TSMC's semiconductor subsidiary in Japan has evacuated employees after a
powerful earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture mid-afternoon.

The company says the evacuation was carried out in line with emergency
procedures and that employee safety was its top priority.

All staff were safely evacuated and were being accounted for.

Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs said other Taiwanese companies
operating in Kumamoto, including Advantech and Delta Electronics, reported
their employees were safe and that their operations had not been affected.

Japanese authorities say the magnitude 7.1 earthquake prompted a tsunami
advisory for nearby coastal areas, but the advisory was lifted within two
hours.

Officials have reported injuries and damage to infrastructure while warning
residents to prepare for possible strong aftershocks.

Authorities say no abnormalities have been reported at nearby nuclear power
plants.

Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs says it has conveyed its condolences to
the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association and offered assistance if needed.

It also says Taiwan's representative office in Fukuoka has so far received no
reports of Taiwanese nationals being affected.

Taipei has used the national Employment Stabilization Fund for nearly eight
straight years to expand its long-term care workforce ...

... as the capital copes with Taiwan's highest proportion of senior citizens.

According to Ministry of the Interior statistics, people aged 65 and older
accounted for more than 24 percent of Taipei's population in 2025 - the
highest share of any city or county in Taiwan.

To meet growing demand, the city has worked with the Ministry of Labor since
2018 to train caregivers based on its projected long-term care staffing
needs.

Officials say at least 77 percent of trainees have found jobs within three
months of completing the program each year...

...with the employment rate reaching 90 percent last year - up 8 percent from
three years earlier.

(IG)

The Taipei City government says it is studying a proposal to create a public
online platform for city councilors' information requests.

The platform would publicly display councilors' requests for information,
along with the city government's responses.

City officials say the proposal involves legal and technical issues and will
be evaluated over the next three months.

The proposal was put forward by DPP Councilor Wang Min-sheng (王閔生), who says
it would reduce duplicate information requests, ease the workload for civil
servants, and create a searchable knowledge base for the public.

TPP Councilor Lin Zhen-yu (林珍羽) says councilors often have to repeatedly
verify information because the city government sometimes provides incomplete
or inaccurate data.

Taiwan and the Philippines are expanding educational cooperation, with the
number of Filipino students studying in Taiwan increasing by nearly 80
percent over the past three years.

The Ministry of Education says more than 5,500 Filipino students were
studying in Taiwan in 2025 - up from just over 3,000 in 2022.

Following a meeting between education officials this week, the two sides
agreed to establish a database of Filipino students.

They also plan to set up a regional Mandarin training center in the
Philippines and expand dual-degree programs.

Taiwan has also established talent circulation centers in the Philippines to
provide Mandarin training and encourage students to pursue higher education
in Taiwan.

The ministry says future cooperation will focus on areas including
semiconductors, smart agriculture and fisheries.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company says it has activated evacuation
procedures at its semiconductor plant in Kumamoto, Japan, after a powerful
earthquake struck the region.

TSMC says the Japan Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing facility met its
evacuation threshold ... and employees have been moved to designated safe
areas and accounted for under emergency response procedures.

The company says personnel safety is its top priority.

The magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Kumamoto at 3:27 PM Taiwan time ... at a
depth of 10 kilometers and reached the maximum seismic intensity of 7 on
Japan's scale.

About 48 thousand households reportedly lost power after the quake ...

And Japan's Meteorological Agency is warning that strong aftershocks remain
possible over the coming week, especially during the next two to three days.

(IG)

The Centers for Disease Control warns that COVID-19 cases are expected to
peak in early August before beginning to decline in September ...

... and is urging high-risk groups to get vaccinated as soon as possible.

Officials estimate weekly outpatient and emergency visits for COVID-19 could
reach about 51 thosuand at the height of the current wave.

Last week, from the 19th to the 25th, there were more than 10 thousand 600
such visits — more than double the previous week's total.

Authorities also reported 42 severe cases and two deaths during the same
period.

The CDC says the recent surge has led to a sharp increase in vaccinations,
with more than 7 thousand 600 doses administered last week — about three
times the recent weekly average.

Health officials say more than 90 percent of severe cases this season
involved people who had not received the latest COVID-19 vaccine, with older
adults and people with chronic illnesses at greatest risk.

The CDC says vaccine supplies remain sufficient.

(IG)

The Ministry of National Defense says a Chinese carrier rocket is scheduled
to launch this Thursday, with its flight path expected to pass through
Taiwan's air defense identification zone.

The ministry says the rocket will be launched from the Taiyuan Satellite
Launch Center and is expected to head toward the western Pacific.

Separately, the defense ministry reported detecting one Chinese military
aircraft entering Taiwan's southwestern air defense identification zone and
seven Chinese naval vessels operating around Taiwan during the 24-hour period
beginning at 6 AM yesyerday.

The MND said it had "closely monitored" the Chinese operations and deployed
aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems in response.

(CNA_IG)

Taoyuan Airport MRT is offering free rides to passengers wearing indigenous
clothing or accessories from August 1st through the 7th to celebrate
Indigenous Peoples' Day.

The promotion is open to everyone, regardless of ethnicity, as long as they
are dressed in traditional indigenous attire or wearing accessories featuring
indigenous motifs or traditional patterns.

Passengers can enjoy unlimited free rides during the promotion by showing
their outfit to station staff at customer service counters.

The offer coincides with the Taoyuan Indigenous Ho Hai Yan Culture Festival
on August 1st and 2nd, featuring traditional ceremonies, performances, food,
and cultural markets at Tao-yuan Sunlight Arena.

Weekend indigenous markets will also be held throughout August, encouraging
visitors to explore cultural attractions along the Airport MRT line.

(IG)

A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Japan's southwestern prefecture of Kumamoto
this afternoon, registering the maximum 7 on the Japanese seismic intensity
scale.

It was a shallow quake, at only 10 kilometers.

The powerful quake struck at 3:27 p.m.Taipei time, followed four minutes
later by a magnitude 4.5 temblor, according to the Japan Meteorological
Agency.

A lower 5 intensity quake was recorded in Kikuyo Town, home to Taiwan
Semiconductor Manufacturing Company's Kuma-moto semiconductor plant.

TSMC is reportedly assessing the situation and there's currently no word on
the factory's damage or if there have been any casualties.

TSMC has one operating factory in Kumamoto, which has already started mass
production with some 2,400 workers, while a second factory is actively under
construction.

(JL)

The Taichung City Government has awarded the first construction contract for
the Taichung MRT Blue Line.

Officials say the first section, covering the line's first three stations, is
valued at nearly 12 billion NT and construction will begin soon.

A second construction package is currently under review, with a decision
expected by August sixth if the bidding process proceeds as planned.

The 25-kilometer line will run from Taichung Port to the New Jianguo Market
area ...

... and intersect with the existing Green Line at Taichung City Hall Station
to create the city's first cross-shaped MRT network.

It serves major residential, commercial and transportation hubs.

Taichung is also hosting a six-kilometer community walk on August 9th ...
passing through the areas around the first three planned stations ... in a
show of support for the project.

(IG)

The KMT is downplaying accusations that it's forcing caucus members to take
part in a demonstration this Saturday.

Several civil groups, including the Chinese Association of Human Rights, are
set to hold a demonstration on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei this weekend in
protest of drug-impaired driving...

in an effort to encourage legal reforms.

The KMT caucus says today that its members will particpate in the
demonstration, as they also support such reforms.

But the caucus emphasizes that the participation is not due to orders from
KMT higher-ups.

(AH)

There are now tougher penalties for driving under the influence of drugs.

Lawmakers have passed amendments to the Road Traffic Management and Penalty
Act to say that anyone caught driving under the influence of drugs, or
refusing a drug test, will have their driver's license revoked.

The vehicle involved will be confiscated, regardless of who owns it.



Drivers who refuse a drug test will face a fine of $270-thousand NT for a
first offense and $450-thousand for a second offense.

Those who cause serious injury or death due to D-U-I-D will be permanently
barred from obtaining a driver's license again.

The Cabinet approved the draft last month, citing a growing number of
drug-driving cases causing deaths and injuries.

The government says drug-impaired driving poses an even greater danger than
drunk driving because drug use is also a criminal offense.

To encourage passengers to help prevent drug-impaired driving, the new law
also imposes a fine up to $15,000 on passengers aged 18 or older who
knowingly ride with a drug-impaired driver.

(JL)

The Ministry of Health and Welfare says Taiwan is still awaiting official
response from the World Health Organization regarding its hepatitis C
elimination status.

Officials say Taiwan hit its elimination goals at the end of last year, five
years ahead of the W-H-O’s 2030 global deadline, with diagnosis and treatment
rates both topping 90 percent.

The ministry confirms today that Taiwan submitted its final report to the
W-H-O office early this year, but has received no updates over the past six
months.

Health officials say they will continue to follow up with the WHO, as Taiwan
seeks to become the first country in Asia to receive official W-H-O hepatitis
C elimination status.

(NS)

Taiwan shares are sharply down today, following huge losses in South Korea on
AI shares.

The benchmark tai ex lost 2030 points to close the session at 41603.

The turnover was 809 billion NT

Officials say, the Wanli River barrier lake is overflowing at a steady pace,
with the water currently sitting at an elevation of over 1090 meters.

Authorities are closely monitoring the situation.

The Hualien Branch of the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency says, the
volume of the lake is currently sitting at over 6.15 million square meters.

Drone footage shows that the overflow rate is steady, with minor erosion
causing some rocks to fall loose into the riverbed.

Officials say the dam structure is intact with no immediate signs of damage.

(AH)

Brothers and sisters will no longer be guaranteed a reserved share of an
inheritance under amendments to the Civil Code.

The Legislative Yuan today passed the amendments removing siblings'
entitlement to a legally reserved share equal to one-third of their statutory
inheritance share.

The change means that people can now choose to leave nothing to their
siblings in a will, without being legally required to reserve a share of
their estate for them.

But legal experts stress that it only affects siblings' legally reserved
share.

If someone dies without a will, brothers and sisters remain legal heirs and
can still inherit a portion of the deceased's properties under Taiwan's rules
of succession.

The current Civil Code says descendants, parents, and spouses can each
receive a legally reserved share equal to one-half of their statutory
inheritance, while siblings and grandparents can get one-third of their
statutory inheritance.

The revised law will take effect six months after its promulgation.

(JL)

Experts say, when it comes to urban cooling, trees should be prioritized over
artificial sun shades.

That's as cities around Taiwan move to install sun shades at intersections
and other heavily trafficked pedestrian areas.

But scholars say, more foliage would actually provide better benefits to
residents.

That's because, as nighttime temperatures rise, it's more difficult for the
body to fully recover while sleeping.

While artificial sun shades provide shade during the day, they also retain
heat at night.

Trees and other greenery, on the other hand, help to reduce ground
temperatures, not just provide shade.

Remarking on France's recent heat wave, experts emphasize that urban cooling
must see trees doing the lion's share of the work.

(AH)

The Tai-Ex tumbled this morning.

The main board shed over 1,600 points in early trading as it fell back to
42,030.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing saw its share price fall to as low as
2,270 N-T after it lost 3.4-per cent from Monday's close to drop back to
below its quarterly moving average.

While memory chip giants Winbond Electronics and Nanya Technology briefly
touched their daily losing limit down before flattening out.

The declines came as South Korea's Kospi plummeted over 7-per cent this
morning and Japan's Nikkei index lost over 4-per cent.

While the tech heavy Nasdaq fell 0.2-per cent overnight for its fourth
straight loss after Nvidia fell 5-per cent and Micron Technology slumped
2.3-per cent on Wall Street.

And,

The Central Weather Administration has issued heat warnings for parts of the
island today.

"Yellow" heat alerts are in effect for Taipei, New Taipei, Taoyuan, Taichung,
Changhua, Nantou, Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Pingtung -- where the daily maximum
temperature today could reach 36-degrees.

The heat alerts are currently slated to remain in effect through later this
afternoon.

Meanwhile,

Independent meteorologist Daniel Wu says a Pacific high-pressure system is
strengthening from today, leading to hot weather across the island - which
will result in stable conditions for the remainder of this week and into
early next week.

Wu also says that tropical storm Dolphin, which has formed in waters some
6,000 kilometers east of Taiwan is expected to rapidly intensify and become a
severe typhoon, but will pose no threat to Taiwan in the next 10 days.

Dolphin is the 13th tropical storm of this year's Pacific typhoon season and
is moving in a west-southwesterly direction at 15-kilometers-an-hour.

In news from and about Taiwan this morning,

The Food and Drug Administration has released the findings of an independent
investigation into the cause of carcinogen contamination in seven batches of
cooking oil produced by Central Union Oil Corporation.

More than 13,000 businesses were affected after soybean-based cooking oil
produced by the company was found to contain excessive levels of the Group 1
carcinogen.

Minister Without Portfolio Chen Shih-chung says the contamination began with
a shipment of Brazilian soybeans .....

....... and was also due to a combination of management failures, including
inadequate controls for high-risk raw materials, weaknesses in production
process management and insufficient inspection and testing.

The investigation was conducted by an expert panel convened by the Food
Industry Research and Development Institute.

According to Chen, it identified three main problems - those being that
high-risk raw materials were not properly managed, production irregularities
were not adequately addressed and the company's food safety risk management
was insufficient.

The F-D-A says expert panel is recommending food manufacturers strengthen
risk management for raw materials, improve monitoring of production processes
and expand testing to enhance food safety and risk control.

The Cabinet last week approved draft amendments to the Act Governing Food
Safety and Sanitation and sent them to the Legislature for review.

The proposed revisions seek to strengthen food safety oversight by enhancing
source management, production process controls, abnormality reporting,
quality management, reporting of test results and digital governance.

The K-M-T is voicing support for a rally being organized by civic groups that
will call for judicial justice, stronger public safety and tougher penalties
for drug- and drunk-driving offenses.

The rally will be taking place in Taipei this coming Saturday.

It's been jointly organized by several civic organizations to raise awareness
of crime victims' rights and promote social fairness and justice.

According to the groups, their basic appeal to garner wide support for the
rally is "reject drug- and drunk-driving, people want safety, public order
needs police, justice must be served."

K-M-T legislative caucus secretary-general Lin Pei-hsiang is describing the
rally as a collective call for safety, justice and fairness ...

.... while K-M-T caucus deputy secretary-general Hsu Yu-chen says her party
has proposed amendments in the Legislature's Judiciary and Organic Laws and
Statutes Committee that would make drug-driving causing death punishable by
death.

K-M-T lawmaker Hung Mong-kai says the rally is nonpartisan and open to anyone
who supports judicial justice, backs the police and opposes drug- and
drunk-driving.

The High Court has ruled that former Taipei mayor and Taiwan People's Party
founder, Ko Wen-je will switch from an electronic ankle monitor to an
electronic bracelet beginning August 5.

The court says although it found little evidence Ko poses a flight risk,
continued electronic monitoring remains necessary.

The ruling can be appealed.

It comes after Ko recently asked the court to remove or modify the monitoring
requirement.

He argued that he has political responsibilities and will not abandon his
seriously ill mother, political partners or supporters by fleeing Taiwan, and
has already posted 70-million N-T in bail and remains subject to travel and
departure restrictions.

The High Court found that Ko's monitoring device generated 3,803 level-three
alerts between September of last year and June.

Of that total 53 occurred near coastal areas and most of the remaining alerts
resulted from the device being offline for more than 30-minutes or from
equipment malfunctions.

The court concluded that the monitoring records did not indicate any attempt
by Ko to flee.

Ko was sentenced to 17 years in prison after being convicted on corruption
charges in March and has appealed that verdict.

The Supreme Court has upheld a 12-year prison sentence for a former Army
sergeant convicted of leaking classified military information in exchange for
financial rewards.

The ruling comes after Sun Chu-Chuan appealed a lower court ruling.

The Supreme Court said it found no error in the lower court's ruling or
application of the law and its sentence is final.

Sun served as a sergeant in the Army's Matsu Defense Command from June 2021
to December 2022 and was indicted on corruption charges and related offenses
in December of last year.

According to the High Prosecutors Office, Sun took photographs of classified
documents with his mobile phone and transmitted them to others in exchange
for cash or cryptocurrency payments.

Prosecutors say Sun was persuaded to leak the classified information by three
people he met on Telegram and transmitted classified materials to them on
eight occasions and received 67,770 N-T in payments.

The prosecutors office has not released any information concerning details of
the classified documents.

The Hualien County Tourism Department says routine direct flights between
Hualien and Incheon International Airport in South Korea will be suspended at
the end of July.

According to the department, the suspension of the flights comes as the
route's operator, South Korean low-cost carrier Aero K Airline is relocating
its operating base to its headquarters due to rising international fuel
costs.

Officials says the airline is required to reapply for traffic rights, a
process expected to take about one flight season, due to the operational
shift.

The route is expected to resume at the end of October, with Cheongju
replacing Incheon as its destination.

The county government says the carrier had no choice but to adjust its
operating strategy in response to higher fuel costs and rapidly changing
international conditions.

The Hualien-Incheon route was launched in November 2025.

It was Hualien's second scheduled international route after COVID-19 travel
restrictions were lifted.

And finally,

The Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival Executive Committee has announced that
director Yu Kan-ping will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 63rd
Golden Horse Awards.

Yu entered the film industry in 1974, working in roles including assistant
director before making his directorial debut in 1979 with the martial arts,
film "Love and Sword."

He soon developed his own storytelling style with the award-winning "Papa,
Can You Hear Me Sing?" -- which won four awards from 11 nominations at the
20th Golden Horse Awards in 1983.

Yu became known for weaving contemporary social issues into fiction.

His 1986 film "The Outsiders," which is adapted from author Pai Hsien-yung's
novel the "Crystal Boys," has been long haileded as being a milestone in his
career, as its subject matter led to government censorship.

The complete list of Golden Horse Awards nominees will be announced on
October 1.

The Golden Horse awards ceremony will be held on Novmber 22 at the Taipei
Music Center.

The Lai administration is said to have conveyed its concerns to Beijing over
recent Chinese operations east of Taiwan.

This, according to Mainland Affairs Council deputy head Shen Yu-chung who
said the communication was made through "third countries and existing private
mechanisms."

However, Shen is not identifying the third countries involved, when the
contacts took place, or indicatiung if Taiwan has received any response.

The council deputy head said the Lai administration is currently handling
Chinese official vessels based on the principle of "avoiding escalation"
beyond 24 nautical miles from its coast, while "not backing down on
sovereignty" within that range.

Shen also says the government plans to strengthen its surveillance and
expulsion capabilities, including by making greater use of drones to
compensate for China's advantage in ship numbers and tonnage.

China's coast guard and government and research vessels have been conducting
what they have labelled special operations since June.

The Food and Drug Administration says four additional batches of camellia oil
produced by Aconpure Green Technology have been found to contain excessive
levels of the carcinogen, benzo[a]pyrene.

Health authorities have since ordered the company to suspend all production
and sales of its camellia oil products.

The announcement comes days after Aconpure voluntarily reported that some of
its camellia oil products exceeded the legal limit for the carcinogen that
can form during high-temperature food processing.

Seven batches initially reported by the company, two had already been
confirmed by Aconpure to contain excessive levels of the carcinogen.

The remaining five batches were sampled by the New Taipei City Department of
Health and tested by the F-D-A, with four found to exceed the legal limit.

F-D-A Director-General Chiang Chih-kang says New Taipei health department
ordered Aconpure to remove the seven affected batches from store shelves on
July 23.

The F-D-A has repeatedly stressed that the camellia oil case is unrelated to
the earlier case involving Central Union Oil Corporation, noting that the two
incidents involved different raw materials.

The Taiwan Excellence Drone International Business Opportunities Alliance has
signed a memorandum of understanding with a British trade Organisation
representing the aerospace, defense, security and space industries.

The agreement with the A-D-S Group was reached during the Farnborough
International Airshow in England and signed by Aerospace Industrial
Development Corporation President Chuang Hsiu-mei and A-D-S Group C-E-O Kevin
Craven.

This marks first formal exchange between Taiwanese and British drone
industries.

Under the agreement, the two sides will establish an industry exchange
platform for drone research, development and marketing, participate in each
other's international business expansion programs, and explore further
cooperation opportunities.

It also aims to promote substantive collaboration and bilateral investment
while enhancing the two sides' competitiveness in drone technology and the
global market.

Chuang says she believes Taiwan can become a safe, reliable and highly
capable manufacturing partner in the Asia-Pacific region for the United
Kingdom's aerospace and defense industries.

President Lai Ching-te has honored veteran pro-Taiwan Japanese lawmaker,
Keiji Furuya in recognition of his decades-long efforts to promote closer
Taiwan-Japan relations.

Furuya, a senior member of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the
head of the Japan-Taiwan Diet Members' Consultative Council, was presented
with the Order of Brilliant Star with Grand Cordon.

Lai praised Furuya as a driving force behind the friendly relations between
Taiwan and Japan.

Furuya is said to have helped facilitate exhibitions by Taiwan's National
Palace Museum in Japan and advocated for Japan to allow Taiwan nationals
married to Japan citizens to list their place of origin as "Taiwan" instead
of "China" in Japan's official family registry.

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has accused Furuya of colluding with
"separatist forces" in Taiwan, saying his visits to the country were made "in
defiance of China's strong opposition."

The College Entrance Examination Center says it's introducing a
zero-tolerance policy against the wearing of smart glasses beginning next
year.

The body says it will amend its regulations for the next academic year and
list smart glasses as a major violation.

The move means that anyone found to be wearing or carrying smart glasses,
regardless of whether or not they are used, will be considered cheating and
receive a score of zero for that subject from August 1 of 2027.

The move comes after a student was caught wearing a pair of smart glasses
during this year's Advanced Subjects Test.

The smart glasses were detected by a metal scan.

The candidate was disqualified in accordance with test regulations.

The 13th tropical storm of this year's Pacific typhoon season as formed in
waters some 6,000 kilometers from Taiwan.

But the Central Weather Administration says tropical storm Dolphin is
unlikely to have any direct impact on the island.

The storm is moving in a west-southwesterly direction at
24-kilometers-an-hour.

The weather administration's latest tracking chart shows the storm beginning
to veer in a northwesterly direction from this evening and moving towards
southern central Japan.

Meanwhile, a Pacific high-pressure system is forecast to strengthen from
today - bring stable weather conditions to most of Taiwan for the remainder
of this week and into early next week.

The Executive Yuan has released the findings of an independent investigation
into the Central Union Oil food safety scandal, identifying three major
management failures behind the incident.

Authorities say the large-scale contamination wasn't caused by a single
factor ... but by multiple weaknesses in raw material management, production
controls and food safety montioring.

Investigators said the company failed to take extra precautions when handling
shipments of soybeans identified as higher-risk.

For instance, they pointed out that cooking oil made from some Brazilian
soybean imports was more likely to test positive for the carcinogen
benzo[a]pyrene, or BaP, than oil made from U-S soybeans.

Investigators also said that Central Union failed to correct problems during
production, and failed to increase testing of both its raw materials and
finished cooking oil.

They further said they found no evidence that production equipment directly
caused BaP to form.

The government has proposed amendments to the Food Safety and Sanitation Act
to require tighter oversight of raw materials, manufacturing processes and
food safety reporting.

(IG)

Forecasters say newly formed Tropical Storm Dolphin is not expected to have
any direct impact on Taiwan.

The Central Weather Administration says the storm formed mid-afternoon near
Guam, more than 6 thousand kilometers east of Taiwan, becoming the 13th named
storm of the western Pacific typhoon season.

The storm is moving west before gradually turning to the northwest under the
influence of the Pacific High, and is expected to track toward waters east of
Japan in early August.

However, forecasters say they will continue monitoring the system as it
strengthens over the open ocean.

(IG)

Taiwan's college entrance examination authority is introducing a
zero-tolerance policy against smart glasses starting in 2027.

The College Entrance Examination Center voted today to update its student
violation rules for the 2027 academic year.

Under the new policy, simply carrying smart glasses near a seat will count as
exam fraud, resulting in a score of zero for that subject.

Refusing to hand the device over will result in full disqualification.

Rules for other electronic wearables, like smartwatches, fitness bands, and
Bluetooth earbuds, were also updated.

Carrying those devices into seating areas will result in a point deduction
for that section, while explicitly using them will yield a zero score.

Exam officials say high-tech devices pose a growing threat to exam integrity,
and are calling on government agencies to explore using signal jammers in
testing rooms to block A-I-assisted cheating.

(NS)

Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan An is calling for communication between the Cabinet
and the Legislature, after reports emerged that the KMT/TPP legislative bloc
will aim to cut funding to the Food and Drug Administration.

The opposition parties will also reportedly aim to freeze funding for drones
in the 2026 central government budget.

The reports came out following an oppostion-led rally on Saturday to protest
against the government's handling of the recent cooking oil scare.

The opposition complains that the “five rings of food safety" policy was
largely ineffective while they criticized other FDA plans for costing too
much.

Chiang says that he respects the legislature's right to oversee the Executive
Yuan, but calls for better communication between the two branches.

(AH)

DPP Taipei mayoral candidate Puma Shen has attended the founding of an
overseas support organization in the US on the final leg of his trip there.

Shen's campaign office says, the founding ceremony was convened by New York
Taiwan Center Director-General Su Chun Huai (蘇春槐).

They add that the ceremony was attended by Taiwanese Americans from all walks
of life.

The organination now has offices in New York City and State, Washington DC,
New Jersey, Boston, Chicago and several other cities across the east coast.

Shen said that he and Su exchanged views on urban governance, and the mayoral
candidate stressed the importance of creating long term relationships with
other cities...

particularly through capitalizing on connections to overseas Taiwanese
communities.

(AH)

The Taiwan High Court has approved former Taipei Mayor Ke Wen-zhe's appeal to
replace his electronic ankle monitor with a wrist monitor.

Ke argues that his posting of $70 million NT in bail and travel restrictions
that prohibit him from leaving Taiwan or traveling by sea are sufficient to
ensure he will not flee.

He also said the current ankle monitor often triggered false alarms when he
travels to coastal and offshore areas for political activities, causing
unnecessary inconvenience and embarrassment.

Ke has been required to wear the device since September, and since then it
has triggered over 3-thousand 800 level-three alerts.

The High Court said 98-percent of those were caused by system malfunctions,
and replacing the device could reduce the manpower required for police to
verify false alarms.

As Ke is still facing corruption charges, the Court ruled that it's necessary
for him to keep wearing a lighter wrist monitor until January.

(JL)

Forestry officials say the barrier lake along Hualien’s Wanli River remains
stable and shows no immediate signs of collapsing.

The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency released its latest monitoring
report this morning, saying that evaluations using drone photography, water
level sensors, and downstream C-C-T-V cameras confirm that overflow from the
lake continues at a steady rate.

Officials say the dam structure has experienced only minor surface erosion
and cutting... and its overall frame remains solid.

They say forecasts show that expected rainfall over the next 24 hours will
stay well below warning thresholds.

But they will continue 24-hour real-time monitoring, and adjust emergency
measures as needed to protect downstream communities.

(NS)

Taiwan shares were slightly down today, with the benchmark tai ex losing 20
points to close the session at 43634.

The turnover was 717 billion NT.

A drone business alliance announced today that it's pursuing cooperation with
the U.K. Aerospace, Defense, Security and Space Group.

The Taiwan Excellence Drone International Business Opportunities Alliance
said it has signed a Memorandum of understanding with A-D-S, marking the
first formal exchange between Taiwanese and British drone industries.

Under the agreement, the two sides will establish a platform for cooperation
in drone research and development, marketing, and international business
expansion, with the goal of promoting practical cooperation and bilateral
investment.

Meanwhile prominent Japanese drone expert Akira Itoh says that Taiwan's plan
of establishing a non-red supply chain for the drone industry may not be
easy.

That was drone expert Akira Itoh.

(HN)

Authorities say, the owner of a miniature horse in Taipei will need to pony
up 15000 NT after the horse escaped today.

Animal Control says, this is the third time the same pony has been
unaccompanied running the streets of Beitou.

The owner will also be required to attend a 4 hour lecture on animal
protection under the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act.

Authorities received a report this morning just past 6:30 about a pony
running free near Daye 大業Road.

By the time Animal Control arrived, a bystander had been able to remove the
horse from the street.

The pony in question escaped from its enclosure twice in May due to gaps in
the fencing.

Authorities urge pet owners to sufficiently supervise their animals so as to
keep animals and people safe.

(AH)

No damage or injuries are being reported following this morning's magnitude
4.8 earthquake that rattled the south.

The quake struck at 10:14 and was centered some 36-kilometers east-northeast
of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 37-kilometers.

It was felt strongest in Tainan's Nanxi District and Tseng Wan area, as well
as in Kaohsiung's Jiaxian District, where the earthquake registered a
magnitude 4 on the on the Central Weather Administration's 7-tier intensity
scale.

The quake registered a magnitude 3 on the scale in other parts of Tainan as
well as areas of Yunlin and Chiayi.

The Tai-Ex continued its decline from last Friday in early trading today.

The main board shed over 500-points as it fell to 43,000.

The market fell 1,195-points on Friday, as investor sentiment was spooked by
combination of a spike in crude oil prices, escalating military tensions in
the Middle East and lingering concerns over a possible A-I bubble.

Tech heavyweights mostly fell this morning.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, Delta Electronics MediaTek and Quanta all
lost ground from Friday's close and that saw the electronics index falling by
4-per cent.

Analysts are forecasting the Tai-Ex will remain in consolidation for much of
this week and its short-term closing rate is likely to close to 42,000 point
mark.

The stock market has already fallen nearly 13-per cent from its all-time
intraday record high 48,218 last month.

Independent meteorologist Daniel Wu says a new tropical storm is likely to
develop today at the earliest.

According to Wu, model simulations from various countries indicate the storm
will pose no threat to Taiwan.

It will be the 13th storm of this summer's typhoon season.

The Central Weather Administration has said the tropical depression has now
entered the Northwest Pacific and

The rain currently effecting the south and southest will begin to weaken from
Wednesday.

And from Thursday through Saturday, a Pacific high pressure will strengthen
slightly and we should see stable weather islandwide through much of next
week.

And finally,

C-P-C has raised gasoline and diesel prices from today following a spike in
international crude oil prices due to escalating tensions in the Middle East.

The state refiner has increased gasoline prices by 0.7 N-T per liter, and has
raised diesel prices by 0.5 N-T per liter next week.

The move means that the price of 92 octane unleaded now stands at 30.5 N-T
per liter, while the price of premium diesel is now 29.3 N-T a liter.

Under C-P-C's floating price mechanism, the average international oil price
rose to 90.08 U-S dollars per barrel last week.

That was up from 78.82 U-S dollars a barrel the previous week.

The Central Weather Administration is warning that aftershocks from Sunday
evening's magnitude 5.6 earthquake could occur over the coming week.

These could be of around magnitude 5, although authorities says some of them
will likely be barely felt due to the depth of the tectonic plates.

Last night's quake was centered in the rural Shuangxi District in the eastern
New Taipei, some 35-kilometers east-southeast of New Taipei City Hall, at a
depth of 95-kilometers.

It was felt stongest in Yilan, New Taipei, Taipei, Taoyuan, Hsinchu County,
Hualien, Taichung and Miaoli, where it measured 3 on the weather
administration's 7-tier intensity scale.

The quake measured a 2 on the on the intensity scale in Keelung, Hsinchu
City, Nantou, Changhua and Yunlin.

The main cause of the quake was the subduction of the Philippine Sea Plate.

The center says other quakes that belong to the same seismic zone include
last December's magnitude 7 earthquake that was centered near Turtle Island
off the coast of Yilan, and the May 1 magnitude 6 earthquake near Yilan.

Meanwhile,

The Taipei Metro Corporation says no abnormalities were found after track
inspections.

M-R-T trains ran at reduced speeds after the quake and the corporation says
along with carrying out track inspsections it also ran equipment checks
according to standard operating procedures ...

.. and stations also increased announcements and public awareness campaigns.

The Taoyuan Metro Corporation says services on the Airport M-R-T line were
affected for 34 minutes following the earthquake.

It says it activated standard operating procedures were immediately and after
the shaking stopped, all trains on the line underwent slow-speed inspections.

The Centers for Disease Control says 6,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines will be
delivered to the Taipei City Department of Health this week and distributed
to contracted medical institutions and outpatient hospital clinics.

The statement comes amid claims that Taipei clinics had reportedly run out of
COVID-19 vaccine doses.

Concern over a lack of vaccine doses comes after the C-D-C last week
announced the extension of its publicly funded COVID-19 vaccination program
through September 28 due to a rise in the number of cases.

The C-D-C says Taiwan entered a new COVID-19 phase two weeks ago, as
outpatient and emergency room visits rose by 66.5-per cent in the week of
July 12 to 18 from the previous week.

The publicly funded vaccination had been scheduled to end July 31.

It allows anyone age 6 months and older who has not yet received this
season's COVID-19 vaccine to get vaccinated free of charge.

The C-D-C says more than 90-per cent of people who developed severe COVID-19
this season had not received this season's COVID-19 vaccine.

Most of the cases occurred in adults age 65 or older and people with chronic
illnesses.

The government is defending its plans to spend 352-billion N-T to extend the
High Speed Rail from Taipei to Yilan.

Critics argue the line will cost 600-billion N-T and will severely impact the
Taiwan Railway's Administration's ticket revenue.

But authorities counter that the new line will reduce traffic on National
Freeway 5 by up to 6-per cent, and free-up Taiwan Railway's capacity for both
its intercity and commuter trains.

The Railway Bureau says the High Speed Rail line will handle more medium- and
long-distance Taipei–Yilan travel.

The Cabinet has approved plans to extend the High Speed Rail from Taipei to
Yilan last Thursday.

The 60.6-kilometer line will connect Nangang Station in Taipei with the
planned Yilan High Speed Rail Station and the journey will take around 28
minutes.

The Baishatun Gongtian Temple in Miaoli County has become the first in Taiwan
to offer visitors the option of offsetting their carbon emissions through the
retirement of Gold Standard carbon credits.

Under the new scheme, government agencies, businesses, schools, organizations
and religious groups visiting the temple for worship, company outings, or
cultural tours can apply to retire carbon credits based on the number of
participants.

To offset unavoidable emissions, participants purchase carbon credits
equivalent to their remaining carbon footprint and retire them.

The Tourism Innovation Association of Taiwan says the average visitor to the
temple generated an estimated 0.04 kilograms of carbon dioxide.

The Association is also partnering with the Miaoli County government's
Culture and Tourism Bureau to develop three travel itineraries centered on
Gongtian Temple that have likewise obtained carbon credit retirement
certification.

The association says travel products that complete carbon footprint
assessments, third-party verification and carbon credit retirement can
provide businesses with traceable carbon emissions data from corporate travel
...

... helping strengthen their green procurement practices and environmental,
social and governance performance.

Actor Wang Kai has died.

He was 43.

Authorities say that they received a report of a death at a residence in
Taipei's Da'an District on Sunday afternoon, where they found Wang, lying
unresponsive on the floor of a rooftop addition, with no vital signs.

He was best known for his role in the Sanlih E-Television's drama series
"Bittersweet Destiny."

Authorities say an initial investigation has found no signs of external
injuries or forced entry, and the cause of death has yet to be determined.

Sanlih says Wang finished filming at around 5PM Saturday before leaving the
set of "Bittersweet Destiny" and it received news of his death from his
agent, ahead of Sunday's scheduled filming.

The production team has expressed its condolences, thanking Wang for his
contributions to the series and saying it would assist his family with
funeral arrangements.

Wang made his television debut in the 2001 SET drama "Lavender."

And,

Taiwan has made its debut at the World Children's Festival in Washington, D.C.

The Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the U-S said they
showcased more than 100 artworks by Taiwanese children and held intercultural
activites.

The event is held every four years by the Washington, D.C.-based
International Child Art Foundation, and it brings together children from
around the world through art and cultural exchange.

The representative office hosted the Taiwan pavilion at this year's event.

Deputy representative Yang Yi-shan says pavilion featured award-winning works
from a nationwide children's painting competition organized by the Taichung
City government, as well as pieces from the 2018 Imagined Taiwan exhibition.

The Taiwan pavilion also features booths by EVA Airway and China Airlines
promoting tourism to Taiwan.

The festival took place on the National Mall.

Taiwan's industrial output hit a new high in June.

According to data compiled by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the
industrial production index rose 22.95 percent from a year earlier to 139.44
in June. It was the 28th consecutive month of on-year growth.

The ministry said AI, high-performance computing devices and cloud-based
services continued to bolster Taiwan's ICT industry in June.

It added that some traditional industries appeared relatively weak amid
escalating competition and a slow recovery.

Production in the chemical and fertilizer industry fell nearly 12 percent
from a year earlier in June ... amid buyers' caution toward the market
outlook. The auto and auto parts industry reported a 1.7 percent decline on
inventory adjustments.

An official with the ministry's Department of Statistics said overall
momentum is expected to continue in the second half of this year on strong AI
demand as well as the debut of new consumer electronics products by
international brands.

CNA_JvW

KMT Chair Cheng Li-wun convened the second session of the party's 22nd
National Congress today.

The session was largely a cheerleading session for the 19 KMT nominees
running in municipal and county elections in November this year.

Cheng used part of her speech to tout her accomplishments since taking on the
reins at the KMT a year ago. These include attracting more than 10,000 people
back to the KMT as well as visits to China and the United States.

She also noted that the KMT successfully completed nominations for the
mayoral and county magistrate candidates.

She added that the KMT aims to be the TSMC of Taiwanese politics by "turning
the impossible into the possible."

Cheng said a policy priority by the end of this year will be holding a
referendum on nuclear power.

She said Taiwan has to increase the proportion of energy produced by nuclear
reactors ... otherwise it will have no defense resilience and no future.

CNA_zh_JvW

The Ministry of Economic Affairs says that Taiwan is in a good position after
the US's most recent imposition of tariffs related to forced-labor practices.

The ministry says that Taiwan's 10% levy puts it at a relative advantage
compared with competitors.

For example, tool and machinery makers in Japan and South Korea will be
tariffed at 12.5%.

For hand tools, plumbing hardware and bicycles, Taiwan's 10% rate compares
favorably with China's rates that are above 40% ... and Vietnam's, which are
set at 15 to 18%.

For textiles and medical equipment, Taiwan will also see a 10% US tariff,
while China is looking at 40 to 46%.

Meanwhile the ministry noted that semiconductors and ICT products from Taiwan
are exempt from the new tariff.

CNA_zh_JvW

Oil scandal

The KMT is holding a rally this afternoon on Ketagalan Blvd. ... in front of
the Presidential Office. It's aimed at urging the government to strengthen
food-safety precautions in the aftermath of the Central Union Oil scandal.

The KMT says the DPP is to blame for holes in food security that enabled
Central Union Oil to deceive inspectors and its downstream customers about
the extent of contamination of its cooking oil with the carcinogen
benzo[a]pyrene.

The company has been fined 165 million NT for delaying reporting on the issue
... and several of its executives are being investigated.

The rally will start at 6pm, though people will start to gather on Ketagalan
Blvd. at 5pm.

CNA_JvW

KMT Chair Cheng Li-wun convened the second session of the party's 22nd
National Congress today, leading cheers for the 19 KMT nominees running in
municipal and county elections later this year.

Each of the nominees received an oar and simulated a dragon-boat race by
symbolically "rowing in the same direction," with Cheng beating a drum to
keep them in sync.

The theme for the event was "Care for People, Love the People, Strive for
Peace, Victory for Taiwan." (顧民生、愛人民、拚和平、台灣贏)

The party sees unity in year-end elections as a crucial step in the effort to
win back the presidency in 2028.

CNA_zh_JvW

The Centers for Disease Control is urging residents whose last Covid-19
vaccinations were more than 6 months ago to act soon to secure their choice
of jabs.

The CDC says that around 440,000 doses of Moderna and Novovax vaccines are
available, with the latter slated for destruction starting Aug. 1 as they
pass their use-before date.

Moderna is an mRNA vaccine, while Novovax is made with virus protein
subunits. People who prefer to avoid mRNA vaccines should act before the end
of the month. The next available Novovax doses won't be released until
October.

The CDC says Covid infections reached epidemic proportions in mid-July, with
emergency-room visits associated with infection rising by two-thirds in the
week ending July 18.

Seniors and people with complicating health conditions are most at-risk, but
the CDC says only one in five people over 65 are up-to-date with their
vaccinations.

CNA_zh_JvW

Typhoon Noul has disrupted some transportation in and out of southern Taiwan.
The Maritime and Port Bureau says that 12 routes and 105 sailings were
suspended today ... including the link between Matsu and Fuzhou.

The Civil Aviation Administration says that four domestic flights have been
cancelled or delayed so far, while 23 international flights have been
cancelled and 2 delayed.

The Central Weather Administration lifted sea warnings for the typhoon this
morning, but it has issued extremely heavy or heavy rain warnings for many
areas in the south.

CNA_zh_JvW

The legislature has passed a law establishing two government-funded savings
accounts for under-18s.

The accounts will receive annual deposits of NT$60,000 (US$1,854). It's part
of an effort to address Taiwan's declining birthrate.

The bill was passed thanks to the majority held by the two main opposition
parties -- the KMT and TPP.

Under the law, eligible citizens younger than 8 will receive annual deposits
of NT$60,000 into a Growth Allowance Account. Those aged 7-17 will receive
NT$30,000 in a Growth Allowance Account and NT$30,000 in a Future Account
each year.

The TPP estimates that the program will cost NT$200 billion annually once
President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) promulgates it.

The Bureau of Labor Insurance will manage funds in Future Accounts and
guarantee that returns at least match two-year domestic bank time-deposit
rates. The national treasury will cover any shortfall.

Before an account holder turns 12, family members can make unlimited annual
deposits into Future Accounts, while employers of the account holders' legal
representatives can contribute up to NT$50,000 per year.

DPP lawmakers voted against the opposition parties' version. In May,
President Lai proposed a similar program with much lower government
contributions.

CNA_JvW

The Central Weather Administration has lifted its sea warning for Typhoon
Noul ... as the storm continues to move away from Taiwan.

As of 8am, the center of Noul was about 330 kilometers west-southwest of Cape
Eluanbi, Taiwan's southernmost point.

It was moving northwest at about 19kpm, packing maximum sustained winds of
119 kph and with a radius of 180 km.

The CWA said Noul is moving toward China's Guangdong Province.

The weather agency said the storm's outer bands are expected to continue
affecting Taiwan.

Extremely heavy rain or heavy rain advisories have been issued for the
mountainous areas of Pingtung County, the Hengchun Peninsula and Taitung
County, while heavy rain alerts are in effect in Hualien County, Orchid
Island and Green Island.

Those advisories are expected to remain in effect through late this afternoon.

CNA_JvW