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娛樂中心／綜合報導

針對網傳于朦朧屍檢死因包括下體撕裂，網友公布4大疑點打臉，認為是「假消息」。（圖／翻攝自微博）中國37歲男星于朦朧9月中墜樓身亡，近日網路上再度流傳疑似于朦朧的完整屍檢報告截圖，死因診斷部分列出多項重創，包括胸部外傷，雙側血胸、左側多發性骨折、心包膜積液、肝臟挫裂傷、下體撕裂、呼吸心跳驟停等項目，驚悚細節震驚各界。不過如今有網友公布4大疑點打臉，認為是有心人士刻意放出的「假消息」。

中國37歲男星于朦朧9月中墜樓身亡，案件至今疑點重重。（圖／翻攝自微博）根據網傳屍檢截圖，委託單位為「北京市朝陽區將台派出所」，鑑定項目為「死因鑑定」，受理日期為2025年9月13日，鑑定日期9月14日，地點為「北京盛唐司法鑑定所屍檢一廳」。檢驗人員確認死者為于（于朦朧），男，37歲。不過許多網友都認為此報告是「假消息」，並列出4大疑點，包括無人親眼見過于朦朧遺體，無法確認報告真假。此外，該份屍檢報告出現了兩段幾乎重複的內容。對屍體現象的描述也存在矛盾，加上多項疑點，例如屍體據稱已火化，他母親僅收到骨灰，質疑屍檢報告從何而來。

值得注意的是，有網友找出一份2012年另一名死者屍檢報告，內容與此次流傳的報告幾乎雷同，認為根本是抄襲企圖混淆視聽。

針對網傳于朦朧屍檢死因包括下體撕裂，網友公布4大疑點打臉，認為是「假消息」。（圖／翻攝自微博）根據網傳于朦朧屍表檢驗顯示，死者身長181公分，營養狀況一般，膚色淡黃，全身無明顯腫大淋巴結，屍斑暗紅分佈於頭頸部、背部、腰間及四肢末梢部位，腹部則有屍綠（皮膚上出現綠色斑塊）形成 。報告中指出，死者頭頂頭髮長達12公分、黑且粗亮，頭皮有撕拉傷，雙眼瞼及結膜蒼白，雙側角膜混濁。雙側外耳及外耳道有血塊，鼻骨骨折，鼻腔內有血跡。右下唇內側有約3公分的不規則裂傷，對應外側則有約7.5公分的橫行裂傷，「除右下第一小臼齒外，全牙缺失」。

更多三立新聞網報導． 70歲住持遭控「性侵6女童！」 受害者淚訴：月經來也不放過． 蔡依林有整形嗎？醫美名醫看她20年前出道照 揭「2部位」恐有動過． 黑男配對遭網暴！歐美辣妹收「4個恐嚇包裹」 嚇壞：這個行為已觸法． 漲奶照曝！辣模生完小孩賣「母乳香皂」 開放粉絲訂購：貼近體香的商品

title: 于朦朧屍檢報告假的！網怒揭4大疑點打臉 - 鏡週刊 Mirror Media


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大陸中心／唐家興報導

在浩如煙海的古籍中，有三本被後世稱為「古代三大妖書」的奇書。（圖／翻攝自百度百科）華夏文化博大精深，自古流傳下來的典籍不計其數。然而，在浩如煙海的古籍中，有三本被後世稱為「古代三大妖書」的奇書，至今仍籠罩在神秘與禁忌的氛圍之中。傳說其中一本《奇門遁甲》，甚至能呼風喚雨、改變天象，讓人驚嘆古人對天地玄理的深刻理解。

《魯班書》：從技藝宝典到禁忌「妖書」

提到「妖書」，第一本不得不說的便是《魯班書》。這本書相傳出自春秋時期的工匠鼻祖-魯班之手。魯班以木工、機械與建築技藝聞名，被後人尊稱為「百工之祖」。據傳，他將畢生技藝、醫理與陰陽術融入一本書中，並以圖文相間的形式記錄，這便是後世的《魯班書》。

然而，《魯班書》並非人人能懂。書中大量的圖形與隱喻，使得即便是經驗老道的工匠，也難以完全理解其中的玄妙。相傳有位木匠獲得《魯班書》手抄本後，因無法破解其中奧義，憤而將其焚毀，從此便失去了蹤跡。自此，《魯班書》更添神秘色彩。

民間傳說更稱，《魯班書》中記載了能「制人於無形」的法術與風水禁忌，若誤用可能引來災禍。於是，一部本為技藝宝典的書籍，最終成為被視為禁忌的「妖書」。

《魯班書》並非人人能懂，書中大量的圖形與隱喻。（圖／翻攝自百度百科）《推背圖》：唐代神秘預言，洞察天下興衰

另一部廣為流傳的「妖書」，便是盛唐時期的《推背圖》。據史料與傳說記載，唐太宗李世民登基後，為洞察國運走向，召來天文奇人袁天罡與李淳風，共同推演天下大勢。經過多日推算，兩人以象圖與詩句記錄出六十象預言，成為後世的《推背圖》。

書名「推背」，源自一段傳奇逸事。據說在推演完最後一象後，李淳風對袁天罡說：「天機不可洩，推背而去吧。」兩人遂離宮隱退，從此《推背圖》流傳於世。

《推背圖》內容據說預示了中國歷史的興衰與改朝換代，從唐宋到明清，乃至近現代政局，都能找到似曾相似的符號與詩句。正因如此，它在歷代朝廷眼中成為不祥之書，數度被查禁與焚毀。

即便如此，《推背圖預言》仍在民間廣為流傳，不少研究者至今仍試圖從中尋找「未來的暗示」，成為華人世界最著名的預言書之一。

《推背圖》內容據說預示了中國歷史的興衰與改朝換代。（圖／翻攝自百度百科）《奇門遁甲》：傳說能呼風喚雨的上古天書

第三本「妖書」，是傳說中能呼風喚雨、改變天時的《奇門遁甲》。這部古籍源自上古戰爭傳說：當蚩尤率九黎部落攻打中原時，黃帝為求勝利，向炎帝請教。炎帝指引他尋找一位掌握天地之術的女子，女子遂傳授《奇門遁甲》給黃帝，助其掌握風向雲勢，最終擊敗蚩尤。

《奇門遁甲》融合了天文、地理、陰陽五行與兵法，被譽為「術數之王」。據傳，只要通曉其法，就能「以氣御天」、「借勢制敵」，甚至改變氣象。後世的軍師與修道者，如諸葛亮與劉伯溫，都被認為精通此術。

然而，《奇門遁甲》的真本早已失傳，現存版本多為後人註解、殘卷重編。它的原貌、真意，早已無從考證，也因此更加神秘。

《奇門遁甲》融合了天文、地理、陰陽五行與兵法，被譽為「術數之王」。（圖／翻攝自百度百科）未解之謎：古代「妖書」背後的文化象徵

無論是《魯班書》的工藝玄學、《推背圖》的命運預言，或《奇門遁甲》的天道之術，這三本「妖書」之所以令人敬畏，並非它們真具妖力，而是因為它們挑戰了人類對自然與命運的理解。

古人將此類超越常理的知識稱為「妖」，既敬且畏；但換個角度看，它們正是古代人類對智慧極限的探索。

如今，科技不斷進步，許多古籍正透過考古輔助被重新解讀。或許在未來的某一天，這些「妖書」的真相將浮出水面；但在那之前，它們仍是歷史長河中最令人著迷的謎團。

更多三立新聞網報導． 劉備騙他，諸葛亮欺他，關羽瞧不起他，但他才是三國最聰明的人！． 蔣介石孫子被抓進警察局，警察問他家長是誰？他指了指「牆上的照片」． 宋美齡與宋慶齡決裂半生，卻在死後留下相同遺囑． 蔣介石與宋美齡為何終身無子？蔣緯國晚年一句話震驚世人

title: 古代三大「妖書」，其中一本竟能呼風喚雨 - 鏡週刊 Mirror Media


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記者杜沛學／台北報導

饅頭媽因懷孕爛臉。（圖／翻攝自IG）

28歲的網紅饅頭媽（林榆芯）8日宣布懷上四寶，並舉辦寶寶性別派對，揭曉將迎接女寶，成為兩男兩女的四寶媽。9日凌晨她開直播，公開素顏模樣，疑似因懷孕影響賀爾蒙，整臉過敏長痘痘，尤其下巴紅腫最嚴重。網友也狂問孩子的爸是誰，她也回覆了。

饅頭媽透露目前懷孕117天、超過14周，她已很久沒有開直播，坦言就是因為懷孕，第一個月容易累，第二個月開始皮膚開始過敏，自己又是容貌焦慮症很嚴重的人，因此不想開直播面對粉絲。如今終於可以公開懷孕消息，她自己心情也比較輕鬆，就公開自己真實面貌，也不在意網友言論，只是皮膚實在太爛，怕嚇到網友，還是有開特效。

饅頭媽宣布懷第四胎。（圖／翻攝自臉書）

直播時饅頭媽直呼皮膚好癢，之前懷前三胎都沒有這個狀況，過幾天要去看是否是蟎蟲問題。也暫停吃膠原蛋白，只吃酵素。她也提到預產期是明年2月28日，將生雙魚座寶寶，且還是跟她的爸爸林佐岳生日同一天，預計剖復產。她原本就想生兩男兩女，這次生完要「封肚」了，也強調會自己帶小孩，也有媽媽、保母當後援。

外界好奇孩子的爸是誰？饅頭媽直言：「不要再問了，如果你真心喜歡一個人，這些都不重要。」只希望得到來自粉絲真心祝福，喊話要網友不要再八卦了，覺得感情是很私人的事情。

更多三立新聞網報導． 曹佑寧「甜蜜約會」畫面曝光 穩交女神王淨！羞認最愛女生穿這樣． 陶晶瑩迷戀「他」狂讚大長腿好帥 老公李李仁不忍了嗆：不守婦道！． 張景嵐爆秘婚陳凱倫之子陳銳 不忍了55字揭真實情況：請大家冷靜！． 獨／星卉憂鬱症辭演《百味》！女星救火接替角色吐心聲：做好心理準備

journalist: 杜沛學

references: 網友 臉書

title: 饅頭媽懷四寶爛臉！被問「孩子爸」回應了 - 鏡週刊 Mirror Media


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財經中心／李宜樺報導

輝達黃仁勳讓ONO永動機聯盟的完美宇宙，再加入AMD超微，超微這二天股價急漲。（示意圖／AI生成）

AI戰場迎來最戲劇性的合縱連橫變局！黃仁勳親手促成昔日勁敵超微（AMD）加入輝達（NVIDIA）主導的ONO永動機聯盟，與雲端霸主Oracle、OpenAI並肩作戰。一場從敵對走向共榮的劇本正在上演，也讓這位綠隊領袖-黃仁勳的「AI新共主大業」幾近築成。

超微AMD 入局ONO永動機聯盟

不只是單純結盟，更是一場戰略收編。在AMD加入ONO永動機之前，黃仁勳這個當年被英特爾（Intel）「視為必須殲滅的對手」，卻能談笑合作、反手投資50億美元，這不是妥協，而是另一個層次的認知征服。

AI的紅綠藍隊 愛恨情仇成絕配?

當年紅綠藍隊（紅：AMD；綠：NVIDIA；藍：Intel）在GPU市場廝殺多年，英特爾在過去更一度視黃仁勳為最大威脅。這三隊的愛恨情仇，被CNBC主持人Jim Cramer一語道破。

黃仁勳7日接受CNBC的節目訪問，主持人親口問（節錄）：「英特爾想幹掉你，現在卻成為你的合作夥伴，這不是巨大轉變嗎？」黃仁勳笑回：「英特爾花了33年想幹掉我們，那真的是他們的任務。」如今，他卻反手與昔日宿敵合作，讓敵人成了盟友。這樣的心胸與算計，正是「共主級」CEO的格局。

黃仁勳接著說：「我們是愛好和平的人，只要能想像未來的樣貌，就能帶著大家一起前進。」而這樣的「共融式未來」，正是ONO聯盟的本質──是收編、與共享未來。

黃仁勳接受訪問時提及，「我發表主題演講時，大家的股價都上漲」。（圖／記者余國棟攝影）

從三國殺到ONO同盟 黃仁勳的一統江湖

其實黃仁勳最可貴的，就是他自始至終都是看得明、拎得清之人，他明白在各家包括蘋果、GOOGLE等都紛開生產線，想自產自己的晶片時，黃仁勳似乎便開始調整輝達的企業方向，你不得不說Jenson始終贏在眼光放得很遠！黃仁勳在接受訪問時，用一貫幽默的口吻，卻說了一句極具象徵性的話：「當我發表主題演講時，大家的股價都上漲；別人演講時，我們股價卻下跌。」這句看似玩笑的話，其實藏著他對AI戰場權力秩序的理解──他不再追求打敗誰，而是掌控整場遊戲規則的人。

從紅藍綠三國殺，到ONAO（OpenAI、NVIDIA、AMD、Oracle）聯盟的正式成形，這場由黃仁勳一手主導的「合縱連橫」，不只是戰略布局，更是一場王者即位。未來的AI世界，已確定不會只有輝達，但卻將繞著輝達黃仁勳轉動。這場科技帝國的權力重構，也將正式由AI霸主來揭牌。

三立新聞網提醒您：

內容僅供參考，投資人於決策時應審慎評估風險，並就投資結果自行負責。投資一定有風險，基金投資有賺有賠，申購前應詳閱公開說明書。

更多三立新聞網報導． 掏空鐵證曝光？泰山控街口胡亦嘉搬空14億 吳東亮姻親關係引爆政商熱議． 開盤／美股震盪延燒！台股大盤急殺282點 台積電跌25元扛掉9成跌勢． 3個月暴漲16倍！散戶軍團齊手進倉 這檔「房產新妖股」掀翻華爾街． 美元重挫 避險潮湧！比特幣瘋漲破12萬5千美元 華爾街金主狂掃ETF

companies: 台積電 蘋果

taiwan-subdivisions: 泰山 和平

title: 幕後／黃仁勳讓AI三國殺轉化新共主霸局 - 鏡週刊 Mirror Media


title: Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold 使用心得：摺得更順、更久、更聰明的日常夥伴

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在捷運上滑手機、回家展開當平板看劇、睡前再折起放在床頭充電，這樣的使用節奏，對摺疊手機來說已經不再是未來想像，Google 新推出的 Pixel 10 Pro Fold 延續上一代的設計風格與實用性，升級更順暢的轉軸手感、更明亮的螢幕，以及更強大的 AI 應用體驗，它仍是一台能在「手機」與「平板」之間自由轉換的裝置，但這一次，Google 讓摺疊的過程更安靜、更耐用，整體體驗也更聰明。

外觀設計：俐落中帶著細節的進化Pixel 10 Pro Fold 延續了前一代簡約俐落的外型線條，整體尺寸變化不大，但細節上更顯成熟，機身背蓋改採航太級鋁合金材質，金屬邊框的質感提升不少，拿在手上滑順且不易沾指紋，機身顏色僅有月岩灰色一色，霧面質感帶著一點金屬反光，低調卻耐看。

轉軸部分是這次最大的硬體升級之一，Pixel 10 Pro Fold 採用了全新的「無齒輪轉軸」設計，摺疊時阻尼感均勻且穩定，官方表示耐用度比上一代提升兩倍，預估能夠承受長達十年以上的日常摺疊使用，實際使用中，即使頻繁開闔，也能感受到轉軸結構的紮實與順暢，閉合時螢幕幾乎沒有縫隙，開啟後的摺痕對比上一代變得更輕微。

機身厚度與重量控制雖然比不上三星 Galaxy Z Fold 7 或是 vivo X Fold 5 那般超薄水準，但展開後僅約 5.2mm 厚，闔起後則接近一般旗艦手機的厚度，不過重量達到 258 克這點需要一點時間習慣，比較加分的是 Pixel 10 Pro Fold 是目前全球首款具備 IP68 防水防塵等級的摺疊手機，有了與一般旗艦機相同的最高防護力，遇到潑水或灰塵都能更加安心。

▲ 頂部有喇叭和 SIM 卡槽，USB-C 設計在底部。

▲ 官方有推出同色系的保護套。

螢幕升級：亮度、比例與沉浸感Pixel 10 Pro Fold 的外螢幕由 6.3 吋升級為 6.4 吋，比例維持接近 20:9，單手操作依舊順手，這樣的尺寸設定，讓它在摺疊狀態下幾乎就像一支一般的 Pixel 手機，可以直接回訊息、滑社群或拍照，不需要展開也能完成多數操作。

展開後，內螢幕是 8 吋 Super Actua Flex Display，可視範圍更寬，畫面比例接近正方形，可惜邊框還是稍微偏寬，如果能做到更窄邊框會更好看，螢幕峰值亮度最大提升至 3000 尼特，對比上一代的 2700 尼特，戶外使用時的可視性更好，螢幕採用超薄玻璃與雙層抗衝擊薄膜結構，增加耐用性。

不論是追劇還是編輯文件，這塊螢幕表現都還不錯，特別在看 Netflix 或 Disney+ 時，畫面亮度與對比度表現相當均衡，展開後更能感受到摺疊裝置在影音體驗上的優勢。Google 也與多個 Android 開發者合作，優化了摺疊機的排版，例如 Netflix、Disney+、Google Meet 都能在展開螢幕時自動調整 UI。

AI 與 Tensor G5Pixel 10 Pro Fold 採用全新的 Tensor G5 自研晶片，與 Pixel 10 系列相同，主打更快的 AI 運算效能與能效表現，透過跑分軟體測試，CPU 速度有所升級，不過 GPU 表現較普通，測試出來的成績和先前測 Pixel 10 Pro XL 時差不多，實際使用上，系統反應和上一代差不多順暢，日常使用（如果不玩大型遊戲的話）幾乎不太會遇到延遲，散熱控制也更穩定。

AI 功能依舊是 Pixel 系列的亮點，從 Gemini Live，再到拍攝時的完美合照與拍照指導，整體操作流暢，生成速度更快，特別是 Gemini Live，在 Fold 的大螢幕上使用時，可以同時顯示對話與建議內容，視覺體驗比一般手機更直觀。此外，Pixel 10 Pro Fold 也支援即時語音翻譯與雙螢幕即時轉錄（Live Transcribe），可將收音結果同步顯示於對側螢幕，非常適合會議記錄或聽障者使用。

Pixel 10 Pro Fold 配備 5,015mAh 大電池，續航表現還算不錯，若以中度使用（收發訊息、拍照、看影片、導航等）為主，一天結束後仍可保留約 35% 電量，充電除了有線充電之外，支援新的 Pixelsnap 磁吸技術，讓摺疊手機在使用 Qi2 無線充電時更穩固。

相機表現：摺疊機也能拍得專業Pixel 10 Pro Fold 延續三鏡頭配置，但升級感光元件，主鏡頭為 4800 萬畫素廣角鏡，搭配 1200 萬畫素超廣角與 1080 萬畫素五倍望遠鏡頭，支援 20 倍的高解析變焦與微距對焦，整體成像細節比上一代更乾淨，夜拍時噪點控制也更出色。

摺疊結構讓拍照方式更有彈性，利用外螢幕的「即時查看」功能，可以在使用主鏡頭自拍時看到預覽畫面，構圖更準確，把手機摺成約 90 度，則可啟用「自由拍攝模式」，放在桌上即可進行團體自拍或縮時拍攝。

Google 在拍攝功能中也導入更多 AI 元素，如「看過來」功能可在外螢幕顯示動畫吸引孩童注意、「魔術修圖」能快速清除背景干擾，整體相機體驗依舊維持 Pixel 一貫的自然色調與高動態範圍。

主鏡頭實拍

長焦鏡頭實拍 ▲ 5x 變焦拍攝。

▲ 5x 變焦拍攝。

▲ 20 倍變焦拍攝

▲ 10x 變焦拍攝。

▲ 20 倍變焦拍攝

小結整體來說，Pixel 10 Pro Fold 在外型設計維持了一貫的質感風格，透過全新的無齒輪轉軸和 IP68 防水防塵等級，減少使用者對於摺疊機耐用性的擔憂。

硬體方面，雖然 Tensor G5 晶片的表現還有進步空間，不過完整且流暢的 AI 操作仍然在 Pixel 10 Pro Fold 上可以體驗到，而電池續航力的提升和支援 Qi2 磁吸無線快充的加入，也讓日常使用的便利性加分。

對於想體驗 Google 生態系與原生 AI 整合的用戶來說，Pixel 10 Pro Fold 是目前最完整的選擇之一。


title: Taiwan security vital to world: Morrison

content_text:
GLOBAL CONCERN:  The former Austrlian prime minister praised Taiwan for increasing defense spending, while calling on countries to work together deter a Chinese attack   By Fang Wei-li and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writer and CNA

The world cannot afford to ignore Taiwan’s security and allowing the nation to succumb to China’s authoritarian rule would have global repercussions, former Australian prime minister Scott Morrison said yesterday.

“Taiwan matters to the world,” Morrison said in his keynote address at the Taipei Security Dialogue, adding that maintaining the “status quo” across the Taiwan Strait is essential to the “security, prosperity and sovereignty” of countries such as Australia, the US and Japan.

“If Taiwan were to be forcibly placed under the authoritarian rule of the CCP [Chinese Communist Party], there would not be a corner of the globe that would be unaffected,” said Morrison, who was prime minister from 2018 to 2022.

Front row, from left, American Conservative Union chairman Matthew Schlapp, Deputy Minister of Defense Alex Po, Institute for National Defense and Security Research chairman Huo Shou-ye and former Australian prime minister Scott Morrison pose for a photograph with other participants of the Taipei Security Dialogue in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Tien Yu-hua, Taipei Times

Once the first island chain “breaks,” the US would have to push back to the second island chain, “diminishing their ability to provide an effective security counterbalance in the Indo-Pacific,” he said.

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army would then have the ability to project air, naval, missile and surveillance capabilities through the Bashi Channel and the Miyako Strait into the Philippine Sea, and maritime and air traffic between Japan, South Korea and Southeast Asia would have to pass near and through effectively China-controlled borders and airspace, he said.

Morrison called on democracies around the world to strengthen collective deterrence through new initiatives and partnerships such as AUKUS — a trilateral security partnership between Australia, the UK and the US — which he said can help counter the CCP’s ambitions “to establish regional hegemony over the Indo-Pacific.”

Taiwan has made progress in enhancing its defense capabilities through collaboration with the US, acquiring Javelin and Stinger missiles, Harpoon coastal defense systems, mine-laying systems and loitering munitions, along with the development of indigenous missiles, but it still has a long way to go, he said.

American Conservative Union chairman Matthew Schlapp told the forum that the US is no longer singularly focused on Russia, creating a critical transition period for the safety of the free world.

“In America, we have been taught that America’s No. 1 strategic foe on the globe is [Russian President] Vladimir Putin... It’s hard to see him as more of an economic or military threat than the regime in Beijing,” Schlapp said.

US President Donald Trump’s administration understands that the CCP, and the regime in Beijing are an existential threat to freedom and free trade, he said.

“If America is weak, and America elects weak leaders, this is a terrible thing for the people of Taiwan, in terms of our economic relationship, but [also] the security issues,” he said.

American Defense International chairman and former US Army deputy assistant secretary Van Hipp Jr said that Taiwan plays a critical role in regional peace, and praised the government’s decision to increase defense spending as “taking a step in the right direction.”

Cyberwarfare has evolved into the “fifth-dimensional battlefield,” and the evolution of that technology will always surpass the speed at which governments make policy decisions, Hipp said.

If Taiwan invests in a “smart network” integrating artificial intelligence (AI) and uncrewed platforms, it would increase its military autonomy and countermeasure capabilities, he said, adding that AI could also help identify targets and manage logistics.

Former British Royal Navy commodore Peter Olive said that attempting to land troops in Taiwan would be 20 times more difficult than the landing at Normandy in World War II.

China might have to heavily rely on its coast guard or civilian vessels to enforce a blockade of Taiwan, he said.

Royal United Services Institute senior research fellow Philip Shetler-Jones said the goal of deterrence is to render enemy invasions insignificant, citing how Ukraine’s resilience is already sending a signal of deterrence.

China would attempt to use cyberwarfare, economic means and limited blockades to weaken social resilience and pressure Taiwan without giving the US cause to intervene, he said.

Counterblockades in regions far removed from Taiwan, such as the Indian Ocean, could cut off Chinese shipping at its source, Shetler-Jones said.

Oliver said that Taiwan should collaborate with global shipping companies, insurance companies and port authorities to establish a system of alternative routes, enabling Taiwan to import necessary goods and supplies.

Institute for National Defense and Security Research chairman Huo Shou-ye (霍守業) told the forum that regional players and like-minded countries should integrate their deterrence capabilities to maintain peace and democracy in the Indo-Pacific region.

Peace in the Taiwan Strait is no longer a regional security issue, but a global concern, he said.

Taiwan does not seek to provoke or antagonize, but is demonstrating that it has the wherewithal to provide an effective deterrence, Huo said.


content_text:
BALANCE:  The proposed regulations would entitle litigants to oppose motions to broadcast a trial and to obscure or anonymize videos to protect people’s privacy   By Yang Hsin-hui, Lin Hsin-han and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporters, with staff writer

The Judicial Yuan yesterday unveiled proposed rules to govern the broadcast of court proceedings amid a partisan debate over the transparency and autonomy of the justice system.

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) lawmakers in June passed amendments to the Court Organization Act (法院組織法) mandating that some criminal trials be recorded and publicly broadcast.

The opposition-driven changes stipulate that district court and High Court proceedings be withheld from public scrutiny in principle, but could be broadcast in video form under special circumstances, while video of Supreme Court and Constitutional Court proceedings could be withheld from public viewing under special circumstances.

The changes allow litigants to apply to have their trials broadcast should their case concern the public interest or elicit the attention of society at large.

The Judicial Yuan proposed regulations to enact the changes, including measures to shield litigants and court officers from undue pressure and threats to their privacy.

The courts are authorized to refuse broadcasting trials if they would jeopardize their fairness or the credibility of the judicial system, or if a line of investigation uncovers matters unsuitable for broadcast, the regulations said.

The proposed rules stipulate that video recordings of court procedures must utilize a fixed angle, prohibiting zoomed-in images of litigants or shots that show the faces of lay judges.

The courts may schedule the recordings for public release following the conclusion of the trials, the proposed rules state.

Both sides of a litigation would be entitled to oppose a motion to broadcast the trial, and the court’s ruling on the matter cannot be appealed.

The court would also be authorized to obscure or otherwise anonymize any video or audio recordings before publication to protect the reputation and privacy of people involved in a trial upon request, the proposed rules say.

Lawyer Chen Chun-wei (陳君瑋) said the TPP appeared to have passed the amendments in a bid to rescue former TPP chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) from legal woes by mobilizing public opinion.

The amendments overlooked the problem that any legal case touching on important issues of public interest would lead to controversial trials, which require stringent protections for the privacy of litigants, witnesses and judges, he said.

Legal professionals broadly oppose the bill, as it poses a grave risk to the integrity of court proceedings and the right to a fair trial, lawyer Fang Yen-hui (房彥輝) said.

The judiciary’s rules aim to reduce that harm, he said.

Once published, recordings of court proceedings could be manipulated by third parties, or potentially used to exact revenge on witnesses and officers of the court, Fang said.

Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chuang Jui-hsiung (莊瑞雄), convener of the Judiciary and Organic Laws and Statutes Committee, said his party and the legal profession sought to stop the nation’s courts from being turned into political theaters.

The law that KMT and TPP lawmakers originally conceived would have compromised the privacy of juvenile defendants, victims of sex crimes and other vulnerable people, he said.

KMT caucus deputy secretary-general Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) said the party had no objections to publishing recordings of legal proceedings after the court renders a verdict.

The justice system should take care to respect the principle of transparency to ensure that Taiwanese interested in legal cases have access to appropriate information, he said.

TPP caucus deputy whip Chang Chi-kai (張?楷) panned the Judicial Yuan’s proposal, saying that officials were seeking to block lawmakers’ intention of bringing transparency to the system.

Publishing the recordings of courtroom proceedings after a trial is finished would allow the government to doctor the content, he said.

Foreign courts that allow the broadcast of court proceedings do so in real time and without placing limits on the content, Chang added.

Additional reporting by Yang Kuo-wen, Hsieh Chun-lin and Lin Che-yuan

people: 柯文哲 林沛祥 莊瑞雄

title: Judicial Yuan releases court broadcast rules


title: Lai praises Paraguay at welcoming ceremony

people: 賴清德 蕭美琴

content_text:
Enhancing bilateral cooperation is crucial for Taiwan and Paraguay to address the threat of authoritarian expansionism amid rapid global change, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday at an event welcoming a delegation of lawmakers headed by Paraguayan Chamber of Deputies President Raul Latorre.

Working together, Taiwan and Paraguay can overcome the challenges of a new era, defend freedom and democracy, and make greater contributions to global peace and prosperity, Lai told the meeting at the Presidential Office in Taipei.

He thanked the delegation for visiting Taiwan to attend tomorrow’s Double Ten National Day events, calling it an act of goodwill and friendship.

President William Lai, right, shakes hands with Paraguayan Chamber of Deputies President Raul Latorre during a meeting in the Presidential Office in Taipei yesterday. Photo: CNA

Lai in 2023 attended Paraguayan President Santiago Pena’s inauguration ceremony as the then-vice president, sharing a table with Paraguayan Chamber of Deputies Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Juan Manuel Anazco at a state banquet, he said.

Latorre has been a good friend of Taiwan, voicing support for the nation at numerous international events, and attending Lai and Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim’s (蕭美琴) inauguration last year, he said.

Pena earlier this year supported Taiwan’s participation in the UN and other international organizations at the General Debate of the UN General Assembly, while the Paraguayan legislature on multiple occasions backed the nation’s bid to meaningfully participate in global bodies, Lai said.

Taiwan was moved by Pena’s comments at the UN, urging world leaders to admit Taiwan as a full member and calling the nation’s participation a matter of justice, he said.

Latorre said that Paraguay stands firmly beside Taiwan and that Asuncion is committed to deepening the bonds of brotherhood between the two nations.

A total of 204 foreign dignitaries are to take part in tomorrow’s National Day celebrations, including delegations from diplomatic allies Belize, led by Belizean Governor-General Dame Froyla Tzalam, and Saint Lucia, led by Saint Lucian Governor-General Sir Cyril Charles, as well as Paraguay, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

The guests include 120 members of visiting foreign delegations and 74 foreign representatives currently stationed in Taiwan, along with their spouses, it said.

Fifty-five of the visiting delegates are from the Asia-Pacific region, 26 are from Latin America and the Caribbean, and 17 are from Europe. The group also includes 16 foreign journalists and six representatives from the Central American Bank for Economic Integration, of which Taiwan has been a non-regional member since 1992.

A Swedish parliamentary delegation, a delegation of local Japanese political leaders and a group of participants in the European Valued Important Partnership program are also to join the celebrations, the ministry said.


content_text:
CHINA THREAT: John Noh said Taiwan needs to spend more and acquire the asymmetric capabilities that would be most relevant in an invasion scenario

The nominee to be the Pentagon’s senior official for the Indo-Pacific region on Tuesday said that he strongly supported US President Donald Trump in saying that Taiwan should spend up to 10 percent of its GDP on defense.

Taiwan’s proposed defense budget for next year is to be 3.32 percent of GDP, and President William Lai (賴清德) in August said the goal is to hit 5 percent by 2030, as the nation seeks to bolster its deterrence against China.

John Noh told his confirmation hearing at the US Senate Armed Services Committee that Taiwan’s current moves to increase its defense spending were “all promising.”

John Noh, the nominee for assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs, stands at a hearing of the US Senate Armed Services Committee in Washington on Tuesday. Photo: CNA

“It was President Trump who said that Taiwan, which is an island that faces an existential threat from the People’s Liberation Army, from the Chinese military, that Taiwan should spend upwards to 10 percent of its GDP on defense. I strongly support that,” he said.

Noh was responding to a question from US Senator Roger Wicker about US arms deliveries to Taiwan under the Presidential Drawdown Authority.

Noh, who is currently serving at the Pentagon as deputy assistant secretary for East Asia, added that while he applauds Taiwan’s efforts to increase defense spending, “Taiwan absolutely needs to do its part — spend more and acquire the kind of asymmetric capabilities that will be most relevant in an invasion scenario.”

Pushed by the US, Taiwan has been working to transform its armed forces to be able to wage “asymmetric warfare,” developing more mobile and lethal weapons including missiles, as well as cheaper systems such as drones that can be used for surveillance, as well as on attack missions.

Speaking to reporters at the legislature in Taipei yesterday, Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said defense spending was based on the enemy threat level.

The focus is on “asymmetric” warfare, resilience, bolstering the reserves and combating China’s “gray zone” activities, Koo said, referring to actions designed to pressure Taiwan that stop short of actual combat, such as regular military patrols near the nation.

“In fact the president has already promised that we will raise our defense spending, the core defense expenditure,” Koo said. “It will increase steadily to finally reach the 5 percent that the president has promised.”

However, he said that “overall fiscal conditions and capacity-building requirements must also be considered.”

Taiwan will continue to strengthen its ability to defend itself and is continuing with military reforms which are put into practice with real-life drills, he said.

Koo made the remarks before a legislative hearing on a NT$550 billion (US$18 billion) special budget aimed at boosting social and economic resilience. The plan includes NT$113.2 billion earmarked for hardening military communications systems, upgrading and maintaining facilities and infrastructure, and bolstering maritime defense.

Additional reporting by CNA

title: Taipei defense spending ‘promising’: US nominee

people: 顧立雄 賴清德


content_text:
US President Donald Trump yesterday called for jailing Chicago’s mayor and Illinois’ governor, both Democrats, as his administration prepared to deploy military troops to the streets of the third-largest US city.

Trump’s call to imprison the two prominent opponents of his immigration crackdown comes as another high-profile political rival, former FBI director James Comey, was due to appear in court to face criminal charges that have been widely criticized as flimsy.

Trump has frequently called for jailing his opponents since he first entered politics in 2015, but Comey is the first to face prosecution.

Members of the Texas National Guard stand at a US Army Reserve training facility in Elwood, Illinois, on Tuesday. Photo: AFP

On his social media platform, Trump accused Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker of failing to protect immigration officers who have been operating in Chicago.

“Chicago Mayor should be in jail for failing to protect Ice Officers! Governor Pritzker also!” Trump wrote, referring to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel.

Hundreds of Texas National Guard soldiers have gathered at an army facility outside Chicago, over the objections of Pritzker, Johnson and other Democratic leaders in the state. Trump has threatened to deploy troops to more US cities as well.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll released yesterday found that most Americans oppose the deployment of troops without an external threat.

The exact mission of the soldiers was not clear, although the Trump administration has an aggressive immigration enforcement operation in Chicago and protesters have frequently rallied at an immigration building outside Chicago in Broadview, Illinois.

The president has called Chicago a “hell hole” of crime, although police statistics show significant drops in most crimes, including homicides.

In Memphis, Tennessee, police Chief Cerelyn Davis said a small group of commanders were already in the city, planning for the arrival of National Guard troops.

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, a Republican, has said troops would be deputized by the US Marshals Service to “play a critical support role” for local law enforcement, although that role has not been precisely defined yet.

Illinois and Chicago are urging a federal judge to stop “Trump’s long-declared ‘War’” on the state. A court hearing on their lawsuit is scheduled for today.

In Oregon, a judge over the weekend blocked the National Guard’s deployment to Portland.

title: Jail Chicago mayor, Illinois governor, Trump says


title: Trio win Nobel prize for ‘Hermione’s handbag’ materials

content_text:
Scientists Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson and Omar Yaghi yesterday won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for developing a new form of molecular architecture, yielding materials that can help tackle challenges such as climate change and lack of fresh water.

The laureates worked to create molecular constructions, known as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), with large spaces through which gases and other chemicals can flow and that can be utilized to harvest water from desert air, capture carbon dioxide or store toxic gases.

Describing the “unheard of properties” of the materials, the award committee said some had a remarkably large surface area — a porous material about the size of a small sugar cube could contain as much surface area as a large soccer pitch.

Nobel Committee for Chemistry member Olof Ramstrom, right, speaks during a news conference to announce the Nobel Prize in Chemistry recipients at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm yesterday. Photo: EPA

“A small amount of such material can be almost like Hermione’s handbag in Harry Potter. It can store huge amounts of gas in a tiny volume,” Nobel Committee for Chemistry member Olof Ramstrom said.

The more than century-old prize is awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and the winners share 11 million kronor (US$1.2 million), as well as the fame of winning arguably the world’s most prestigious science award.

Kitagawa told the Nobel news conference that he was deeply honored by the award.

“My dream is to capture air and separate air to — for instance, in CO2 or oxygen or water or something — and convert this to useful materials using renewable energy,” he said.

After the discoveries, chemists have built tens of thousands of different MOFs, some of which “may contribute to solving some of humankind’s greatest challenges,” the academy said, adding that additional uses included separating toxic polyfluorinated alkyl substances, or “forever chemicals,” from water and breaking down traces of pharmaceuticals in the environment.

Kitagawa is Japanese, Robson was born in the UK, but moved to Australia in his late 20s, while Yaghi is Jordanian-American.


content_text:
POST-DISASTER: The body of a woman was found in a vehicle near a quarry site, and authorities believe that the deceased is the missing owner of the site

The body of a woman was found yesterday in a vehicle near a quarry in Hualien County’s Guangfu Township (光復) after a barrier lake on the Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) burst on Sept. 23 amid Super Typhoon Ragasa, bringing the death toll from the disaster to 19.

The badly bent vehicle was found buried in mud and debris about one story high, said Jian Hong-cheng (簡弘丞), head of the Hualien County Fire Department’s search-and-rescue unit.

The deceased is believed to be the missing owner of a quarry site, Jian said, adding that the car was registered in her name.

Central Emergency Operation Center chief coordinator Chi Lien-cheng, second right, speaks at a news conference in Hualien yesterday. Photo: Huang Meng-ching, Taipei Times

Local police and firefighters have dispatched machinery to excavate the vehicle and recover the body inside, with the quarry site deploying four excavators to assist in the effort, he said.

The identity of the body would be confirmed after it is recovered from the vehicle, he said.

The barrier lake breach flood had claimed 19 lives, while five people are missing.

In other news, two major earthquakes struck off Hualien County yesterday morning, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said.

There were no immediate reports of major damage or injuries, but the back-to-back quakes renewed safety concerns in areas still recovering from the damage caused by flooding.

The Ministry of Agriculture’s Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency confirmed that the Mataian barrier lake’s dam and water level remained stable after the first quake.

The situation after the second temblor was still being assessed as of press time.

The second quake, measuring magnitude 5, occurred at 11:33am, with its hypocenter at 68.4km southeast of Hualien County Hall at a depth of 28.9km. The tremor registered an intensity level of 3 in parts of Hualien and neighboring Taitung County.

It followed an earlier magnitude 5 quake at 7:52am in Jian Township (吉安) 6.9km west of Hualien County Hall at a depth of 6.1km, CWA data showed.

The two quakes were independent events, occurring about 70km apart, CWA seismologists said as they cautioned that aftershocks of magnitude 4 to 4.5 could occur over the next three days as regional stress continues to adjust.

Both quakes were caused by the subduction of the Philippine Sea Plate beneath the Eurasian Plate, seismologists said, adding that Jian often experiences magnitude 5 earthquakes, but the offshore region affected by the later quake has fewer such events.

Meanwhile, Central Emergency Operation Center chief coordinator Chi Lien-cheng (季連成) said that starting today, military personnel and equipment would transfer to Fozu Street (佛祖街), which reported the most serious damage in Guangfu.

Mud and debris on roads and in homes have almost entirely been cleared, with the remaining refuse being mostly in ditches, Chi said.

About one-third of ditches in impacted urban areas have been cleared already, with completion expected between tomorrow and Wednesday next week, he said.

Household water and electricity have been restored, he added.

In other news, Tropical Storm Nakri formed yesterday, but projections show that it is unlikely to directly impact Taiwan, the CWA said.

As of 2pm, Nakri was in waters 1,830km east-southeast of Taipei, moving northwest at 27kph.

taiwan-subdivisions: 光復 吉安

title: Super Typhoon Ragasa death toll climbs to 19


content_text:
Raccoons, saltwater crocodiles and two types of venomous snakes — vipers and elapids — would be banned from being kept as household pets, the Ministry of Agriculture said yesterday.

The species are to be added through an amendment to the list of animals prohibited from being raised, imported or exported.

Vipers and elapids are highly venomous, and their bites risk causing systematic toxicity and loss of limbs, the ministry said.

A raccoon rides in a cart in an undated photograph. Photo: Yang Yuan-ting, Taipei Times

There have been cases in which people raised raccoons, but later abandoned them after they became aggressive and hard to control, it said.

Such abandonment results in significant administrative and management costs, it added.

Saltwater crocodiles can grow up to 5m long, weigh up to 200kg and are highly aggressive, the ministry said, adding that households cannot provide them with everything they require.

The four species would be added to the list to strengthen their management and prevent public safety risks arising from private ownership, the ministry said.

However, exceptions can be made for specific cases, such as exhibitions and experiments, it said.

The ministry said it referred to laws in Japan, Singapore and the EU to inform the proposed amendment.

Japan prohibits household ownership of venomous and highly aggressive animals including vipers, elapids and saltwater crocodiles, while Belgium and France ban raising raccoons, it said.

The new measures must be implemented as soon as possible to prevent public safety risks, so the public notice period has been shortened to 30 days, it said.

With the addition of these species, a total of 647 kinds of animals would be prohibited from being raised as pets.

For people already raising the newly added species, the ministry would require owners to register their pets and prohibit their breeding.

title: Four species to be added to list of prohibited pets


content_text:
The Taiwan Association of Family Medicine and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday urged people to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and influenza at the same time, saying that they are caused by different viruses and the two diseases are not only a “mild cold” for high-risk groups.

Government-funded COVID-19 and flu vaccinations began on Wednesday last week.

The association held a news conference in Taipei to raise public awareness and encourage eligible people to get vaccinated.

CDC Deputy Director-General Tseng Shu-hui speaks at a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Lin Chih-yi, Taipei Times

TV hostess and actress Chen Mei-fen (陳美鳳) attended the event as an ambassador for the CDC’s “left COVID-19, right flu” policy, urging people to get a COVID-19 vaccine on their left arm and a flu vaccine on the right.

Chen said that every year she gets flu and COVID-19 shots, adding that it is a misconception that people who had contracted the diseases or previously been vaccinated are immune.

While the CDC had announced that the flu has entered its epidemic period last month, earlier than most years, CDC Deputy Director-General Tseng Shu-hui (曾淑慧) said COVID-19 cases remain low in Taiwan, but are increasing in countries including Japan, South Korea and the US.

As of Tuesday, 1,273,028 doses of flu vaccines had been administered, about 1.7 times of the number in the same period last year, she said.

As for COVID-19 vaccines, 355,540 doses have been administered this year, about 1.9 times the number (189,670 doses) of the same period last year, she said.

The numbers show that this year there is a higher level of willingness than last year to get the flu vaccine, but the CDC still urges people with a higher risk of developing severe illness to get both vaccines for better protection, she said.

As there are several public holidays this month, more people are expected to be gathering or traveling, increasing infection risks, she added.

Association member Wu Chih-hsing (吳至行), a medical professor and physician, said the risk of developing acute and severe illness from COVID-19 infection is higher than from flu infection.

However, many people only get a flu vaccine shot, Wu said.

The two diseases are not caused by the same virus and are not only a “mild cold” for high-risk groups, he said.

Chen said her agent recently contracted the flu, followed by COVID-19, and they developed a high fever, intense muscle soreness and severe sore throat, and could only drink milk for a few days.

Even after the agent recovered and tested negative for COVID-19, coughing, chest tightness and loss of taste persisted for a few months, and they struggled to practice yoga and other exercises despite having practiced yoga for years, she said.

People should get vaccinated as soon as possible, she added.

title: Experts urge people to get two vaccines


content_text:
FOOD SAFETY: The firm was found to have used industrial-grade hydrogen peroxide to bleach pig intestines and sold the product across the nation

The Ministry of Health and Welfare yesterday fined a Pingtung County-based food company more than NT$50 million (US$1.64 million) for selling bleached pig intestines.

The company was found to have used industrial-grade hydrogen peroxide to bleach pig intestines and sold the product throughout Taiwan, affecting many restaurants and stalls over the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Speaking to reporters before a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Social Welfare and Environmental Committee meeting, Minister of Health and Welfare Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said that a heavy fine would be issued later the same day according to the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation (食品安全衛生管理法).

Minister of Health and Welfare Shih Chung-liang speaks during a legislative session in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times

Joint statistics compiled by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and local health departments showed that 124.6 tonnes of the intestines did not enter the market, Shih said.

Meanwhile, 2.43 tonnes of the product had been taken off shelves, while 784kg was sold, he said.

The intestines were primarily sold to Hesheng Market in Pingtung and Ningxia Night Market in Taipei, he said.

Regarding discrepancies between data from the FDA and the Taipei Department of Health, Shih said this was mainly caused by duplicate entries during the auditing process.

After cross-checking financial records, authorities confirmed that the later figures were accurate and have since made corrections, he said.

title: Company fined NT$50m over bleached intestines


content_text:
Twenty-eight people sustained minor injuries early yesterday after a bus and a heavy truck collided on the northbound section of the Sun Yat-sen Freeway (Freeway No. 1) near the 33.8km mark in New Taipei City’s Wugu District (五股), highway police said.

The crash occurred at 6:52am and blocked traffic until 8am, the National Highway Police Bureau said in a statement.

Police received a report two minutes after the accident, and officers, firefighters and emergency medical teams were immediately dispatched to the scene, it said.

A damaged bus is pictured on Freeway No. 1 in New Taipei City’s Wugu District yesterday after a collision. Photo copied by Hsu Sheng-lun, Taipei Times

The bus driver and passengers sustained abrasions and minor injuries to their heads and legs.

All 28 people were taken by ambulance to Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Fu Jen Catholic University Hospital and Taipei Hospital for treatment, police said, adding that none were in a life-threatening condition.

A preliminary investigation found that the truck driver, a 51-year-old man surnamed Chung (鍾), allegedly failed to maintain a safe distance from the vehicle in front, swerved into the outer lane before coming to an abrupt stop, causing a bus driven by a 64-year-old man surnamed Liu (劉) to crash into the rear of the truck.

Two lanes were closed after the crash, backing up traffic for about 3km.

Breathalyzer tests for both drivers came back negative, police said.

The freeway was fully reopened by 8:16am, they said.

The cause of the accident is being investigated, police said.

title: Bus, truck collide in New Taipei City, injuring 28


content_text:
Nobel laureate John Martinis hails Taiwan’s scientific potential

American scientist John Martinis, co-recipient of the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics, recalled his experiences with Taiwan in an interview with CNA on Tuesday, saying Taiwan is a global manufacturing hub and its companies are highly successful.

Speaking to CNA via video call, Martinis, who has worked with the nation’s top research institute Academia Sinica, said he truly believes that Taiwan, “being so expert at making semiconductor devices,” holds a great advantage.

Martinis, along with U.S.-based scientists John Clarke and Michel Devoret, won the Nobel Prize for “experiments that revealed quantum physics in action,” laying the foundation for the development of modern digital technologies and current efforts in quantum computing.

American scientist John Martinis, co-recipient of the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics, poses for a photograph in this undated photograph. Photo courtesy of John Martinis

Martinis has served as an advisor to Academia Sinica’s quantum program since leaving Google in 2020, Academia Sinica President James Liao (廖俊智) said during an online media event in Taipei on Tuesday, sharing his perspectives on the Nobel Prize announcement.

During the interview with CNA, Martinis said he received congratulations from Taiwan and has a special connection with the country.

Martinis said that Taiwan is highly skilled in fabrication and electronic devices and promotes scientific research while also focusing on practical, useful applications, adding that he is glad to assist Academia Sinica.

Taiwan and its companies are very successful and now have the resources to invest in basic science, providing a valuable bridge between practical applications and fundamental research, he said.

This approach is valuable as it allows students and young researchers to learn how to conduct fundamental science while keeping long-term practical applications in mind, he added.


title: 2 Malaysians indicted in Taiwan for heroin smuggling

content_text:
Two Malaysian nationals have been indicted in Taiwan for smuggling nearly 3 kilograms of heroin with an estimated street value of over NT$30 million (US$980,000), according to Taiwan’s Aviation Police Bureau (APB).

The APB told reporters yesterday that the two men were invited to Taiwan by a drug trafficking group, which offered them payment to carry the Category One narcotic into the country.

In June, the Taipei branch of the Customs Administration and the APB’s Security Inspection Squad noticed a suspicious bag while conducting an X-ray screening of baggage arriving from Malaysia.

A Malaysian man suspicious of importing drugs to Taiwan sit at one floor after being found by the police. Photo courtesy of Aviation Police Bureau

According to the APB Criminal Investigation Division, one of the suspects, a man in his twenties identified as “J,” admitted to police that he had traveled to Taiwan with another Malaysian, “D.”

J told police that D asked him to collect the luggage while D entered Taiwan first, the investigators said.

The bureau said D was intercepted by customs and police officers, and afterwards they opened the luggage and found 2.981 kg of heroin.

Chen Po-chuan (陳博全), head of the APB Criminal Investigation Division’s second investigation squad, said surveillance footage showed J taking a taxi to a hotel in Taoyuan’s Zhongli District after entering the country.

Chen said a task force formed by the APB and the Taoyuan Police Department’s Zhongli and Pingjhen precincts executed an arrest warrant the same day, apprehending J at the hotel and seizing a mobile phone they claim was used to communicate with other suspects.

According to police, the two men told investigators that they had known each other in Malaysia and found the job opportunity through an online post advertising part-time work.

They said they were promised a free three-day, two-night trip to Taiwan and NT$35,000 each to bring the goods into the country, with someone arranged to collect the items after their arrival.

The APB said the case was transferred to the Taoyuan District Prosecutors Office for prosecution under Taiwan’s Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act.

The bureau warned that anyone found guilty of manufacturing, transporting, or selling Category One narcotics in Taiwan faces the death penalty or life imprisonment, and that life sentences may include a fine of up to NT$30 million.


content_text:
COMMON INTERESTS: If US President Donald Trump wants to make America great again, he cannot abandon Taiwan, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu said

Taiwan has never been so strong and never been so threatened, and it is deepening its international cooperation through democracy and semiconductor capabilities to face the authoritarian threat, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an interview with a German newspaper.

Wu was interviewed in Taipei by Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, one of the most influential newspapers in Germany, and the interview was published on Tuesday.

“Taiwan has never been so strong,” as its economy is worth more than US$800 billion and its is the seventh-largest trading partner of the US, but that achievement stands out as it has also “never been so threatened by China,” Wu said in the interview.

Regarding whether Taiwan-US relations have changed during US President Donald Trump’s second term, Wu said the US is a democratic nation, not like China under Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), who has unlimited power, and that close Taiwan-US relations are between two societies, not just their leaders, so Taiwan continues to trust in the US.

As Taiwan has 13 missions in the US and maintains normal institutionalized contact, there is no reason to believe the US would not inform Taiwan if it decided to make a major policy change, he said.

The deputy foreign minister said Taiwan has maintained close ties with the US by strengthening common interests and reducing its economic dependence on China — from 84 percent of Taiwan’s total foreign investment in 2010 to only 7 percent last year — and that foreign investment in the US accounts for almost 50 percent.

While Taiwan plays a crucial role in global semiconductor production, both Taiwan and the US play important roles in the semiconductor ecosystem, Wu said.

“If President Trump wants to make America great again, he cannot abandon Taiwan. He can’t push Taiwan toward China,” he said.

Asked about a potential meeting between Trump and Xi, Wu said that Taiwan would not oppose such a positive development in relations with China, as everyone wants a peaceful relationship with it, but “unfortunately, Xi wants to change the world.”

Asked to compare the Ukraine war to Taiwan’s situation in the Indo-Pacific region, Wu said that both face a superpower that wants to conquer a smaller nation to expand its territory and influence, but Taiwan is a long-standing, successful democracy and has advanced semiconductor expertise.

“If the world were to lose Taiwan and its semiconductors, it would be in a very difficult position,” he said. “China isn’t strong enough to challenge the US in the Pacific, but if Beijing were to acquire Taiwan’s industrial capabilities, especially its semiconductor capabilities, it would make China the strongest superpower.”

Wu said that Xi’s meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing last month shows that China has a plan to dominate the world and conquer Taiwan with military force, warning that the international community can no longer remain naive about Beijing’s ambitions.

Taiwan is pursuing a “not-today” policy — convincing the Chinese president every day that today is not a good day to conquer Taiwan, he said, adding that it maintains deterrence by increasing its defense budget to 3.3 percent of GDP next year and to 5 percent by 2030, boosting the credibility of the US and major European powers’ military in the region, and supporting Taiwan’s accession to international organizations

Describing Taiwan’s semiconductor industry as a “sacred mountain” that protects Taiwan, Wu said that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co setting up factories in the US, Japan and Germany does not weaken Taiwan, but incorporates like-minded nations into the protective net.

title: Taiwan has never been so strong: Wu


people: 賴清德 林信義 習近平

title: Former minister Lin Hsin-i to attend APEC summit

content_text:
The Presidential Office yesterday said that it had appointed for the second year running a former minister as its envoy to this year’s APEC summit in South Korea, one of the few international forums both Taiwan and China take part in.

Former minister of economic affairs Lin Hsin-i (林信義), chairman of the government-backed investment fund Taiwania Capital, would represent Taiwan at the summit, the Presidential Office said in a statement.

Lin, who also led Taiwan’s delegation in 2005 when it was likewise held in South Korea, was the most suitable candidate to represent President William Lai (賴清德), the office said, adding that Lin’s deep familiarity with APEC operations and related policy discussions makes him the most suitable choice to represent Taiwan at this year’s summit.

Taiwania Capital chairman Lin Hsin-i gestures in an undated photograph. Photo: Lin Cheng-kun, Taipei Times

Lin previously served as Taiwan’s envoy to APEC in 2005 and last year. His extensive background in both industry and government gives him a comprehensive understanding of Taiwan’s industrial development and global economic trends, the office said.

This year’s APEC summit is to focus on artificial intelligence (AI) and demographic challenges, which align with Lai’s vision of transforming Taiwan into an “AI island” and advancing his “Healthy Taiwan” initiative, it said.

These initiatives include investments in AI chips, smart manufacturing, digital governance and healthcare innovation, it added.

This year’s summit could also be an opportunity for a meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and US President Donald Trump.

At last year’s summit in Peru, Lin greeted Xi with a wave, but they did not speak. Lin also met with then-US president Joe Biden while in Lima.

Additional reporting by CNA


title: Premier urged to submit CEC nominees list

people: 李進勇 卓榮泰

content_text:
Central Election Commission (CEC) Chairman Lee Chin-yung (李進勇) yesterday urged the premier to quickly submit a list of nominees to replace outgoing commissioners, warning that failure to approve new members in a timely manner would “bring the CEC’s operations to a standstill.”

Of the CEC’s 10 current commissioners, six are reaching the end of their four-year terms on Nov. 3.

Four of them — including Lee — have already been re-elected once and by law must be replaced.

Central Election Commission Chairman Lee Chin-yung speaks to lawmakers at the legislature in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Times

Commissioners must be nominated by the premier three months before the end of the current commissioners’ terms, then approved by the Legislative Yuan.

Based on this schedule, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) was due to nominate successors for the commissioners by August, but he has yet to submit a list to the legislature.

Executive Yuan spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) had previously said that the names would be submitted following the start of the new legislative session.

Lee Chin-yung yesterday told a meeting of the legislature’s Internal Administration Committee that he was worried about the nominations, as election-related affairs must not be interrupted.

Local elections are to be held late next year, with related planning — including setting the schedule — to be completed early next year, he said.

However, meetings cannot be held without a quorum of commissioners, which is half of the nine to 11 allowed for under law, he added.

“A vacancy would create a true crisis for the country,” Lee Chin-yung said.

The Executive Yuan is currently seeking candidates, he said, urging potential nominees to shoulder the responsibility.

Additional reporting by Lee Wen-hsin


content_text:
Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) yesterday said that private-sector refiners are willing to stop buying Russian naphtha should the EU ask them to, after a group of non-governmental organizations, including the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), criticized the nation’s continued business with the country.

While Taiwan joined the US and its Western allies in putting broad sanctions on Russia after it invaded Ukraine in 2022, it did not explicitly ban imports of naphtha, a major hard-currency earner for Russia.

While state-owned firms stopped importing Russian oil in 2023, there is no restriction on private companies to continue doing so.

Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin speaks at the legislature in Taipei yesterday. Photo: CNA

Kung told legislators that his ministry had spoken with Formosa Petrochemical, which continues to buy Russian naphtha, and also spoken with the EU to ask its view.

“We will respect and abide by EU and G7 norms,” Kung said. “According to what I understand, next year the EU might say no more purchases.”

“We can only discuss this with our private companies, and they are willing to comply,” he said, when asked whether Taiwan would stop buying Russian naphtha.

“If the EU says next year, no more purchases, then they [private-sector refiners] would make no more purchases,” he said.

Formosa Petrochemical spokesperson Lin Keh-yen (林克彥) declined to comment on government guidance.

For the company, Russian naphtha remains the cheapest feedstock at a time when petrochemical makers are struggling with losses, yet the imports have been drawing international scrutiny.

“We simply expect markets to offer us competitive prices... We buy from everywhere, there is no preference, Russian naphtha is cheaper than most, say Middle Eastern or Indian naphtha,” Lin told Reuters last week after the CREA report was released.

Formosa Petrochemical, Asia’s largest importer of the petrochemical feedstock naphtha, buys its supplies through open-market tenders.

“We go for open bids via our tenders to buy naphtha, so it is not the case that we buy from Russia ... whichever is the lowest bid in the open market, we go with that, and Russian naphtha has been competitive,” Lin said.

“But for October delivery, we did not buy from Russia at all because there were no offers,” he said.

Taiwan has imported 75,000 barrels per day of Russian naphtha so far this year, up from 71,000 barrels per day last year, data from shiptracker Kpler showed.

title: Firms willing to stop buying Russian naphtha: Kung


content_text:
The newly established shrimp and algae germplasm bank is comparable to a “Noah’s Ark for aquatic products” and expected to help reduce reliance on foreign supply of shrimp larvae, the Fisheries Research Institute said on Thursday last week.

The institute has already set up other germplasm banks for different aquatic life to promote the sustainable development of the nation’s aquaculture industry.

For example, the Penghu Marine Biology Research Center’s aquatic germplasm bank focuses on conserving aquatic genetic resources in the unique habitat of the marine environment of Penghu, the institute said.

Representatives of groups participating in the “Noah’s Ark for aquatic products” project pose for a photograph on Thursday last week. Photo: CNA

The Freshwater Aquaculture Research Center’s aquatic germplasm bank focuses on genetic improvement, selection and breeding of tilapia — an important fish species export — and is the only germplasm bank dedicated to preserving freshwater genetic resources, it said.

The Eastern Marine Biological Research Center’s aquatic germplasm bank uses deep seawater unique to Taiwan’s east coast to cultivate low-temperature marine species with high economic value, such as grouper and clownfish, the institute said.

Compared with these germplasm banks, the shrimp and algae germplasm bank newly established at the Tungkang Aquaculture Research Center in Pingtung County’s Donggang Township (東港) focuses on biosecurity, and preserves up to eight shrimp species and 20 algae species, it said.

It is also dedicated to shrimp improvement and breeding, and is expected to produce shrimp larvae cultivated in specific pathogen-free environments, which would help meet the local agriculture industry’s demand for high-quality shrimp germplasms, the institute said, adding that would enhance the industry’s international competitiveness.

Tungkang Aquaculture Research Center director Wu Feng-cheng (吳豐成) said the shrimp and algae germplasm bank could prevent the domestic supply of various shrimp species from being cut off due to unstable imports.

The selection of germplasms would consider their tolerance to temperatures and salinity to minimize the influence of climate change, he said.

The cultivation has borne fruit and the first batch of whiteleg shrimp larvae would be released at about the beginning of next year for the industry to farm, he added.

Pingtung County Fisheries Youth Fellowship member Chan Yung-sheng (詹永聖) said that the local shrimp industry has long relied on larvae imports, which are priced 10-fold to 15-fold more than those cultivated locally.

However, with stricter biosecurity measures applied, imported shrimp larvae carry no viruses and grow faster, significantly reducing the risks related to the farming process, Chan said.

Therefore, the shrimp and algae germplasm bank is expected to help reduce costs and risks by improving local shrimp genetic resources, he said.

The institute said the first floor of the bank is designed to preserve germplasms of critical commercial shrimp species such as whiteleg shrimp, grass shrimp and giant river shrimp.

Microalgae species are preserved on the bank’s second floor, it said.

Such microalgae are indispensable, as they can be directly fed to shrimp larvae or to shrimp larvae’s feed organisms such as brine shrimps or rotifers, it said.

Additional reporting by CNA

title: New germplasm bank is a Noah’s Ark, institute says


content_text:
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications is launching TPASS 2.0+ to encourage people to take medium and long-distance intercity buses by offering cashback incentives for trips of longer than 70km.

Passenger would receive a rebate of 15 percent after two qualifying trips, and 30 percent after four trips, Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) said at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee yesterday.

For example, passengers who make two round trips from Taipei to Hsinchu would get a NT$45 rebate, as the one-way fare is NT$150, Chen said.

Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai, front, speaks to reporters before attending a meeting at the legislature in Taipei yesterday. Photo: CNA

The ministry launched the TPASS program in 2023 to reduce the financial burden of daily commuting.

Now there are 29 commuter pass programs across 20 cities and counties.

The ministry upgraded the program to TPASS 2.0 earlier this year, encouraging people to take public transportation by offering discounts to frequent passengers.

Public transportation ridership last year increased by 27.4 percent compared with the period before the implementation of the TPASS, according to a ministry report.

From January to July this year, ridership grew by 41.4 percent compared with the same period in 2022, the ministry said.

Intercity buses play a vital role in Taiwan’s transportation system, and the ministry is launching TPASS 2.0+ to promote the industry’s healthy development, Chen said.

People can register next month and the TPASS 2.0+ rebate program would hopefully launch in December, Highway Administration Director-General Lin Fu-shan (林福山) said.

There are currently 85 intercity bus routes that qualify for the rebate, and passengers taking intercity buses during long weekends would benefit from additional holiday discounts, Lin said.

title: TPASS 2.0+ to encourage intercity bus trips: ministry


content_text:
KMT leader urges Taiwanese efforts, not Trump’s, for cross-strait peace

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday that Taiwan should depend on its own efforts rather than on U.S. President Donald Trump or anyone else to achieve peace across the Taiwan Strait.

“To want to rely on Washington, Trump, or any other person to create cross-strait dialogue, exchanges and peace, is not as good as relying on our own efforts and the people’s efforts,” Chu said.

Chu made the remarks at a meeting of the KMT’s central standing committee, in response to a recent appearance by Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) on The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show, a U.S. political talk radio show.

KMT: Chinese Nationalist Party chairman Eric Chu stands and addresses attendants of the party’s KMT’s central standing committee yesterday. Photo: CNA

“We hope that Taiwan will continue to enjoy the support of President Trump,” Lai had said in the interview recorded in Taipei.

“If he is able to convince Xi Jinping (習近平) to permanently renounce the use of force against Taiwan, President Trump will surely win the Nobel Peace Prize,” Lai added.

Chu said Lai should “ask himself what efforts he has made” to improve cross-strait relations since taking office, and suggested that Taiwan’s president wants to “completely rely on the United States” to communicate with Beijing.

He said Lai’s approach has offered no effort toward reconciliation or peace, and that the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has created “many obstacles” when the public, local governments, or the KMT attempted exchanges with the other side of the Taiwan Strait.

“What the KMT hopes for is cross-strait dialogue; what the DPP wants is confrontation,” Chu said.

He suggested, without elaborating, that the DPP’s “attitude” had led to the current state of cross-strait relations.

people: 朱立倫 賴清德 習近平


content_text:
Taiwan should focus on PLA precision strikes, carrier operations: Scholars

Taiwanese military scholars yesterday discussed recent moves by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), including increased bomber activity in the Taiwan Strait and fewer aircraft operating east of Taiwan, saying Taiwan needs to be better prepared for precision strikes and aircraft carrier operations.

Once the PLA’s bomber-centric operations capability has matured, it will be able to carry out “one-off, controlled, surgical” strikes on specific targets in Taiwan without harming civilians, said Ma Chen-kun (馬振坤), a professor at National Defense University’s Graduate Institute of China Military Affairs Studies.

Speaking at a Taipei seminar hosted by National Chengchi University’s Institute of International Relations on PLA movements and their implications for Taiwan’s security, Ma made the remarks after noting a recent increase in PLA H-6 bomber activity in the Taiwan Strait.

Scholars: Ma Chen-kun (馬振坤), center, a professor at National Defense University’s Graduate Institute of China Military Affairs Studies, speaks in a seminar at the National Chengchi University in Taipei yesterday. Photo: CNA

The medium to long-range strike bomber was spotted in the Taiwan Strait on as many as 14 days in September, he said.

“In the past, H-6 bombers typically appeared in Taiwan’s southwestern airspace, then transited the Bashi Channel [a waterway between Taiwan and the Philippines], as their intended targets were Guam or U.S. naval vessels in the Western Pacific,” Ma said, indicating a shift in approach since September.

The H-6 series bombers can carry not only standard munitions but also supersonic and even hypersonic land- attack missiles, as well as anti-ship missiles, according to Ma.

It could thus conduct a one-off precision strike against Taiwan’s west coast, especially in the center of Taipei, without harming civilians, Ma said.

Why pursue precision strikes?

As for the rationale for the PLA to conduct precision strikes, Ma said the primary objectives are to minimize the strike footprint and bring the conflict to a quick end.

“Based on all publicly available information, we can infer that, on the political front, [Chinese President] Xi Jinping (習近平) currently has no intention of using military means to resolve the Taiwan issue,” Ma said, referring to Beijing’s long-stated aim of achieving unification with Taiwan.

“However, clues from various aspects of military preparations suggest he [referring to Xi] does believe it may be necessary to take military action when required, to deter what Beijing calls ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist activities,” Ma added.

The military expert said a similar precision strike occurred on Sept. 9, when Israel carried out a targeted attack in Doha, Qatar, aimed at senior political leaders of Hamas involved in negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza, resulting in six deaths and at least four injuries.

Ma said the Trump administration, in response to Israel’s strike in Qatar -- both diplomatic allies of the United States -- confined itself to reaffirming Washington’s commitment to Qatar’s security, without taking any further action.

If China were to conduct a one-off strike against Taiwan similar to Israel’s strike in Qatar with no follow-up military action, “how we should respond with military countermeasures becomes a key question,” Ma noted.

Warning Taiwan to maintain constant vigilance against potential decapitation strikes on specific targets, he added that any Taiwanese military action after such a one-off PLA attack “would signal an escalation of the overall cross-strait situation,”

“Another issue that warrants careful assessment is whether the U.S. would respond with military action [on Taiwan’s behalf,]” Ma added.

Fewer PLA planes east of Taiwan

Also attending the seminar, Lin Ying-yu (林穎佑), an associate professor at Tamkang University’s Graduate Institute of International Affairs and Strategic Studies, said that recently fewer PLA aircraft have been seen flying east of Taiwan.

“It is no longer just about threats from the air,” Lin said, adding that if the PLA were to employ sea power to establish a presence or conduct patrols off Taiwan’s east coast, it could likewise exert pressure.

“In the past it may have relied on quantity, but it is now shifting to a quality-driven threat,” Lin said. “Beyond the air and the sea, we should not forget aircraft carriers.”

The PLA currently has three aircraft carriers, and all three have been near Taiwan. The Liaoning and Shandong have operated in waters close to the island country, while the yet- to-be-commissioned Fujian transited the Taiwan Strait in September.

Echoing Lin, Chen Kuo-ming (陳國銘), editor-in-chief of Defence International magazine, noted that the threat from surface ships is greater than that from aircraft because “you can’t chase those surface vessels away.”

The military expert said aircraft face flight-time limits, noting that a bomber on a long sortie might remain aloft for about 10 hours.

“But warships are harder to handle, as they can loiter within the 24 nautical miles [of the coast], even inside your contiguous zone, running back-and-forth grid patrols.” Chen added.


title: Double ten ready

content_text: Taiwan Television broadcasters Chen Yen-wei, right, and Huang Pin-ning wave national flags in an undated photograph. The pair are to host the broadcast of the Double Ten National Day ceremony tomorrow morning.


content_text: Children dressed as pilots hold Republic of China flags during the Tainan Double Ten Sky Art Festival in the city’s Shueijiaoshe Cultural Park yesterday.

title: Double ten crew


content_text: Faculty and students of Yuan Ze University’s Department of Art and Design pose with geometric-shaped work they created for the Wetland Art Festival of New Taipei City in an undated photograph. The festival opens on Saturday and continues until Nov. 4.

title: Outdoor art


title: Gold tops US$4,000 for the first time

content_text:
AI LINK? Equity markets were more subdued in Asia as questions were asked about the hundreds of billions of dollars that have been invested in artificial intelligence

Gold prices yesterday broke US$4,000 for the first time as investors piled into the safe haven over expectations for US interest rate cuts and worries about the US government shutdown.

The rally in the precious metal also came after concerns that a tech-fueled rally that has sent some equity markets to record highs might have gone too far, fanning talk of an asset bubble.

Traders have been piling into gold all year, pushing it up more than 50 percent since the turn of the year. Yesterday, the metal climbed to a high of US$4,037.10, even as the US dollar has pushed up against most of its peers in the past few days. Silver was also within a few dollars of its own record high.

“The rapid rise in gold prices has been supported by rising inflows into [exchange-traded funds] and central bank buying, including solid demand from China, as gold benefits from political, economic and inflation uncertainty,” National Australia Bank senior economist Taylor Nugent said.

Pepperstone Group research head Chris Weston said that “funds and global reserve managers want a hedge — against fiscal recklessness, currency debasement, and unpredictable government policy — and gold sits squarely at the heart of that movement.”

In contrast, equity markets were more subdued in Asia as questions were asked about the hundreds of billions of dollars that have been invested in artificial intelligence (AI).

On Tuesday, a report that software firm Oracle Corp’s cloud computing profit margin was much lower than expected sent shivers through trading floors, with all three main indices on Wall Street falling into the red.

Tech firms, which have enjoyed strong buying this year, including in the past few months, led selling in Asia, with Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (阿里巴巴) and JD.com Inc (京東) down 1.61 percent and 1.17 percent respectively in Hong Kong, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) dropping 1.39 percent in Taipei and Renesas Electronics Corp 1.44 percent lower in Tokyo.

“The report on Oracle’s margins prompted investors in US markets to doubt artificial intelligence applications and dump AI related stocks overnight,” Hua Nan Securities Co (華南永昌證券) analyst Kevin Su (蘇俊宏) said, referring to a 0.67 percent decline in the tech-heavy NASDAQ and a 2.06 percent slide on the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index.

“The volatility on US markets gave local investors an excuse to pocket their gains built in recent sessions with TSMC in focus,” after its American depositary receipts lost 2.77 percent on Tuesday, Su said.

“However, I remain upbeat about AI development and have faith in TSMC’s fundamentals. The stock could lead the TAIEX to move higher after consolidation,” he said.

Taipei and Hong Kong were among the biggest losers, with the TAIEX down 0.54 percent and the Hang Seng closing 0.5 percent lower.

Tokyo, Sydney, Mumbai and Singapore also fell, while Wellington, Manila, Bangkok and Jakarta edged up with London, Paris and Frankfurt.

Additional reporting by CNA


title: Phoenix Silicon to build new plant in Taichung

content_text:
Phoenix Silicon International Corp (昇陽半導體), the world’s largest supplier of reclaimed wafers, yesterday said it is investing NT$1.85 billion (US$60.59 million) to build a new plant in Taichung to accelerate capacity expansions, and to meet market demand.

The new plant, dubbed FAB3B, is expected to enter volume production in 2028, the company said in a statement.

It would have installed capacity of 600,000 12-inch wafers per month, Phoenix said.

Signage of Phoenix Silicon International Corp is pictured at Hsinchu Science Park on Dec. 26, 2013. Photo: Ho Tsung-han, Taipei Times

The firm also plans to double capacity at a separate Taichung plant, FAB3A, to 600,000 12-inch wafers per month next year, compared with 300,000 wafers currently, it said.

“The new capacity expansion plans would bolster Phoenix’s leading position in the global reclaimed wafer market and will also deepen its partnerships with major global customers,” the company said. “That will also give the company greater capacity, scale and flexibility to swiftly respond to global customers’ demand.”

With its capacity expansion efforts, Phoenix this year overtook Japan’s RS Technologies Co as the world’s biggest supplier of reclaimed wafers.

Phoenix in June told investors that a chipmaker uses about 2.7 reclaimed wafers for testing and equipment checking to produce one 2-nanometer wafer, compared with two reclaimed wafers used in the production of one 3-nanometer wafer, meaning that customer demand is greater than the company expected, hence the need for capacity expansion.

The company has also tapped into the advanced packaging market through providing wafer thinning services, it said.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (台積電) 2-nanometer process technology is to enter volume production by the end of this year, leading its rivals in offering 2-nanometer chips.

Overall, the firm is benefiting from growing demand for advanced chips and high-bandwidth memory chips used in artificial intelligence and high-performance computing applications, Phoenix said.

About 70 to 75 percent of its reclaimed wafers are used for advanced chips, or those of 5-nanometers or smaller, it said.

Phoenix reported a 31.53 percent growth in revenue to NT$3.29 billion in the first nine months of this year, compared with NT$2.5 billion a year earlier.


title: Minister reiterates no ‘50-50 split’ with US over chips

content_text:
PROFITABLE FABS: If there is profit overseas, no concerns about national security, and the industry benefits, the government would help, the economics minister said

There would be no 50-50 split in chip production between Taiwan and the US, Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) said yesterday ahead of a legislative meeting in Taipei, responding to comments by officials in Washington.

US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick late last month proposed a “50-50 split” in semiconductor manufacturing, with half of chips used in the US to be made domestically, a plan that Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君), who is leading tariff talks with Washington, last week said would not happen.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) is investing US$165 billion in six advanced wafer fabs in the US, but building 10 in Taiwan, with more planned, making a 50-50 production split impossible, Kung said.

Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin speaks at the legislature in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times

The outcome of Taiwan-US trade negotiations would be better than a 50-50 split deal, he added.

While the US government might have semiconductor development expectations, TSMC remains in the lead in US investments, where it holds sole ownership, Kung said.

Although TSMC also has investments in Japan and Germany, the company’s most advanced process technologies and the bulk of its production would remain in Taiwan, he said.

“Taiwan’s fabs would still be the most profitable,” he added.

Regarding TSMC and other overseas investments of semiconductor companies, Kung said that the government’s attitude is that if there are orders and profits overseas, no concerns about national security and it benefits the industry, then the government would provide administrative assistance.

The government could provide support such as living and transportation assistance if companies form industrial clusters overseas, while in places like Japan, the government would also help negotiate tax breaks or other benefits with local authorities, he said.

As for investment at home, companies have pledged nearly NT$3 trillion (US$98.25 billion) in combined investment in the government’s three major “Invest in Taiwan” programs and the figure is expected to rise, Kung said.

The Executive Yuan in July approved an extension of the programs to 2027, while boosting the loan limit to NT$720 billion from NT$360 billion.


title: CPI last month rises 1.25%

content_text:
Taiwan’s consumer price index (CPI) last month rose 1.25 percent from the same month last year, the slowest pace in four-and-a-half years and below the government’s 2 percent alert level for a fifth straight month, the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) said yesterday.

DGBAS official Tsao Chih-hung (曹志弘) said that the moderation reflected favorable weather, tax cuts on new vehicle purchases and a high comparison base due to the timing of Mid-Autumn Festival last year.

“After the middle of August, stable weather conditions allowed for smooth vegetable replanting, easing food prices,” Tsao said. “Meanwhile, lower commodity taxes on newly purchased cars and aggressive discounting by automakers brought down costs.”

People walk in the Ximending area of Taipei’s Wanhua District yesterday. Photo: CNA

The timing of the Mid-Autumn Festival in September last year, which fell in October this year, also helped temper the annual increase, he said.

CPI this month is likely to remain at about the same level, as mild weather would offset upward pressure from higher electricity prices following a rate hike that took effect on Wednesday last week, he said.

The rate increase is expected to have only a minimal impact, adding about 0.01 percentage points to inflation and 0.04 percentage points next year, as the adjustments mainly target residential users and small businesses, Tsao said.

The latest power rate adjustments would likely add a negligible burden to small vendors of about NT$70 per month on average, he added.

Core CPI — the central bank’s preferred gauge that strips out energy, vegetables and other volatile items — rose 1.46 percent from a year earlier, the slowest growth in seven months, DGBAS data showed, suggesting subdued underlying price pressures.

Although Typhoon Ragasa struck last month, damage from the storm was largely confined to eastern Taiwan and caused limited agricultural losses, so prices were not affected much, Tsao said.

Still, prices of daily necessities continued their ascent. The CPI for key livelihood items climbed 2.47 percent, the sharpest increase in 18 months, driven by an 8.74 percent jump in pork prices and a 5.94 percent gain in egg prices.

Pork demand typically spikes ahead of the Ghost Festival, which this year was early last month, but has since eased, Tsao said.

Global conditions also point to continued price stability. Crude oil prices remain relatively low, while Taiwan’s import price index continues to fall, easing input costs for manufacturers, Tsao said.

The producer price index (PPI), a measure of the price movements of goods from a seller’s perspective, contracted 3.73 percent last month, dragged down by declines in chemical, petrochemical, metal and electronic components, the DGBAS said.

In the first nine months of this year, the CPI climbed 1.77 percent from a year earlier, while the PPI retreated 1.53 percent over the same period.


title: Wistron reports 109.94% revenue surge

content_text:
Wistron Corp (緯創) yesterday reported a 109.94 percent year-on-year surge in revenue for last month, driven by strong demand for artificial intelligence (AI) servers, with the momentum expected to extend into this quarter.

Revenue last month was NT$203.44 billion (US$6.66 billion), a record for September, while third-quarter revenue was NT$567.8 billion, a 108.3 percent increase from the same quarter last year, the company said.

Revenue in the first nine months of the year was NT$1.47 trillion, up 94.87 percent from the same period last year and also a record for the period, it said.

A man looks at samples of server racks during Computex at the Nangang Exhibition Center in Taipei on May 20. Photo: Cheng I-hwa Cheng, AFP

The company remains optimistic about AI server revenue growth in this quarter, a Wistron official told the Taipei Times by telephone.

Server sales accounted for about 70 percent of Wistron’s total revenue in the second quarter, with most of it from AI servers, the company said in August.

While the company was in a product transition between servers powered by Nvidia Corp’s GB200 and GB300 chips last quarter, demand was high for both models, the official said.

Wistron shipped 2.2 million notebook computers last month. It shipped 6.4 million units in the third quarter, up 8.47 percent sequentially and 23.07 percent annually.

Notebook shipments this quarter would dip slightly from last quarter, the company said.

Wistron shipped 900,000 desktop computers and 900,000 displays last month, bringing third-quarter totals to 2.45 million units for both items, a 3.9 percent sequential decline in desktops and an 11.36 percent increase in displays.

This quarter, desktop and display shipments are expected rise on an annual and quarterly basis, the company said.

Separately, Quanta Computer Inc (廣達) reported that revenue last month rose 18.7 percent year-on-year, also driven by demand for its AI servers and notebooks.

Revenue last month was NT$184.11 billion, a record for September, Quanta said.

Third-quarter revenue was NT$495.26 billion, a 16.65 percent increase from a year earlier, it said.

Revenue in the first nine months totaled NT$1.49 trillion, up 49.49 percent from the same period last year, it said.

The company in August said that AI servers accounted for more than 60 percent of its total server revenue in the first half of this year.

The percentage is likely to increase further this quarter, a Quanta official told the Taipei Times yesterday.

Growth momentum this quarter is expected to continue to be from servers powered by Nvidia’s GB-series chips, with GB200 models remaining the main growth driver this year, the Quanta official said.

Shipments of new-generation AI servers powered by Nvidia’s GB300 chips underwent pilot runs at the end of last quarter, they said.

The company’s guidance for AI server revenue to grow by a triple-digit percentage from a year earlier and account for 70 percent of total server revenue this year remains unchanged, they added.

Quanta shipped 4.6 million notebook computers last month, the company said.

It shipped 12.7 million notebooks in the third quarter, up 4.95 percent sequentially and 0.79 percent annually, it said.

While the company remains uncertain whether front-loading momentum would extend into this quarter, it maintains its forecast for notebook shipments for the whole of this year to be evenly split between the first and second halves, it said, adding that growth from last year would be by a single-digit percentage.


content_text:
Google launches Traditional Chinese version of AI Mode search

Google yesterday announced the official launch of a Traditional Chinese version of Google Search AI Mode in Taiwan.

In an article on its official blog, the company said AI Mode enables users to delve deeper into complex topics and ask questions three times longer than traditional searches, rather than having to conduct multiple searches for a task.

The article explained that AI Mode uses “query fan-out,” a method that breaks down a query into various sub-topics, and sends out multiple searches, allowing the search to explore more deeply on the Internet and find “impressive” and relevant high quality content.

The Google logo is seen outside the company’s offices in London, Britain, on June 24. Photo: Carlos Jasso, Reuters

Searches can also be done by voice, photos or images, incorporating the powerful functions of Google Lens, it added.

Google is also offering a free one-year trial of Google AI Pro services to college students over the age of 18 in Taiwan, the company announced in another article yesterday.

Students will be able to use the Gemini 2.5 Pro model for learning and writing assistance, Deep Research for research projects, and NotebookLM to summarize and organize information and lecture notes, the company said.

Google is also hosting a “Taiwan High School Club Festival” event, offering NT$3,000 (US$98.14) in cash to high school student clubs that integrate Gemini and use it to assist with club activities, such as event planning, generating copywriting ideas and poster design.

To qualify, clubs must register and submit their plans for using Gemini, along with the results via a designated form that will be sent to the email address used for registration, according to the event page.

Submissions must be registered from Sept. 15 to Nov. 30.


content_text: A woman introduces artificial intelligence-enabled mini robots at an exhibition at the NTUH International Convention Center in Taipei yesterday. The Tainan City Government, the Taipei Computer Association and the Taiwan Smart City Solutions Alliance jointly launched the “Smart Robotics Applications Special Interest Group” to promote the development of service robots and related applications in Taiwan.

title: Bot helpers


title: EDITORIAL: Implications of Huang accusations

people: 黃國昌 陳時中 潘孟安 徐巧芯 王鴻薇

content_text:
Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) is facing allegations of operating a “paparazzi” group to surveil his political adversaries.

The accusations stem from a lawsuit filed by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wang Yi-chuan (王義川) after Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Hsu Chiao-hsin (徐巧芯) in June last year publicly released a video showing Wang’s car making an illegal left turn.

Wang said he suspected the video was recorded by paparazzi.

After months of investigation, prosecutors said the people who shot the video were staff members of Kai Ssu International Co, a company with no known news publication.

The investigation found that one of the four people who followed Wang was a former aide of Huang. It also said that Kai Ssu International had invested in a TPP-friendly polling company and a media outlet headed by a man who cofounded the Anti-Corruption and Whistleblower Protection Association (TAWPA) with Huang.

The Chinese-language Mirror Media on Sept. 26 alleged that Huang had established the paparazzi group in 2021, led by Hsieh Hsing-en (謝幸恩) of the state-run Central News Agency (CNA). It said that Hsieh used a pseudonym and forwarded photographs or content made by the paparazzi group to other media outlets, including RW News (菱傳媒), and to politicians and media with close ties to Huang.

Huang allegedly directed the activities of the paparazzi group, which targeted mostly DPP members, but also a few of his allies. Content provided by the group led to the false accusations by Hsu in 2022 against then-DPP Taipei mayoral candidate Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) and by KMT Legislator Wang Hung-wei (王鴻薇) against Presidential Office Secretary-General Pan Meng-an (潘孟安). The latter is appealing a ruling that found her guilty of defamation.

Hsieh on Monday last week resigned from CNA, which has filed a criminal complaint against her for breach of trust and damage to its reputation. She has denied the charges and insisted she is upholding “freedom of the press.”

RW News on Tuesday last week ceased operations.

The media is referred to as the “fourth estate” in a democracy, because it provides checks and balances on the three branches of government — legislative, executive and judicial — by informing the public and holding the government accountable.

If the accusations about Huang are true, then that would mean that the leader of Taiwan’s third-largest political party has abused his power to use the press to surveil and intimidate his political adversaries and allies alike.

Huang’s alleged actions go beyond the definitions of a “whistle-blower” in the Public Interest Whistleblower Protection Act (公益揭弊者保護法), which he had vigorously promoted and took effect this year. If true, his actions have overstepped the boundaries of political ethics and could be illegal.

If the TPP and the KMT — which has said that the allegations against Huang would not affect the two parties’ cooperation — prioritize party or personal gains over democratic values, they might lose people’s trust in their capability to protect the public interest.


content_text:
In South Korea, the medical cosmetic industry is fiercely competitive and prices are low, attracting beauty enthusiasts from Taiwan. However, basic medical risks are often overlooked.

While sharing a meal with friends recently, I heard one mention that his daughter would be going to South Korea for a cosmetic skincare procedure. I felt a twinge of unease at the time, but seeing as it was just a casual conversation among friends, I simply reminded him to prioritize safety.

I never thought that, not long after, I would actually encounter a patient in my clinic with a similar situation. She had gone to South Korea for an undereye bag surgery with injections, but upon returning to Taiwan, her eyes were so swollen and red that they looked like turtle-shaped cakes, and she could barely open them. It was difficult for her to seek help from another South Korean doctor, so she was left with no choice but to turn to Taiwan’s medical system for help.

As a dermatologist, but not a practitioner, perhaps I am in no position to comment on the correctness of various cosmetic procedures. However, I am genuinely concerned about the phenomenon of Taiwanese pursuing affordability while disregarding medical risks. Medical care is not like average commodities — comparing prices does not guarantee quality. Once something goes awry, the cost is often not just monetary, but health-related and might even result in irreparable harm.

The unfortunate reality is that such cases are not uncommon. Some people choose to have procedures performed by those who lack professional training to save money, while others travel abroad believing they can obtain the same quality of care at a lower price. However, when complications arise and there is no follow-up care or accountability, it falls on Taiwanese doctors and the National Health Insurance system to handle the aftermath.

The pursuit of beauty is not inherently wrong, but the mistake lies in treating medical care like your average consumer price comparison and ignoring the associated risks. Medicine and medical care are not simply cost-performance ratio matter, and choosing a doctor with complete professional training who can provide long-term care is ultimately the safest approach. While opting for the cheapest option might sound great, it could potentially exact far greater costs.

Lu Chun-wei is a dermatologist and an assistant professor at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital.

Translated by Kyra Gustavsen

title: Cosmetic procedures require caution


content_text:
Freedom of the press is not a catch-all defense, and whistle-blower protections cannot pardon every crime. Taiwan People’s Party Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) has recently been exposed for directing journalists to follow his political opponents, and has hailed former Central News Agency reporter Hsieh Hsing-en (謝幸恩) as a “brave whistle-blower.”

However, that obscures a core issue — information obtained illegally is not whistle-blowing, but a transgression of the law.

Huang has studied law, so he would certainly understand the Offenses Against Privacy section of the Criminal Code, the provisions of the Stalking and Harassment Prevention Act (跟蹤騷擾防制法) against tailing and surveillance, and the implications of the Personal Data Protection Act (個人資料保護法). It is not that he did not understand the potential consequences of his actions, but that he ignored them, putting political impact over operational legitimacy. The gamble of an ex-lawyer like Huang, knowingly crossing the line in full awareness of the risks involved, carries serious weight.

The Anti-Corruption and Whistleblower Protection Association (TAWPA) was cofounded by Huang in 2020 and is implicated in the scandal. Whistle-blower protection laws are enforced only when information is obtained legally. Naturally, this covers publicly exposing collusion between government and business. Targeted tailing and secretly filming in private domains, then invoking freedom of the press for protection is another matter. The free press must absolutely be protected, but the media should observe self-discipline to avoid becoming na tool for political interests.

There are precedents for alternative ways of handling things. Prosecutors investigated Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Yen Kuan-heng (顏寬恒) in relation to his dealings with family assets and property, and charged him with corruption and forgery, and he was last month found guilty. However, he was found not guilty of illegal acquisition of state-owned land. The entire investigation was carried out through above-ground legal measures and via public records. Legitimate whistle-blowing brings scandals to light through proper channels, not via the findings of targeted surveillance operations packaged in political rhetoric.

Although Huang praised Hsieh as a model journalist following her resignation, in reality, she was a political tool. Sympathy and crocodile tears do nothing to change the facts: The case did not constitute whistle-blowing, but foul play.

Huang knows all too well how to stir up media scandals with his alleged “paparazzi group” and how to spin them as just acts of whistle-blowing. He has made a calculated decision to choose impact over legality and political interests over professionalism. The real issue is not how Hsieh might defend herself or what support Huang might lend, but how someone in the legal field might rationalize illegal tactics in the pursuit of power.

Slogans are in no short supply — what Huang lacks is basic respect for Taiwan’s governing institutions. When politicians weaponize press freedom as a personal shield, it comes at the cost of media professionalism and public trust.

Chang Shang-yang is a farmer.

Translated by Gilda Knox Streader

title: Huang Kuo-chang crosses the line

people: 顏寬恒 黃國昌


title: What actor Alan Yu’s death shows

content_text:
Chinese actor Alan Yu (于朦朧) died after allegedly falling from a building in Beijing on Sept. 11. The actor’s mysterious death was tightly censored on Chinese social media, with discussions and doubts about the incident quickly erased. Even Hong Kong artist Daniel Chan’s (陳曉東) post questioning the truth about the case was automatically deleted, sparking concern among overseas Chinese-speaking communities about the dark culture and severe censorship in China’s entertainment industry.

Yu had been under house arrest for days, and forced to drink with the rich and powerful before he died, reports said. He lost his life in this vicious environment of politics-business collusion. This kind of qianguize (潛規則), or hidden rules, that are devoid of humanity not only kill individual lives, but also strangle freedom of speech in Chinese society.

As a society with diverse voices, the rule of law and respect for human rights, Taiwan is a contrast to China in many ways, and the gap can hardly be concealed by Beijing’s political slogans.

The Chinese entertainment industry appears glamorous, with stars shining on red carpets and fans cheering on social media, but this is only on the surface. The truth is that stars’ successes often stem not from talent, but from manipulation by capital and power.

Those resisting the hidden rules might be canceled, excluded — as can be seen in Yu’s tragedy.

The experience of Golden Horse Award Best Actor winner Wu Kang-ren’s (吳慷仁) attempt to expand his career in China also exposed obstacles in the Chinese entertainment industry. Wu faced a boycott from Chinese Internet users due to the political atmosphere and hidden rules. Plus, his collaboration with costar Betty Sun (孫儷) was obstructed last year when she questioned his political stance and threatened to withdraw from the TV drama they were starring in. Ultimately, he returned to Taiwan to rebuild his career.

Wu’s example reveals that under an authoritarian system where freedom of speech and creation are absent, even outstanding artists struggle to thrive. As political censorship and the hidden rules closely interweave with each other in the Chinese entertainment sector, they have mercilessly oppressed people’s humanity and creative expression. This is a sorrow not only for artists, but also for the entire system.

From Yu’s tragedy to Wu’s failure, instead of a shared culture on the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, only a deep-rooted institutional gap and conflicting values are evident. Under China’s censorship and omnipresent monitoring, entertainers can hardly speak out and are forced to “help the wicked perpetuate wicked deeds,” while a fair and transparent investigation into Yu’s death is not possible.

The situation is a reminder that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait should not get closer blindly. Rather, Taiwanese should face their differences from China in freedom, the rule of law and human rights, while safeguarding the nation’s precious democratic values.

Taiwanese should stay alert to the hidden rules and dark forces that are devoid of humanity in China’s entertainment world as well as overall societal system. They should also reflect on the duplicity of and the risks behind the concept of “two sides of the Strait are one family” (兩岸一家親). Only by staying vigilant and having a clear awareness can Taiwan keep its democracy and freedom, and be sure that its values would not be compromised.

Yang Chih-chiang is an elementary-school teacher.

Translated by Eddy Chang