced to one year and two months by the Changhua District Court for negligent homicide. However, it granted a suspended sentence after noting that Hsiao admitted wrongdoing during the second trial, showed remorse and reached a settlement with the victims’ family. The family agreed not to pursue further criminal liability and consented to a suspended sentence, the court said.
Source:Taipei Times
April 01, 2026 23:13 UTC
NZ hiker’s lost dog rescued by helicopter
NZ hiker’s lost dog rescued by helicopterAP, WELLINGTONWhen a hiker fell from a 55m waterfall in wild New Zealand bush, rescuers were forced to evacuate the badly hurt woman without her dog, which could not be found. A week earlier, an emergency rescue helicopter found the woman with bruises and lacerations after a fall at a rocky spot at the waterfall on the South Island’s West Coast. Molly, a border collie, peers out of the door of a helicopter after her rescue from a waterfall on the Arahura River in New Zealand on Tuesday. Molly and her owner, Jessica Johnston, interact on Tuesday after they were reunited following their separate rescues from the Arahura River area in New Zealand. Helicopter pilot Wayne Holmes reaches for a dog named Molly at a waterfall on the Arahura River in New Zealand on Tuesday.
Source:Taipei Times
April 01, 2026 21:45 UTC
Book review: Echoes from a fractured frontier
Echoes from the Sino-Burmese Borderlands: Untold Stories of Overland Chinese Migrants During the Cold War , by Wen Chin-chang. Now, a new volume of scholarship by Academia Sinica researcher Wen Chin-chang (張雯勤) examines the oral histories of these borderland Chinese. The KMT supported military units inside Burma openly until 1961, and then covertly into the early 1990s. The Chinese Communists also saw a chance to spread communism in Burma as the region heated up during the Vietnam War. If her book accomplishes one thing, it’s showing how these common folk were motivated more by poverty and survival than by ideology.
Source:Taipei Times
April 01, 2026 21:42 UTC
Baby food products found to contain heavy metals
Baby food products found to contain heavy metalsBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterThe Taipei Department of Health on Monday said its latest inspection of children’s snacks found four among 10 tested snack products — all containing seaweed — sold through online channels had heavy metal levels exceeding allowable limits. Department of Health senior specialist Lin Meng-hui (林夢蕙) said the department randomly selected 50 children’s snack products for inspection and tested for preservatives, coloring agents, sweeteners, banned or restricted pigments, and heavy metals. Department of Health specialist Huang Ching-yao (黃敬堯) said the children’s food products included candies, jelly, dried seafood products, rice crackers and other foods, and that 40 products were purchased from physical stores, while 10 were from online channels. A bag of South Korean Ibobomi kids’ seaweed flakes is pictured in an undated photograph. Photo courtesy of the Taipei Department of HealthAll products bought from physical stores passed the tests, but four seaweed-related products from online shops were found to contain heavy metals — lead and cadmium — exceeding allowable limits, Huang said.
Source:Taipei Times
April 01, 2026 20:12 UTC
Ministry to roll out saliva drug test kits
Ministry to roll out saliva drug test kitsBy Jonathan Chin / Staff writer, with CNAThe Ministry of Education yesterday unveiled plans to introduce saliva drug test kits to stop synthetic drug use in schools. Faster-acting saliva tests are needed to detect etomidate and other narcotics that metabolize too quickly for urine tests to detect, Hsu said. The ministry estimates that schools would need 20,000 saliva test kits, which are capable of detecting eight types of drugs, she said. Guidance counselors and military instructors would be the main personnel tasked with using the test kits, she said. The ministry is pressing lawmakers to pass amendments that would allow schools and police greater latitude to test underage people for drug use, Hsu said.
Source:Taipei Times
April 01, 2026 18:44 UTC
Cantonese comfort, with a Taiwan twist
Duck Lettuce Wrap with Brunoise Water Chestnut: The reviewer’s favorite is just one of several excellent dishes served at Chiou Hwa Restaurant. Carving up a roasted duck and serving it “two ways” or “three ways” isn’t unusual in Taiwan, but Chiou Hwa (where it’s priced NT$3,280/3,580) offers a twist. Photo courtesy of Chiou Hwa RestaurantSpeaking of tofu, the Matsutake Mushroom Chrysanthemum Tofu Soup (松茸美白菊花盅, NT$320) is a sight to behold. Photo courtesy of Chiou Hwa RestaurantChiou Hwa has both a public dining area and private rooms. Photo courtesy of Chiou Hwa Restaurant
Source:Taipei Times
April 01, 2026 18:42 UTC
A fetus is not a person, Taiwan court rules in child neglect case
A fetus is not a person, Taiwan court rules in child neglect caseStaff Writer, with CNAA married couple who frequently smoked meth at home during the wife’s pregnancy cannot be sentenced for impeding their child’s development, since Taiwan’s Criminal Code does not treat an unborn fetus as a person, a Kaohsiung court has ruled. Specifically, the court said, the couple was found to have used meth multiple times from March 2024 up until 12 hours before their second child was born on Sept. 4 of that year. Taiwan Kaohsiung District Court in Kaohsiung is pictured in this photograph on Jan.29. Kaohsiung prosecutors later indicted the couple for offenses of impeding the development of children under age 7, both for their first child and the second child that Lin was pregnant with at the time of the offense. Fetuses in Taiwanese lawAlthough abortion-related crimes remain part of Taiwan’s Criminal Code, abortion was effectively legalized with the passage of the Reproductive Health Act in 1984.
Source:Taipei Times
April 01, 2026 18:42 UTC
Drone deal with Prague hailed
Photo: CNAChiayi County Commissioner Weng Chang-liang (翁章梁) welcomed the delegation and said he hoped the visit would help expand market opportunities for Taiwanese drone makers in the EU. Both sides can benefit from each other’s expertise and Taiwan should continue to explore opportunities for deeper cooperation, Weng said. The Chiayi County Economic Development Department said that the center was established as part of a central government program to develop the local drone industry, positioning the county as a national hub for research and development, and enabling on-site testing. The department said that a drone park planned by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology in Minsyong Township (民雄) would complete the county’s manufacturing capabilities and complement the center’s research functions. It is unclear whether the legislation would advance in the US Senate, where there is broad bipartisan support for Taiwan, the report said.
Source:Taipei Times
April 01, 2026 17:14 UTC
O-Bank’s exposure to Mideast limited
O-Bank’s exposure to Mideast limitedBy Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterO-Bank Co (王道商業銀行) yesterday said its exposure to the Middle East remains limited and manageable despite escalating regional tensions, adding that it maintains a cautious but optimistic outlook for this year. The Web-only lender’s holdings related to the Middle East account for only 0.76 percent of its total bond portfolio, O-Bank president Elton Lee (李芳遠) said, adding that the bank has no lending exposure to the region. Photo: Lee Chin-hui, Taipei TimesThe bank has conducted a comprehensive review of its positions amid the ongoing Middle East conflict, he said. “We are closely monitoring clients that could potentially be affected by the conflict, but their operations remain normal and the bank’s financial planning and profit outlook have not been materially affected,” Lee said. At the conference, the bank also addressed investors’ concerns over rising non-performing loans (NPLs) at its Hong Kong branch.
Source:Taipei Times
April 01, 2026 17:13 UTC
Cheng vows to lay foundations for peace with China
Cheng vows to lay foundations for peace with China‘UNAVOIDABLE’ MISSION? Speaking at a meeting of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) Central Standing Committee, Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) said it has been 10 years since a KMT chairperson visited China. Chinese Nationalist Party Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun speaks during a meeting of the party’s Central Standing Committee in Taipei yesterday. This direction, staunchly rejected by the independence-leaning ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), would immediately lead to the resumption of cross-strait dialogue, and expand exchanges and mutual trust, creating conditions for peace, Cheng said. During her six-day visit to China from Tuesday next week to April 12, Cheng would make stops in Jiangsu, Shanghai and Beijing.
Source:Taipei Times
April 01, 2026 17:13 UTC