Finance Minister Chuang Tsui-yun is leading a delegation to the Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation finance ministers' meeting in Hong Kong.

The meeting begins later today.

The delegation includes Financial Supervisory Commission Vice Chairman Chen
Yen-liang.

The participants are set to discuss global and regional economic and
financial outlook as well as holding discussions with representatives from
the International Monetary Fund, the Asian Development Bank, and the APEC
Business Advisory Council.

Chuang and her delegation will share Taiwan's policy experience in promoting
economic growth, easing household burdens, and improving tax administration,
including through the use of artificial intelligence.

The delegation will also discuss Taiwan's plans to encourage private
investment in digital infrastructure, as well as its efforts to promote
financial innovation and financial inclusion.

The ministry says Taiwan will continue to participate in regional financial
policy discussions and strengthen cooperation with other APEC economies to
promote economic resilience and sustainable growth in the Asia-Pacific
region.

Changes to the Japanese government's national certification system policy
means Taiwanese professionals working in Japan will be allowed to list
“Taiwan” as their place of origin.

This comes after the rules on nationality in official licensing documentation
were eased... the change was announced by the Japan-Taiwan Friendship
Parliamentarians’ League in Tokyo.

The license revision covers 322 professions, including doctors and nurses.

Taiwanese professionals working in Japan previously had to list China as
their nationality on professional certifications and licenses.

But the new system includes the ability to register both countries and
regions.

The move comes after Tokyo introduced a new policy last year allowed people
to enter Taiwan in Japan’s family registers.

Data shows that there were than 70,000 Taiwanese living in Japan as of
December.

Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen will now chair incumbent Taipei Mayor Chiang
Wan-an's re-election campaign.

Chiang says he has worked closely with Lu when he was a lawmaker and since he
became mayor and they have the shared value of putting residents first.

Lu says Chiang approached her for the role and she couldn't refuse the offer
to help Chiang win re-election.

Speaking to reporters after the announcement, Lu said no Taichung mayor has
ever served as campaign chair for a Taipei mayor and she believes Chiang's
move was both bold and innovative.

Chiang has also appointed several K-M-T lawmakers, who the D-P-P attempted to
recall to serve as his re-election campaign's vice chairs and
secretary-generals.

The Army's newly delivered M-1-A-2-T Abrams main battle tanks will
participate in a major military exercise for the second time next month. when
the Lien Yung drills begin in late November.

Defense officials say the Army's 584th Armored Brigade, which operates the
U-S-made tanks, has already transported them to the Joint Operations Training
Base in Pingtung for the upcoming exercise.

Reports say the tanks will test combat coordination during the month-long
joint military exercise.

The Lien Yung drills are the military's second-largest annual drills after
the Han Kuang exercises and take place in southern Taiwan.

Sources say conscripts serving their mandatory one-year military service will
also participate in this year's Lien Yung drills.

The Ministry of National Defense purchased 108 M-1-A-2-T Abrams main battle
tanks from the U-S at a cost of about 1.45-billion U-S dollars.

Thirty-eight of the tanks were commissioned in late October 2025, and 42 in
April of this year.

The other 28 tanks are still being tested and prepared for service.

The National Tsing Hua University has signed an agreement with U-S nuclear
microreactor developer NuCube Energy to explore replacing the university's
aging Tsing Hua Open-pool Reactor.

The agreement was signed by university president W. John Kao and NuCube C-E-O
Cristian Rabiti in Taipei and is an exploratory step toward a NuCube
microreactor replacing THOR...

The older reactor began operating in 1961 and is scheduled to be
decommissioned in 2040.

The university says the cooperation will assess technology, research
applications and deployment feasibility to sustain nuclear education,
research and medical services.

Potential applications include boron neutron capture therapy, a cancer
treatment, and isotope production.

The university hopes to install a reactor within two years after NuCube
achieves commercial operation in the United States.

The university is also currently in talks with the Nuclear Safety Commission
on the matter.

Taiwan and the Philippines have signed a memorandum of understanding to
strengthen cooperation in animal husbandry research.

The agreement was signed by Taiwan's representative to the Philippines,
Wallace Chow and his Philippine counterpart, Corazon Avecilla-Padiernos....
and took place after the 13th meeting of a technical group on agricultural
cooperation in Cebu.

The annual meeting has been held since 2005, when the two countries signed an
agreement to promote agricultural and fisheries cooperation.

Taiwanese representatives held talks with their Philippine counterparts on
the potential export of Taiwan's atemoya and animal products to the
Philippines.

And,

The National Immigration Agency is encouraging the public to submit designs
for a new logo for the New Immigrant Development Fund.

The deadline for submitting designs is Thursday and the competition offers
prizes worth a combined 300,000 N-T.

The agency says the competition aims to create a visual identity that will
"make the fund's support for new immigrants' lives and development more
visible."

The competition is open to anyone legally living in Taiwan, regardless of
nationality or age.

Participants may enter individually or in teams of up to three people, with
each individual or team limited to one submission.

The competition offers 18 prizes, including a MacBook Pro for the top winner
and iMac computers for two runners-up, or alternative prizes worth at least
100,000 and 50,000 N-T each, respectively.

Entries will be judged on how well they reflect the fund's mission,
characteristics and vision, as well as on their designs' creativity,
practical application, and online popularity.

Iran-backed Houthi rebels struck Yemeni government forces with ballistic
missiles at a military camp, killing at least 53 soldiers.

The attack on Monday was one of the deadliest strikes since a resurgence in
fighting in Yemen this summer.

The fighting between the Houthis and Yemen's Saudi-backed government forces
is a widening front in the Iran war that began in February. In recent weeks,
the Houthis have also targeted Saudi Arabia, striking its airports and oil
and military facilities.

The Saudis on Monday canceled a global investment conference scheduled for
next week and extended remote learning for schools in and around Riyadh.

Africa’s top public health agency and Congolese officials said that over $700
million in Ebola aid is unaccounted for, and called on organizations to
provide more information about their spending.

This comes as the world’s fastest-growing Ebola outbreak on record continues
to outpace efforts, and the virus has spread into eight provinces in Congo
and into neighboring countries, Kenya and Uganda.

The revelations renew long-standing questions about transparency and
accountability in Congo, a country battered by decades of major epidemics,
including repeated Ebola outbreaks.

Previous Ebola outbreaks were marked by allegations of corruption and
mismanagement of funds.

Scholars are calling on the government to develop AI tools to detect and
counter Chinese disinformation ahead of Taiwan's November 28th local
elections.

Experts at a DPP forum today warned that China is increasingly using AI to
spread misinformation and influence Taiwan's elections.

DPP Secretary-General Hsu Kuo-yung (徐國勇) accused Beijing of spreading
messages that are partly true but largely false in an attempt to interfere in
Taiwan's elections.

The scholars say China's short-term goal is to influence election results,
while its longer-term aim is to deepen social divisions and undermine public
trust in democracy.

They are urging the government to establish AI-based detection systems and
strengthen media literacy education to help people identify and verify
suspicious information.

(AH)

Around 2-thousand workers have protested outside the Presidential Office in
Taipei ... demanding higher wages and better retirement benefits.

Labor groups are calling for employers' mandatory pension contributions to be
raised from the current 6 percent to 15 percent.

They're also demanding a system that allows workers to share in company
profits, along with stronger workplace protections.

The Ministry of Labor says it understands the demands, but raising pension
contributions would require changes to Taiwan's labor pension system and
further discussions with employers and workers.

The ministry is also urging companies to raise salaries for existing
employees when the minimum wage goes up ... to help workers keep up with
living costs.

(IG)

Kaohsiung officials say the city is ready for possible flooding as Typhoon
Champi approaches Taiwan.

The city's Water Resources Bureau says the storm's outer circulation could
bring heavy rain and strong winds, with the greatest impact expected this
Friday and Saturday.

The bureau says all pumping stations, mobile pumps and flood detention ponds
have been inspected and tested.

Drainage channels have also been cleared, while emergency crews and flood
prevention supplies are on standby.

Officials say they will closely monitor rainfall and water levels ... and
urge residents in low-lying areas to prepare sandbags or flood barriers and
follow the latest weather updates.

(IG)

Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have killed at least 20 soldiers in a missile
attack on a military camp in southern Yemen.

Two military officials from Yemen's internationally recognized government say
the rebels fired ballistic missiles at the al-Alam camp in Shabwa province.

The attack also wounded at least two dozen troops.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not
authorized to brief the media.

The attack was one of the deadliest in a recent surge in fighting that began
months ago, shattering a 2022 ceasefire deal in Yemen's civil war.

The Philippines has summoned China's ambassador to protest remarks it
considers a threat to use force.

Foreign Secretary Maria Theresa Lazaro expressed the government's serious
concern and strong objection to the ambassador's comments on Thursday.

The dispute comes amid long-running tensions between the two countries over
competing claims in the South China Sea.

Some Philippine lawmakers have called for the ambassador to be formally
censured or expelled.

China has defended its ambassador, describing Manila's response as an
overreaction.

Australian independent lawmaker Helen Haines has been critically injured
after being hit by an S-U-V outside her office in Victoria state.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the driver has been arrested and the
national counterterrorism team is investigating the incident.

Police found a knife inside the vehicle and are working to determine whether
the collision was deliberate.

The 65-year-old Haines was elected to parliament in 2019 and remains
hospitalized with critical injuries.

The incident has renewed concerns about the safety of Australian politicians,
amid an increase in threats against lawmakers.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs is calling for government funding to help
cover mounting losses at the state-owned CPC Corporation and Taipower.

Deputy Economics Minister Lai Chien-hsin (賴建信) says both companies have
absorbed rising energy costs in recent years to keep fuel and electricity
prices stable.

C-P-C had accumulated losses of over 90 billion NT by the end of September ...

... while Taipower's cumulative losses reached more than 370 billion NT by
the end of August.

Business groups support government assistance, warning that higher energy
prices would put additional pressure on companies and households.

However, some academics argue that government energy policies have
contributed to the losses ...

... and say financial support should cover only costs resulting from
international energy price fluctuations.

(IG)

Athletes from across Taiwan are taking part in the 2026 Citizens' Sports
Games in Taoyuan, with several competitions already completed ahead of and
since Saturday's official opening ceremony.

New Taipei City topped the dance sport medal standings with 16 gold, four
silver and four bronze medals, as competition wrapped up Sunday, October
18th.

Taipei finished second, followed by Taichung.

In jiu-jitsu, which concluded Saturday, New Taipei secured at least seven
gold medals, including three in ground-fighting events on October 15th.

Taichung also performed strongly, collecting 22 jiu-jitsu medals, including
four golds.

Meanwhile, host city Taoyuan won two gold and two silver medals in field
archery, which concluded Sunday.

Organizers have also highlighted athletes of all ages, including six-year-old
dance sport competitor Chiu Ching-hui (邱靜慧) and 88-year-old Chiu Chui-yuan
(邱垂源), who is taking part in woodball - a Taiwanese-invented sport similar to
golf and croquet.

The Citizens' Sports Games continue through Thursday, with more medals still
to be decided.

(IG)

Relocation

Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an says he is willing to work with the central
government to address concerns over his proposal to relocate Songshan
Airport.

Chiang says the coming years could be used to work out the necessary
arrangements, as Taoyuan International Airport prepares to open its third
terminal in 2027 and third runway in 2033.

However, a recent TVBS poll found that 41 percent of Taipei residents opposed
the proposal, while 31 percent supported it.

Another 28 percent of the respondents had no opinions about the issue.

Meanwhile, K-M-T Taipei City Councilor Chin Hui-chu (秦慧珠) has proposed
holding a local referendum on the issue alongside the 2028 presidential
election.

Chiang says relocating Songshan Airport would free up land for future
development, including an artificial intelligence park ....

(IG)

Taichung Mayor Lu Xiu Yan has announced that she's accepted an invitation to
head up her Taipei counterpart's reelection campaign.

She said she couldn't refuse the offer to help reelect Chiang Wan An in the
capital city.

That adds to the outgoing mayor's CV another position as chair of an election
campaign, on top of working to push her preferred successor at home.

Jiang Qi Chen downplayed any discord between the two today, saying that
everyone was just working together...

adding that he would only be jealous if it were his wife.

（AH）

Pressures on Hungarian journalists are reportedly easing after the fall of
long-ruling former Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

Orban came down hard on media and the press, with an independent analysis
finding that about 80% of the media market was controlled by Orban and his
far-right Fidesz party.

Under the new center-right, pro European government of Prime Minister Peter
Magyar, pressure on independent jouranlists has eased.

After taking office in May, Magyar's administration suspended news
programming on public radio and television.

Viewers who tuned in saw only white text on a black screen which read:
“Public media should not lie. We are sorry for doing it for so many years!”

The Tourism Administration says no Taiwan tour groups have been impacted by
protests in Europe.

Demonstrations escalated into violent clashes and looting in parts of France,
Italy, and Albania over recent days.

Local travel agencies say group itineraries in Paris and other cities remain
normal, with guides instructed to steer clear of protest sites and monitor
local traffic conditions.

And they say tour directors are actively monitoring conditions to safeguard
tour groups.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs maintained Level 1 Gray travel advisories for
popular European destinations including France, Italy, and Germany.

(NS)

Facing a sharp pull-back in Taiwan's stock market, the Financial Supervisory
Commission said it'll respect market mechanisms and only intervene if the
market becomes dysfunctional or investors behave irrationally."

F-S-C chair Peng Jin-long (彭金隆) also said Taiwan's market fundamentals remain
sound based on the publicly-listed companies' profit reports during the first
nine months of this year.

While the semiconductor index in Taiwan dropped over 11-percent last week,
the benchmark Taiex declined by 4.5-percent, and Peng said that it's much
more stable compared with other Asian markets.

Peng made the comments when answering lawmakers' questions this morning about
whether his agency will introduce measures to stabilize the market, including
restrictions on short selling.

He stressed that the F-S-C has measures in place to respond to various market
conditions and is continuing to closely monitor developments.

(JL)

The Tourism Administration says domestic hotel reservation rates averaged 60
percent for the first two days of the upcoming three-day Retrocession Day
holiday

Officials say Lienchiang County recorded the highest occupancy forecast at 78
percent, with Tainan City and Taipei City ranking second and third.

They point out that Lienchiang County has maintained the highest lodging
reservation rate among all county-level destinations across four consecutive
national holidays.

The agency says nine administrative regions exceeded the national average
booking rate, with favorable weather boosting travel to the Matsu Islands.

And they expect final hotel occupancy numbers to rise as more travelers
finalize last-minute domestic trips.

(NS)

Taiwan shares are down today, with the benchmark tai ex losing 298 points to
close the session at 46822

The turnover was 825.1 billion NT

French President Emmanuel Macron is expressing anger and shame over protests
in France.

People have turned out in droves to protest rising living costs and poor
school conditions.

Police have cracked down on protests, arresting at least 1800 people across
the country.

Macron has blamed radical far-left groups and criminals, even though the vast
majority of the arrested are minors.

This comes as the president is set to finish up his second and final term in
office next year.

The president held an emergency meeting with officials and instructed
measures to protect public buildings.

In Paris, police used tear gas on protesters, as some looted businesses.

Authorities have estimated that yesterday's protests saw about 550,000
present, but organizers say the number was closer to 800,000.

President Lai Ching-te has thanked Palau's visiting President Surangel S.
Whipps for his support for Taiwan's participation in international
organizations.

The president made the comments during the opening of a new Shin Kong Wu
Ho-su Memorial Hospital building in Taipei, where Whipps was also a guest.

Lai expressed his appreciation for Whipps' refusal to yield to refusing to
pressure from Beijing, after it interfered in the country’s presidential
election when Whipps was seeking re-election.

Palau's president spoke out in support of Taiwan at the United Nations and
the Pacific Islands Forum, which was hosted by Palau this year.

The Shin Kong Wu Ho-su Memorial Hospital has worked with Palau develop
healthcare services and has stationed nurses in the Pacific allied nation
since 2007.

Whipps' visit to Taiwan has been timed to coincide with 20 years of medical
cooperation between the two countries.

Health Minister Shih Chung-liang says he believes newly passed legislation
fully subsidizing National Health Insurance premiums for most seniors will
increase the financial burden on younger generations.

Lawmakers passed amendments to the Senior Citizens Welfare Act last Friday.

Under the amendments, the central government will be required to fully cover
National Health Insurance premiums for people aged 65 and older whose total
consolidated income is subject to an income tax rate below 20-per cent.

Shih says figures show that young children and seniors use far more in health
care services than they pay in premiums and the difference is borne by the
working-age population, who get sick less often and pay more on average.

The health ministry has said that because the 20-per cent tax bracket applies
only to taxable income above 1.33-million N-T this year, as many as 83-per
cent of seniors will qualify for the subsidy program.

The health ministry estimates the subsidies will cost about 40-billion N-T a
year at current levels, and that cost will rise as the population ages, even
as premium income falls because of a shrinking workforce.

Two suspects who allegedly fled to South Korea after taking part in a fatal
assault in Kaohsiung's Nanzih District last month have been repatriated to
Taiwan and taken into custody.

Police says a 25-year-old used-car dealership owner and a 23-year-old
employee were detained after arriving at Taoyuan International Airport.

The Kaohsiung City Police Department's Criminal Investigation Corps says
South Korean police arrested the two after Criminal Investigation Bureau
requested assistance through its liaison officer in South Korea.

The case came to light on September 30, when a 22-year-old man called police
to report that he had accidentally beaten a coworker to death.

That man later drove the victim's body to a police station and turned himself
in - telling them the attack stemmed from a dispute over a 100,000 debt
allegedly owed by the victim.

Ciaotou Prosecutors say four people have ordered detained pending further
investigation, one person has been released on bail of 200,000 N-T, while a
juvenile involved in the case has been placed in protective custody.

The National Freeway Bureau says heavy traffic can be expected on the
island's freeways over the coming three-day holiday weekend.

Initial estimates from the bureau show projected traffic volumes of between
106 to 112 million vehicle-kilometers.

Southbound traffic on the first day is forecast to reach
61-vehicle-kilometers during, or 1.3 times the regular Saturday traffic
volume.

The bureau is advising southbound travelers on Saturday and Sunday to depart
before 6AM or after noon, when using Freeways No. 1 and No. 3, while those
using Freeway No. 3 should leave before 5AM or after 5PM.

Northbound travelers on Sunday and Monday of next week are being advised to
depart before 9AM , while those in center should plan to leave before noon.

The Central Weather Administration says it could issue a sea warning for
Typhoon Champi as early as Wednesday night, and that could possibly be
followed by a land warning on Thursday night or sometime on Friday.

The typhoon is expected to have its greatest impact on Taiwan on Friday and
Saturday.

It's forecast to bring heavy rain to the north and center as well as to the
Yilan and Hualien areas.

Typhoon Champi is currently located some 2,200-kilometers east-southeast of
Eluanbi at the island's southernmost tip and is moving in a
west-northwesterly direction at 22-kilometers-an-hour.

The storm has a radius of 200-kilometers and is packing sustained wind speeds
of 183-kilometers-an-hour, with gusts of up to 226-kilometers-an-hour.

The weather administration says Typhoon Champi is currently forecast to will
maintain its strength as it heads toward waters northeast of Taiwan.

The administration's latest tracking chart shows the storm veering in a more
northerly direction, away from the east coast on Friday and Saturday.

BUT the forecast center says it's too early to say if the storm will continue
on that path.

Pope Leo XIV has thanked the faithful in St. Peter’s Square for their prayers
after his hospitalization for lung surgery.
Leo addressed the faithful from window overlooking the square... he said he
would gradually resume his activities with God's help.

The pontiff had a malignant tumor removed last week and expressed gratitude
to the medical staff at Gemelli hospital.
He said the experience made him feel closer to those facing illness.

The 71-year-old pope is recovering well and plans to continue his duties,
including a scheduled trip to South America in November.

His surgeon sees no clinical reasons to cancel the trip.

As the weather starts to cool, hot spring season is ramping up.

The 2026-27 Taiwan Hot Spring and Fine-Cuisine Carnival is underway, bringing
together 19 hot spring areas across the island.

The current campaign combines Taiwan's mineral springs with local food,
hiking, culture and accommodation, giving travelers plenty of reasons to turn
a soak into a full getaway.

Chef Edward Lee, known from Netflix's Culinary Class Wars, is joining the
campaign as one of its hot spring travel guides.

The Lishan-Guguan Light Art Festival is one of the carnival hot spots ...
where visitors can pair a daytime soak with nighttime light displays through
November 1st.

The nationwide hot spring campaign continues through June 30th next year.

President Trump has signed an executive order that puts on hold a sweeping
new sanctions package targeting the Russian economy.

Trump says the pause is in the national interest.

Named after late South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, the sanctions package
had sought to clamp down more quickly on the flow of financial resources
fueling Russia's war against Ukraine.

The executive order comes a week after Trump stunned observers by announcing
that the US had agreed to purchase diesel from Russia to try to bring down
energy prices -- a move that will likely hurt Ukraine.

AP_JvW

Taipei's historic Dadaocheng district is being transformed into a stage for
local and international artists at the Tua-Tiu-Tiann International Festival
of Arts.

Organizers say the festival blends the neighborhood's cultural history with a
playful, contemporary spirit.

Music Global curator Matt Fullen describes one of the festival's main events
that takes place this afternoon -- a street parade featuring historical and
creative costumes


Now in its 12th year, triple-T I-F-A (TTTIFA) is a festival of dance, music,
lectures and theatre -- set against the backdrop of one of Taipei's oldest
neighborhoods.

(TB)

Game 4 of the American League Championship Series has been postponed because
of rain.

The Cleveland Guardians lead the Tampa Bay Rays 2-1.

The delay is working in favor of the Milwaulkie Brewers, who swept their
series against the LA Dodgers earlier Friday.

Shohei Ohtani hit a three-run homer to help the Dodgers take an early 4-nil
lead in that game, but the Brewers were able to score six unanswered runs to
win in nine innings.

If the Guardians and Rays go seven games, the winner will go up against the
Brewers at home with only three days' rest next Friday.

AP_JvW