The Central Weather Administration says former Typhoon Saudel could regain
typhoon strength within the next 24 hours.

The storm weakened after moving into China, but strengthened back into a
tropical depression at 8 a.m. today.

Saudel was centered about 1,050 kilometers west of Eluanbi and is forecast to
cross Hainan before turning toward Guangdong.

The CWA says the system would likely only reach the lower threshold of a mild
typhoon before weakening again over land.

A typhoon warning remains possible, but forecasters say the chances are low.

Meanwhile, central and southern Taiwan could see localized heavy or
torrential rain today, with wet conditions continuing into tomorrow and
Wednesday.

(PB)

The Ministry of National Defense says six Chinese warships and four
government vessels were detected around Taiwan over the latest 24-hour
period.

The MND also detected four Chinese military aircraft between 6 a.m. Sunday
and 6 a.m. today.

Three of the aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait median line and entered
airspace north of Taiwan.

The ministry says Taiwan's military used aircraft, naval vessels and
shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the activity and respond.

(PB)

Accusefive and Mayday bassist Masa brought JAM JAM ASIA to a close Saturday
night with a special collaboration at Taipei Music Center.

The one-off group rearranged several Accusefive songs and combined tracks by
Mayday and Accusefive into a new mashup.

Their final performance of Mayday's "Embrace" prompted a mass singalong.

The weekend festival also featured Faith Yang, Crowd Lu, ATARASHII GAKKO! and
Mavis Fan.

Japanese singer-songwriter Taeko Onuki also made her first Taiwan appearance
at the age of 72, performing several of her best-known songs.

Onuki was a longtime friend and collaborator of the late Japanese composer
Ryuichi Sakamoto.

(PB)

Pacific leaders are gathering in Palau for the annual Pacific Islands Forum,
although several heads of government will miss the meeting.

The prime ministers of Fiji, Vanuatu, Samoa and Solomon Islands, along with
Kiribati's president, will be represented by ministers or senior officials.

The forum, hosted by Palau President Surangel Whipps Junior through September
4, will focus on regional economic pressures, climate priorities, security
and possible reforms to the organization.

The U.S., China, Japan and Singapore are also returning as dialogue partners
after being excluded from last year's meeting.

Taiwan Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung is in Palau for meetings and side
events.

U.S. forces have struck two Iranian launchers on Larak Island, marking the
first known American attack on Iran since late July.

A U.S. official says Iranian Revolutionary Guard forces were preparing to
launch rockets carrying sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran says the strike killed and wounded several soldiers and civilians, and
has vowed to respond.

A U.S. source cited by Fox News says Iran later launched missiles at American
forces in Jordan, with nearly all of them intercepted and no significant
damage reported.

The latest escalation comes six months into the Iran war, which has disrupted
shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and contributed to a blockade of a
route that previously carried about one-fifth of the world's oil supply.

Icelanders have voted against reopening membership talks with the European
Union, dealing a setback to the government's push for closer ties with
Brussels.

Official results show 52.8-percent voted against negotiations, while
47.2-percent supported them. Turnout was 82.5-percent.

The country's Prime Minister says Iceland will instead focus on strengthening
its existing relationship with the EU through the European Economic Area.

Fishing rights were a major issue in the campaign, with opponents warning EU
membership could weaken Iceland's control over its waters.

Supporters argued closer ties could help Iceland deal with trade tensions,
Arctic security concerns and high borrowing costs.

The government says the result will end the membership debate for as long as
the current coalition remains in power.

Poor weather hampered aerial rescue operations in Nepal as the search for
hundreds of missing people in areas devastated by catastrophic flash floods
along the border with China entered its fourth day.

Rescue workers and military personnel have been working around the clock
since Wednesday's disaster that killed nearly 600 people and left around
3,000 missing.

Some survivors have been pulled from the mud, while crews continue searching
several locations for those still missing.

Despite the disruption to aerial operations, search and rescue efforts
continued at several locations in Nepal as well as in Tibet on the Chinese
side of the border.

Rescuers have been on high alert for more flooding from a new lake that
formed high up in the Himalayan mountains after the initial floods Wednesday.
Experts warned that the lake, created after a glacier collapse that triggered
the floods, was starting to overflow.

Meanwhile, Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) has offered his condolences
to all those affected by the floods and mudslides.

Taiwan is prepared to quickly dispatch members of its national special
search-and-rescue team to Nepal if it receives a request, according to the
Taipei Times. It reported that Taiwan has yet to receive such a request but
it making tentative plans in any case.

There haven't yet been any reports of Taiwanese missing in Nepal or China
after the flash flooding.

SEMICON Taiwan 2026 kicks off on Wednesday. It's set to break records of
various kinds.

Among those records:

An estimated 1,300 global exhibitors are expected at the semiconductor expo
in Nangang, they'll man 4,300 booths on display for more than 100,000
semiconductor professionals from 65 countries.

Meanwhile, the number of national pavilions has more than tripled to 18.

SEMICON is second-only to COMPUTEX as an exhibition that draws global
technology giants in Taiwan. It starts on Sept. 2 and ends on the fourth.
That's at TaiNEX 1 and 2 in Nangang.

President Trump says his administration has entered a sweeping agreement with
Venezuela that could give the US low-cost access to vast amounts of the South
American country's untapped oil reserves.

Trump said in a social media post that the agreement was negotiated by
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and
Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodríguez.

Trump said it is "THE BIGGEST OIL DEAL IN WORLD HISTORY!"

Rodríguez's government says the deal involves the development of 17 fields
with a proven potential of 65 billion barrels ... adding it could draw $100
billion in investment into Venezuela's oil industry,

AP_JvW

Taiwan has wrapped up its 2026 Startup World Cup final in Taipei, selecting a
team to represent the nation at the global competition in San Francisco.

The event is organized by Pegasus Tech Ventures, with a 1 million US-dollar
investment prize at stake in the global final.

Pegasus business development director Justin Jackson says the competition is
designed to connect entrepreneurs around the world with Silicon Valley.

Jackson says more than 200 international companies will compete at the grand
finale, with multiple teams from Taiwan taking part.

Meanwhile, Michael Kao (高志明), chairman of TINVA, says Taiwan's technology and
America's capital and markets make the two startup ecosystems natural
partners.

Kao adds that Taiwan's startup strengths include AI, biotech and deep
technology -- and events like this can help young companies reach investors
and customers overseas.

Former Ecuadorian President Lenín Moreno has been sentenced to prison for
accepting bribes from the Chinese company Sinohydro.

A court found him guilty of helping the company to secure a contract to build
a hydroelectric plant.

The 73-year-old Moreno is expected to serve his sentence under house arrest
due to a physical disability.

Ecuadorian law allows this because he can't walk.

Moreno was convicted as a direct participant in the bribery scheme while he
was vice president under Rafael Correa. His wife, daughter, two brothers and
a brother-in-law were also convicted as accomplices and received various
prison terms.

AP_JvW

proposals

The Central Election Commission has approved a referendum on abolishing the
government's nuclear-free energy policy to coincide with November's local
elections.

The CEC met for 2 and a half hours yesterday to deliberate three referendum
questions passed by the legislature.

The approved referendum asks whether the government should abolish its
"Nuclear-Free Homeland" policy to secure affordable electricity supplies and
strengthen national defense resilience, among other rationales.

The policy was enshrined in the Basic Environment Act in 2002. The phaseout
of nuclear power began in 2016, after the DPP returned to power, and was
completed in May last year.

The referendum will be Taiwan's fourth on nuclear power since 2018.

Voters in 2018 backed removing a legal requirement to end nuclear power
generation by 2025.

In 2021 and 2025, voters rejected proposals to restart the mothballed Fourth
Nuclear Power Plant and extend the operation of the Maanshan plant.

CEC Chairman Michael You (游盈隆) said the commission rejected the other two
proposals because they didn't fall within the scope of matters that can be
put to a referendum under Article 2 of the Referendum Act.

The two rejected proposals were on caning and on how to allocate traffic-fine
revenue.

CNA_JvW

The leader of the Seneca Nation in upstate New York is criticizing President
Trump's decision to rename Lake Ontario as "Lake America."

Seneca Nation President J. Conrad Seneca said Trump's executive order
violates a more than 225-year-old treaty and shows a "blatant disrespect" for
the Indigenous people who gave the lake its name in the first place.

Seneca called for the order to be rescinded.

He says the Lake Ontario name should remain as a reflection of the Indigenous
people in the US and Canada who lived in territory around and along the lake
long before the founding of either modern nation.

Trump signed an order earlier this week directing the Interior Department to
update the lake's name as part of his escalating trade war with Canada.

AP_JvW

The New Taipei District Prosecutors Office has indicted nine people linked to
the Dr. Shine cosmetic clinic chain ...

... over the systematic installation of hidden cameras at eight branches in
Taipei and New Taipei City.

Prosecutors say more than 300 people were filmed, including four minors, with
cameras disguised as smoke detectors and motion-sensor lights installed in
treatment and consultation rooms ...

... which allegedly recorded customers while they were changing clothes or
partially undressed.

Prosecutors add that the hidden cameras were installed over a period of
several years, from 2020 until March of this year.

After a separate hidden-camera case at another cosmetic clinic chain came to
light in May, Dr. Shine employees were allegedly ordered to remove the
cameras and destroy evidence.

Prosecutors are seeking prison terms of at least 16 years for operations
executive Chen Chih-min and at least 14 years for information manager Tang
Yung-chieh.

The clinic group's founder, Wang Chao-hui (王朝輝), has left Taiwan and has been
placed on a wanted list.

(IG)

Nepal's flash flood death toll has risen to 538, with more than 1,500 missing.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority says almost 15
thousand security personnel have been mobilized for search and rescue, with
over 3,700 people rescued so far.

On the Chinese side of the border, five people have died, although little
information is available on survivors.

Both countries remain on high alert for further flooding as rescue efforts
continue.

Taiwan-based chipmaker Vanguard International Semiconductor, or V-I-S, says a
fire at one of its facilities in Taoyuan had little impact on operations.

The fire broke out on the top floor of the company's Fab 3 at around 11:30
Thursday night.

V-I-S says about 200 workers evacuated safely, and no injuries were reported.

Firefighters brought the blaze under control within about 45 minutes and
fully extinguished it shortly afterward.

V-I-S says the fire did not damage the plant's main facilities, power systems
or production equipment, and most production lines are running normally.

The company says some air pollution control equipment and connected systems
were affected, but are expected to be back online by the end of this week.

V-I-S says it is investigating the cause of the fire and any other possible
impacts.

(CNA_IG)

Congo's Ebola outbreak has spread to two more health zones in the country's
east ... bringing the total number of affected zones to 60.

The new cases were reported in Biena {bee-EH-nah} and Manguredjipa
{mahn-goo-reh-JEE-pah} in North Kivu province, where the case fatality rate
is higher than the overall 48 percent, partly due to delayed response
efforts.

The Health Ministry says the outbreak has now recorded nearly 5,800 confirmed
cases and almost 2 thousand 800 deaths.

Officials say the virus continues to spread at an unprecedented rate.

Russian forces have resumed drone attacks on Ukraine's Kyiv region, striking
buildings and storage depots and disrupting civilian life and the economy.

Officials in the southern Kherson region are warning residents to prepare for
a difficult winter, including possible power outages, and advising some to
relocate.

Ukrainian officials say Russian strikes are aimed at exhausting the country's
air defenses and population, while the attacks are also weighing on economic
growth.

Ukraine continues to carry out its own long-range strikes against Russian
infrastructure in response.

Icelanders are voting tomorrow on whether to restart negotiations on joining
the European Union, a question that has divided the country over sovereignty
and economic interests.

Supporters say E-U membership could bring greater economic security, while
opponents argue Iceland already benefits from close ties with Europe without
giving up control over its resources.

The referendum asks voters simply whether to resume accession talks. A "yes"
vote would begin a lengthy negotiation process.

Fishing rights are a key issue, with Iceland seeking to maintain control over
its rich fishing grounds.

The result is expected to be close.

TSMC employees are getting a big boost in their profit-sharing bonuses - more
than 50% higher than a year ago.

The company handed out about 36 billion NT for the second quarter on Friday,
following record revenue and profit.

TSMC reported revenue of 40.2 billion U-S dollars, while net profit surged
nearly 77.5% year-on-year to more than 706.5 billion NT.

For the first half of the year, employee bonuses totaled about 70.35 billion
NT - up over 54% from a year earlier.

The world's largest contract chipmaker says the growth in bonuses was still
smaller than the increase in profits, as it directed more of its earnings
toward social sustainability initiatives and giving back to Taiwan.

(IG)

Samsung says Taiwan's smartphone market will continue shifting toward
higher-end models in the second half of the year ... with devices priced
above 600 U-S dollars expected to be a major growth driver.

The company says smartphone sales volume in Taiwan fell about 7% to 8% in the
first half, but sales value rose 3% to 5% as consumers moved toward more
expensive models and memory costs increased.

Samsung expects the trend of fewer phones being sold at higher prices to
continue in the second half, with sales volume projected to fall 6% to 8%,
while sales value could rise about 10%.

It says continued pressure from memory prices and strong demand for AI
technology are also expected to push smartphone costs higher.

Samsung unveiled its Galaxy S26 FE in Taiwan on Friday, with the 8GB ram
256GB storage model priced at 25,900 NT and set to go on sale September 4th.

(IG)

A new worrying government projection shows Taiwan's population could shrink
by nearly half over the next 50 years.

According to the National Development Council, the total could fall 48
percent from current levels to just 12.15 million by 2075 .... driven by low
birth rates and rapid aging.

The council said it lowered its long-term fertility projections ... after
Taiwan's fertility rate fell to just 0.695 children per woman last year.

As a result, the demographic impact is expected to become increasingly
apparent over the coming decades ...

The council estimates the population will drop below 20 million by 2045 ...
when people aged 65 and over could account for 37 percent.

And by 2075, more than half of Taiwan's population could be 65 or older,
while the working-age population would account for just over 42 percent.

The government says it's developing policies on childcare, housing,
workplaces and support for older people to address the impact of population
decline and an aging society.

(IG)

Taiwan's military has completed a third day of live-fire artillery drills,
testing the use of drones to spot targets and relay information to artillery
units for strikes.

The exercises were held across Taiwan's third, fourth and fifth theater
commands, with troops linking drone reconnaissance, target acquisition and
artillery fire.

The drills also tested the ability of artillery units to move between firing
positions and maintain sustained fire under simulated battlefield conditions.

In the third theater command, troops also used Javelin and TOW anti-armor
missiles to simulate attacks on armored forces landing on Taiwan's coast.

The fourth and fifth theater commands used M-109-A2 and M-110-A2
self-propelled howitzers in their artillery exercises.

(IG)

three years

Taiwan Realty says the Youth Housing Loan 2.0 program disbursed nearly 1.4
trillion NT to roughly 177 thousand households over its three-year run.

The real estate agency says the average loan was about 7.82 million NT per
household — up 3 million NT from the previous version of the program.

The program offered loans of up to 10 million NT, with repayment periods of
up to 40 years and grace periods of up to five years, significantly
increasing the borrowing power of eligible homebuyers.

Taiwan Realty says the program initially helped fuel a surge in homebuying,
but the government tightened eligibility requirements in mid-2024 amid
concerns that nominee borrowers were being used for property speculation.

Applications picked up again in July as buyers rushed to take advantage of
the program before it ended, with monthly disbursements returning to around
5,000 households.

Taiwan Realty expects the new Youth Housing Loan 3.0 program to continue
supporting demand from people buying homes to live in.

(IG)

Taiwan will launch a "health tokens" program in October, rewarding adults for
getting health checks and cancer screenings.

President Lai Ching-te says the program is part of a broader push to shift
Taiwan's healthcare system toward prevention, as the population ages and
chronic diseases become more common.

The Health Promotion Administration says Taiwanese nationals aged 18 and
above will initially be eligible.

Participants will earn tokens for designated health activities.

A health check will earn 800 tokens, while screenings for breast, oral and
lung cancer will each earn 1 thousand.

Flu vaccinations will earn 450 tokens.

People can redeem the tokens once they have at least 1 thousand, exchanging
them for health-oriented food products at participating convenience stores
and hypermarkets.

The government says the program is intended to encourage greater use of
preventive health services, many of which are already offered free of charge.

(CNA_IG)

The Investigation Bureau says a joint crackdown on cross-border smuggling has
resulted in 71 cases being investigated or referred for further action.

Authorities seized 1,000 vials of botulinum toxin, more than four tons of
meat and fresh fruit, and protected animals including Indian star tortoises
and island pit vipers.

Officials also confiscated counterfeit luxury goods and electronics, as well
as 14-thousand pain-relief patches and hundreds of tubes of anesthetic cream.

Other seizures included live plants, veterinary drugs, illegal alcohol and
more than 10-thousand heated tobacco products.

(PB)

Taipei plans to put four autonomous buses into trial operation in October
next year as part of a three-stage rollout.

Mayor Chiang Wan-an says the buses will be tested at the Beitou-Shilin
Technology Park and along the Xinyi Road bus lane.

The city plans to begin with smaller proof-of-concept trials this year on
Xinyi and Ren'ai roads.

A third phase is planned for early 2028, when Taipei expects to deploy 12
autonomous buses and consider new routes based on demand.

The city has budgeted 1.1-billion NT for autonomous-driving systems,
connected-vehicle infrastructure, mapping and monitoring equipment.

Chiang says safety and clear responsibility rules will be required throughout
the testing process.

(PB)

Authorities in Nepal have temporarily halted rescue operations after reports
that a barrier lake in the flood-hit region began overflowing.

An army officer says rescue efforts were suspended for about 90 minutes.

Helicopter operations in hard-hit Rasuwa district have also been stopped.

Residents were seen rushing to higher ground as concerns grew over possible
further flooding.

The lake was formed by debris after a glacier collapse triggered catastrophic
flooding along the Nepal-China border earlier this week.

The Trump administration is moving to tighten rules for international
students seeking certain internship work authorizations in the United States.

A federal memo says universities may lose certification to enroll foreign
students if they approve Curricular Practical Training, or CPT, that does not
meet existing requirements.

The government says CPT should only be authorized when the training is an
integral part of a student's established curriculum.

The guidance has already prompted UCLA and UC Berkeley to pause some
applications while they review the new federal requirements.

Berkeley says it will continue processing CPT tied to degree requirements and
some graduate research.

The Department of Homeland Security says the regulations themselves have not
changed, but schools and employers are now on notice that violations will
face stricter enforcement.

Andrew and Tristan Tate will remain in custody in Miami while a U.S. judge
considers whether to release them on bail as they fight extradition to
Britain.

The brothers were arrested in July after Britain requested their extradition
over rape and other charges involving several alleged victims.

They deny wrongdoing.

At a federal court hearing, prosecutors argued the brothers could pose a
danger to the community and pointed to Andrew Tate's past online comments
about violence against women.

The brothers testified that their online personas were exaggerated characters
designed to attract attention.

Their lawyers have proposed bail conditions including surrendering passports
and electronic monitoring.

Britain has until September 16 to submit its full extradition request.

The National Taxation Bureau says vehicle owners whose cars or motorcycles
were destroyed by heavy rains or mudslides can apply for tax reductions when
purchasing new vehicles.

Officials say eligible owners scrapping older cars or motorcycles can receive
baseline trade-in refunds of up to 50-thousand NT for cars and 4-thousand NT
for motorcycles.

And the bureau adds that combining trade-in subsidies with current
fuel-efficient vehicle incentives allows qualifying car buyers to receive
maximum tax refunds of up to 100-thousand NT.

Tax officials emphasized that the scrapping of the damaged vehicle and
registration of the new vehicle must be completed within six months of each
other.

(NS)

Taiwan has placed third overall at this year's International Earth Science
Olympiad, winning two gold and two silver medals.

The competition, hosted by Italy, brought together 160 students from 41
countries.

All four students representing Taiwan won medals.

Taichung First Senior High School student Wang Yicheng (王翌澄) won gold and
placed second individually, while Kaohsiung Senior High School's Shi Zihong
(施子閎) also took gold and finished sixth.

Students from Hsinchu and Tainan won the two silver medals.

The Ministry of Education says gold medalists are eligible for scholarships
of 200-thousand NT, while silver medalists can receive 100-thousand NT.

(PB)

The death toll from devastating floods in Nepal has risen to 469, with almost
1,000 people still missing across Nepal and neighboring Tibet.

Rescue crews are using heavy machinery, helicopters and search dogs to look
for survivors after a glacier collapse sent water, rock and mud through
Himalayan valleys on Wednesday.

The disaster destroyed villages, roads, bridges and power stations, and at
least 540 foreigners are among those missing.

Authorities are also warning of further flooding.

Debris has blocked rivers and created unstable lakes on both sides of the
Nepal-China border.

Chinese officials say one barrier lake could breach around September 1, and
engineers are assessing ways to drain it safely.

Nepal's government says rescue operations remain its top priority.

Iran says it is preparing a list of conditions for fully reopening the Strait
of Hormuz, as regional mediators push to restore normal shipping through the
key waterway.

Qatar's prime minister raised freedom of navigation during talks with senior
Iranian officials in Tehran.

Iran says it has also agreed in principle with Oman on a shipping corridor
through the strait, but details remain unresolved.

The U.S. is no longer directly involved in negotiations and is instead
relying on economic pressure.

American military officials say international shipping lanes are open after
U.S. forces cleared Iranian mines.

However, commercial traffic remains far below normal because many vessels are
still avoiding the strait amid Iranian threats.

South Korea, Japan and the United States will hold joint military drills next
month focused on threats from North Korea's nuclear weapons and missiles.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff says the annual Freedom Edge exercises
will run from September 9 to 11.

The drills will take place in international waters south and east of Jeju
Island.

Officials say the exercises are defensive and are designed to test the three
countries' readiness to respond to North Korean missile and nuclear threats.

President Lai Ching-te has announced that his administration will launch a
"health coin" incentive program in October which aims to boost the number of
people getting health checks, cancer screening, and preventive care.

According to Lai, the program will serve as a new model to incentivize
digital health management - and will be led by the Ministry of Health, which
will employ technology and incentives to encourage healthier habits.

Speaking at a meeting of his Healthy Taiwan Promotion Committee, Lai said the
goal of the program is to make preventive care a more regular part of daily
life.

Lai also stressed that the program will bring together government and private
sector to improve public health.

The Health Promotion Administration says the "health coin" program will
reward people for taking health-promoting actions and is open to
all citizens aged 18 or above.

The initial phase would reward people for participating in health-promoting
activities via the National Health Insurance app.

When participants have earned a minimum of 1,000 coins via the app, they will
be able to use them to claim healthy foods or health promotion services at
partnered convenience stores and supermarkets.

The government says its has prepared Taiwan's national search and rescue team
to travel to Nepal following the deadly flash floods near the Nepal‑China
border earlier this week.

According to the National Fire Agency, it has ordered the national special
search and rescue team and rotating units from Tainan, Hsinchu City and
Chiayi County to prepare for departure.

Fire Agency Director‑General Hsiao Huang‑chang says although Taiwan has yet
to receive a request for help, the national special rescue and research team
will respond in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to any such
requests from affected countries.

Cabinet spokeswoman Michelle Lee says Premier Cho Jung-tai instructed Cabinet
officials to determine whether any Taiwanese nationals were affected and to
assess local rescue needs.

However, the foreign ministry says there have been no reports of any Taiwan
nationals being trapped or affected by the disaster.

The Taoyuan District Prosecutors' Office has indicted a doctor accused of
illegally supplying sleeping pills to a drug dealer.

According to the prosecutors' office, the case involving the 65-year-old
doctor came to light during an investigation by the Taipei City Police
Department investigation into a drug dealer.

Police traced sleeping pills sold by the drug dealer to a clinic in Taoyuan's
Guanyin District.

Prosecutors say an investigation found that the doctor had supplied the drug
dealer will sleeping pills by falsifying records and adding the drugs to
prescriptions issued to patients without their knowledge.

Officials seized over 21,000 sleeping pills, prescription forms and
16-million N-T in cash when they raided the doctor's clinic in April.

The doctor has been charged violations of the Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act
and the Criminal Code.

He was released on bail of 400,000 N-T.

Prosecutors are seeking a sentence of 12 years in prison and fines totaling
13-million N-T.

And finally,

The Central Weather Administration is warning of heavy rain and possible
flooding in the south and southeast, as the outer bands of severe Tropical
Storm Saudel, combined with strengthening southwesterly winds effect the
areas today.

Saudel was downgraded to tropical storm this morning.

The storm is currently located some 290-kilometers northeast of Matsu and is
moving in a westerly direction at 23-kilomters-an-hour.

The storm now has a radius of 180-kilometers and is packing sustained wind
speeds of 108-kilometers-an-hour, with gusts of up to 137-kilometers-an-hour.

The storm is forecast to pass closest to Taiwan today, when its outer rain
bands will brush past Matsu, before it makes landfall at about noon in
China’s Zhejiang Province - when it is expected to weakening significantly.

According to the weather administration's forecast center though, rain and
localized flooding could still last into tomorrow in some places, as central
and southern Taiwan will continue to be affected by a low-pressure system.

Lawmakers have passed a key budget bill that prioritizes the procurement of
indigenous unmanned vehicles, but includes a spending cap of 240 billion N-T.

The bill also allows for additional funding subject to legislative approval.

The Act on Strengthening Defense Autonomy and Developing the Unmanned
Vehicles Industry was initiated by the K-M-T and directs the Ministry of
National Defense to prioritize domestically produced "low-cost,
high-performance" unmanned systems.

It also covers three types of UV's: coastal attack drones, coastal
reconnaissance drones, and small suicide unmanned surface vehicles.

The act further requires the central government to earmark 40-billion N-T
annually for six consecutive years, using its general budget to procure
unmanned vehicles, to bolster national defense and drive industrial growth.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Ministry of National Defense will
oversee its implementation and establish at least three test sites for
military and private manufacturers.

The two agencies must also brief the Cabinet and the Legislature annually on
progress in procurement, efforts to meet domestic mass production targets and
manufacturer accreditation.

A delegation led by Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung is in Palau to attend side
events held alongside the 55th Pacific Islands Forum.

With Lin is a delegation which includes representatives from the Taiwan
Chamber of Commerce, and from Taiwan's energy, technology, food, construction
and organic agriculture sectors.

Lin said the visit is aimed boosting trade, investment and tourism
cooperation between Palau and Taiwan, while creating opportunities for
exchanges with other Pacific nations.

Lin will participate in the 30th Taiwan/Republic of China-PIF Countries
Dialogue and the attend the Pacific Prosperity Exhibition, where the U-S,
Japan and Australia will showcase Pacific cooperation and development
projects.

Lin is also scheduled to meet with Palau's President Surangel Whipps, and
will hold sideline meetings with representatives from Taiwan's Pacific allies
and other partner countries to discuss promoting peace, stability and
prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.

Taiwan and other non-members of the bloc were barred from participating in
last year's event in the Solomon Islands, which was only attended by the
bloc's 18 member states.

Labor groups are urging the government to raise employers' mandatory pension
contributions from 6 to 15-per cent, arguing that workers have not received a
fair share of Taiwan's economic and productivity gains.

The Taiwan Solidarity Front Confederation of Trade Unions says Taiwan's
workers have created greater economic value almost every year, but the
additional profits they've generated have not been reflected in their
compensation.

The union says if the government really wants to address the problem of
corporate profits not being fairly distributed to workers, "the most direct
way is to raise employers' pension contributions.

The statements are aimed at the new labor pension system, which was
introduced in 2005.

The new system currently covers about 7.7 million workers and employers are
required to contribute at least 6-per cent of a worker's monthly wage to an
individual pension account.

The union a recent National Audit Office report found hat employers
contributed an average of just 6.04-per cent last year, which shows that most
employers are contributing only the statutory minimum.

The minimum rate has not been changed since 2005.

The Civil Aviation Administration has cleared Mandarin Airlines to reduce
flights on two Hualien routes when passenger demand is weak, but it has not
approved the carrier's request to suspend the services altogether.

Mandarin Airlines had applied to suspend its Kaohsiung-Hualien and
Taichung-Hualien routes.

The government agency has asked the airline to provide additional information
and consider Hualien's transportation needs before ending the routes.

Instead, Mandarin Airlines proposed taking a gradual approach by reducing
flights when bookings are poor rather than suspending the services, and it
agreed in principle to such reductions.

The move will allow Mandarin Airlines to redeploy aircraft to busier domestic
routes while maintaining air links to Hualien.

But the CAA says the airline has yet to formally apply for the reductions,
and their extent has not been finalized.

Mandarin Airlines Chairman Chen Ta-chun has said the carrier is considering
reducing its Kaohsiung-Hualien service from seven flights per week to five,
while initially maintaining three weekly flights on the Taichung-Hualien
route.

The Ministry of Transport recorded 1,333 traffic fatalities within 30 days of
crashes of the first half of this year.

Statistics show that to be a decline of 15-per cent from the same period in
2023 - that is baseline year established under the Road Traffic Safety Basic
Act.

The ministry says the figure was also down by 3.3-per cent from the first
half of 2025.

The ministry's figures show that deaths involving children and adolescents
fell nearly 60 -per cent, fatalities in drunk-driving crashes declined by
almost 59-per cent, while motorcycle-related deaths dropped by under 21 and a
half-per cent

The transport ministry says all three categories recording their largest
declines in recent years.

Transport Minister Chen Shih-kai says the decline is evidence that the
government's road safety measures are working.

Chen is attributing the improvement to stricter enforcement against drunk
driving, tougher penalties, greater public awareness of the need to yield to
pedestrians, and continued efforts to improve road infrastructure and traffic
regulations.

And,

The 2026 Startup World Cup Final has wrapped-up in Taipei - where teams were
selected to represent Taiwan at the global competition in San Francisco.

The event is organized by Pegasus Tech Ventures.

There's a 1-million U-S investment prize at stake in the global final.

Pegasus business development director Justin Jackson says the competition is
designed to connect entrepreneurs around the world with Silicon Valley.


Jackson says more than 200 international companies will compete at the final
and multiple teams from Taiwan are taking part.

Meanwhile, Michael Kao, the chairman of the Taiwan I-T-R-I New Venture
Association Taiwan’s technology and America’s capital and markets make the
two startup ecosystems natural partners.


Kao also says that Taiwan’s startup strengths include A-I, biotech and deep
technology, and events like this can help young companies reach investors and
customers overseas.

Qatar's prime minister visited Tehran ​on Thursday in an effort to revive
stalled diplomacy six months into the war.

Iran, in turn, called on regional neighbors to prevent the U.S. from using
their territory to carry out military or economic attacks on Iran.

Major combat operations have been paused for weeks but there has been little
progress toward a wider peace agreement or reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump, facing political pressure at ​home over higher energy prices ahead of
November congressional elections, has opted to focus on economic sanctions.

But aggressively enforcing them would require taking measures against Iranian
trade partners such as China and India.

The Japanese president of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has rejected
Washington's accusations that the institution is corrupt and vowed that it
will continue its work despite U.S. sanctions.

Nikkei Asia reported that Tomoko Akane, president of the ICC, said she is
aware of concerns that the ICC will become dysfunctional given that 9 of its
18 judges have been sanctioned by the U.S.

But she told reporters during an online news conference that morale remains
high.

The cases scheduled for this year, including the trial of former Filipino
President Rodrigo Duterte.

Canadian military spending is surging, with companies expanding into defense
contracting.

The Canadian government is investing billions to reduce reliance on U-S
suppliers.

This shift is partly due to pressure from the U.S. to contribute more to NATO
and strained relations between Washington and Ottawa.

Peter Cullen, the iconic voice actor behind Optimus Prime and Eeyore, has
died at 85.

His agent announced Cullen died Wednesday at his Los Angeles home.

Cullen's career spanned decades, starting with “The Smothers Brothers Comedy
Hour” and including roles in"Winnie the Pooh", “The Smurfs” and “G.I. Joe.”

He became a cultural icon as Optimus Prime in “Transformers,” inspired by his
brother, a Vietnam War veteran.