The extension of the Han Kuang exercises has attracted criticism from
soldiers who are now required to devote 10 days to the exercises, rather than
last year's 5.

Mei Chia Shu　梅家樹, Chief of the General Staff of the Republic of China
Armed Forces, says, the change is needed.

Mei points out that the PLA has increased "gray zone" coercion measures
towards Taiwan, and Taiwan must build a multilateral defense to weaken PLA
warpower, in the event that a conflict were to take place.

Mei emphasized that the multi lateral nature of the Han Kuang exercises
builds different levels of strikes at each stage, in coastal, offshore,
beach, deep, and urban sites.

Therefore, the live fire 10 day drills are key to adequately preparing for
real conditions in the most efficient manner.

(AH)

Taipei is laying down plans for its fifth air quality control zone, focusing
on Da-An District.

The city's Department of Environmental Protection says the new zone will
cover parts of Zhongshan North and South Rds, as well as Fuxing North and
South Roads.

In such zones, heavy vehicles and machinery that lack permits may be banned,
while certain vehicles must pass annual emissions inspections or carry a
superior-grade self-management label.

And construction sites in Da-An District will be subject to stricter
regulations.

The new measures are set to take effect in phases starting 2027, and
violators face fines of up to $5-thousand NT.

The city's air quality control zone project began in 2021, with the first
four zones covering Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, the National Palace Museum,
Taipei 101, and other major thoroughfares in Taipei.

(NS)

Travelers flying with some Taiwan airlines may see higher ticket prices
starting this month, due to rising international crude oil costs.

China Airlines, E-V-A Air, and Starlux Airlines says short-haul flights will
see an increase of up to about $500NT, while long-haul flights will rise by
around $1-thousand-300 NT.

Fuel surcharge rates for international flights are determined by changes in
CPC Corporation's international aviation fuel prices, and are submitted to
the Civil Aeronautics Administration for approval.

Despite the increase in fuel surcharges, the airlines say they're absorbing a
significant portion of the added fuel costs, by about 50-to-80 percent.

(NS)

The National Security Bureau is once again urging people to be careful when
using Chinese mobile applications.

Concerns are related to exposure to potential security breaches.

The latest statement follow a recent inspection of such apps... which were
conducted jointly with the Investigation Bureau and the Criminal
Investigation Bureau.

They looked at five Chinese social media platforms: Weibo, WeChat, Baidu
Cloud, RedNote, and TikTok.

Agencies invloved checked 15 indicators across five categories: personal data
collection, excess of usage permission, data transmission and sharing, system
information extraction, and access to biometric data.

The N-S-B says inspections found serious violations of users' communication
security across several of the indicators in all five apps .. with Rednote
failing to meet all 15 of indicators.

Weibo and TikTok violated 13 of the 15 indicators, while WeChat violated 10
and Baidu Cloud violated nine.

The N-S-B says the apps all had security issues related to excessive
collection of personal data and abuse of system permissions, with violations
including unauthorized access to screenshots, clipboard content, and location
data.

While four of them collected facial recognition data and all five were also
found to send packets back to servers located in China.

The Pingtung District Prosecutors' Office has detained the deputy head of the
K-M-T's Organizational and Development Committee for alleged signature
forgery in a recall petition.

Huang Bi-yun was involved in a petition targeting Indigenous D-P-P lawmaker
Wu Li-hua.

Huang was ordered detained after prosecutors searched K-M-T offices in
Taoyuan, Nantou, Hualien, and Taitung as well as the residences of some
staffers earlier this week.

Prosecutors say the case involves 15 K-M-T staffers who are suspected of
using falsified personal data in the recall bid.

Six of those questioned following the raids have been released on bail, while
the eight others were released without bail.

Officials add that the case may involve violations of the Criminal Code, the
Personal Data Protection Act, and the Public Officials Election and Recall
Act.

The K-M-T has slammed the investigation... the party is accusing prosecutors
of raiding the homes of opposition party staff without solid evidence, and
violating due process and procedural justice.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs says its formed a task force to help small
and medium-sized enterprises cope with the risks of exchange rate losses amid
recent fluctuations in the New Taiwan dollar's value against the greenback.

Deputy Economics Minister Ho Jin-cang, says there are about 46,000
export-oriented S-M-Es in Taiwan, whose risk tolerance is lower than that of
large corporations ..

Most are in the manufacturing sector, and 80-per cent of them quote their
prices in U-S dollars.

The nine industries most impacted by exchange rate fluctuations are in the
metal products, machine tools, textiles, food products, car components,
electronic components, and information and communications industries.

The deputy economics minister says the Small and Medium Enterprise and
Startup Administration will serve as an advisor to the multi-agency task
force.

The agencies are expected to coordinate efforts and stay updated on exchange
rate fluctuations, provide industry upgrade guidance, and support overseas
marketing.

The Centers for Disease Control is reporting Taiwan's first case of malaria
in 20 years.

The strain is primarily found in Southeast Asia and the C-D-C says the case
was imported.

The case involves a foreign man in his 30s who developed symptoms after
traveling to Palawan Island in the Philippines in early June.

C-D-C spokesman Philip Luo says the patient began experiencing symptoms
before entering Taiwan on June 19 and sought medical attention on June 25.

He was diagnosed with malaria two days later and remains hospitalized.

The new case has prompted the C-D-C to lift the travel alert for the
Philippines to Level 1 for malaria.

This malaria strain was last reported in Taiwan in 2005-- it

The last case of this malaria strain was reported in Taiwan was in 2005... it
involved a Taiwanese man in his 60s who also contracted the disease while
visiting Palawan.

60-per cent of people remain oppose allowing motorcycles greater than 250cc
on national freeways.... that's according to a recent survey by the Freeway
Bureau.

The survey focused on whether the ban on heavy motorcycles on national
freeways should be lifted.

And the Freeway Bureau says the results were consistent with previous
findings.

Respondents said they thought motorcyclists do not follow traffic rules,
overtake at will, and weave between vehicles... they also felt motorcycle
drivers pose safety risks and make car drivers feel anxious.

Those who supported conditional access favored restricting motorcycle use to
weekdays.... and of those who said they supported the idea... most felt
access should be limited to designated freeway sections...

There was strongest support for opening National Freeway No. 6 - which runs
between Taichung's Wufeng District and Puli Township in Nantou County.

Motorcycles greater than 250cc were given conditionally permission to use
Freeway No. 6, Freeway No. 8, and parts of Freeway No. 3 following passage of
amendment to the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act in 2011.

However, no action has been taken to actually open up those roads to heavy
motorcycles.

A team of Taiwanese firefighters has made history at the biennial World
Police & Fire Games in Birmingham, Alabama - winning one gold, one silver and
one bronze in the Ultimate Firefighter team category.

Those are the best results Taiwan has ever recorded in the category.

Participants in the category must complete a series of tasks in full gear...
including running with two 20-meter hose lines on their shoulders and an air
cylinder on their backs.

They also carry hose rolls, climb a tower with weights and drag a 79-kilogram
dummy across a 15-meter stretch while walking backward.

The Taiwan team won gold in the men's over-35 bracket, bronze in the men's
over-18 bracket and silver in the women's over-18 bracket.

It was the first time that female Taiwanese firefighters had won a medal in
an international firefighting competition.

And,

Writer and former president of the Taipei Chinese Center, Peng Ko has died.

He was 100.

Peng Ko, whose real name is Yao Peng, was born in Tianjin in 1926 and moved
to Taiwan in 1949.

He served as president of the Taipei Chinese Center, a branch of the PEN
International, during the 1970s.

He also held the positions of vice president and editor-in-chief of Taiwan
Shin Sheng Daily, chief editor and president of the Central Daily News, and
head of The Hong Kong Times during his prolific career.

He taught at the National Taiwan University, National Chengchi University,
and the National Taiwan Normal University.

Peng was a well respected voice on Taiwan's literary scene who was known for
his novels inspired by his life in China, as well as short stories set in
Taiwan and the offshore islands of Kinmen and Matsu.

Japan was the top destination for Taiwanese travelers in the first quarter,
accounting for 36% of outbound trips.

According to the Tourism Administration, from January to April, there were 6
million overseas trips, with Korea coming in as the second most popular
destination.

Taiwan also saw nearly 3 million inbound arrivals during the same
period—mostly from Japan, Korea, and Hong Kong and Macau.

But travel agencies say business has slumped in July, hit by rumors of a
major earthquake.

Some report it’s the worst July in 35 years.

Tourism officials say that as a result, the usual summer airfare
hike—typically between NT$3,000 and NT$5,000—has not materialized.

(AH)

The Ministry of National Defense reports a significant increase in Chinese
military activity around Taiwan ... as the 41st Han Kuang live-fire drills
draw near.

The MND says it detected 25 Chinese Air Force sorties operating in the Taiwan
Strait from 9:25 AM...

Of those, 16 aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, and
entered Taiwan's northern, central, eastern and southwestern air defense
identification zones.

Eight Chinese Navy ships were also detected coordinating with the Chinese
aircraft under what Beijing calls a "joint combat readiness patrol".

This escalation comes just a week before the 41st Han Kuang drills begin, and
follows similar detections yesterday of 53 aircraft and 8 naval vessels, with
37 of those aircraft having crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait.

Defense officials emphasized Taiwan's military remains on high alert,
actively tracking movements and deploying assets to respond.

(IG)

Taiwan has revised its blood donor eligibility rules for the first time in 19
years, effective immediately.

The minimum age to donate blood has been lowered from 17 to 16.

And individuals 70 and older can now donate with a recent donation record and
doctor's approval.

Weight requirements have also changed—anyone over 45 kg can donate whole
blood, while those donating platelets or plasma must weigh at least 50 kg.

New rules also require a 7-day wait after dental procedures.

The Food and Drug Administration announced these changes as part of an effort
to balance blood supply and demand, and ensure blood safety.

(IG)

Taiwan's egg prices are set to fall again as high temperatures and seasonal
changes dampen demand.

As of today, the farm gate price has dropped $3 NT per catty—to $22.5 NT.

That will put wholesale prices at 32 NT per catty starting tomorrow.

The chair of the Taipei Egg Merchants Association says hot weather is curbing
consumer appetite, while school summer breaks have halted institutional meal
services.

He's urging farmers to scale back production.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Taiwan currently has over 36
million laying hens producing 127-thousand cartons of eggs per day—about 7
thousand more than daily demand.

(IG)

With warms winds coming from the east and clear skies, people in the north
have experienced a sweltering day today.

The highest temperature islandwide, at 39.1 degrees Celsius, occurred in
Taoyuan’s Luzhu District at 1 PM.

Those in other places in Taoyuan, New Taipei, and outlying Kinmen also saw
their mercury exceed 38°.

The Central Weather Administration's orange heat alert remains in place for
many locations in northern Taiwan and two coastal townships in Hualien and
Taidong.

An orange alert means the mercury can reach 38 degrees in one day or reach 36
degrees for three consecutive days.

Forecasters say the Pacific high-pressure system that's bringing the sunny
weather is expected to hover over Taiwan until Thursday.

(JL)

The number of trading accounts on the Taiwan Stock Exchange, or (TWSE)
reached a record 13.48 million at the end of June, rising by 32 thousand from
May.

This comes despite market uncertainty over U-S tariff threats.

The TWSE reported an increase of 264 thousand new accounts since the end of
2024.

The strongest growth came from investors aged 61 and over, who opened more
than 225 thousand accounts in the first half of 2025, making up nearly 30
percent of all accounts.

(CNA_IG)

The Central Election Commission says, recall elections for two KMT Nantou
legislators will be held on Satuday August 23rd.

Constituents of KMT lawmakers Ma Wen Jun and You Hao can vote in their recall
elections that day, from 8am to 4pm.

CEC officials say that the number of signatures turned in for recalling the
two both reached over 24,000, and met the requirement.

However, as there are so-called "ghost signatures" in the petitions that may
constitute forgery, the CEC will transfer the case to the Supreme Prosecutors
Office.

Notably, these two recall vote will take place separately from those against
24 others KMT lawmakers, including legislative caucus leaders Fu Kun Qi and
Wang Hong Wei.

Their recall voting date is set for July 26th.

(AH)

The National Security Bureau says, Chinese social media app Xiao Hong Shu
poses a great security risk.

The NSB says the app, along with Weibo, Douyin, WeChat, and Baidu, collect
excessive amounts of user data, and overstep their authority.

Officials added that Xiao Hong Shu is the worst offender of any of these, and
they warn the public to be on alert, not downloading suspicious apps.

The NSB came to these conclusions after law enforcement authorities conducted
tests on the five apps, testing them on indicators of personal information
collection, exceeding usage permissions, data feedback and sharing, capturing
system information, and using biometrics.

In particular, officials say, the apps may be storing data of what user's
faces look like, and all five of the apps transmit package data to Chinese
servers, and the Chinese government could demand the information.

The NSB emphasizes that several countries around the world have warnings or
bans on certain Chinese-made apps for cybersecurity reasons.

(AH)

DPP Lawmaker Su Qiao Hui says the ongoing recall movement represents Taiwan's
staunch refusal to "tilt toward China".

Su emphasized that Taiwan's determination to fight for its own sovereignty
has been clear for years, manifesting in the Sunflower Movement and the
ongoing recall movement.

She made the comments when delivering a speech at Taiwan Presbyterian Church
in Washington D.C. where dozens of overseas Taiwanese people went to meet
with her.

During her trip there, she also plans to visit the United States House Select
Committee on Strategic Competition between the U.S. and the Chinese Communist
Party, as well as the Senate Taiwan Caucus.

She says she'll tell US legislators that the recall aims in part to address
concerns over Taiwan's defense spending, concerns shared by some reps in the
US.

In an interview with CNA, Su emphasized that her trip will show the world
that Taiwan is determined to defend itself.

(AH)

wife

Chen Pei-qi (陳珮琪), former Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-zhe's wife, arrived at the
Kaohsiung Funeral House this morning to mourn for former Deputy Mayor Peng
Zhen-sheng's (彭振聲) wife, who fell to her death yesterday.

Peng was overcome with grief, while Chen remained silent without answering
any questions.

Both Ko and Peng have been in detention for months over allegations of
corruption in connection with the Core Pacific City project.

Peng broke down in tears upon receiving news of his wife's apparent suicide
during a Taipei District Court session yesterday, saying the only reason he
admitted wrongdoing in January was trying to secure release on bail so he
could comfort his wife and that he was innocent.

The Court allowed him to go back to Kaohsiung to deal with the matter.

Ko also appeared in court yesterday, saying he was shocked by the news, while
hundreds of TPP supporters gathered outside the Taipei Prosecutors Office
accusing the judiciary of political persecution and coercing confessions.

(JL)

Taitung County is opting to release public arable land to eligible farmers,
some of whom have cultivated the land for 65 years.

The idea is based on a pilot plan by the central government to release public
agricultural land in Yilan's Da Nan Ao 大南澳 Farm to eligible tenants.

Although Taitung isn't part of the central government's plan, the county
government has decided to make the change.

County Magistrate Rao Qing Ling 饒慶鈴　emphasized that most of the land in
the county is public land, so there are many farmers that have toiled on the
land for three generations, but lack a title to the land.

The Land Administration Department stated that priority will be given to
tenants of county-owned farmland who had established lease agreements before
1976.

(AH)

Taiwan shares are slightly up today, with the benchmark Tai ex closing at
22,577 after gaining 24 points.

The turnover was 297.6 billion NT.

The Central Weather Administration has put into place intense heat warnings
for dozens of areas across the country.

There's an orange level heat alert for certain districts of Hualien, greater
Taipei and Taoyuan, as well as central and southern Taiwan.

Those areas could either reach 38 degrees today or reach 36 degrees for three
consecutive days.

The CWA also issued a yellow level heat alert for districts in Kinmen,
Keelung, Hsinchu, Miaoli and Yi-lan, as those areas could get up to 36
degrees today.

Taoyuan's Luzhu has already recorded the highest temperature in the country
today, at 38.2 degrees, while New Taipei and Hsinchu also hit 37.

Officials encourage the public to stay hydrated and avoid strenuous exercise
outdoors.

(AH)

A pair of killer whales were spotted off the coast of Hua-lien yesterday,
marking the first sighting of such whales in Hualien waters in three years.

Whale-watching operator Lyu Shi-ming (呂世明) says the orcas were swimming
steadily in a fixed direction without stopping or changing course, and their
vessel maintained a safe distance and observed them at a low speed for 30
minutes.

He says the afternoon 4:00 p.m. whale-watching tour operated by Turu-moan set
sail from Hualien Port, and first encountered a pod of pantropical spotted
dolphins.

Crew members then saw dorsal fins of orcas in the distance, approximately 5
to 6 nautical miles east of the Hualien lighthouse—one fin tall and one
shorter.

Based on their characteristics, the pair was identified as a male killer
whale and a female.



Lyu says whale activity off the coast of Hualien has been lively recently.

According to Turu-moan’s data, 25 out of 140 whale-watching trips have
sighted sperm whales between mid-June and now, and several of those trips
even recorded the whales' underwater sounds.

(JL)

In news from and about Taiwan this morning ...

Former Deputy Taipei Mayor Peng Cheng-sheng has retracted his confession in
the Core Pacific City corruption case.

It came hours after the death of his wife in Kaohsiung.

Peng was informed of his wife's death while waiting to appear at hearing at
the Taipei District Court.

The court had been scheduled to review Peng's interrogation recording, but
canceled the session due to the sudden news of his wife's death.

Peng confessed when questioned by prosecutors last year.

He was indicted last December, along with former Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je and
Core Pacific Group Chairman Shen Ching-jing as part of the investigaiton.

The officials are accused of accepting bribes from the company to illegally
increase the permissible floor area ratio of a redevelopment project, thereby
raising the property's value because more space could be built and sold.

The Ministry of National Defense says amendments to the Pay Act of the Armed
Forces will cost an estimated 30-billion N-T in additional annual personnel
expenditure.

The statement comes after amendments to the Act passed a third reading in the
Legislative Yuan on June 10 and were formally promulgated by the Office of
the President on June 27.

The amendments raise compensation for both volunteer and conscripted service
personnel.

Under the revised law, monthly allowances for volunteer military personnel
will increase from the current range of between 13,000 and 15,000 N-T to
30,000 N-T.

While total monthly compensation for conscripted personnel must now meet or
exceed the minimum wage as defined under the Minimum Wage Act.

The defense ministry's Department of Resource Planning says it is now working
with the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics to finalize
the changes and include them in upcoming budget plans.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Department of East Asian and Pacific Affairs
says decisions by Thailand, the Philippines and Brunei to grant Taiwan
passport holders visa-free entry over the past year are the result of
years-long consultations.

Taiwan granted visa-free entry to the three countries to facilitate two-way
travel for business and tourism purposes in August of 2016.

And according to department head Peter Lan, the government had been pushing
the the ASEAN countries to make the program a reciprocal one since then.

Thailand announced in July of 2024 that it would give visa-free entry to
Taiwanese, while the Philippines extended the same courtesy on June 23 and
Brunei from July 1.

Lan says along with consultations, the foreign ministry's implementation of
an Integrated Diplomacy and Diplomatic Allies Prosperity Project also played
an important role in the result.

The Ministry of Labor says nearly one in four employers failed to comply with
labor regulations for student and part-time workers during recent
inspections.

The statement comes after the ministry conducted 1,800 labor inspections
focusing on the labor rights of those groups last year.

Officials say they uncovered violations in 448 cases including several
well-known companies and state-owned enterprises.

According to the labor ministry, total fines issued stood at 12.8-million
N-T, while three employers were referred to prosecutors for assigning
underage workers to night shifts - which is illegal.

The ministry says most common violation was the failure to pay correct wages
for work performed on designated rest days.

This was followed by failure to provide double pay for work on national
holidays and requiring employees to work more than six consecutive days.

The restaurant industry was the worst offender, accounting for 48-per cent of
all violations.

The Kaohsiung District Prosecutors' Office has detained a 30-year-old former
private ambulance driver for allegedly hacking into emergency response
systems and selling dispatch information to funeral businesses.

The man was detained following raids on several locations last month.

Four funeral businesses, their sales staff and cooperating I-T engineers are
also under investigation and have been released on bail ranging from 30,000
to 500,000 N-T.

According to prosecutors, the suspect accessed the Kaohsiung City Fire
Department's mobile dispatch system and emergency medical system over a
period of more than four years.

The funeral companies were able to monitored emergency cases using the
intercepted information provided by the main suspect and sent staff to the
scenes.

Prosecutors say each company gained an estimated five to 10 additional
funeral services per month by responding quickly to emergency cases and in
some instances, staff reportedly arrived at the scenes before ambulances and
handed out business cards.

All of those under investigation are facing possible charges of the Criminal
Code.

And finally, in news from the Chinese Professional Baseball League ..

.. where the Uni-President Lions will be hosting games under a special
"Ultraman" theme at the Taipei Dome later this month.

The themed games will be taking place as the Lions are scheduled to play the
C-T-B-C Brothers during a three-game series in Taipei.

According to the team, the three game series will be featuring eight
superheroes from the long-running Japanese TV show that centers on a
fictional alien race of superheroes who battle other aliens.

Organizers say a different villain will feature at each game and the
live-action performances will take place both before and after the games.

The Lions won the C-P-B-L first half-season this past Sunday after beating
the Rakuten Monkeys 4-1 at the Rakuten Taoyuan Stadium.

The second half-season begins this Friday.

President Lai Ching-te is urging public to support government efforts to
bolster the military's capabilities.

During a speech before members of the Lions Clubs International in Taipei,
Lai touted measures taken by the DPP since 2016...

These steps included improving the working environment for active service
personnel, reforming the military and enhancing Taiwan's overall defense
capabilities.

Lai said defense investment was not just a security imperative... it also
presents economic opportunity, since the development of drones,
telecommunications systems and weaponry also spurs innovation, create jobs,
and strengthen domestic industries.

The president said his administration is not merely purchasing arms, it was
also ensuring that Taiwan can also manufacturing them, even as it
co-develops, designs and produces them with the United States ..

And these are moves Lai said will make Taiwan both safer and economically
stronger.

The statements came during the fourth in a series of planned speeches.

The talks are set to focus on topics including cross-strait relations,
democracy, peace, prosperity, and the equal development of the country.

The remarks were made as the Ministry of National Defense prepares to hold a
series of urban resilience drills from July 15 to 18 in conjunction with the
annual Han Kuang exercises.

The All-out Defense Mobilization Office says the drills will be conducted
regionally and feature air raid sirens, public evacuation procedures, traffic
controls, and mobile alert notifications.

The first of the drills are scheduled for Miaoli, Taichung, Nantou, Changhua,
Yunlin and Chiayi on July 15.

Drills will then be held in Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Pingtung on July 16.

They take place in Keelung, Taipei, New Taipei, Taoyuan, Hsinchu and Yilan on
July 17.

And they will conclude on July 18 in Hualien, Taitung, Kinmen, Matsu and
Penghu.

The drills are scheduled for between 1:30 to 2PM in most areas, while the
July 18 drills will be held between 10 and 10:30AM.

During the exercises, operations at public and private venues will be
temporarily suspended to carry out evacuation and emergency response
procedures.

Airports, seaports, conventional rail, high-speed rail, metro systems,
intercity buses and bus terminals must also suspend all services during the
drill and alighting passengers are required to cooperate with evacuation
measures.

However, passengers waiting for transportation services will not be subject
to controls, and metro and train services already in motion will not be
affected.

All levels of government agencies, as well as retail outlets, hotels,
exhibition centers, markets, and pharmacies are also required to suspend
operations during the designated time.

While mobile phone users will receive alerts... they will warn of incoming
attacks and signal the end of the drills as a way of beginning and ending the
exercise.

Two Taiwanese nationals are among a group of suspects indicted in Boston in
connection with an alleged scheme to generate revenue for North Korea's
weapons of mass destruction programs,

The office of the U-S Attorney has identified them as Liu Meng-ting and Liu
En-chia.

The office says they were among nine suspects indicted in the scheme that
raised at least 5-million U-S dollars in revenue for North Korea.

The other suspects include six Chinese nationals and one American national.

Court documents show Pyongyang sent thousands of skilled I-T workers around
the world in response to U-S and United Nations sanctions to steal identities
and pose as American workers to obtain remote I-T jobs and generate revenue.

Those indicted in connection with the scheme transmitted fake and misleading
information to dozens of U-S companies, financial institutions and government
agencies from between 2021 and October of last year.

The Centers for Disease Control says 35 domestic whooping cough cases were
recored in the first half of this year - that's the highest for the same
period in a decade.

17 new cases were recorded in June alone - including one school cluster
linked to a household and three separate household clusters.

The school cluster involved five infected students, also making it the
largest such outbreak in 12 years.

While the three household clusters included two cases in central Taiwan,
three in the north, and two in the south.

Contact tracing and health monitoring in all of the cases are set to take
place from the middle to the latter parts of this month.

C-D-C spokesman Philip Luo says the spike involving 17 cases in one month and
nine in a single cluster is highly unusual.

Of the 35 cases so far this year, 37-per cent were in the 11 to 18 age group,
followed by 23-per cent who were infants under six months old.

Police say an unlicensed ambulance driver ran a red light and crashed into a
scooter in Taipei while transporting a patient to a hospital - killing the
scooter rider.

The scooter rider was traveling along Fujin Street in the city's Songshan
District when he was run over by a private ambulance coming from Sanmin Road.

Emergency service personnel found the scooter rider trapped underneath the
ambulance.

The 60-year-old man was later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital after
efforts to resuscitate failed.

Police say the 23-year-old ambulance driver did not have a valid driver's
license, but was not under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash.

He was not injured, but the patient in the ambulance sustained minor injuries.

And,

The Central Weather Administration says temperatures in parts of the north
oday are expected to reach 37-degrees.

According to the administration's forecast center, highs of around 36-degrees
are likely in other areas.

Heat alerts has been issued for much of the island today.

"Orange" alerts are in effect for Taipei, New Taipei, Taoyuan, Changhua,
Yunlin, Chiayi County, Tainan, Kaohsiung, Pingtung and Hualien -- where the
daily maximum temperature is forecast to reaches 36-degrees for three
consecutive days.

While "Yellow" alerts have been issued for Hsinchu County, Miaoli and Kinmen
County - where the daily maximum temperature is forecast to reaches
36-degrees today.

All of the alerts will remain in effect through this afternoon.

The weather administration says a strong Pacific high-pressure system is
forecast to continue hovering over the island until Friday - bringing
widespread hot and sunny conditions.

The high-pressure system is expected to weaken on Saturday - when daytime
highs will drop slightly.

Taiwan has recorded its highest number of whooping cough (pertussis) cases in
a decade for the first half of the year.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), as of mid-June, 35 cases
have been reported, including 17 in June alone.

The surge includes Taiwan's largest school-based outbreak in 12 years, traced
to a household cluster that spread to five students.

The index case—a teenager who had been vaccinated—began showing symptoms in
May but was initially misdiagnosed.

He later tested positive for whooping cough.

Four family members and four classmates were also infected.

Most infections occurred among young people aged 11 to 18 (37%) and infants
under six months (23%)—the two groups most at risk due to either waning
immunity or incomplete vaccination.

The CDC recommends teenagers receive a Tdap booster shot, as vaccine immunity
can wane.

Taiwan offers five free childhood doses of the pertussis vaccine, but the
Tdap booster for teens requires out-of-pocket payment.

(IG)

The National Defense Ministry is getting ready to implement the newly-passed
amendments to the Military Personnel Compensation Act, which increases the
pay for both volunteer and conscripted soldiers.

The Ministry of National Defense estimates that the new measure will cost an
additional $30 billion NT a year from the national coffers, and benefit some
215-thousand troops.

Under the revised bill, monthly allowances for volunteer soldiers will
increase to $30,000 NT, up from the current $13,000 to $15,000 NT.

For conscripted soldiers on active duty, their monthly pay must not be lower
than the minimum wage set by the Minimum Wage Act.

Currently a private second class soldier earns $22,000 NT per month, while
the minimum wage this year stands at 28,590 NT.

MND officials say the new expenditure will be included in the Ministry's
budget next year.

(JL)

The Food and Drug Administration has flagged over 160 kilograms of the
popular “Dubai Chocolate” for containing illegal levels of preservatives.

The product — labeled VIGO KUNAFA CHOCOLATE — was found to contain
preservative well above the legal limit.

Officials say the issue came from its unsalted butter ingredient, which had
more than three times the allowed amount of the preservative.

As a result, the importer now faces tighter scrutiny, with up to 50 percent
of future shipments subject to random inspections.

The tainted chocolate has been either returned or destroyed, along with the
other problematic imports listed in the FDA's latest report.

Those include French mustard, Chinese herbs, dried chili peppers from
Nigeria, and frozen fish from Indonesia.

Most of the other items were flagged for excessive pesticide residues.

(IG)

The Ministry of National Defense says, civilians will get notifications on
their phones in this year's urban resilience drills.

The staggered drills, from July 15th to 18th, will involve issuing an alarm,
and conducting evacuation and traffic controls... in addition to mobile phone
alerts through the "air threat warning system."

The drills will involve several counties and cities across Taiwan; on the
15th, the drills will take place in the center, including in Miaoli,
Taichung, Nantou, Changhua, Yunlin, and Chiayi city and county.

On the 16th, affected regions will be Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Pingtung, and
the 17th will affect the north, from Yilan over to Hsinchu.

Finally, the 18th will involve Hualien, Taitung, and the outlying islands.

The drills will take place from 1:30-2pm for most of the areas, except for
the east and outlying islands, which will be from 10-10:30.

The drills in Taipei, Taichung, and Tainan in particular will involve drills
aimed at protecting critical infrastructure and defense mobilization.

Officials remind the public to remain calm if they are driving when the air
raid sirens sound, and encourage cooperation with the police and civil
defense personnel.

(AH)

President Lai Ching-te has disclosed his assets in the latest issue of the
Control Yuan's Property-Declaration by Public Servants, the first time since
taking office.

It shows that he owns one plot of land and one building in Tainan City, with
total savings of $11 million 254-thousand NT, that's an increase of some $9
million compared to his previous declaration in November, 2023.

The President also has a mortgage of $12,460,000, and holds U.S. Treasury
bonds worth around $12 million NT.

Meanwhile Foreign Minister Lin Jia-long declared ownership of three plots of
land and seven buildings across greater Taipei , Taichung and Tainan as of
November 1, 2024.

He has significantly more savings and investments than Lai, with $118 million
in total savings and $267 million NT in securities.

National Security Council Secretary-general Joseph Wu owned three plots of
land and three buildings in Zhang-hua city, and 12 million NT as well.

(JL)

In news from and about Taiwan this morning,

Taiwan and the U-K have signed three agreements aimed at enhancing bilateral
exchanges and cooperation in investments, digital trade, energy and net zero.

The three pacts are officially named "Three Pillar Arrangements of the
UK-Taiwan Enhanced Trade Partnership" and cover cooperation on investment,
digital trade, and energy/net-zero.

The pacts were signed by Taiwan's top envoy to the U-K, Vincent Yao, and his
British counterpart Ruth Bradley-Jones here in Taipei.

The signing ceremony was attended by visiting U-K Trade Minister Douglas
Alexander and Taiwan's top trade negotiator Yang Jen-ni.

Speaking at the ceremony, Alexander said each of the three pillars represents
an opportunity.

The Cabinet's Office of Trade Negotiations says the pacts will pave the way
for an open, secure, and fair digital trade environment for both sides.

Alexander visited Taipei to co-chair the annual Taiwan-UK trade talks with
Taiwan's Deputy Economics Minister Cynthia Jiang.

Several amended national regulations are gradually taking effect this month.

They include the Central Weather Administration's wind strength forecast for
coastal townships during typhoon season.

The administration will be providing wind strength forecasts for coastal
townships ..

... and will also hold video conferences with the mayors and magistrates of
coastal locations to address the difference in wind strength observed inland
and around the coast ..

.. as part of efforts to provide local leaders with more information when
contemplating work and school suspensions.

-

The Ministry of Health is launching a 60-million N-T plan to shorten
post-operative hospital stays for those undergoing knee or hip replacement
surgery.

The ministry says the aim is to incentivize healthcare providers to
consolidate caretaking personnel and resources, improve preoperative
preparations, enhance quality of surgery care, better control health care
expenses, provide better care to surgery patients ...

... and discharge them earlier.

The current plan will apply to patients aged 70 and older.

-

The Ministry of Agriculture is scrapping the need for rabies vaccination for
indoor cats.

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency has indicated that pet cats who
are kept indoors will no longer require mandatory rabies vaccinations
starting from this month.

The new policy includes indoor cats who are transported in containers such as
pet strollers and baskets when taken outside.

However, pet cats who are allowed to freely go between indoors and outdoors
will still need to get the shots.

-

While the Ministry of the Interior will be carrying out inspections of air
raid shelters beginning this month ...

And the means buildings constructed with air raid shelters will need to be
reported to the government and be subjected to safety inspections.

The ministry says the safety checks are aimed at ensuring that the buildings
will be up to standard for use by members of the general public during
emergencies and drills.

The owner of a Taipei-based technology company has been indicted for fatally
stabbing one of his employees.

According to the Taipei District Prosecutors' Office, Tseng Zhi-hsin was
charged for murdering the firm's chief technology officer in front of
multiple witnesses on March 7.

The incident occurred during a meeting in which Tseng and the company's human
resources chief had been discussing victim's resignation.

Prosecutors says Tseng stabbed the technology officer multiple times the neck
and then attempted to take his own life.

His attempted suicide was stopped by several of the company's employees.

The case will be heard by the Taipei District Court, with citizen judges
taking part in the ruling.

The Taipei District Court has sentenced three people to prison terms of up to
two years for receiving over 8,000 U-S dollars from Beijing to hold political
campaigns and promote pro-China united front activities in Taiwan.

All three had been charged with violating the Anti-Infiltration Act.

The court sentenced Gong He Party Chairman Zhou Ke-qi to two years in prison.

While Chu Chun-yuan and Pan Jin-dong received sentences of one year and 18
months in prison, respectively.

Chu and Pan were board members of the Taipei Putian Association and
prosecutors have said the Association had close ties to the Gong He Party.

According to prosecutors, the three received funding from China for their
party's campaign Taipei mayoral and city council campaign activities in 2022
and were also paid by China to protest outside the venue of the World
Movement for Democracy ..

.. which held its meeting in Taipei in October of that same year.

The National Railway Museum is set to partially open its doors to the public
on July 31.

The opening comes after nine years of restoration work at the historical site
formerly known as the Taipei Railway Workshop.

According to the Ministry of Culture, the areas to be opened to the public
include a diesel workshop, a technician training institute, a materials
testing institute, an assembly hall, a bathhouse, and a children's area with
trains built using toy blocks.

A 335-meter passageway that bisects the complex in Taipei's Songshan District
will also be available for public use, acting as a footpath linking Civic
Boulevard and Keelung Road.

And the culture ministry says the passageway will improve pedestrian access,
enhance neighborhood connectivity, and offer visitors a close-up view of the
site's historic architecture and skyline of industrial rooftops.

The Cabinet approved a plan to transform the workshop into a museum in
December of 2016 and restoration work began in 2019.

The museum will be open every Tuesday through Sunday.

And finally,

Former N-B-A player Jeremy Lin says winning the Taiwan Professional
Basketball League championship title with the New Taipei Kings this past
weekend was the "toughest" one he's ever won and the one "that challenged"
him the most.

The Kings beat the Kaohsiung Aquas 108-89 in Game 7 at the at the Xinzhuang
Gymnasium in New Taipei to win the league's inaugural season.

Lin was named the Finals M-V-P by averaging 22.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, six
assists, and 1.9 steals in the series - that after securing the league's
regular season M-V-P in mid-June.

It's Lin's second consecutive title with the Kings following last season's
T-1 League victory.

The Ministry of Digital Affairs has fined Meta Platforms 15-million N-T for
its inadequate transparency on information related to advertisers.

Facebook's parent company was penalised for 23 recently reported cases in
violation of the Fraud Crime Hazard Prevention Act.

The law requires online advertising platform operators to disclose
information related to those who commissioned an ad or put up the money for
it.

It's Meta Platforms' second fine in 40 days in Taiwan.

The previous fine was for 1-million N-T and issued on May 22.

Meta has issued a statement saying it has revamped its verification process
across its platforms, including Facebook and Instagram... which means users
are now unable to place ads without completing the process.

The company also says it will continue working to improve transparency and
will cooperate with the Ministry of Digital Affairs and the Criminal
Investigation Bureau to ensure platform security.

The Ministry of National Defense is reportedly slated to screen selected
scenes from the Taiwan TV drama "Island Nation 2" to boost troop morale ahead
of the live-fire phase of the Han Kuang military exercises later this month.

The TV drama portrays the 1995-1996 Third Taiwan Strait Crisis.

"Island Nation 2" producer Isaac Wang says a version of the series had been
edited for the screenings and it comprises primarily of scenes depicting the
experiences of soldiers stationed on Gaodeng Island during the crisis.

The selected scenes will be screened for military officers and troops set to
take part in exercises as part of this year's "Morale and Psychological
Readiness Education Program" - which runs through Thursday of this week.

The program was launched in 2005 and is held annually ahead of the live-fire
phase of the Han Kuang drills.

The Ministry of National Defense has said the program is aimed at
strengthening service members' patriotism and mental resilience by instilling
the purpose of the military and the importance of combat preparedness.

The live-fire phase of the Han Kuang military exercises will be taking place
from July 9 to 18.

The Taipei District Court has sentenced a diabolo instructor to 10 1/2 years
in prison for developing a Chinese-funded espionage organization in Taiwan.

Lu Ji-hsien was indicted in November of 2023.

The court found him guilty of violating the National Security Act.

Three people who had helped run the spy operations were found guilty as
accessories, and they received sentences of 46 months, 44 months, and three
years in prison.

A retired Army staff sergeant and her younger sister a retired Air Force
staff sergeant - were sentenced to six years, while a Coast Guard officer and
a retired soldier both received four year sentences.

The district court also sentenced a Chinese national to eight years in prison
in connection with the case.

She had previously been found guilty of violating the Banking Act in 2020.

The verdicts come 13 months after the High Court sent the case back to the
district court over jurisdiction.

The district court had initially sought to transfer the case to the High
Court due to it involving espionage and the collecting confidential
information.

The district court's verdicts can be appealed.

The Taiwan Carbon Solution Exchange has signed a memorandum of understanding
with the European Energy Exchange.

Exchange C-E-O Joshua Tien called the M-O-U a new milestone in Taiwan's
efforts toward establishing its own cap-and-trade emissions trading scheme.

Tien says the agreement is aimed at helping the exchange build a transparent,
robust and trustworthy emissions trading system market in Taiwan by
leveraging the success of the European Union.

The E-U emissions trading system was launched in 2005 and is seen as one of
the world's leading carbon pricing mechanism since its launch in 2005, while
the European Energy Exchange plays a key role in carbon emission trading
operations.

The Taiwan Carbon Solution Exchange says it's now planning to pilot Taiwan's
emissions trading system mechanism next year in line with the Ministry of
Environment's policy roadmap.

And the Exchange is stressing that M-O-U will enable Taiwan to draw on the
European Energy Exchange's extensive experience in market operations to
support that move.

And,

Around 200 people with a Taiwanese background took part in San Francisco
Pride as part of Team Taiwan...

the group showcasing LGBTQ imagery in ways that contained elements unique to
the island.

In addition to traditional LGBTQ elements, those representing Taiwan also
presented the country's own twist as the first nation in Asia to legalize
same-sex marriage.

Team Taiwan was made up of expats and members of Taiwanese American
organizations such as Taiwanese Americans for Equality.

Participants also designed signs that highlighted diversity and tolerance in
Taiwan.

Team Taiwan convener Alice Lu says the design motifs for those representing
Taiwan included pebbles from the island, which conveyed the inclusiveness of
the country and its ongoing work to build a tolerant nation one stone at a
time.

CPC Corporation announced it will keep natural gas prices unchanged in July.

This is despite tensions in the Middle East and uncertainty in U-S trade
policies.

The state-owned company noted that global oil and gas prices remain highly
volatile, and holding prices steady supports the government's efforts to
stabilize inflation and protect consumers.

Although user prices remain below cost, the CPC said it will absorb the
difference.

Since 2021, the company has covered over $430 billion NT in price gaps, with
an additional $9.2 billion NT absorbed through May of this year alone.

The CPC said it will continue monitoring international market conditions and
review pricing as needed.

(IG)

A top U-S general says the likelihood of China invading Taiwan without
resistance is "very, very small", due to constant surveillance and strong
international cooperation in the region.

General Ronald Clark, head of the U-S Army Pacific Command, recently
explained that a cross-strait invasion would require China's forces to cross
a 130-kilometer stretch of ocean under the watchful eyes of multiple
countries.

He emphasized that the Taiwan Strait is under constant observation and that
the U-S and its allies are working to make any invasion attempt by China more
difficult through military preparedness and regional partnerships.

The U-S, along with countries like Japan, the U-K, France, and Canada,
conducts regular freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait.

Most recently, the British Royal Navy's H-M-S Spey sailed through the strait
on June 18th.

(CNA_IG)

Mandopop superstar Jay Chou concluded his three-night "Carnival World Tour"
in Hong Kong with a spectacular and unexpected reunion!

The famed singer and actor Aaron Kwok joined Chou on stage for a high-energy
finale that thrilled nearly 120-thousand fans at the Kai Tak Sports Park.

The two stars, sharing a stage for the first time in 18 years, kicked off
their joint performance with a playful, synchronized dance to the children's
hit "Baby Shark".

They then performed "Never Ending Love", a song Chou originally wrote for
Kwok.

Kwok also treated fans to his classic hit, "Crazy City".

Chou described the reunion as "historic".

While Kwok expressed his happiness at the reunion, noting that despite not
seeing each other in over a decade, they had always followed each other's
careers and cared for one another.

(IG)

Annual Spending

Young credit card users in Taiwan are leading the nation in high spending.

According to a new report from the National Credit Card Center, users under
30 topped all age groups in average annual spending per card last
year—hitting just over 2 million NT.

These so-called "elite spenders" represent the top 1 percent of cardholders
and were responsible for 21.5 percent of all credit card spending last year.

Last year on average, top-tier users spent $1.47 million NT—that's 27 times
more than the typical cardholder.

The three major sectors that attracted their funds included department
stores, insurance, and general retail.

The report also found female top spenders had higher average purchase values
than men, favoring fashion, while men spent more on dining.

Older users aged 60 and beyond made fewer purchases but had the highest
per-swipe average at nearly 11-thousand NT.

(IG)

The Civil Aeronautics Administration is investigating a China Airlines flight
that reportedly failed to turn in time while landing in Busan, South Korea.

A former pilot alleged on social media that on June 25th, C-A-L flight
C-I-186 did not turn in time before its landing, allegedly causing the plane
to cross the boundary of a nearby expressway and nearly hit a mountain.

This comes after the same flight landed on the wrong runway just two weeks
earlier.

China Airlines has responded to the report, saying that as the plane was
preparing to land on June 25th, the aircraft did not meet conditions for a
stable approach, and the crew aborted the landing and circled around for
another attempt.

The CAA says it has ordered China Airlines to review the matter and implement
measures including additional training.

(NS)

The Tourism Adminsitration has completed its first carbon footpring
calculation for a sailing race, aiming to reduce emissions annually.

The "2025 Dapeng Bay Marine Festival" was held in April this year, and is nwo
the first aquatic sports event in Taiwan to conduct a carbon footprint
assessment.

The administration says the two-day event's total carbon emissions were just
over 1-thousand-900 kilograms of carbon dioxide, averaging 7.6-kilograms per
participant.

Officials say the assessment was conducted under international standards, and
covered aspects including raw materials used for supplies, venue set up, and
on-site electricity.

(NS)

Two sisters who were found to have abused the child Kai Kai to death are
appealing the ruling that sentenced them to prison time.

The sisters' legal team joins prosecutors in requesting that appeal to the
sentence handed down by the Taipei District Court.

The two sisters, surnamed Liu, received life in prison for the older sister
and 18 years for the younger one.

The case is expected to be transferred to the Taiwan High Court tomorrow.

The two sisters are believed to have abused a one year old, named Kai Kai, to
death in 2023.

The court points out that the ruling took into consideration that the sisters
appeared to have killed Kai Kai out of malice...

but prosecutors believe the ruling was too light, while the sisters' legal
defense didn't offer a reason for the appeal.

(AH)

Animal rights groups are calling for an end to live pig auctions.

Several animal welfare organizations demonstrated at the Ministry of
Agriculture today, claiming that Taiwan ignores the inhuman treatment of pigs
under the current "live auction" system.

They are demanding a transition to a pig carcass grading system, like in the
US, Japan, South Korea and Europe, stressing that this spares the pig the
auction process as well as several stages of transportation.

The groups are urging the ministry to modernize pork production and sales,
propose a timeline for transitioning to carcass transactions, abolish the
live auction system, ensure animal welfare, and improve meat safety and
quality.

The ministry has accepted the groups' petition, and promised to look into the
issue.

(NS)

Taiwanese communities in Los Angeles are commeorating the late activist and
politician Stella Chen.

Also known as Chen Wan Zhen 陳婉真, she passed away in Thailand earlier this
month, at the age of 75.

Chen lived in LA in the 80s, writing books, opening a bookstore, and
supporting Taiwan's nascent democracy from overseas.

Chen was barred from Taiwan while she lived in the US, but later returned to
serve as a lawmaker in the 90s.

Leaders in LA's Taiwanese community remember Chen for her steadfast support
for Taiwanese identity and the dangwai movement.

(AH)

Cathay Century Insurance reports that young adults are the most prone to
unsafe electrical habits at home—a major contributor to residential fire
risks.

The insurance company's data shows that last year, nearly 10 percent of its
fire insurance claims were due to electrical issues.

A survey of 9 thousand people revealed three common risky behaviors...

Those are leaving chargers plugged in after devices are fully charged,
running dehumidifiers while away, and allowing dust to build up on plugs.

Cathay's survey shows that young adults were over 10 percent more likely to
leave chargers plugged in, and 17% admitted to leaving dehumidifiers on
unattended.

In addition, National Fire Agency data shows over 40 percent of 2023
residential fires were electrical.

Cathay urges everyone to unplug devices, power off appliances when leaving,
use certified products, and clean outlets regularly.

(IG)

A recent survey in the U.S. found that a majority of respondents support the
US militarily defending Taiwan, in the case that Taiwan faces an invasion or
blockade by China.

The survey, conducted by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and
Institute, showed 75% of those surveyed in the U.S. believed that a war
between China and Taiwan would affect US security and 70% of those surveyed
supported the U.S. taking military action to defend Taiwan if necessary.

Support for military action is bipartisan, with 75% of Democrats and 70% of
Republicans supporting such action.

The survey reveals that voters are showing increased support for a stronger
U.S. role in global affairs and a commitment to U.S. allies.

That's a 24% increase since 2022.

(AH-CNA)

The National Immigration Agency says it is doing all it can to track down
Chinese spouses who have not submitted proof that they renounced their
Chinese household registration.

The agency says around 2,000 such people have yet to submit documentation,
with today being the deadline

The NIA is using various methods, including cross-referencing health
insurance data, to find these individuals.

Officials say they are conducting visits to those who have had their current
residences identified, in order to help them apply for the necessary
paperwork.

The agency says the missing spouses might be elderly, or vulnerable
individuals without children in Taiwan, and emphasizes that authorities will
not directly revoke household registrations for those who haven't been
contacted.

(NS)

Doctors are warning the public to stay hydrated during hot weather, after a
woman developed rhabdomyolysis due to the intense heat.

The 70-year-old Taichung woman is a seasoned cyclist, but a few days ago
during her daily bike ride, she felt unusally hot and went to a doctor.

She was diagnosed with acute renal failure and rhabdomyolysis, a disorder
which causes damaged skeletal muscle to break down rapidly, and which can be
caused by heat stroke or dehydration during exercise.

She later recovered following treatment.

Doctors say during these extremely hot periods, it's especially important to
stay hydrated, and to avoid exercising in particularly hot conditions.

(AH)

In news from and about Taiwan this morning ....

Annual trade talks between Taiwan and the U-K are underway in Taipei.

The U-K delegation is being led by Minister for Trade Policy and Economic
Security Douglas Alexander.

According to the British Office, Alexander is visiting Taiwan for two days,
during which time he will meet with President Lai Ching-te and co-chair the
trade talks with Taiwan's Deputy Economics Minister Cynthia Jiang.

Alexander is also slated to witness the in-person signing of three Enhanced
Trade Partnership pillars between U-K Representative Ruth Bradley-Jones and
Taiwan's top envoy to the U-K Vincent Yao.

The Enhanced Trade Partnership was established in 2023.

The Control Yuan has issued a formal reprimand to the Food and Drug
Administration for lapses in border inspection procedures that allowed chili
powder contaminated with "Sudan dyes" into the country in recent years.

The case that triggered the food safety issue involved Sudan dyes detected by
Yunlin County officials in a chili powder product made by Chiseng Hong at its
plant in Yunlin County's Douliu City.

The Control Yuan says although the F-D-A received international alerts about
Sudan dyes before 2023, most of the contaminated shipments were not
adequately inspected.

The F-D-A has responded to the reprimand by announcing a series of measures
it says will prevent such inspection failures from reoccurring.

Meteorologist Wu Der-rong says atmospheric moisture will decrease from
tomorrow through next Monday - meaning we can expect sunny weather islandwide
...

.. but with the chances of brief and localized afternoon showers or
thundershowers.

According to Wu, there is a likelihood that we could see the highest
temperatures so far this year tomorrow and Wednesday.

Wu says there's the chance that a tropical disturbance could form east of the
Philippines and that could potentially directly impact Taiwan.

Wu is saying Tropical Storms could form above the waters of the Pacific Ocean
north of Guam and south of Okinawa in the later half of this week ...

... and the trajectory of those fronts has been predicted to move in a
northeasterly direction with a low chance of affecting Taiwan.

And finally,

The New Taipei Kings have won the Taiwan Professional Basketball League
championship title after beating Kaohsiung Aquas 108-89 in Game 7 at the
Xinzhuang Gymnasium in New Taipei.

The Kings came out strong in the first quarter, dominating to build a 35-18
lead.

By halftime, they had stretched their advantage to 61-38.

The Aquas narrowed the deficit to 12 points in the third quarter, but Jeremy
Lin stepped up, sinking several tough three-pointers to extend the lead.

The Kings pushed the advantage past 20 points in the final quarter to sealing
the championship victory in the league's inaugural season.

President Lai Ching-te is warning against what he says is legislative
overreach.

He made the comment in the third of his "10 Talks on the Country" in Hsinchu
- where his criticized recent efforts by the opposition-controlled
Legislative Yuan to expand its oversight powers.

Lai claims the passage of an amendment to the Law Governing the Legislative
Yuan's Power represents a serious violation of constitutional principles...
some of those provisions were ruled unconstitutional by the Constitutional
Court last year.

Lai said he has never seen a bill passed by the Legislative Yuan declared
unconstitutional and infringing on so many branches of government... he's
calling it "a first in Taiwan's history."

.. and he said the constitutional structure is built on a five-branch system,
while legislative overreach undermines the separation of powers and weakens
democratic governance.

Lai praised civic movements - including the 2024 Bluebird protests and the
ongoing 2025 recall campaign - saying the citizen-led actions aim to restore
constitutional order and defend Taiwan from authoritarian threats.

He also claimed the movements were spontaneous and not driven by any
political party.

In response...

The K-M-T is accusing President Lai Ching-te of reversing course on reforms
once championed by his own party ... it also claimed the talking points he
made in his latest "Talks on the Country" speech were hypocritical.

The opposition party caucus says many of the amendments Lai criticized in his
speech had long been part of the D-P-P's platform... but once it came into
power, the KMT claims the DPP reversed course by challenging or veoting the
changes.

The K-M-T further claims their reforms strengthen government oversight,
empower local authorities and enhance civil rights -- which in turn weakens
the D-P-P's control.

The K-M-T also questioned Lai's portrayal of the recall campaigns as
spontaneous - as proof, it presented reports that D-P-P officials and even
the president himself have been meeting with recall campaign leaders.

The K-M-T added that the public does not want a government that divides
society and abuses state resources... to wage political recalls under the
guise of civic action.

Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun says tariff negotiations with the U-S are making
progress and are expected to result in a mutually beneficial outcome.

The statement comes after Cheng and Office of Trade Negotiations head Yang
Jen-ni attended the second round of in-person trade negotiations in
Washington last week.

The Cabinet has said they met with U-S Trade Representative Jamieson Greer
and Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick during the two day talks.

The sides reached consensus on several issues at last week's talks including
tariffs, supply chain resilience, the promotion of balanced trade and to
expand bilateral investment.

The government says representatives from both sides held several rounds of
virtual talks between the first in-person talks on May 1 and last week's
meeting in the U-S capital.

The tariff grace period expires early next week.

Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim says she will not be intimidated by Beijing -
her comments coming after reports that Chinese agents planned to ram her car
during a 2024 visit to the Czech Republic.

Hsiao said via social media that she had "great visit to Prague" and thanked
"Czech authorities for their hospitality and ensuring her safety.

She added Beijing's unlawful activities will not intimidate her from voicing
Taiwan's interests in the international community.

Hsiao's comments come after the Czech intelligence service last week
confirmed that Chinese agents tailed the vice president during her visit to
Prague in March 2024... they even planned a collision with her car as part of
an "unprecedented" provocation by Beijing in Europe.

The Czech Military Intelligence agency said it learned that Chinese agents
had attempted to create conditions to carry out a demonstrative incident
involving Hsiao, but it "did not go beyond the preparation stage."

China put Hsiao on a public list of 10 "Taiwan independence diehards" on the
website of its Taiwan Affairs Office in August of 2022.

Heavy rain on Sunday forced temporary suspensions of operations at Kaohsiung
International Airport and Tainan Airport - disrupting multiple flights.

The Civil Aviation Administration said Kaohsiung International Airport halted
ground operations at 3:15PM and resumed service some 45-minutes later,
affecting 12 flights.

While Tainan Airport suspended ground operations from 4:41PM to 5:37PM, when
two flights were impacted.

The administration says flight delays could also affect other airports with
connections to Tainan and has instructed terminals to notify passengers via
bulletin boards, scrolling displays and public announcements.

And,

The Golden Bough Theatre put on a special performance of "She is So Lovely"
in Taipei this past weekend to thank those who supported its 16-year
islandwide tour.

The performance was staged next to the Liberty Square Archway.

Golden Bough began its mammoth tour in Kaohsiung's Niaosong in June of 2009,
and concluded with four performances in Kinmen from June 6-11 of this year.

The theatre troupe logged a total to 329 shows during that time.

Golden Bough says aore than 210,000 people attended the show during the tour.