And finally,

The government says inflation-adjusted average monthly regular wages in the
industrial and service sectors posted the strongest growth for the first half
of the year in six years.

According to the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics,
data shows real average monthly regular wages reached 44,119 N-T in the
January to June period.

That's an increase of 1.16-per cent from last year and the highest rise since
2020.

Before adjusting for inflation, average monthly regular wages for the
six-month period rose 2.88-per cent from a year earlier to stand at 48,981
N-T.

The government says average aggregate earnings, which include regular and
non-regular pay such as overtime pay and bonuses, totaled 411,786 N-T in the
first six months of this year.

That was up by 3.48-per cent from the same period of last year.

An urban resilience air defense exercise was held in Central Taiwan on Monday
in conjunction with the WanAn air raid drill.

Air raid sirens sounded at 2:30PM across Miaoli County, Taichung, Nantou,
Changhua, Yunlin and Chiayi - marking the start of the 30-minute exercise.

It also included a slowdown of mobile internet services to simulate
communications disruptions during a wartime or possible civil emergency for
the first time.

The National Communications Commission reduced mobile network bandwidth while
maintaining voice calls, text messaging, emergency calls and
disaster-prevention cell broadcast alerts.

In Taichung, residents evacuated to nearby shelters after the sirens sounded.

Department stores switched off their lights, lowered their shutters and
temporarily suspended business.

In Chiayi, County Magistrate Weng Chang-liang inspected evacuation
arrangements at Minxiong Railway Station, a hardware store and the Minxiong
Township Office, as well as an underground air raid shelter at the township
representatives' council.

The annual urban resilience exercises will continue Tuesday in Kinmen, Matsu
and Penghu before moving to northern Taiwan on Thursday.

The military tested their ability to mobilize transportation resources as
part of the on-going Han Kuang exercise - using commercial flatbed trucks to
transport tanks during a cross-regional reinforcement drills.

Defense officials say the drill was designed to test civilian-military
coordination and accelerate the movement of armored vehicles to reinforce
defenses against a simulated attack.

The scenario assumed that northern Taiwan had come under attack, prompting a
Combined Arms Battalion based in Hualien County to reinforce defenses in
neighboring Yilan County to the northeast.

According the Ministry of National Defense, the main objective was to
transport military vehicles from Hualien to Yilan overnight using civilian
flatbed trailers.

The Han Kuang exercises continue through this Friday.

The Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is scheduled to arrive
Taiwan later today for a visit marking 45 years of diplomatic relations.

Godwin Friday is expected to stay in Taiwan until Saturday.

It will be his first trip Taiwan since taking office.

Friday is scheduled to hold talks with President Lai Ching-te and be
formally received with military honors.

Godwin and his delegation will also participate in events commemorating the
45th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Saint Vincent and the
Grenadines and Taiwan.

Economic issues will be high on the agenda, with the Prime Minister's Office
saying an investor roundtable bringing together the Vincentian delegation and
prospective Taiwanese investors is also among the scheduled events.

Members of Friday's delegation will include Attorney General Louise Mitchell,
Foreign Minister Dwight Fitzgerald Bramble, and Ambassador for Finance,
Climate and Investment Kevin Hope.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says it has opened an investigation into
allegations that President Lai Ching-te's top envoy in Geneva was involved in
workplace bullying and other misconduct.

The ministry says it formed a special task force, composed mainly of
personnel from outside the ministry to conduct the investigation, after
receiving a complaint against Greg Lee.

The petition was from some of his subordinates at the Taiwan representative
office in Switzerland.

The investigation is expected to focus on accusations of workplace bullying,
while other complaints of misbehavior will be handled by the appropriate
government agencies.

The statement comes after media outlets were sent similar petitions against
Lee this past weekend.

The 134-page complaint was signed by "all affected colleagues," and details
seven categories of alleged serious misconduct by Lee including workplace
bullying, incompetent leadership and using public resources for personal
purposes.

Lee has served as director-general of the Taipei Cultural and Economic Office
in Geneva since December of 2024.

A delivery worker alliance and labor union have filed criminal complaints
against Uber Technologies and Uber Eats Taiwan executives, accusing them of
underpaying workers handling multiple deliveries under the new delivery
worker protection law.

The complaints have been filed with the Taipei District Prosecutors. Office.

They target Uber Technologies C-E-O Dara Khosrowshahi, Uber Eats Taiwan
Chairperson Michelle Georgette Parker, the platform's Taiwan general manager
and several local corporate representatives.

The alliance and the National Delivery Industry Union accuse Uber Eats of
knowingly adopting an unlawful payment formula for so-called "stacked orders"
-- in which a courier delivers two or more orders in a single trip.

The groups says company has been underpaying couriers while leading them to
believe they were being compensated in accordance with the Delivery Workers'
Rights Protection and Delivery Platform Management Act.

The Ministry of Labor has determined that Uber Eats' method of calculating
stacked-order pay violated the new law.

The Delivery Workers' Rights Protection and Delivery Platform Management Act
guarantees a minimum payment of 45 N-T per order and requires compensation
based on delivery time at a rate of 245 N-T per hour.

Taiwan Sugar has announced that it'll stop buying raw oil from local
companies and will instead import soybeans from overseas to produce its
finished cooking oil in the second half of this year.

The state-run company says the move has been taken as precautionary measure
due to the recent contaminated cooking oil case involving Central Union Oil
Corporation.

Taiwan Sugar was forced to remove 2,900 metric tons of oil products and
inventory from store shelves after tests found excessive levels of a
carcinogen in Central Union Oil raw oil shipments.

Taiwan Sugar says those products won't be returned to store shelves until
authorities have carried tests to ensure they are safe to eat.

The company is also continuing to deny any wronging amid charges it was aware
of the contaminated cooking oil, but failed to report it to authorities.

Taiwan Sugar says it rejected the contaminated shipments and tests conducted
on its oil products since have all met with regulatory standards.

And,

The Ministry of the Interior says data shows that Taiwan's population
declined for a 31st consecutive month in July.

Taiwan’s population stood at 23,235,002 at the end of last month - which was
a decline of .44 percent from the same period of last year.

The number of newborns last month rose to 7,906, which was up by just over 7
percent from June.

However, the total number of births during the first seven months of this
year showed a decline of 15.7-per cent from the same period of last year.

Keelung had the lowest crude birth rate in July, followed by Tainan and
Chiayi County.

While Taitung registered the highest crude birth rate in July, followed by
Yunlin and Matsu.

A Pentagon official has urged Asian allies to invest more in their defense to
deter regional aggression.

Elbridge Colby, an undersecretary of defense, made the remarks Monday at a
forum in the Philippines.

He said the U.S. remained committed to Asia despite its current focus on the
Middle East.

Colby sought to reassure that America is not disengaging from Asia and
highlighted the importance of a favorable balance of power.

He stayed away from the usual U.S. tirade against China’s growing aggression
in the region, including in the disputed South China Sea, but reiterated the
U.S. obligation to defend the Philippines.

Voters have gone to the polls in the final phase of elections for the
legislative assembly in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

Officials said men and women began lining up early at polling stations in
Poonch district in the disputed Himalayan region, where four assembly seats
were being contested.

The voting follows weeks of violent protests and clashes with security forces
that overshadowed campaigning in the disputed Himalayan region. Pakistan’s
ruling Pakistan Muslim League-N has already secured a majority.

The party is expected to form the regional government for the first time in a
decade after winning 24 of the 34 seats decided in the first two phases of
voting.

Indonesia has intensified efforts to combat wildfires that have burned more
than 107,000 264,000 acres across the country during an unusually dry season.

The largest blaze has scorched more than 18 hundred acres in East Java’s
Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park, forcing authorities to close the popular
tourist destination.

Officials say strengthening El Nino conditions are increasing wildfire risks,
while a lack of rain-bearing clouds has prevented cloud-seeding operations.

Fires have also been reported in Sumatra and Borneo, with haze from peatland
fires raising regional concerns.

More than 43 helicopters and thousands of firefighters have been deployed
nationwide.

Inflation-adjusted regular wages in Taiwan rose at their fastest pace for the
first half of the year in six years.

The Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics says real
average monthly regular wages reached 44-thousand-119 NT in the first six
months of this year - up 1.16 percent from a year earlier.

But the figures also show a wide gap between industries.

Average regular monthly wages were about 74-thousand NT in finance and
insurance and 58-thousand in electronic components, compared with less than
35-thousand in hospitality and food services.

In June, the median regular monthly wage was about 39-thousand-500 NT - up
just over 3 percent from a year earlier.

The D-G-B-A-S warned that renewed inflation could erode future gains in
workers' purchasing power.

Taiwan's top representative in Japan says he boycotted this year's memorial
marking the 81st anniversary of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, accusing the
city of treating Taiwan unfairly.

Lee Yi-yang, head of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office
in Tokyo, said on social media that the seating arrangements at the ceremony
showed Nagasaki was deliberately denying Taiwan's status as a nation and
disregarding its sovereignty and dignity.

Lee instead sent a lower-ranking official after saying Taiwan's designated
seats were not alongside diplomatic missions.

Nagasaki says it invites countries, regions and organizations that have
diplomatic missions in Japan or the United Nations.

Lee has also accused the city of being pro-China and insulting Taiwan.

Taiwan High Speed Rail is reminding passengers to keep power banks within
sight while traveling.

It also warns that deformed or unusually hot power banks should not be used
or brought onto trains.

The reminder comes after a passenger's power bank caught fire aboard a train
this morning, before crew members quickly extinguished the flames.

The incident occurred during a morning service between Changhua and Taichung,
and passengers in the affected carriage were moved to other cars as a
precaution.

No injuries were reported, and the train departed Taichung normally without
disrupting its subsequent schedule.

(IG)

Taiwan's military has conducted a nuclear, biological and chemical
decontamination drill in eastern Taiwan as part of the live-fire phase of the
annual Han Kuang exercises.

The drill in Hualien simulated a chemical weapons attack by Chinese agents
who had infiltrated Taiwan and released toxic gas around several military
positions.

Under the scenario, the attack was intended to disrupt forces in eastern
Taiwan and delay them from reinforcing troops defending the north.

Military personnel from the Army's Chemical Group were ordered to establish a
temporary decontamination station, which they did within 30 minutes.

Troops wearing protective respirators then tested and disinfected tanks and
armored vehicles, using water and specialized decontamination materials
before checking the vehicles again for traces of contamination.

This year's Han Kuang exercises are running through August 14th.

(CNA_IG)

A former Thai lawmaker has been arrested after a shooting at a government
office outside Bangkok that left one person dead and another injured.

Police say Chalong Riewraeng (CHA-long RIEW-raeng) allegedly shot Thongchai
Yenprasert (TONG-chai YEN-pra-sert), chief executive of the Nonthaburi
(NON-tah-boo-ree) Provincial Administrative Organization today.

Thongchai died from his injuries, while his driver was wounded and remains in
stable condition.

Chalong reportedly told authorities the shooting was linked to a dispute over
money.

The incident comes days after a deadly school shooting in the same province
that left at least eight people dead.

Thailand has seen a series of high-profile shootings in recent years.

France is preparing for its fifth heat wave alert of the season, as another
stretch of extreme temperatures moves across the country.

National weather agency Météo-France says temperatures in southeastern France
could approach 40 degrees Celsius from tomorrow.

The latest heat wave follows months of unusually hot weather across Europe,
which has fueled wildfires, prolonged drought and new temperature records.

The extreme heat is also expected to contribute to thousands of heat-related
deaths across the continent.

Globally, 2026 is currently the third-hottest year on record, behind 2024 and
2025, although climate experts say there is still time for that ranking to
change.

orders

Taiwanese food delivery unions have filed criminal complaints against senior
Uber and Uber Eats executives ...

... accusing the platform of underpaying drivers through its stacked-order
payment system.

The unions say Uber Eats calculates payments for multiple orders based on the
total delivery time, rather than separately accounting for the time spent on
each order, which they say violates Taiwan's new delivery-worker law that
took effect on July 21.

They cited one case in which two deliveries took 25 and 29 minutes, saying
the driver should have received more than 220 NT under the new minimum-pay
rules but was paid about 100 NT less.

They are asking prosecutors to investigate whether company executives
committed aggravated fraud.

(IG)

TrendForce warns that iPhones are getting more expensive to make, meaning
consumers might have to pay more, even for older iPhones.

The Taiwan-based research firm estimates the bill of materials for Apple's
upcoming iPhone 18 Pro 256GB model could rise about 38 percent from a year
earlier, largely due to soaring memory prices.

It expects Apple to absorb some of the increase through lower profit margins,
but could also raise prices on older models after the new lineup launches.

Memory now accounts for about 34 percent of component costs in recent iPhone
Pro models, up from 10 percent a year ago, and could exceed 40 percent by the
first half of 2027.

TrendForce says Android makers face even greater pressure because of thinner
margins, potentially forcing bigger price increases or cuts to loss-making
products.

(IG)

A national security source says, China is attemting to sway Taiwanese voters
ahead of November's elections by supporting what they call "patriotic"
partners within Taiwan.

That's one of four strategies regarding Taiwan that the CCP is focused on
pushing this summer according to the source.

The other 3 major directions Beijing is taking include strengthening
substantive governance of Taiwan by cutting off international support;
convincing the Taiwanese public to oppose Taiwanese independence; and
opposing the use of weapons to seek independence.

Those would be on the agenda of CCP's Beidaihe 北戴河 meetings during the first
half of August.

The source also says with Xi Jinping's planned trip to the US next month, the
CCP will take advantage of the Beidaihe period to discuss policy towards
Washington DC and towards Taiwan...

particularly regarding trade.

(AH)

The KMT is calling on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to issue a formal
condemnation of the Philippines over its territorial claims to Scarborough
Shoal.

It comes after the Philippines submitted to the United Nations Secretariat an
official nautical chart covering the Shoal, which the Philippines calls Bajo
de Masinloc, and its surrounding waters.

That means the Philippines has explicitly claimed sovereignty over the
disputed atoll, which Taiwan and China also claim.

The KMT says today that the declaration is a big deal for the Republic of
China from a foreign affairs point of view...

adding that the ROC must take stronger actions.

KMT spokesperson Niu Xu Ting said if MOFA fails to actively assert its rights
and the related economic interests, it would further undermine the country's
national interests.

He also accused the Philippines of "once again" impinging upon the ROC's
sovereignty in the South China Sea.

(AH)

Now turning to international news...

Russian authorities say, Ukrainian attacks on the city of Nizhnekamsk killed
12 people and wounded 39 others.

That's as Ukraine has targeted Russian oil facilities with long-range drones
almost daily over recent months.

The attacks have caused fuel shortages in Russia and unsettled the Russian
public.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says, the campaign is meant to force
Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table and end his already
4 year old invasion of Ukraine.

Nizhnekamsk is roughly 1,200 kilometers east of the Ukrainian border.

The city is an important oil refining hub, home to two refineries and a
petrochemical plant.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing has reported record-high revenue of $467
billion NT for July, up 5.6 percent from June and 45 percent from a year
earlier.



Market analysts say strong demand for advanced process technologies,
including 2-nanometer chips, was the main driver behind the record revenue.



TSMC's cumulative revenue for the first seven months of the year was also up
37 percent from the same period last year.

The tech giant expects third-quarter revenue to reach between $479 billion
and $500 billion NT a month, potentially setting new records.

To meet strong customer demand, TSMC plans capital spending of roughly $64
billion U.S. dollars this year.

That should include a joint venture with Sony group to make next-generation
‌microchips used in image sensors, with a combined expenditure of $6.32
billion U.S. dollars... according to Nikkei business daily.

(JL)

In world news...

Tropical Storm Dolphin is dumping heavy rain in eastern China.

It has caused flooding in places after making landfall as a typhoon
yesterday.

Authorities have warned of risks of severe flooding and landslides in some
areas.

Forecasters say Dolphin has maximum sustained winds of over 60 kilometers an
hour and it'll continue weakening until it dissipates.

Dolphin made landfall as a typhoon Sunday evening in Zhe-jiang province after
bringing heavy rain to northern Taiwan over the weekend.

Before the typhoon hit, more than 300,000 people in the area were
preemptively relocated and Shanghai’s two airports canceled more than 1,300
flights.

Meanwhile Tropical Storm Chan-Hom, located some 950 kilometers over waters
east of Tokyo, is heading to Japan's Pacific coast.

If it continues on its predicted path westward, it's expected to make
landfall in Japan Tuesday evening.

South Korean and U.S. militaries say they will begin their annual large
exercises next week to beef up readiness against North Korean threats.

Their announcement today comes days after North Korea resumed its ballistic
missile testing activities.

South Korea's military says the Ulchi Freedom Shield is to begin next Monday
for a 11-day run and that its scale will be similar to previous years with
about 18,000 South Korean soldiers participating in it.

North Korea has steadfastly described any major U.S.-South Korean military
drills as a practice to invade North Korea and responded with provocative
weapons tests.

The heat waves roiling Western Europe this summer toppled an average
temperature record for the June-July period set in 2022.

It reached 21.6 degrees Celsius.

The extreme heat began in May and has contributed to major wildfires,
prolonged drought and new national temperature records across the region, as
well as thousands of projected heat-related deaths.

Globally, so far this is only the third-hottest year, behind 2024 and 2025,
climate statistics show.

But 2026 still has time to catch up and there’s an increasing chance that by
the end of the year, 2026 could become the hottest year on record.

typhoons, etc.

The Tourism Administration says travel agencies are banned from charging
passengers fees for ticket refunds or changes when flights are canceled due
to typhoons or other circumstances beyond their control.

Agencies that violate the rule could face fines of up to $50,000 NT.

Many travel agencies currently state on their websites that passengers who
purchase airline tickets through them may be charged service fees for
changing or canceling tickets even because of natural disasters.

Such fees generally range from $300 to $500 NT.

To protect consumer rights, the Administration recently sent a notice
reminding travel agencies that they may not charge consumers fees for
involuntary ticket refunds or changes.

(JL)

The Pingtung County government says negligence is supected in the death of an
infant at a daycare center.

The county's Department of Social Affairs says the incident took place during
nap time at a private daycare center.

They say they conducted a joint assessment after receiving the report, and
the case has been reported to police.

Pingtung officials say they received a report from the daycare center on
Wednesday that a 3 month old infant new to the center was without vital
signs.

After attempts to save the child over three days, it ultimately passed away.

The Pingtung government says, it activated investigative mechanisms as soon
as it received the report.

(AH)

In international news,

Indonesia is battling a growing number of wildfires during an unusually dry
season, with authorities warning that drought, strong winds and the El Niño
weather pattern have increased fire risks across the country.

The largest blaze reported this week has burned about 435 acres in a popular
national park in East Java, forcing its closure.

Hundreds of firefighters, aided by helicopters and drones, are battling the
fire.

Other wildfires have been reported in Central and West Java, while officials
remain concerned that worsening conditions could fuel more fires and
potentially create cross-border haze problems.

(KK)

Canada's British Columbia has declared a state of emergency as a fast-moving
wildfire destroyed homes and forced more than 20,000 people to flee from
their communities.

Dozens were rescued by aircraft.

The emergency was announced Saturday as more than 100 wildfires burned,
nearly half of them out of control amid hot, windy weather and prolonged
drought.

An entire community of 12,000 people was ordered evacuated overnight, along
with about 8,000 people nearby.

Thousands jammed roads as officials warned that “explosive” conditions could
threaten more communities.

(KK)

Ukrainians have gathered in Kyiv to honor Oleksiy Yukov, a volunteer who
spent more than two decades recovering the bodies of civilians and soldiers -
many of them Russian - killed by war.

The 40-year-old died last Wednesday in a land mine explosion during a
recovery mission.

Yukov founded a volunteer organization which recovers bodies, often in mine
fields, forests, and ruins.

Known as a “collector of souls,” he believed every dead person deserved a
burial.

He began as a teenager after encountering the remains of Soviet and Russian
soldiers from World War II.

Yukov suffered leg injuries and lost an eye in a mine blast in 2022, but
still recovering, he returned to the front line.

(KK)

In Canada, a flight was canceled last week after a young child refused to sit
down and buckle up, forcing the plane back to the terminal and delaying it
past the airport’s runway closure.

The Toronto-based Porter Airlines says that the parent and crew repeatedly
tried to get the child to sit down and buckle up before the crew returned the
plane to the terminal on Thursday.

The airline says removing the parent and child and their baggage delayed the
Toronto-bound flight past Victoria International Airport’s 12:30 a.m. runway
closure, forcing the remaining passengers to disembark.

The airline apologized to the other passengers, who were rebooked on a flight
the following day.

(KK)

A reminder for residents in central Taiwan ...

Mobile internet services will be deliberately slowed starting one half hour
from now as part of a civil-defense exercise during this year's Han Kuang
military drills.

The interruptions will last half an hour, ending at 3pm.

Authorities say the interruptions are designed to simulate communications
disruptions during an emergency.

The exercise covers Miaoli, Taichung, Changhua, Nantou, Yunlin, Chiayi
County, and Chiayi City.

Basic voice calls and text messaging are expected to remain available, but
services requiring high-speed mobile data may be affected.

And authorities emphasize that calls to emergency services will not be
affected.

Residents are advised to plan ahead for any important online transactions or
communications.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has launched an investigation into the
representative to Switzerland.

MOFA says it received petitions from some employees under representative Greg
Lee accusing him of workplace bullying and other misconduct.

The ministry says it has formed a special task force, composed primarily of
non-ministerial personnel, to handle the matter.

The statement comes after several news outlets picked up the story over the
weekend.

The 134-page complaint details seven categories of alleged misconduct by Lee,
including incompetent leadership and using public resources for personal
purposes...

in addition to workplace bullying.

One example that employees cited was when Lee allegedly asked colleagues to
submit false expense claims to cover his own use of 130,000 NT on high-end
chocolates as gifts.

(AH-CNA)

Taiwan shares are up today...

with the benchmark tai ex gaining 702 points to close the session at 44928.

The turnover was 847 billion NT

Now turning to international news...

Myanmar has rejected ASEAN's call to release former leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

They also dismissed the necessit of ASEAN's special envoy on Myanmar in a
statement.

ASEAN proposed a peace plan in April 2021 to end hostilities, but Burmese
President Min Aung Hlaing has been barred from top-level meetings for
non-compliance.

Last week, the government did allow a Red Cross representative to visit the
former president, marking her first contact with an internaitonal
organization since the military-backed government detained her.

The Philippines, which currently chairs ASEAN, welcomed the meeting as a step
towards dialogue and reconciliation...

while urging greater access to political detainees and reiterating its call
for her release.

Nigeria's army has rescued 33 people who were abducted while traveling in
Zamfara state.

A statement says the rescue operation was launched after passengers were
abducted by gunmen while traveling through the area in the northwest over the
weekend.

It's not clear which group was behind the attack.

Zamfara has seen a surge in killings and abductions in recent months...

with more than 30 people killed in separate attacks in June alone.

Apart from the conflict in the northwest and north-central regions of the
West African country, an insurgency in the northeast has killed thousands of
people and displaced millions of others.

Despite repeated promises by the Nigerian president to address the crisis,
security challenges in Africa’s most populous country have continued to
deteriorate.

Taichung Mayor Lu Xiu Yan is reminding the public that calls to emergency
services will still go through despite planned data roaming blackouts and
slowdowns.

Those interruptions are scheduled for 2:30 om today as part of this year's
Urban Resilience Drills in Central Taiwan...

which will include Miaoli, Taichung, Changhua, Nantou, Chiayi, and Yunlin.

The slowdowns are scheduled to end at 3pm.

Mayor Lu says, though, that calls to emergency services like 110, 119, or
1999 will still go through during the half hour period.

She also reminds people that public transit services will be interrupted
during the drills as well...

with buses and above-ground MRT trains stopping, and passengers prohibited
from leaving MRT stations.

Central Taiwan will be the first region to see the internet slowdowns today,
followed by northern Taiwan on Thursday during the same half-hour period.

(AH)

Taiwan Sugar has announced that it will stop buying raw oil from local
companies and instead will import soybeans from abroad to produce all of its
finished oil in the second half of this year.

The state-run company also said it has taken the precautionary measures of
removing from sale and placing under control a total of 2,900 metric tons of
oil products and inventory.

It said the products won't be shelved again until authorities give the green
light.

In its report to the Legislative Yuan, TaiSugar also said it took those
precautionary measures after the Central Union Oil contamination cases
surfaced.

The opposition KMT and TPP have accused the company of failing to report to
authorities after it found excessive levels of a carcinogen in the raw oil
shipment from Formosa Oilseed Processing company.

TaiSugar says it did nothing wrong, noting that it rejected the shipment and
that 20 tests conducted on its oil products since July 8th have all met
regulatory standards.

(JL)

Now turning to international news...

Pakistan's foreign minister says a new defense agreement his country signed
with Saudi Arabia and Turkey is not directed against any country.

The Mecca Joint Defense Agreement was signed Friday.

It aims to deepen security cooperation amid tensions between the United
States and Iran.

The foreign minister says that the agreement is "purely defensive" and open
to other countries willing to uphold its principles and resolve differences
through peaceful means.

The agreement states that an armed attack on one is an attack on all.

The minister emphasizes it aligns with the United Nations Charter's
self-defense rights and doesn't replace existing agreements.

The three countries bring significant capabilities to the deal.

Pakistan has extensive military experience and is the Muslim world’s only
nuclear-armed country;

Saudi Arabia brings substantial economic resources and regional influence;

and NATO member Turkey has a large military and an increasingly sophisticated
domestic defense industry.

(KK)

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.