The Central Weather Administration lifted its sea warning for Typhoon Dolphin
at 11:30 last night.

This, after Dolphin weakened into a tropical storm and moved towards China's
Zhejiang Province.

The storm's outer rim had moved away from northern Taiwan proper late
yesterday afternoon, but Matsu continued to experience strong winds and rain
overnight.

The weather administration says cumulative rainfall in mountainous areas of
Taipei and Taichung approached 30-centimeters as the storm's outer rim moved
away from Taiwan island, while around 20-centimeters had been recorded in
mountainous areas of Hsinchu and Miaoli.

The storm brought strong winds and heavy rain to northern Taiwan, causing
some scattered damage.

Taipei's disaster response center said it had received 261 incidents of
damage mainly fallen trees, minor damage to structures and damage to power
and traffic infrastructure.

Six people were injured.

New Taipei and Taoyuan also reported scattered incidents, including fallen
trees, flooding and minor structural damage, but no major incidents were
reported.

The Civil Aeronautics Administration reported 79 domestic and 115
international and cross-strait flight cancellations on Sunday.

While the Maritime and Port Bureau has announced that 72 sailings on eight
routes, including the Keelung-Matsu route, will be suspended today.

President Lai Ching-te inspected troops stationed in northern Taoyuan during
Sunday's Han Kuang series of exercises on the fifth day of the
annual drill.

Lai was accompanied by Defense Minister Wellington Koo and National Security
Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu.

The Presidential Office says they were briefed by the commander of a Taoyuan
drill group about how the military is coordinating to counter a simulated
Chinese invasion.

That also toured a nearby site operated by the Army's 21st Artillery Command,
where the Avenger Air Defense System was deployed.

Lai sent his thanks to all the service personnel taking part in the Han Kuang
series of exercises for performing their duties despite the heavy rain
brought by Typhoon Dolphin via social media.

He also called on all personnel to take good care of themselves and their
fellow service members, saying that the country is safer and more capable of
defending itself with better preparation, as ensured by the Han Kuang
exercises.

The annual live-fire portion of the Han Kuang exercises will continue through
Friday.

Taiwan's representative to Japan has boycotted Sunday's annual atomic bombing
memorial ceremony in the Japanese city of Nagasaki.

Lee Yi-yang declined to attend the event after Taiwan's delegation was
designated an "international nongovernmental organization."

Lee says the Nagasaki City government placed Taiwan's delegation in the
International N-G-O section rather than the section for foreign embassies and
representative offices.

That arrangement mirrored last year's, when Taiwan was first invited to
attend the annual memorial ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the
atomic bomb being dropped on Nagasaki

Lee said the delegation decided to attend the Nagasaki memorial last year for
the same reason... and it was regrettable that the Nagasaki City government
continued to inappropriately label Taiwan's delegation this year.

Bruce Chen, the head of the Taiwan's representative office's Fukuoka branch
attended the memorial ceremony in Nagasaki in Lee's place.

afternoon

An Urban Resilience Air Defense Exercise is scheduled for Central Taiwan this
afternoon in conjunction with the annual WanAn air raid drill.

The drill will be taking place in Miaoli, Taichung, Changhua, Nantou,Chiayi
and Yunlin from between 2:30 and to 3PM.

When the alarm sounds, police officers and other government personnel will
direct people to air defense shelters or other safe indoor locations.

Traffic controls will be implemented across the are during the exercise, and
members of the public are required to follow evacuation instructions.

People who violate the evacuation order face a fine of up 150,000 N-T.

There will also be a 4G and 5G mobile network slowdown simulation for the
first time.

The network slowdown simulation will last for the entire 30-minute drill.

However, standard voice calls, SMS text messages, emergency hotlines and
fixed broadband/Wi-Fi will continue to function.

The National Development Council is slated to review a revived plan to expand
the Longtan Science Park in Taoyuan.

The move is meant to pave the way for the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing
to build five new fabs at the science park, where it will produce advanced
chips.

The project cleared Science Park Council review in May before being sent to
the Cabinet in June.

The Cabinet has since passed it on to the National Development Council for
further review.

The government has said the expansion project could produce 310-billion N-T
in annual economic output and create over 6,000 jobs.

It's hoped that construction of the science park expansion project can begin
in 2030.

T-S-M-C originally dropped plans to invest in the expansion project in 2023
and open fabs in Kaohsiung instead due to land acquisition issues in the
Longtan area.

However, the chipmaker is now eyeing the site as a major part of its
expansion plans.

And,

The Central Weather Administration says Taiwan will see its second annual
period of exceptionally high astronomical tides from tomorrow through
Saturday.

The administration is warning of the increased risk of localized flooding and
seawater inundation in low-lying coastal areas.

Areas expected to be most affected include areas stretching from Keelung and
New Taipei in the north to Yilan and Taitung along the east coast, and along
the coast from Chiayi to Pingtung.

The phenomenon, known as "spring tide," occurs around new and full moons,
when the gravitational pull of the sun, moon and Earth aligns, producing
higher high tides, lower low tides and a greater tidal range.

The year's highest tides are driven by astronomical factors and occur during
these periods.

The weather administration is advising beachgoers, anglers and others people
engaging in coastal activities to check tide schedules in advance and is
warning that rising tides can quickly submerge beaches and rocky shorelines.

Germany's Interior Minister Alexander Dobrint is calling out unidentified
foreign powers by wanting to subdue Germany politically and socially by
stirring up fear.

His comments come after two drones have been spotted flying over a German
military base, and after a drone carrying explosives was found at a key
cargo airport

Dobrint says his country is not at war, but Germany is the daily target of
hybrid warfare, which includes espionage, sabotage, cyber attacks and covert
operations.

Some German lawmakers are blaming Russia for sending the drone.

The newspaper Bild said the government planned to ​boost Germany's anti-drone
capacity to meet the threat.

A schoolgirl has died from critical wounds after a student opened fire at a
high school and his home outside Bangkok the day before, raising the death
toll to at least eight.

The 14-year-old shooter opened fire at Debsirin Nonthaburi School before
apparently taking his own life.

He also allegedly killed his grandparents earlier that morning.

The Health Ministry said the 12-year-old girl died after hospitalization.

Fourteen people remain hospitalized, with seven in critical condition. The
gun was legally registered to the boy’s grandfather.

Thailand has one of the highest rates of gun ownership in Asia, and shootings
have increased in recent years.

Health Minister Shih Chong-liang says the initial 20-percent recall threshold
in the Central Union Oil contamination case was based on expert scientific
discussions...

...while the later decision to order a full recall of all affected products
was a political one for which he takes responsibility.

Shih made the comments after the Food and Drug Administration released the
full minutes of its July 4 expert meeting.

Officials initially ordered recalls only for products containing at least 20
percent Central Union oil.

Shih says that threshold was based on the scientific conclusions reached at
the meeting ...

... but says the decision to remove all affected products from store shelves,
regardless of concentration, was a political decision and that he takes full
political responsibility.

(AH)

A former Navy serviceman has been sentenced to two years and seven months in
prison for leaking classified military information to a Chinese intelligence
contact in exchange for money.

The Taichung District Court also stripped the former serviceman, surnamed
Tsai, of his civil rights for 18 months.

The ruling can be appealed.

Prosecutors say Tsai was introduced to the contact by a former Navy
colleague, who met the woman through a dating app.

She allegedly posed as a Hong Kong-based reporter but was actually affiliated
with Chinese intelligence.

According to prosecutors, Tsai provided personal and military information
before photographing classified documents related to a Hsiung Feng Two
missile launcher and sending them to the contact.

The court found he received a total of 38-thousand NT for the information.

Prosecutors say Tsai's former colleague remains under investigation.

(CNA_IG)

Taiwan High Speed Rail has unveiled a SEMICON Taiwan-themed train and new
headrest covers across its entire fleet ahead of this year's SEMICON Taiwan
exhibition.

The special train and headrest designs will remain in service through the end
of the September 2nd to 4th exhibition as part of a partnership with industry
association SEMI to showcase Taiwan's semiconductor industry.

T-H-S-R is also expanding services for the event.

Registration counters for attendees will open at Hsinchu Station on August
24th, with additional counters at Taoyuan, Taichung, Tainan and Zuoying
stations beginning August 31st.

To meet higher demand, THSR will add non-reserved seating on 32 trains
between August 31st and September 4th, with some services offering up to nine
non-reserved cars.

(IG)

Taiwan's National Financial Stabilization Fund says trading in T-S-M-C shares
generated nearly 7.8 billion NT in profit during its latest market
intervention.

The fund says gains from T-S-M-C accounted for about 77 percent of its total
profit of almost 10 billion NT.

The stabilization fund invested about 12.3 billion NT during the 279-day
intervention, the longest in its history, after Taiwanese stocks plunged
following U-S President Donald Trump's announcement of reciprocal tariffs.

Officials say the fund completed the sale of its holdings in May, earning an
overall return of about 81 percent.

T-S-M-C was the fund's largest investment, accounting for nearly two-thirds
of its total purchases, while stakes in Hon Hai, A-S-E Technology and several
other blue-chip companies also generated profits.

(CNA_IG)

The Central Weather Administration says, it's not ruling out issuing a land
warning for Typhoon Dolphin.

That's after they issued a sea warning this afternoon for areas off the coast
of northern Taiwan.

The CWA says that the typhoon has strengthened slightly today, and a land
warning for Mazu at least is inevitable.

That's expected to be issued tomorrow night at the earliest.

As for if any other parts of Taiwan can expect a land warning, a land warning
could be issued for the northern coast of Keelung and New Taipei City
tomorrow afternoon...

depending on the path of the storm.

As of 2pm today, the storm was located 680 kilometers northeast of Taipei,
and moving westwards at 11 kilometers per hour.

Forecasters say, due to the storm's relatively slow pace, we can expect a
more prolonged period of heavy rain, particulary in northern Taiwan and the
mountainous center this weekend.

Meanwhile, Taipower says, it has dispatched thousands of personnel to conduct
pre-typhoon preparations.

They say, they've proactively deployed emergency response staff in case the
heavy rains and wind cause power outages.

(AH)

Former President Tsai Ing-wen is booked and busy, now heading up not only the
campaign office of Taitung's magistrate-hopeful Chen Ying...

but also adding to her resume the head of the campaign office of New Taipei's
Su Qiao Hui.

Su says, she had asked Tsai to run her campaign office quite some time ago,
noting that Tsai had run for mayor in New Taipei before, and had lived in the
city for some time.

She adds that Tsai will appear at future campaign events in Taiwan's most
populous municipality.

Also working on promoting Su's candidacy is Olympic boxing gold medalist Lin
Yu Ting.

When asked at an event today if Su's opponent Li Si Chuan would be inviting
any KMT bigwigs to run his campaign, Li responded that his endorsement came
from the more than 4 million residents of New Taipei City.

(AH)

Three Tainan temples have completed repairs thanks to government funding
launched last year.

Xihua西華, Haiwei Chao Huang 海尾朝皇, and Dongmen Wufo伍佛 Temples took advantage of
the funding aimed at maintaining the cultural heritage of temples in Taiwan's
oldest city.

The Tainan City government says, the subsidies for temple repairs were
launched last year...

with these three temples being the first to complete repairs.

They add that years of exposure to sun and other weather conditions caused
the paint at Xihua to peel, making once ornate designs difficult to see
clearly.

Following repainting and other m aintenance though, Tainan officials say the
temples have been restored to their former glory.

(AH)

Now turning to international news...

Health workers responding to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of
the Congo are carrying on without pay.

Many workers who risk their life to treat Ebola patients in the
fastest-growing Ebola outbreak on record haven't been paid since they started
workig in May.

Poor welfare for front-line workers has been a key source of concern in the
outbreak.

Lack ofpayment has forced some health workers to strike.

Confirmed cases in the outbreak have now exceeded 4000, including over 1800
deaths.

Europea is facing another severe heat wave, with Italy placing all major
cities under the highest heat alert.

A national temperature record has been set in neighboring Austria and in
Slovakia at 42.2 degrees...

while the heat also fueld wildfires in France, and disrupted energy and
transit systems across the continent.

Temperatures have exceeded 40 degrees celsius in several countries.

The current heat wave has exposed vulnerabilities in public health systems,
power generation, transportation networks and tourism infrastructure, forcing
governments and businesses to adapt to more frequent periods of extreme
weather.

Italian authorities are urging the public to avoid direct sunlight during the
hottest parts of the day and to stay inside if possible.

The Tainan City government says, Urban Resilience Drills this morning went
off without a hitch...

with no violations found during the half hour air raid drills.

Tainan residents parked their cars on the side of the road as instructed, and
pedestrians made their way to air raid shelters.

Officials say, the process proceeded quite smoothly.

Tainan Mayor Huang Wei Zhe and officials from the central government observed
the drills today in the Xinying area.

Huang remarked on the importance of such drills, and praised residents for
cooperating.

The mayor emphasized the importance of "hoping for the best but preparing for
the worst."

Urban Resilience Drills continue next week, with Central Taiwan up to bat on
Monday...

before the north has its turn on Thursday.

(AH)

The Economics Ministry says it has helped companies develop 279 technology
products for older adults over the past two years.

Economics Minister Kung Ming-hsin says the products have been introduced at
174 sites and generated more than 2.8-billion N.T. in revenue.

The ministry has also supported 110 startups.

Kung made the comments at the opening of the Senior Health Industry Expo in
Taipei.

This year's displays include AI brain-health analysis, smart walking systems,
walking-assistance exoskeletons and AI home-safety monitoring.

Officials say the government wants to combine Taiwan's strengths in AI,
health care and manufacturing to develop its senior technology industry as
the country adjusts to a super-aged society.

(PB)

Ukrainian drone attacks on warehouses belonging to Russia's largest online
retailer are causing growing disruption across the country's retail sector.

Reuters says around 20 Wildberries sites have been targeted since mid-July,
damaging or destroying more than a fifth of the company's warehouse capacity.

The disruption has cut deliveries to thousands of collection points and hurt
small businesses that rely on the platform to sell their goods.

At least 13 people have been killed in the attacks.

Ukraine says Wildberries supports Russia's war effort because some
military-related products are sold on the platform. The company and the
Kremlin deny it supplies the Russian military.

Russia's central bank is also watching whether the supply disruption adds to
inflation, while the government is considering possible financial support for
affected businesses.

The United States and ASEAN are renewing calls for the immediate and
unconditional release of Myanmar's detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

The calls come after the 81-year-old met with a representative of the
International Committee of the Red Cross earlier this week.

Both the U.S. State Department and ASEAN's chair welcomed the visit and said
they hope it leads to regular humanitarian and medical access.

They also called for greater access to other political prisoners detained
since Myanmar's 2021 military coup.

The U.S. is urging Myanmar's military to enter talks aimed at ending the
conflict, while ASEAN says its special envoy should be allowed to meet all
sides, including Aung San Suu Kyi.

European startups are racing to develop a new generation of firefighting
aircraft as wildfires put growing pressure on the region's aging fleet.

Nearly 500-thousand hectares have burned across Europe this year, increasing
demand for aircraft capable of quickly dropping or scooping large amounts of
water.

Several companies in France, Italy and Belgium are developing new planes or
converting existing aircraft for firefighting.

But the projects face major hurdles, including high development costs,
lengthy safety certification and a shortage of expertise in designing
seaplanes.

Some companies hope to begin deliveries as early as next year, while entirely
new aircraft may not be ready until the 2030s.

They will also compete with a new version of the established Canadair
firefighting plane, which is expected to begin deliveries in 2028.

The Executive Yuan says an equipment failure caused a power outage at its
Taipei compound for about an hour this morning.

The outage began at around 7:34 a.m. after a high-voltage circuit breaker
system malfunctioned.

Officials say backup power systems and generators were activated, while
Taipower helped restore electricity.

Power was fully restored by 8:34 a.m., and government operations are now back
to normal.

A Executive Yuan spokesperson says two high-voltage circuit breakers at the
compound are more than 30 years old.

Funding to replace them has been included in this year's budget, and he is
urging the Legislature to approve the relevant funding as soon as possible.

(PB)

A Taichung man has been sentenced to 14 and a half years in prison after
allegedly drugging a woman and raping her, ultimately killing her.

The man, surnamed Wang, allegedly brought the woman to a motel for drinks in
Feburary of last year...

where he gave her drug-laced coffee and filmed himself raping her unconscious
body.

About one month later, Wang again sought out the woman's services, and again
gave her drugged coffee and raped her.

To ensure that she stayed unconscious, he used a dropper to give her more
drugs.

The next morning when Wang woke up, he realized that the woman's body had
gone cold.

He sought help, but she was already dead.

The Taichung district court sentenced Wang to 14 years and 6 months in a
first instance ruling.

The case can still be appealed.

(AH)

The Civil Aviation Administration is announcing flight schedules to Taiwan's
outlying islands for the National Day long weekend.

The CAA says, there will be a total of 1102 flights to Mazu, Kinmen, and
Penghu during the period from October 8th to 12th.

45% of the available flights will be to Penghu, 43% to Kinmen, and 12% to
Mazu.

The CAA says, flights will be added as needed.

The flights will open for booking on Monday at 9am.

(AH)

At least seven people have been killed in a school shooting on the outskirts
of Bangkok, including the suspected gunman.

Thailand's National Police says a student opened fire at a high school in
Nonthaburi province before turning the gun on himself.

Fifteen other people were injured.

The Education Minister says both teachers and students are among those killed.

Emergency workers reported treating students with gunshot wounds to their
backs, chests and arms.

The attack is Thailand's second school shooting this year.

In February, a teacher was killed and a student injured in a shooting at a
school in southern Thailand.

The Democratic Republic of Congo has recorded more than 4,000 confirmed Ebola
cases in its current outbreak.

Government data shows 4,053 infections have been confirmed, including 1,850
deaths.

Cases have now been reported in five provinces, including Ituri, North Kivu
and South Kivu.

The outbreak is the world's second-largest on record and has been described
as the fastest-spreading.

Experts believe the virus may have been circulating for months before the
outbreak was officially declared in May, meaning the true number of
infections could be higher.

Researchers say delayed detection, conflict, overwhelmed disease surveillance
and a lack of vaccines and treatments for the virus species involved have
made containment more difficult.

Pacific Island foreign ministers have failed to agree on a joint response to
China's missile test in the region last month.

New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters says two members of the Pacific
Islands Forum refused to support a proposed statement condemning the launch.

He did not identify them, although reports cite an official familiar with the
talks as saying they are Nauru and Kiribati.

Peters says discussions are expected to continue when Pacific leaders meet at
the end of August.

China's missile test in July raised concern among several regional
governments and highlighted divisions over how Pacific countries should
respond to growing strategic competition.

Peters also accused outside powers of influencing some members, but did not
name any country.

The Central Weather Administration is expecting to issue a sea warning for
Typhoon Dolphin at 2:30pm today.

Forecasters are warning those along the coast in nothern Taiwan to prepare
for heavy rain and rough seas.

They also say that, although a sea warning will likely not be issued for
southern Taiwan, residents should still be aware of strongs winds and big
waves.

As far as any potential land warning, it remains to be seen if a land warning
will be necessary, but the CWA says Mazu may see a land warning issued
tomorrow evening...

as the typhoon continues its track west towards China's Zhejiang province.

Forecasters also note that the typhoon's slow speed at only 13 kilometers per
hour may mean longer periods of heavy rain in the north.

(AH)

The DPP legislative caucus is calling for the speedy examination of the 2026
central government budget.

Caucus whip Cai Qi Chang slammed opposition KMT and TPP lawmakers, saying the
budget should have been passed in December.

Cai added that he is unable to accept the proposals made by some opposition
lawmakers to freeze the entire budget.

This comes as legislative speaker Han Kuo-yu originally planned to have a
third reading done before today...

however opposition parties only completed their second round of negotiations
last night.

The speaker thus opted to confirm changes with the opposition caucuses next
week before making any next steps.

(AH)

Taiwan shares are down today, with the benchmark tai ex losing 170 points to
close the session at 44225.

The turnover was 819.2 billion NT

Now turning to international news...

Authorities in Mexico have arrested the former governor of the state of
Guerrero for his alleged involvement in the 2014 diseappearance of dozens of
students.

The case has become a symbol for impunity and state involvement in cartel
violence.

Angel Aguirre is accused of concealing evidence that could have been used to
determine the wherabouts of the 43 missing students

The former governor belongs to a party that gave rise to the ruling Morena
party.

His is the highest-profile arrest in the case to date since the detention of
a former federal attorney...

who faces criminal charges of forced disappearance, obstruction of justice,
and torture.

Aguirre governed Guerrero from 2011 until he resigned one month after the
students disappeated in 2014.

The disappearance of the students from the rural teacher’s college of
Ayotzinapa after they commandeered several buses on their way to a protest
shocked Mexico and the international community...

and continues to fuel outrage as the truth of the case continues to trickle
out nearly 12 years later.

Contract educare staff at public preschools can now take up to three days of
mental health leave per school year.

The Ministry of Education says the leave can be taken by the hour and will
count toward an employee's personal leave allowance.

Teachers have been eligible for the same leave since rules were amended last
October.

But contract educare staff are covered by the Labor Standards Act and had
previously been excluded.

The ministry formally expanded the policy in amendments announced in May.

Officials say the change is aimed at supporting workers' mental well-being
and maintaining the quality of preschool care.

The revised rules also align marriage and prenatal checkup leave for contract
educare staff with leave available to teachers.

(PB)

The KMT has unveiled an AI spokesperson as it prepares for Taiwan's year-end
local elections.

The AI figure, named "Cheng Hsiao-wen (鄭小文)," was introduced alongside four
new human spokespersons, all serving city councilors.

The KMT says the appointments are aimed at strengthening coordination between
its central headquarters and local campaign teams, particularly in Taiwan's
six special municipalities.

The party says the AI spokesperson will speak on public issues and promote
positions supported by the KMT.

The four new real spokespersons are from Taipei, New Taipei, Tainan and
Kaohsiung.

The KMT says they will also help respond to what the party describes as
misinformation and smear campaigns during the election period.

(PB)

Authorities in Thailand say an unconfirmed number of people have been killed
after a student opened fire at a school near Bangkok.

Police say the shooting happened at a school in a province just north of the
capital.

Emergency workers were seen outside the campus as students evacuated and
ambulances arrived.

Police have identified the shooter as a student, but have not released
further details about the attacker, the number of casualties or a possible
motive.

The incident comes after another school shooting in southern Thailand in
February that left a teacher dead and a student injured.

Pacific Island foreign ministers are set to decide whether to issue a joint
statement on China's missile test in the region last month.

New Zealand is pushing for a coordinated response, but Foreign Minister
Winston Peters says divisions among Pacific Islands Forum members could
prevent agreement.

China test-fired a missile into the Pacific in July, prompting concern among
regional powers but no unified response from Pacific governments.

Ministers are discussing the issue at a Pacific Islands Forum meeting in
Suva, Fiji.

The Solomon Islands, which chairs the forum, has called for regional
solidarity and consensus as strategic competition in the Pacific intensifies.

Australia says it expects the missile test to be discussed, but believes
forum members have already made their positions clear.

U.S. President Donald Trump has signed two new executive orders seeking to
limit birthright citizenship, weeks after the Supreme Court rejected his
earlier effort.

The new orders take a narrower approach, targeting what the White House calls
"birth tourism," as well as children born to some foreign government
employees and people classified as alien enemies.

The administration argues the measures fall outside the scope of the Supreme
Court's June ruling.

Trump's earlier order sought to deny citizenship to children born in the U.S.
when neither parent was a citizen or permanent resident.

The 14th Amendment has long been interpreted as granting citizenship to
nearly everyone born on U.S. soil, with limited exceptions.

Legal challenges to the new orders are expected, with immigrant rights groups
arguing Trump is trying to circumvent the Supreme Court's decision.

collapse

Now turning to international news...

A new report by an Israeli medical advocacy group is warning that Israeli
policies in the occupied West Bank are pushing the territory's health system
to the brink of collapse.

Physicians for Human Rights Israel says that health workers are not being
paid, and that 75% of government hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies are only
opening once or twice weekly.

Since Israel began its war in Gaza nearly 3 years ago, Israel has withheld
billions of dollars of tax and customs money collected on behalf of the
Palestinian Authority.

The Palestinian Authority has thus been unable to support public services,
like the health sector.

On top of that, Israeli military raids and a surge in new checkpoints are
also hampering residents' ability to access medical care.

Because Palestine doesn't control its own borders, the Palestinian Authority
relies on Israel to collect taxes on goods that enter the West Bank through
Israeli ports.

But rights groups have long said that Israel weaponizes the funds in order to
apply political pressure.

In news from and about Taiwan this morning,

President Lai Ching-te also boarded a Coast Guard Administration vessel in
New Taipei's Bali District to observe coastal defense operations during the
Han Kuang military exercise.

According to the Presidential Office, Lai received briefings on the patrol
vessel's equipment and coastal strike operations.

He also inspected its missile launcher system and learned about its
configuration and operational readiness.

Lai later visited a loading area at Taipei Port to learn about mine
deployment operations and defensive measures carried out by the Army's 53rd
Engineer Group.

Thursday marked the second day of the Han Kuang exercise, with drills in the
northern focusing on coastal defense and other defensive operations.

They included the deployment of Patriot and Sky Bow missile launcher units to
designated tactical positions at riverside parks in Taipei and New Taipei.

Meanwhile,

The southbound lanes of New Taipei's Danjiang Bridge were closed last night
and into the early morning, as troops erected defensive structures on its
deck.

The northbound lanes, pedestrian walkways, and bicycle lanes remained open -
and the drill attracted scores of onlookers who stopped to take photographs.

Defense officials say troops set up a 200-meter-long, three-lane defensive
structure and fortification consisting of breakwater blocks, barbed wire, and
heated iron scrap metal.

The military placed sleepers underneath the breakwater blocks to prevent
damage to the road surface.

According to the Ministry of National Defense, the fortification was aimed at
preventing enemy forces from advancing on Taipei.

The bridge was incorporated into the live-fire exercise for the first time
since opening in May.

Members of the National Central University's Polar Institute are taking part
in what is Taiwan's first ever independently planned expedition to the
Arctic.

According the university, a 30-member team will be spending 12 days near
Norway's Svalbard archipelago, which is located midway between mainland
Norway and the North Pole.

The team includes scientists from Academia Sinica, the National Taiwan
University and the National Academy of Marine Research.

The university says the research team will be studying extreme weather, ocean
circulation and the carbon cycle and the work will will track how freshwater
from glaciers mixes with seawater and how Arctic ecosystems respond to
climate change.

The university says although Taiwan is not at Arctic nation, changes in the
Arctic could have long-term consequences for Taiwan.

The university also says the expedition will boost Taiwan's participation in
international Arctic research.

The Mainland Affairs Council has blocked a Chinese platform advertising
educational and employment opportunities in China for young Taiwanese.

The move comes a day after council minister Chiu Chui-cheng said the
government will seek the platform's removal or blocking due to legal
violations and personal data risks.

Spokesman Liang Wen-chieh said action was taken against the China-run "Taiwan
Youth e-Home" platform after coordinating with relevant agencies...

Liang says the website requires users to provide personal information,
allowing it to collect data on young people here in Taiwanese, which his
office believes poses an extremely high risk.

The council spokesman also says the platform's content violated several
articles of the Cross-Strait Act.

Those specific articles regulate recruitment for Chinese educational
institutions, Taiwanese taking positions in certain Chinese party or
political organizations, and advertising activities involving Chinese goods
and services.

"Taiwan Youth e-Home" was launched on July 15.

China's Taiwan Affairs Office says it was aimed at supporting the "integrated
development" of young people across the Taiwan Strait.

Act

The Cabinet has passed draft amendments to the Disaster Prevention and
Protection Act that add tsunamis and barrier lake breaches to the list of
legally defined natural disasters.

The amendments also designate the central government agencies responsible for
handling such disasters.

The proposed amendments to the Act come after questions emerged over the
division of responsibilities between central and local governments in dealing
with the Matai'an River barrier lake in Hualien.

The barrier lake overflowed last year, killing 19 people.

The amended law designates the Ministry of the Interior and Ministry of
Agriculture as the central authorities overseeing responses to tsunamis and
barrier lake breaches.

The draft amendments also assign designated agencies to oversee major
disaster prevention and response tasks, helping speed up key decisions.

Prevention and reconstruction efforts will remain the responsibility of
relevant authorities.

Deputy Interior Minister Ma Shih-yuan says the government will amend the
Executive Yuan Organization Act and related regulations to clarify the roles
and composition of the designated response agencies.

A delegation led by Taiwan's representative to Japan, Lee Yi-yang, took part
in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony.

The Taiwan delegation joined representatives from 121 countries in calling
for a world free of nuclear weapons and the pursuit of lasting peace.

The Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan says Taiwan
delegation was seated in the diplomatic corps section alongside
representatives from Paraguay, the Vatican, Israel, India and Armenia.

Lee also attended last year's Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony.

2025 marked the first time that Taiwan's top representative to Japan has been
officially invited and attended the annual event.

The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony is held annually on August 6 to honor
those who died when the U-S dropped an atomic bomb on the city in 1945.

The Central Weather Administration says Typhoon Dolphin is expected to pass
through the sea north of Taiwan this weekend, as it heads towards China's
Zhejiang province.

The storm is currently located some 1,100-kilometers north-northeast of
Taipei and moving in a west-northwesterly direction at 24-kilomters-an-hour.

Typhoon Dolphin has weakened over the past 24-hours and now has a radius of
280-kilomters.

It's packing sustained wind speeds of 136-kilomters-an-hour, with gusts of up
to 172-kilomters-an-hour.

According to the weather administration's forecast center, a sea warning
could be issued as early as this afternoon, while a land warning could be
issued for Matsu tomorrow.

Heavy, or extremely heavy rain can be expected north of central Taiwan
tomorrow and Sunday.

The rain in the north is forecast to weaken on Monday.

However, central and southern parts of the island could see localized rain or
thunderstorms from next Tuesday to Thursday.

Health authorities in Congo are monitoring passengers from a boat near
Kinshasa after a traveler died with Ebola-like symptoms.

Congo has been battling an Ebola outbreak since May, with 4,000 confirmed
cases, including more than 1,800 deaths.

The boat had traveled for nearly three weeks along the Congo River with about
200 passengers, who are now in quarantine, authorities said. News of the
death caused panic in Kinshasa.

The outbreak is spreading at an alarming rate, with many cases outside
monitored contacts.