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美海軍宣布與「Gecko Robotics」合作，運用新科技，提升太平洋艦隊的艦艇維護作業效能。（取自「Gecko Robotics」公司網站）記者賴韋廷／綜合報導

美國「軍事時報」18日報導，美國海軍宣布與「Gecko Robotics」公司合作，將運用無人機、爬牆機器人、固定感測器及人工智慧（AI）系統，輔助太平洋艦隊對18艘艦艇進行維修作業，藉此提升維護效率、降低時程延宕衝擊。

「Gecko Robotics」說明，該公司運用機器人蒐集艦艇組件、甲板、焊縫及船殼相關數據，再透過AI分析並識別肉眼難以察覺的既有及潛在結構問題。「Gecko Robotics」也以飛行甲板檢修為例，表示機器人僅需執行1次評估與數位建模，就可有效提升作業精確度，相較於人工作業效率提升達50倍，估計可減少3個月潛在時程延宕。報導指出，本次簽署的合約為期5年，價值達5400萬美元（約新臺幣17.1億元）。

報導指出，2024年時任美國海軍軍令部長弗蘭切蒂上將曾提出目標，要求海軍在2027年前應將艦隊戰備妥善率維持在80%標準。然而，美國政府責任署（GAO）同年度報告指出，海軍兩棲作戰艦艇於2011至2020年間妥善率僅為46%，2025年8月時更一度下滑至41%，凸顯維護工作延誤，嚴重影響美陸戰隊演訓及部署計畫。此外，因應全球地緣政治局勢，美軍任務派遣頻次增加，使可調度資源相對吃緊。

現任海軍軍令部長考德爾上將日前強調，80%戰備妥善率是「一個充滿野心但必要的戰備目標」，因此將持續透過縮短維修週期、提高備用零件供應量、改善訓練管道，以及對整個艦隊實施針對性升級等策略，確保裝備效能與滿足部署任務需求。

journalist: 本網站由〔uGear 優吉兒網頁設計〕設計與製作

title: 美海軍運用AI、機器人 助艦艇維修


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記者謝承宏／綜合報導

陸軍司令呂坤修上將昨日視導汽基廠，實地了解單位後勤整備實況，首先肯定全體官兵戮力執行後勤工作辛勞，期許同仁秉持「精實、主動、服務、時效」精神，持續強化新式武器後勤維保能量，維持部隊車輛高妥善率，確保後勤支援符合部隊實需，有效發揚堅實防衛戰力。

呂司令在陸勤部指揮官洪中將及司令部業管處組長等重要幹部陪同下，親赴汽基廠視導，首先聽取單位任務簡報，了解工作執行現況，並針對各項任務提出重點指導。會中呂司令闡述後勤對於國土防衛作戰的重要性，陸軍所有單位都是為了相同目標而存在，就是在戰前嚇阻敵人犯臺，戰事一旦發生就要確保作戰勝利。期勉與會幹部確實了解整體防衛作戰指導，依作戰進程妥適完成零附件囤儲調整、修護能量轉移等戰時保修作為規劃，並透過各項操演時機，務實驗證後勤計畫周延性，以提升部隊作戰持續力。

呂司令強調，部隊各式車輛的妥善，端賴後勤人員努力維持，期勉同仁持續精進核心職能，並透過建立標準作業流程及修製能量整合，盡速協助單位完成裝備翻修，提高裝備妥善率。另叮囑單位執行各項作業首重「安全」，幹部應依任務特性，落實下達安全規定，避免危安事件肇生。此外，呂司令特別提醒軍紀安全的重要性，指示幹部須持續落實各類案例宣導，齊心杜絕違反軍紀、詐騙案件，確保單位純淨及整體安全。

journalist: 本網站由〔uGear 優吉兒網頁設計〕設計與製作

title: 呂坤修視導汽基廠 勉從作戰思維建構後勤能力


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記者王丹荷／綜合報導

新上映電影有派珀柯達、鮑比莫尼漢、喬漢姆、梅莉史翠普等配音的皮克斯動畫《狸想世界》；改編自暢銷小說，萊恩葛斯林、桑德拉惠勒等主演《極限返航》；張孝全、林依晨、金士傑等主演《深度安靜》；以及薩琪畢茲、湯姆費爾頓等主演《他們要殺你》；改編自暢銷小說，克里斯多福赫斯特、尤娜班尼特等主演《門對門移動書店》；「Oom」伊莎亞賀蘇汪、「Joey」普瓦西特等主演《送葬人》續集《送葬人2》。

《狸想世界》 化身河狸守護家園（上映中）

描述小女孩梅寶從小就喜歡照顧動物，有一次，她試圖幫助班上的寵物逃跑，卻因此被送到奶奶家暫住，奶奶帶她去了一片美麗的林地，她在那裡遠離了生活的喧囂，卻也被點燃保護動物的熱情。上了大學之後，她獲知無良市長將建一條穿越動物棲息地的高速公路，讓梅寶決定展開行動，她利用最新科技將自己變成一隻小河狸，並與動物交流，而人與動物攜手合作，或許真能守護大自然的完整性。

《極限返航》 星際解謎拯救地球（上映中）

描述科學老師萊倫格雷斯在一艘距離地球好幾光年的太空船上醒來，卻對自己的身分和來到這裡的原因一無所知。隨著記憶逐漸恢復，他開始揭開任務的真相，解開一種神祕物質導致太陽衰亡的謎團。他必須運用自己的科學知識與創意想法，拯救地球的滅絕危機。但一位意料之外的訪客，讓他或許不用獨自奮鬥。

《深度安靜》 婚姻裂痕壓力浮現（上映中）

描述諭明與依庭在大學圖書館的「Deep Quiet Room」相識、相愛並走入婚姻，原以為生活將平穩展開，卻在依庭懷孕後，過往的壓力與家庭陰影逐漸浮現，連帶改變了2人的關係。行動不便的岳父搬入同住，諭明努力維繫這個家，過著陌生客套的窒息生活。始終無法猜透依庭內心的諭明，直到他讀到依庭正在編輯的書，才驚覺她所承受的，遠超過自己所理解的一切。

《他們要殺你》 祭品試煉死裡逃生（3/26上映）

描述一名年輕女子必須在惡魔邪教操控下的威吉大樓熬過一晚，逃過神秘扭曲的死亡陷阱巢穴，否則就會成為下一個祭品。

《門對門移動書店》 串聯人心療癒孤獨（3/27上映）

描述送書人卡爾的生活步調始終像鐘錶般地精準。他對鎮上每個顧客的喜好聊若指掌，並以能為他們挑選到最合適的書而感到自豪。每天總將一本本書親手包好，送到顧客的家門口。直到有天，他井然有序的生活，突然因為一個失去母親的9歲女孩莎莎的闖入而改變。

《送葬人2》 亡者復生代價成謎（3/27上映）

描述村裡原先的送葬人薩克過世後村莊歸於平靜，直到喬伊奶奶被閃電擊中後身亡，卻又莫名其妙復活了，這並非奇蹟，而是某種存在被喚醒的開端。剛失去摯愛的圖普相信喬伊奶奶的復活隱藏著通往另一個世界的祕密，即便代價是要付出一切。

journalist: 本網站由〔uGear 優吉兒網頁設計〕設計與製作

title: 多元新片齊發 驚悚賣萌吸睛


content_text:
◎鄒敦怜

立春之後，馬年來到。在十二生肖中，龍雖神祕優雅，但論及奔馳之速與生命動能，馬無疑是大地的主角。翻開字典，你會發現：馳騁、馳騖、騰驤、駸駸……這些代表速度的詞彙，全是以「馬」為部首。即使有些詞在現代口語中顯得陌生，但「望文生義」，那種勇往直前、不負韶光的力道躍然紙上。

馬年已至，從馬的意象出發，你期望看見怎樣的自己？

是那位想像力總是不受圍欄束縛，文思泉湧，宛如「天馬行空」的創作者嗎？這位「天馬」曾被李白這麼描繪著：「騰崑崙，歷西極，四足無一蹶。」他的蹄尖輕踏著雲端，在群山雲霧間來去自如。

在他的眼中，一花一世界，一葉一乾坤，窗前掠過的飛鳥，巷弄裡飄散的花香，甚至一場有約不來的等待，每一個瞬間都能為他帶來靈感。他擅長把生活中的瑣碎、磨難、苦澀，統統丟進文字藝術的熔爐中，之後在一旁慢慢地燒著火、守著爐，耐心地等待砂礫化作閃耀的鑽石。「天馬」般的創意與自由，讓作品不只是紀錄，更是一場又一場超越時空的壯遊。

還是那位心有定見、個性沉穩，宛如「老馬識途」般的引路人？這匹老馬，內心住著一個透澈的老靈魂。面對生活的突發意外，他總能氣定神閒；那些旁人眼中的驚濤駭浪，在他看來不過是人生必經的起伏。

他不會輕蔑地對後輩說：「我過的橋比你走的路還長」；也不會推開正在苦思的你說：「算了，我自己做比較快。」相反地，他會溫暖地守候在側，看著你苦惱、看著你深思，甚至允許你經歷必要的失誤。因為他懂得，那是成長必經的陣痛。他只會在關鍵時刻，輕輕提點、悄悄指引，讓你恍然大悟後，仍能靠著自己的衝勁抵達終點。對他而言，累積的經驗不是居高臨下的施捨，而是一份真誠的陪伴。

抑或是那位不受年齡限制，勇於嘗試各種新事物，如同「老驥伏櫪」般的先行者？即使年歲漸長，他內心的壯志卻從未冷卻。對於深愛的團隊，即使已退居幕後，他仍願意在需要時隨時挺身而出，只為大局，不計榮辱。

對他來說，種種付出早已無關成就與名利，他最大的心願，是看著自己曾傾注心血的那片美好，能繼續繁花似錦。或者說，他早已主動遠離了世俗的賽道，卻在廣闊的人生中另闢疆土，將「活到老，學到老」的真髓揮灑得淋漓盡致。

你想選擇成為怎樣的馬呢？請記得，馬教會我們的，不只是速度，而是節奏；不只是奔馳，而是方向。新的一年，願我們都能以志為韁，牽好內心的那匹馬：無論是天馬的創意、老馬的睿智或老驥的勇毅，都能踏出自信的蹄音。願我們不待揚鞭，自向千里，在廣袤的流年中，活出最颯爽的自己。

journalist: 本網站由〔uGear 優吉兒網頁設計〕設計與製作

title: 【浮世集】壯志馳騁流年


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記者賴名倫／綜合報導

日本航空自衛隊18日證實，由川崎重工改裝的首架EC-2型電戰機，17日在岐阜基地完成首飛，顯示該機繼16日完成地面滑行測試後，已展開緊鑼密鼓測試，未來將擔負電戰干擾任務，提升自衛隊的電磁頻譜能量。

軍聞網站「The War Zone」報導，鑑於電磁頻譜作戰日益重要，因此空自從2021年起展開研發計畫，運用編號「68-1203」的C-2運輸機進行大幅修改，推出這款最新版遠程電戰機EC-2。未來將借重機上配備的多款電戰系統，從遠距離針對敵方的地面防空系統、空中感測器與通訊設備進行干擾，提高空自戰機執行制空與打擊任務效能與安全性。

EC-2尺寸介於美軍C-17與C-130運輸機之間，約略與歐洲多國配備的A400M相近，但EC-2採用美國奇異（GE）公司的CF6-80C2K1F噴射發動機，較A400M的渦輪螺旋槳動力系統具備更高推力與巡航速度。此外，C-2還具備8萬磅酬載能力（約36公噸）與31萬磅最大起飛重量，較前一代EC-1電戰機（以C-1為平臺）的2.6萬磅與10萬磅，數據更加優異，可望發揚酬載與性能優勢，搭載更多人員、設備與油料，執行各種遠距離與長時間滯空任務。

報導還說，空自曾於2018年將編號「18-1202」的C-2機體改裝為RC-2信號情報（SIGINT）電偵機，並於2020年交付航空戰術教導團的電子作戰群操作。而本次推出的EC-2，則屬於C-2系列第2種衍生型。儘管空自並未公布該機電戰系統型號與諸元，不過防衛省已規劃採購4架EC-2交付該單位操作，希冀大幅拓展多領域作戰能力。

journalist: 本網站由〔uGear 優吉兒網頁設計〕設計與製作

countries: 美國 日本

title: 日空自EC-2電戰機首飛


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■林國賓

原文：

Defense tech company Anduril on Thursday announced its plans to expand its Southern California presence with a major campus in Long Beach, the coastal town where founder Palmer Luckey grew up.

The expanded campus will eventually support about 5,500 jobs. Luckey told TechCrunch that these will be new jobs, not transfers from other operations. Anduril’s headquarters is nearby, in Costa Mesa, California, and it also has a massive manufacturing facility in Ohio.

While bringing thousands of jobs to his childhood town made headlines today, Luckey said the most exciting part for him about Anduril’s general expansion was the fighter jets. "It looks like we’re going to be able to manufacture autonomous fighter jets that will take off right from the factory and fly to wherever the customer needs them," he said.

The Long Beach campus will span 1.18 million square feet across six buildings, combining office space and industrial areas dedicated to R&D.

Long Beach is "a major aerospace hub right in our backyard," Luckey told TechCrunch about why the company chose that location.

中譯：

國防科技公司安杜里爾週四宣布在南加州擴大布局的計畫，將於公司創辦人拉奇的家鄉海濱城市長灘，興建一座大型園區。

擴建後的園區最終將提供約5500個工作機會。拉奇向科技媒體《TechCrunch》表示，這些將是新增職位，而非從其他據點調派人力。安杜里爾的總部位於加州鄰近的科斯塔梅薩，並在俄亥俄州設有大型製造廠房。

儘管為他的家鄉帶來數千個工作機會成為當日焦點，但拉奇表示，對他而言，安杜里爾整體擴張中最令人興奮的部分其實是戰鬥機。他說：「看來我們將能夠製造自主作戰的戰鬥機，它們將直接從工廠起飛，飛往客戶需要的任何地方。」

長灘園區總面積將達118萬平方呎，涵蓋6棟建築，結合辦公空間與專注於研發的工業區。

拉奇向《TechCrunch》解釋選址原因時表示，長灘是「就在我們家門口的一個重要航太樞紐」。

—關鍵軍語—

※autonomous fighter jets：自主戰鬥機

※aerospace hub：航太樞紐

journalist: 本網站由〔uGear 優吉兒網頁設計〕設計與製作

title: 【3月20日】看軍聞學英語


content_text:
記者陳正雄／臺北報導

「2026中國信託．台北101公益垂直馬拉松」將於5月9日起跑，並於今日中午12時開放線上報名。台北101昨日舉辦報名啟動記者會，由董事長賈永婕正式為賽事揭開序幕，並號召全民TEAM UP、一起向上！

5月9日起跑 結合挑戰與公益

記者會上首度亮相的賽事宣傳影片，由賈永婕攜手雙北消防員共同拍攝，傳遞城市生活之所以能安穩運轉，背後有消防英雄的日常備戰、時刻守護的核心精神。影片以跑者備戰歷程為喻，對照消防英雄日復一日的訓練與待命，無論是在賽道上，或是在城市的每一個角落，他們始終保持「隨時OK、整裝待發」。

活動持續結合運動挑戰與公益行動，讓跑者在登高突破自我的同時，也能為社會帶來實質助益。台北101將提撥菁英組、自我挑戰組及團體組報名費15%（含以中信銀行信用卡支付之5%）平均捐贈予3家公益夥伴；「公益企業組」則直接捐贈新臺幣40萬元予所選定之公益團體。透過實際行動，攜手跑者為孩子們打造更好的未來。

此次活動特別將水舞廣場全面升級為更盛大的After Party，讓賽事熱度從起跑線一路延續至終點之後。今年集結 M One Cafe、Fika Fika Cafe、好初早餐等知名品牌，共同打造專屬跑者與民眾的美食饗宴。舞臺區亦規劃國內知名樂團芒果醬演出，同時也有各大嘻哈歌手們紛紛指定的DJ MR.GIN在現場炒熱氣氛、凝聚人潮。希望透過餐飲、市集與音樂展演規劃，將水舞廣場打造成跑者賽後必訪的交流與慶祝據點，打造兼具運動、休閒與城市魅力的年度盛會。

journalist: 本網站由〔uGear 優吉兒網頁設計〕設計與製作

title: 台北101垂直馬拉松 今開放報名


content_text:
記者謝承宏／綜合報導

為強化官兵法紀教育並調適訓練壓力，陸軍21砲指部日前邀請「曉水珠心靈之旅」公益團體入營巡演，結合「反詐騙、反毒品」主題，以寓教於樂方式傳遞正確觀念。透過歌聲與公益短片，生動剖析詐騙手法及毒品危害，深化官兵警覺。

政戰主任尹上校表示，盼藉由藝人分享與演出，引導官兵建立守法意識，並內化為守護袍澤與國家的實際行動。創辦人周嘉麗則分享，因長期投入公益，深刻感受到年輕人涉世未深，容易誤入歧途，希望透過巡演回饋社會、傳遞正向價值，並藉此向長年守護國家安全的國軍官兵表達敬意與感謝。

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title: 21砲反詐反毒宣導 深化官兵警覺


content_text:
記者謝承宏／綜合報導

陸軍聯兵542旅工兵連日前於工兵訓練中心進行基地訓練，針對M48A5推進橋架設暨小部隊戰鬥課目實施演練，結合橋梁架設操作與戰術運動，驗證部隊在敵情威脅下，執行戰場通行恢復及裝甲部隊推進支援之作為。演練依敵情想定展開，小部隊負責周邊警戒與安全掩護，並配合迅速完成推進橋架設作業，模擬支援主戰部隊快速通行，全面檢視裝備操作、任務分工與協同作戰熟練度，以強化部隊戰場機動支援與協同作戰效能。

連長陳少校表示，此次演練著重驗證官兵在複雜環境下，同步遂行橋梁架設與小部隊戰鬥任務的應處作為，透過實地操作與戰術演練，強化臨機應變及整體協調能力，未來將持續厚植工兵部隊機動支援與戰場經營能量，為遂行各項戰備任務奠定堅實基礎。

journalist: 本網站由〔uGear 優吉兒網頁設計〕設計與製作

title: 542旅工兵連推進橋架設 強化機動支援能量


content_text:
記者李佩玲／臺北報導

農業部昨日宣布，將於4月3日在凱達格蘭大道舉辦首屆「凱道農玩節」，現場將有全臺首創的稻草迷宮、體現農村文化的割稻飯，還有好買好逛的青農市集等；活動也與4月3、4日在臺北市南海路舉辦的「春日好好市集」串聯，邀請各地農友進駐設置多元主題攤位，讓大小朋友全方位感受農業魅力。

農業部指出，凱道農玩節與春日好好市集共推出6大亮點活動；其中，凱道農玩節規劃「農村割稻飯與食農教育體驗」讓民眾走進農村文化，親身體驗食物生產的過程；「蔬果迷宮與稻草藝術裝置」打造結合農業與藝術的親子遊戲場域；「闖關小農任務」透過消費集章與互動遊戲，推出多重好禮回饋，鼓勵民眾支持在地農產。

春日好好市集則有「大展農圖護照」，讓民眾透過市集探索與消費體驗農業旅行；「春日小小採買手」讓孩子化身採購達人，在預算內完成食材採買任務；「城南密令：春日解鎖行動」，帶領民眾在城市空間展開解謎冒險，串聯市集與周邊場域，打造結合文化、遊戲與農業的沉浸式活動體驗。

農業部說明，農村割稻飯體驗將於今日中午12時開放報名；食農教育體驗活動則於23日中午12時開放報名。

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taiwan-subdivisions: 春日 臺北 臺北市

title: 凱道農玩節串聯春日市集 體驗農村魅力


content_text: 三星電子（Samsung Electronics）自研行動應用處理器（AP）系列「Exynos」飽受效能低落、發熱問題詬病多年，如今終於出現轉機，採2奈米（SF2）製程的「Exynos 2600」繳出超乎預期的效能成績單，為這個曾跌落谷底的晶片系列，重新奠定反...

journalist: 蔡云瑄

title: 三星自研AP復甦 觀察Exynos的雙面棋局


content_text: 內政部公告：預告「外國人臨時入國許可辦法」修正草案 MINISTRY OF THE INTERIOR Notice is hereby given, to commence a period of public comments for the draft amendment of "Regulations of Temporary Entry Permit for Foreigners"

title: 內政部公告：預告「外國人臨時入國許可辦法」修正草案-眾開講-公共政策網路參與平臺


content_text:
網紅「晚安小雞」陳能釧（右）昨晚11時45分被解送至新北市金山分局偵訊時表示，尊重台灣司法調查。（記者林嘉東翻攝）

網紅「晚安小雞」陳能釧與友人「阿鬧」魯祖顯，前年因在柬埔寨自導自演綁架案，遭當地法院判刑2年，上月13日刑滿出獄後昨天（19日）遭遣返，2人晚間9時40分抵達桃園國際機場與另1名毒品通緝犯李俊樺，當場被刑事警察局國際科與航警局上銬逮捕，漏夜於晚間11時45分解送至新北市金山分局。

陳被押解至金山分局面對媒體詢問，在柬埔寨服完刑後，還要面對台灣通緝時表示，他尊重台灣司法調查。陳等3人在面對警方偵訊時，均主張不停止夜間詢問；警方將完成筆錄後，將3人遞解歸案。

刑事局指出，陳能釧、魯祖顯2人在台期間因涉及毀損、詐欺等案遭通緝。陳因毀損案遭士林地檢署通緝；魯則分別因妨害自由及詐欺案，遭金門地檢署與苗栗地檢署通緝。我國駐越南胡志明市聯絡官事先掌握2人遣返回台時間，待班機降落後立即實施攔截。

警方表示，陳、魯2人在2024年間前往柬埔寨，佯裝遭詐騙集團囚禁並直播，引發社會騷動；柬國警方調查認定為自編自導，依「煽動製造社會動亂罪」判處2年徒刑。金山警方表示，陳等3人抵達金山分局後向警方表示，不停止夜間詢問；警方將在完成偵訊後，於今天上午9時許，依法將3人遞解至士林、金門等地檢署歸案。

countries: 柬埔寨 台灣 越南

taiwan-subdivisions: 金山 新北市 金門 苗栗 士林 桃園

title: 晚安小雞、阿鬧抵台歸案！「同意夜間詢問」 盼速了官司 - 社會


content_text:
Thailand’s new parliament yesterday elected Anutin Charnvirakul as prime minister, keeping him in the top office after his party routed its election rivals.

“This parliament has voted for Anutin Chanvirakul to become prime minister,” Thai House of Representatives Speaker Sophon Zaram said on the floor of the legislature, adding that the incumbent had garnered more than half of the ballots cast.

Anutin received 293 votes from newly seated lawmakers to win the role of prime minister, with his rival, Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut, gaining 119 and 86 representatives abstaining, Sophon said.

Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul leaves parliament in Bangkok yesterday. Photo: AFP

“I hope to remain in my position to serve the people for as long as I can,” Anutin told reporters ahead of the vote. “Those who know me understand that whenever there is a problem affecting the public, I will respond immediately to their needs.”

The Southeast Asian nation’s new government faces dealing with the fallout from the Middle East war, sluggish economic growth and lingering border tensions with Cambodia.

Anutin’s anointment comes after his Bhumjaithai Party last month had its best electoral performance ever, following two rounds of deadly border clashes with Cambodia last year.

Bhumjaithai promised to build a wall on the Cambodian frontier, keep all border crossings closed and recruit 100,000 volunteer soldiers, winning the most seats of any party and putting Anutin in pole position to head the next government.

The People’s Party — which had been polling first ahead of the election, but ultimately came in second — is to lead the opposition.

Speaking to journalists before the vote, Natthaphong said that the opposition aimed to “utilize this parliamentary stage to effectively communicate with our fellow citizens.”

title: Thailand’s new parliament elects Anutin as PM


content_text:
Six allies ready to help 'efforts to ensure safe passage' through Hormuz Strait

Six major international powers, including Britain, France, Germany and Japan, said Thursday they were ready "to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz".

"We welcome the commitment of nations who are engaging in preparatory planning" the grouping -- which also includes Italy and the Netherlands -- said in a joint statement, as they condemned "in the strongest terms recent attacks by Iran on unarmed commercial vessels in the Gulf".

The Hormuz Strait between Iran and Oman carries around a fifth of the world’s oil and a large amount of natural gas, but shipping lanes there have been suspended during the current war. Photo: AFP

The declaration came as an effective Iranian blockade of the strait has paralysed commercial shipping through the crucial maritime chokepoint, which in peacetime sees a fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas pass through it.

The war, which erupted on February 28 when the US and Israel began bombing Iran, has led Tehran to retaliate with strikes across the Gulf region, with 23 commercial vessels, including 10 tankers, reporting having been attacked or incidents.

The situation has left around 20,000 seafarers stranded on approximately 3,200 vessels west of the strait, according to the International Maritime Organization.

"We express our deep concern about the escalating conflict," the allies' joint statement said.

"We call on Iran to cease immediately its threats, laying of mines, drone and missile attacks and other attempts to block the Strait to commercial shipping," it added.

"Freedom of navigation is a fundamental principle of international law, including under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

"The effects of Iran's actions will be felt by people in all parts of the world, especially the most vulnerable."

US President Donald Trump has urged other world powers, and NATO, to help reopen the Hormuz Strait to commercial shipping, but they have rebuffed his call in the short-term while insisting they were open to discussions and planning.

"The level of threat is such that I don't see many nations being willing to put warships into the middle of that threat right now," a UK defence official told reporters at a briefing Wednesday.

"We're working closely with allies and partners in terms of what we might be able to do and what we can offer, as and when the situation allows," he added.

The defence official noted London has sent a "small number" of additional military "planners" to US Central Command (CENTCOM) to "help with the planning and option development for... whatever comes next in the Strait of Hormuz might look like".


title: Taiwan maintains status as a ‘free’ country: report

content_text:
Taiwan maintained its status as a “free” country and the second freest in Asia in the latest annual report released yesterday by the Washington-based democracy watchdog Freedom House.

With an overall score of 93 out of 100, down 1 point from a year earlier, Taiwan ranked second in Asia behind Japan, which scored 96, the Freedom in the World 2026: The Growing Shadow of Autocracy said.

The report assessed access to political rights and civil liberties in 195 countries and 13 territories from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31 last year.

Taipei 101 and the Taipei skyline are pictured from the window of an airplane in an undated photograph. Photo: Tyrone Siu, Reuters

Taiwan scored 38 out of 40 in political rights and 55 out of 60 in civil liberties.

Taiwan’s vibrant and competitive democratic system has enabled regular, peaceful transfers of power since 2000, while protections for civil liberties remain generally strong, Freedom House said.

However, the nonprofit organization also flagged concerns, including insufficient protections for migrant workers and efforts by the Chinese government to influence policymaking, media and democratic institutions in Taiwan.

Globally, freedom declined for the 20th consecutive year, which Freedom House described as a grim milestone, citing military coups, violence against peaceful protesters and attempts to erode constitutional safeguards.

Finland topped the global rankings with a perfect score of 100, while South Sudan ranked last with zero.

Among the 88 countries rated “free,” the US recorded the sharpest decline, with its score falling 3 points to 81 — its lowest level in more than 50 years — though it remained classified as “free.”

The drop reflected legislative dysfunction, a concentration of executive power, growing pressure on freedom of expression and weakened anti-corruption safeguards under US President Donald Trump, Freedom House said.

Elsewhere in Asia, China remained categorized as “not free,” with a score of 9, while Hong Kong was rated “partly free” with a score of 41.

Bolivia, Fiji and Malawi were upgraded from “partly free” to “free,” citing competitive elections, improved judicial independence and the strengthening of rule of law, the report said.


title: Taiwan Taoyuan ranks 24th best airport

content_text:
TAIWAN RECOGNITION:  Starlux Airlines placed fifth in Airline Ratings’ best airlines list, the highest achievement by a local airline, and topped the in-flight catering category

Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport’s overall ranking surged from 43rd place last year to 24th place this year, Skytrax’s global airport ranking released on Wednesday showed.

Taoyuan airport also won the top award as the World’s Best Airport for Baggage Delivery for the second time.

Taoyuan International Airport Corp chairman Yang Wei-fu (楊偉甫) received the award in London on Wednesday.

People wait for their luggage at a baggage carousel at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport in an undated photograph. Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times

“Baggage handling is the final stage of a journey and often leaves the strongest impression on travelers. Taoyuan Airport continues to excel in this area, with its overall ranking rising to the top 24 worldwide, fully reflecting global travelers’ strong recognition of its overall travel experience,” Skytrax CEO Edward Plaisted said.

Yang said the airport was able to garner the top prize in baggage handling thanks to the collective efforts of airlines and ground service firms, as well as the airport’s data-driven baggage management system, which has greatly optimized the quality of the service.

“As the Third Terminal’s north concourse opened for operations last year, the Taoyuan International Airport would continue to provide quality services to global air passengers and airlines, with modern and user-friendly facilities,” Yang said.

Taoyuan airport was recognized by Skytrax in 10 award categories this year, the company said, adding that it ranked third in the category of best airports accessed by 20 million to 30 million passengers per year.

It ranked third in the World’s Most Improved Airport, sixth in the World’s Cleanest Airport, sixth in the World’s Best Airport Staff, seventh in the World’s Best Airport Immigration Service, eighth in the World’s Best Airport Washrooms, ninth in the Best Airports in Central Asia, 10th in the World’s Most Family Friendly Airport and 10th in the World’s Best Airport Shopping, it said.

This was the first time Taoyuan airport ranked in the global top 10 in the family friendly airport and airport shopping categories, it added.

Skytrax said it surveyed travelers across 565 international airports in hundreds of countries for the ranking.

Meanwhile, Starlux Airlines placed fifth in Airline Ratings’ World’s Best Airlines list, the highest achievement reached by a Taiwanese airline.

The airline also received the top award in the World’s Best In Flight Catering category.

“The rankings are a recognition of Starlux team’s continuous and dedicated efforts in products and services,” Starlux CEO Glenn Chai (翟健華) said in a statement.

AirlineRatings had ranked Starlux 11th in its World’s Safest Airlines category in January.

It said its evaluation of airlines is impartial and professional, and focuses on measurable metrics of in-flight services, including meals, seating comfort and product values, adding that it does not evaluate airlines based on their popularity among travelers and marketing campaigns.

Starlux would have 43 aircraft in its fleet by the end of this year, with many new aircraft scheduled to be delivered this year. It has 37 flight routes and services 31 cities.

The airline would this year launch direct flight services to Prague and Busan, its first European and South Korean destinations respectively.


content_text:
New Taipei City’s Sanying MRT Line and the eastern extension of the Tamsui-Xinyi Line (Red Line) are scheduled to begin operations in June, the National Development Council (NDC) said yesterday.

The Red Line, which terminates at Xiangshan Station, is to be connected by the 1.4km extension to a new eastern terminal, Guangci/Fengtian Temple Station. The Sanying Line would link New Taipei City’s Tucheng (土城) and Yingge (鶯歌) via Sansia District (三峽).

The NDC made the announcement at a council meeting reviewing progress on public construction projects for the year.

A token for New Taipei City’s Sanying MRT Line is pictured in an undated photograph. Photo courtesy of the New Taipei City Government’s Department of Rapid Transit Systems

The annual public infrastructure budget is NT$800 billion (US$25.04 billion), of which NT$97.3 billion was already implemented by the end of last month, the NDC said.

Other major transportation projects are also progressing, such as the Danjiang Bridge, which is scheduled to open in May, it said.

The northern section of the Taoyuan Metro Green Line and the first phase of the Tainan Railway Underground Project are set to begin operations by the end of the year, the NDC said.

In the energy sector, new gas-fired units at the Taichung and Hsinta power plants, along with the second phase of offshore wind projects, are expected to be connected to the grid or dispatched between this month and November, the NDC said.

Several cultural and public facility projects are advancing, such as the Taoyuan Museum of Fine Arts and the Southern Branch of the National Central Library, which are scheduled to be completed by the end of the year, it said.

A marine passenger center in Kinmen would also begin operations next month, while new cruise terminals in Penghu and Taitung are set to open in September, it added.

The NDC also gave an update on the progress of the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ initiative, “Capital Region Golden Corridor,” which aims to bolster the industrial advantages of Taipei and New Taipei City while boosting development in Keelung and Yilan.

The project is expected to drive regional revitalization through improved transportation infrastructure, it said, urging closer coordination between central and local governments to advance related developments.

Additionally, the construction of standard factory buildings in Phase 3 of the Yilan Science Park has been approved and is expected to generate 114,000 jobs, the NDC said.

taiwan-subdivisions: 土城 鶯歌 三峽

title: Red Line extension, Sanying Line to open in June


title: Atypical employment hits 13-year low in Taiwan

content_text:
Atypical employment in Taiwan fell to a 13-year low in October 2025, while the proportion of workers choosing such arrangements by preference surpassed 20 percent for the first time, according to data released Thursday by the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS).

The number of atypical workers -- comprising part-time, temporary, and dispatched personnel -- totaled 799,000 in October, down 5,000 from a year earlier. This accounted for 6.86 percent of the total workforce, the lowest level recorded since 2013, according to the data.

DGBAS officials noted that the decline was driven primarily by a drop in temporary and dispatch work, which fell by 12,000 from a year earlier. They described this as a positive development for labor protections, as such roles typically offer fewer safeguards than permanent positions.

Motorists drive past an employment service station in New Taipei City’s Banciao District in an undated photo. Photo: CNA

Total employment in Taiwan reached 11.635 million in October, up 55,000 from a year earlier. Of this total, atypical workers represented 6.86 percent, while standard payroll employees accounted for 93.14 percent.

The data showed a divergence in work types: part-time employment continued to rise, reaching 443,000 jobs (3.81 percent of total employment), the highest share since records began in 2006. In contrast, the number of temporary and dispatch workers fell to 566,000 (4.86 percent).

DGBAS Census Department Deputy Director Tan Wen- ling (譚文玲) said the rise in part-time work reflects demographic shifts, including students working between classes, homemakers re-entering the market, and retirees seeking flexible roles in an aging society.

Regarding the reasons for engaging in atypical work, “job characteristics” remained the primary factor at 35.69 percent, though this was down 2.66 percentage points from a year earlier. Notably, those citing a “preference for such work arrangements” rose to 21.68 percent, up 5.54 percentage points to hit an all-time high.

Reflecting this shift in mindset, only 67,000 atypical workers (8.42 percent) expressed a desire to transition into full-time, regular jobs -- a decrease of 4.54 percentage points from the previous year.

The survey also highlighted a rise in the labor force participation rate among married women aged 15-49, which reached 78.63 percent. This represents a 9.38 percentage point increase over the past decade. Participation grew faster among women with children than those without, a trend the DGBAS attributed to government subsidies, vocational training, and improved childcare support.

The DGBAS noted that the annual survey, usually conducted in May, was postponed until October last year due to budget constraints. Consequently, the year-on-year comparisons in this report are based on data from October 2025 and May 2024.


title: Eased foreign helper policy draws mixed reactions

content_text:
The easing of rules on hiring migrant domestic workers has drawn mixed reactions, with employers and brokers welcoming the move as better suited to caregiving needs, while labor and childcare advocates raised concerns about worker protections.

The Executive Yuan yesterday approved of a measure relaxing rules on hiring foreign domestic workers, allowing families with at least one child younger than 12 to apply for a helper starting from April 13, under a new policy aimed at easing childcare burdens.

Heidi Chang (張姮燕), president of the International Association of Family and Employers with Disabilities, an employers’ group, called the move “a long-awaited policy.”

A woman and three children crosses a street in Taipei in an undated photograph. Photo: CNA

Easing eligibility is a positive response to Taiwan’s low birthrate and care-related labor shortage, which have made some couples hesitant to have children.

Lu Hsi-an (呂錫安), chairman of the Tainan Employment Service Institute Association, a brokers’ group, said he welcomed the relaxed rules, as it would meet the needs of some families, criticizing the current rules as too strict.

Minister of Health and Welfare Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) defended the move yesterday, saying some women sacrifice their career to raise children, and that giving families another option could help ease childcare burdens and raise the birthrate.

However, Childcare Policy Alliance convener Wang Chao-ching (王兆慶) said the new rules “will not help address the low birthrate.”

Hong Kong “has no restrictions at all” on hiring migrant domestic workers, but its fertility rate is similar to Taiwan’s, at about 0.8 percent, showing that looser access to such workers does not necessarily translate into higher birthrates, Wang said.

A survey conducted by the alliance last year found that access to migrant domestic workers would do little to boost the employment of Taiwanese women, he added.

Taiwan Labor Front secretary-general Yang Shu-wei (楊書瑋) said easing eligibility could undermine the job stability of about 25,000 childcare workers in Taiwan, including babysitters and preschool personnel.

The measure would render foreign domestic workers as “low-paid workers with long hours,” Yang said.

Migrant domestic workers are not covered by the Labor Standards Act (勞動基準法), receive wages far below the minimum wage and lack full rest protections, he said, adding that their monthly pay often falls short of NT$30,000, even when they do not take days off.


content_text:
WARNING: People who start fires in the forest could be fined NT$600,000 and if that fire destroys a forest, they could receive a sentence of three to 10 years in prison

More than 97 percent of forest fires in Taiwan were caused by human activity, the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency said yesterday, calling on the public to refrain from starting fires in forests during the high-risk season.

There have been a few days without rain in central and southern Taiwan and the Central Weather Administration has forecast that there would be less spring rain this year, which indicates that the forest fire high-risk season has begun, the agency said.

Citing data from the forest fire risk assessment system, the agency said the risk has significantly risen for lowland hill areas in Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as in Nantou, Chiayi and Pingtung counties.

Firefighters work to extinguish a forest fire in Chiayi County in an undated photograph. Photo courtesy of the Chiayi Forest District Office

Some of these regions have already reached “dangerous” or “very dangerous” risk levels, it said.

Forest fuels are dry enough to catch fire even from a spark, the agency said, calling on people traveling to mountainous areas to be aware of fire safety.

Agency Deputy Director-General Liao Yi-kuang (廖一光) said forest fires could damage tree resources and cause more fallen branches.

They could also cause thermal expansion and contraction in the ground surface, leading to more fallen stones, he said.

Although there has been no casualty in past forest fires in Taiwan, such fires could threaten public safety if they spread to surrounding highways, electricity pylons or human communities, Liao said, adding that more than 97 percent of forest fires in Taiwan stemmed from human activities.

Human activities that risk starting forest fires include burning garbage or agricultural waste in the wild, burning joss paper while visiting a grave on Tomb Sweeping Day, improper use of fire or littering of cigarette butts, agency data showed.

Forest fire season usually runs from October through April, the agency said.

There were 220 forest fires from 2021 to last year, of which 100, or about 45 percent, occurred in March and April, the data showed.

People should refrain from unnecessary burning in forests to help prevent forest fires, the agency said.

The public can also use the agency’s forest fire warning index to understand their location’s forest fire risk levels in real-time, it said, adding that the agency would use cell broadcasts to notify people in high-risk regions of the dangers.

Article 34 of the Forestry Act (森林法) states that people cannot set fires in forests without permission and those who contravene would face a fine of up to NT$600,000, the agency said.

Those who start a fire that destroys a forest could be sentenced to jail for three to 10 years and would be held liable for damages, it said.

People who spot a forest fire can call 0800-000-930 or the 119 hotlines to report the incident, the agency said, adding that they could earn a reward of up to NT$100,000 if the report is proven to be true.

title: Agency warns that high-risk forest fire season has started


content_text:
Ex-CPC oil exec goes missing days before sentencing for corruption

The former head of the refinery division of state-run oil supplier CPC Corp, Taiwan removed his ankle monitor and went missing in Pingtung County yesterday, just days before he was due to be sentenced for corruption.

In a statement, the Ciaotou District Court said it activated a response plan after receiving a notification that former CPC executive Hsu Han (徐漢), who was scheduled to be sentenced on Monday, had removed his electronic monitoring device.

The Chinese-language United Daily News reported that Hsu’s ankle monitor stopped sending out signals at around noon, and that law enforcement later recovered the broken device in Pingtung’s Wanluan Township (萬巒).

Prosecutors “strongly suspect” that Hsu -- who has family members overseas and who had applied unsuccessfully for permission to travel abroad for his son’s wedding while out on bail -- headed south toward the Pingtung coast to be smuggled out of Taiwan by sea, the report said.

Now in his mid-60s, Hsu took over as chief executive of CPC Corp, Taiwan’s refinery division in Kaohsiung in 2019.

In January 2022, Ciaotou prosecutors and officials from the Ministry of Justice’s Agency Against Corruption searched Hsu’s office, seizing NT$27.1 million (US $848,177) in cash.

Prosecutors alleged Hsu used his procurement authority limit of NT$200 million to steer eight purchasing contracts worth almost NT$1 billion to select companies, which in turn paid him NT$16.86 million in bribes.

In May of that year, prosecutors indicted Hsu and 20 other suspects from three companies for violations of the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例) and other crimes.

After being detained for over a year in the run-up to his trial, Hsu, who alone among the suspects maintained his innocence, was granted NT$5 million bail in June 2023, though he was banned from leaving the country and required to wear an ankle monitor.

In 2024, the Ciaotou District Court rejected a request by Hsu to travel abroad to attend his son’s wedding. The court said there was ample reason to believe Hsu could try to flee, as his two sons had lived abroad for many years and his wife left Taiwan in 2023.


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SECURITY

CGA expels Chinese vessel

The coast guard yesterday expelled a China Coast Guard vessel that entered waters near Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島), the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said. The vessel was first detected at 9:15am on Wednesday outside restricted waters, the CGA said, adding that it dispatched the patrol ship Kaohsiung to monitor and intercept the Chinese boat. The vessel entered restricted waters at about 9:40am, prompting the Kaohsiung to approach and issue radio warnings in Chinese and English ordering the vessel to leave, it said. The Chinese boat exited the area at about 10:55am, the CGA said. The agency said it had expelled four incursions involving three Chinese coast guard vessels in restricted waters near Dongsha so far this year. The entries could be part of “gray zone” tactics, it added.

TRANSPORTATION

Centenary tickets announced

Taiwan Railway Corp (TRC) yesterday announced that the Yuli-Guanshan section between Hualien and Taitung counties is to mark its 100th anniversary with 1,000 commemorative tickets. Ticket buyers would receive a keychain inspired by Yuli Station and two platform tickets with the former names of the stations — “Pushige” for Yuli and “Lilong” for Guanshan. Priced at NT$500 each, the ticket sets would be available at Guanshan Station from 9am today, with a purchase limit of two per person, the TRC said. Meanwhile, Guanshan Station would host an exhibition on the section’s history, and a ceremony honoring past contributors and frontline staff who dedicated themselves to its construction and operation, it said. Themed merchandise would be available for purchase during the event, including scenic postcards, keychain ribbons designed after the CT273 locomotive and various items featuring the TRC’s bear mascot, it added.

SOCIETY

Man saves drowning woman

Kansas City Royals scout Nathan Miller on Wednesday rescued a woman who fell into the sea at Taitung Seaside Park, the Central News Agency reported. The woman, who was allegedly intoxicated, called for help, but the loud waves prevented nearby residents from hearing her, the report said. Miller, who was walking nearby noticed something was wrong and rushed to rescue her, it said. Three students who saw the scene also helped, pulling the woman ashore, it added. Miller cut his feet on the rocks, but declined medical treatment. He said that although he is afraid of water and cannot swim, the woman was in danger so he acted instinctively and could only remind himself to be careful.

CRIME

Drug mule gets prison term

A Polish national has been sentenced to 17 years and eight months in prison for drug smuggling after he swallowed 105 capsules containing more than 1kg of heroin before flying to Taiwan late last year. The Kaohsiung District Court on Monday said the man, surnamed Sikora, and an unknown man in Laos arranged to smuggle the heroin in exchange for US$300. After receiving the capsules on Oct. 27 last year, Sikora swallowed the capsules the following day, half an hour before boarding a plane for Kaohsiung International Airport. He was arrested when he landed and taken to a hospital, where he passed the capsules, which contained 89.66 percent pure heroin, weighing 1.04kg, the court said. Sikora admitted to acting as a drug mule, but said a man had threatened to harm his family if he did not help smuggle drugs. The court determined that the story was likely fabricated.

title: Taiwan News Quick Take


title: Heading on

content_text: North Korea’s Hong Song-ok, left, scores as Chen Ying-hui of Taiwan defends during their AFC Women’s Asian Cup playoff at Gold Coast Stadium in Australia yesterday. North Korea won 4-0, securing a place at next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.


title: Learning made fun

content_text: Children watch an interactive “Carbon Conductivity Challenge” that highlights how different materials conduct electricity and how carbonized biomass can be used at the “Back to the Future: Driving the Green Transition With Imagination” Exhibition held jointly by the Ministry of Environment and the National Taiwan Science Education Center at the center in Taipei.


title: MA-tek forecasts revenue to jump by 50% annually

content_text:
MAJOR GROWTH:  The company has confidence in its silicon photonic-related analysis revenue, which has doubled each year and continues to drive overall growth

Semiconductor material and failure analysis services provider Materials Analysis Technology Inc (MA-tek, 閎康) yesterday said silicon photonic-related analysis services revenue would jump 50 percent this year, fueled by a major technology shift to optics-based packaging solutions for artificial intelligence (AI) data centers.

MA-tek said analysis services for optical communications and AI chips are two major growth drivers this year.

The company’s confidence is built on strong growth in its silicon photonic-related analysis revenue, which has more than doubled each year over the past three years since 2023.

Materials Analysis Technology Inc chairwoman Hsieh Yong-fen poses for a photograph in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Lisa Wang, Taipei Times

Last year alone, services for silicon photonic-related analysis contributed more than NT$200 million (US$6.26 million) to MA-tek’s total revenue, chairwoman Hsieh Yong-fen (謝詠芬) told reporters in Taipei yesterday.

The growth momentum is to extend into this year at an annual rate of 50 percent and also through next year and 2028, Hsieh said. That means that the silicon photonics-related analysis revenue made this year to 2028 could more than double last year’s amount, Hsieh said.

MA-tek has seen explosive demand for material analysis for epi wafers, which are foundation substrates for laser chips used in silicon photonics solutions, Hsieh said.

However, demand remained low for failure analysis and reliability analysis for silicon photonics modules and systems, she said.

That indicated that silicon photonics technology is still in the research-and-development stage and would not replace copper cables for data transmission in AI servers by 2028, as some industry leaders have claimed, she said.

Overall, MA-tek expects this year to be a year with “robust” growth.

Revenue is expected to grow by a double-digit percentage this year from NT$554 million last year, she said.

The company has clinched 11.55 percent annual growth in revenue in the first two months totaling NT$886 million, data showed. MA-tek counts the world’s major foundry services providers, semiconductor equipment suppliers and material suppliers as its customers.

Geographically, Japan and the US would outpace other regions in terms of revenue this year, she said.

In Japan, the government is giving its financial backing to the development of 1.4-nanometer technology, which MA-tek provides chip material analysis services and would provide failure analysis services exclusively later this year, she said.

Japan is expected to have a greater revenue contribution of 20 percent this year than 15 percent last year, she said.

MA-tek operates three labs in Hokkaido, Kumamoto and Nagoya in Japan.

The US market also shows rapid growth this year as MA-tek has received orders to provide analysis services for chips used in data centers and autonomous vehicles, Hsieh said.

The company aimed to increase revenue contribution from the US to more than 10 percent this year, from 8 percent last year, she said.

MA-tek is looking at the feasibility of setting up US labs this year due to customers’ requests, Hsieh said.

The company has been resistant to operate a US lab due to expensive operational costs as the construction and labor costs in the US are several times higher than in Taiwan, she said.

The company saw net profits dip 40.84 percent year-over-year to NT$407 million last year from NT$688 million in 2024. Earnings per share dropped to NT$6.10 from NT$10.39.


title: Micron tech plans heavy spending on AI demand

content_text:
Micron Technology Inc warned that it would need to spend heavily on production to meet burgeoning demand, overshadowing an upbeat forecast from the largest US maker of computer memory chips.

Capital spending would exceed US$25 billion this fiscal year, which runs through August, the company said as part of its quarterly report on Wednesday. Analysts had estimated US$22.4 billion.

Micron added that next year’s expenditures would increase more than US$10 billion from the prior year.

Micron Technology president and chief executive officer Sanjay Mehrotra speaks at a groundbreaking ceremony for a new Micron semiconductor manufacturing facility in Clay, New York, on Jan. 16. Photo: Bloomberg

“We project our fiscal 2027 capex to step up meaningfully,” chief executive officer Sanjay Mehrotra said during a conference call.

The heavy spending reflects the cost of keeping up with an insatiable appetite for Micron’s memory chips, especially high-bandwidth components used in artificial intelligence (AI) computing.

Fiscal third-quarter revenue would be approximately US$33.5 billion, the Idaho-based company said.

Analysts estimated US$23.7 billion on average for the period. Excluding some items, profit would be about US$19.15 a share, compared with a projection of US$11.29.

Memory prices have been soaring because of shortages fueled by AI computing demand. High-bandwidth memory is critical to the data transfer needed for training and running AI models. That has led memory makers to allocate more production to these higher-margin orders, hurting supply of other types of memory and causing price spikes.

Micron shares had risen 62 percent this year heading into the report, making it the best-performing stock on the closely watched Philadelphia Stock Exchange Semiconductor Index.

For the fiscal second quarter, which ended on Feb. 26, sales nearly tripled to US$23.9 billion. Earnings climbed to US$12.20 per share. Analysts had estimated US$19.7 billion in revenue and US$9 per share in profit on average.

The company has benefited from an unprecedented data center build-out. Their market is dominated by just three providers — Micron, Samsung Electronics Co and SK Hynix Inc — and demand is expected to stay strong for years to come.

Memory shortages have been good for Micron and its peers, but hard on the broader technology industry and consumers. Supply constraints have raised prices and lowered the number of smartphones and computers slated to ship this year.

HP Inc last month said that the company has seen memory prices roughly double this quarter from the previous period.

The global shortage is likely to persist for another four to five years because of endemic constraints in semiconductor production, SK Group chairman Chey Tae-won said this week.

In the AI market, Micron is working to ramp up production of new high-bandwidth memory, or HBM4. A big question is how much Nvidia Corp would rely on Micron for that component.

Any decision by Nvidia to limit its use of Micron for the new Vera Rubin line — and instead favor rival products — would be a significant blow.

Nvidia is the dominant maker of AI accelerators, the main processors used to power AI. Memory components from Micron and its competitors assist those chips in holding and managing data.

Last month, Micron shares surged after chief financial officer Mark Murphy assured investors that the company is producing HBM4 in high volumes.


title: Steel prices to increase due to conflict in Middle East

content_text:
China Steel Corp (CSC, 中鋼), the nation’s largest steelmaker, yesterday hiked prices for all products for domestic delivery next month and next quarter to reflect rising material costs due to the conflict in the Middle East and improving steel demand.

The Kaohsiung-based company raised prices by NT$1,000 to NT$1,200 across the board, the largest price increase in nearly 17 months.

CSC attributed rising steelmaking costs to Middle East tensions, improving market momentum and active restocking by downstream clients to the price hikes, matching the global steel price uptrends, CSC said in a statement.

Rolls of steel are stacked at a China Steel Corp factory in Kaohsiung in an undated photograph. Photo courtesy of China Steel Corp

Tensions in the Middle East have pushed up crude oil prices past US$100 per barrel, driving up shipping and energy costs, and lifting commodity prices, CSC said.

Iron ore prices have risen to about US$110 per tonne, while coking coal prices have climbed to between US$220 and US$230 per tonne, the company said.

On the supply side, China’s dual controls on carbon emissions and intensity, along with restrictions on high energy-consuming and high-emission projects, have accelerated the phase-out of outdated capacity, CSC said.

Crude steel output in China in the first two months of the year declined by about 3.6 percent year-on-year, it said.

Global steel prices trended up as US steelmaker Nucor Corp raised hot-rolled steel prices by US$60 to US$70 per tonne, marking the ninth consecutive week and bringing steel to above US$1,100, the highest level in nearly two years, it said.

In Europe, steel prices went up by US$70 to US$80 to US$800 per tonne, while Japanese steelmakers raised domestic prices by about ￥10,000 (US$63) per tonne for the second quarter, CSC said.

China’s Baoshan Iron & Steel Co (寶鋼) has increased April domestic prices by 200 yuan (US$29) per tonne, bringing cumulative gains since January to 400 yuan, indicating a continued upward trend in global steel markets, it said.

To reflect higher steelmaking costs and align with international and domestic price trends, CSC decided to raise prices across all products for next month and the second quarter, it said.

Next month, prices for hot-rolled steel plates and coils, hot-rolled coils and cold-rolled coils would increase by NT$1,200 per tonne. Electro-galvanized coils, hot-dip galvanized steel coils for construction and coating, hot-dip galvanized steel coils for home appliances, as well as electrical steel coils, would rise by NT$1,000 per tonne, CSC said.

For the second quarter, prices of various types of steel and coils as well as steel used in automobiles, would rise NT$1,000 across the board, the steelmaker said.


content_text:
Economic growth forecast rises by 8% due to AI demand: Standard Chartered

Standard Chartered Bank yesterday raised its forecast for Taiwan’s economic growth this year to 8 percent, citing strong export momentum driven by surging global demand for semiconductors linked to the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI).

Taiwan would continue to benefit from the AI boom, which is boosting worldwide semiconductor demand and prompting companies to expand investment, thereby supporting its export growth, Standard Chartered senior economist for Greater China and North Asia Tommy Wu (胡東英) told a news conference in Taipei.

Taiwan’s exports swelled 45 percent year-on-year in the first two months of this year, highlighting robust global demand for technology products and electronic components, Wu said.

Taiwan’s economic outlook remains bright as shipments of information and communications technology products and electronic components continue to rise, he said, adding that Taiwan’s leading position in advanced chip manufacturing means its semiconductor industry is likely to thrive for a prolonged period.

Strong exports and sustained investment related to AI would underpin Taiwan’s economic expansion in the coming years, Wu said.

However, Taiwan has seen a “two-speed” economy, similar to other nations across Asia, the economist said.

While the technology and electronics sectors are benefiting from AI-driven demand, traditional industries and private consumption remain relatively weak, he said.

The divergence between sectors has widened household income gaps and helped keep inflation relatively subdued, a trend that is likely to persist for the time being.

Wu also highlighted several uncertainties that could affect Taiwan’s economic momentum, including ongoing fluctuations in global oil prices, potential tariff risks associated with US trade policies and a slowdown in the property market.

Nevertheless, Taiwan’s strong position in the global semiconductor supply chain would remain a key driver of growth in the near term, Wu said.

Meanwhile, Standard Chartered chief economist for Greater China and North Asia Ding Shuang (丁爽) said that global economic growth remains resilient this year despite uncertainties stemming from US tariffs.

That said, some risks are yet to be fully priced in and the key drivers of global economic momentum are gradually shifting from monetary policy to fiscal policy, Ding said.

Domestic demand and investment are also increasingly replacing exports as the main forces shaping economic development, he said.

As geopolitical factors increasingly reshape global economic strategies, commodities such as oil, rare earths and semiconductors are likely to take on greater importance, he said.

The surge in oil prices amid military conflicts in the Middle East poses challenges for energy-importing Asian economies, he said.

“It is too early to assess the full impact, but the longer the conflict lasts, the greater the negative challenges will be,” Ding said.


title: Manga comes to Germany

content_text: A person dressed in cosplay looks at figures displayed as part of the Manga-Comic-Con during the Leipzig Book Fair in Germany yesterday. Running until Sunday, this year’s fair explores the literary and historical landscape of the Danube, tracing the river’s path through 10 countries, from Germany and Austria to Romania and the Black Sea.


title: EDITORIAL: Celebrating 30 years of democracy

content_text:
Direct presidential elections signify that Taiwan is a sovereign and independent nation, President William Lai (賴清德) said on Saturday at an event marking the 30th anniversary of the first direct presidential vote.

The latter half of the 20th century witnessed Taiwan’s transformation into a democracy, from the lifting of martial law in 1987 to the abolition of the Temporary Provisions for the Period of Mobilization for the Suppression of Communist Rebellion in 1991 and the complete re-election of the legislature in 1992. These political evolutions underline a shift in the government’s priorities — that is, it no longer competes with the Chinese Communist Party for the power to represent all of China, but is dedicated to refining the national and power structure with “Taiwan” as its core.

On March 23, 1996, Taiwan held its first-ever direct presidential election, an epoch-making event to strengthen its strategic position, both legally and practically, as a distinct nation separate from China. Despite China launching military drills and firing missiles to intimidate Taiwanese, the election — with Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) representing the then-ruling Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), Peng Ming-min (彭明敏) representing the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and two independent candidates — drew a voter turnout of 76.04 percent, reflecting the vast majority’s expectations and determination to take part in the democratic process.

The direct election of national leaders signifies that “sovereignty belongs to the people,” and the public vote affirmed the legitimacy of the government and the democratic system, guiding Taiwan out of the dark era of the KMT’s authoritarian rule, Lai said.

More important, it affirmed Taiwan’s status as “a sovereign and independent country,” he said.

“Whether called the Republic of China [ROC], Republic of China (Taiwan), or simply Taiwan, the nation has gained a renewed life through constitutional amendments,” he added.

The election also established the “status quo” that neither the ROC nor the People’s Republic of China is subordinate to the other, he said.

Thirty years on, Taiwan is widely recognized as a “beacon of democracy” in Asia and a key economic hub for the global high-tech supply chain.

However, communist China has never renounced its ambition to take over Taiwan, and continues to employ military intimidation, economic coercion and diplomatic isolation in an attempt to subjugate Taiwan. It has also adopted legal and cognitive warfare to push its “one China principle” and perpetuate the misconception that Taiwan is part of China. Furthermore, it has implemented legislation, such as the “Anti-Secession” Law, to intimidate Taiwanese through long-arm jurisdiction and transnational suppression.

Most of the nation’s presidents have been dedicated to promoting Taiwan as an independent and sovereign nation. Lee redefined cross-strait ties as a “special state-to-state relationship,” while Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) called them “one country on each side” and initiated an attempt to apply for UN membership under the name “Taiwan.” The administration of former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) as well as the current administration have emphasized that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are “not subordinate to each other.”

As a growing number of countries have stood up to counter China’s bullying tactics, including refuting its misinterpretation of UN Resolution 2758 to suppress Taiwan’s international participation, and endorsing Taiwan’s autonomy, the government and the citizenry alike need to step up efforts to expand international recognition of Taiwan as an independent and sovereign nation.

Within Taiwan, challenges also remain to safeguard the nation’s sovereignty and valuable democracy. As Asia-Pacific Peace Research Foundation chairman Hsu Hsin-Liang (許信良) said, the lack of consensus between the ruling and opposition parties on the essence of constitutionalism has been the most vulnerable link in Taiwan’s democracy.

Ignoring surveys showing that more than 80 percent of the citizenry identify as “Taiwanese,” while the percentages of those who identify as “Chinese” or “both Taiwanese and Chinese” have sharply declined, KMT Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) declared that the party is committed to “make Taiwanese proud to be ‘Chinese.’” This demonstrates a political divergence endangering Taiwan’s sovereignty. The opposition parties have also repeatedly blocked proposed defense budgets and the general budget, putting the nation’s security and governance at risk. Much of the legislation passed by the opposition-

controlled legislature have been ruled unconstitutional, constraining the president’s power to rule.

Over three decades, direct presidential elections have nurtured Taiwan’s democratic system. Facing external threats and internal political unrest, Taiwan needs to further advance and consolidate its democratic system to ensure stable national development.

people: 彭明敏 鄭麗文 許信良 蔡英文 李登輝 賴清德 陳水扁


title: Flexible and pragmatic diplomacy

people: 蔡英文 李登輝 賴清德 陳水扁 卓榮泰 馬英九

content_text:
Under continuous pressure from the opposite side of the Taiwan Strait, Taiwan’s sports teams are required to compete internationally under the name “Chinese Taipei.” Last week, during the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women’s Asian Cup held in Australia, former Taiwan soccer coach Chen Kuei-jen (陳貴人) — who was a Ministry of Sports advisory committee member for the women’s national team and head coach of the men’s national team from 2012 to 2016 — was removed from the venue for shouting “Go Taiwan” from the sidelines. Upon hearing the news, both athletes and citizens alike felt deeply aggrieved. In the course of conducting diplomacy, governments often face many unspoken hardships.

If our nation hopes to expand its diplomatic space, it cannot afford to be overly concerned with symbolic titles or formalities — instead, it must proceed with flexibility and pragmatism. This was true during the era of former president Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國), and likewise during the time of former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝). It was also true under the administrations of former presidents Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), and must continue under President William Lai’s (賴清德) government. The success of pragmatic diplomacy relies on cooperation between the ruling and opposition parties, and unity of purpose from the highest to the lowest levels of government.

Therefore, most citizens should understand why, when traveling to the Tokyo Dome to cheer on the national baseball team, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) had to do as a “private citizen” and paid for at his own expense. First, it was to avoid causing any difficulties for the host government, and second, it was to prevent deliberate obstruction or complications from the Legislative Yuan. Anyone who keeps national interests in mind, sees issues from others’ perspectives and possesses empathy can appreciate both the approach and intent behind Cho’s actions.

If some are still questioning why Cho has not acknowledged the trip as an “official duty” and continue to nitpick the Executive Yuan over every little detail, then they no longer hold issue with Cho as a person — rather, they are questioning the pragmatic diplomatic practices followed by the Lai administration and are making things difficult for the Republic of China itself.

State affairs are difficult, and diplomacy is no easy task. The public has witnessed firsthand the merits and outcomes of Cho’s trip to Tokyo, and would ultimately render its own judgement.

Yao Meng-chang is an assistant professor in Fu Jen Catholic University’s Department of Postgraduate Legal Studies.

Translated by Kyra Gustavsen


title: National mesh network an option

content_text:
Taiwan relies on subsea cables, satellites and fiber optic cables to remain connected. However, in times of conflict, none of these would be enough to ensure that the government can communicate with its citizens, or that citizens could communicate with each other. A mesh network, on the other hand, ensures sovereignty and autonomy. We therefore propose that the government initiate a discussion about constructing the world’s first national mesh network in Taiwan.

Mesh networks have been used by protesters in Hong Kong and elsewhere to keep communication going even when the traditional Internet is shut down. They often consist of small personal devices such as smartphones or Meshtastic LoRa nodes that relay messages to each other through a wireless signal or Bluetooth, instead of going through a centralized server.

Taiwan’s connectivity strategy is prone to fail in times of conflict. An adversary would likely cut subsea cables; Internet exchange points could be hit by missiles, further diminishing domestic connectivity. Satellites could be a backup, providing emergency low bandwidth connections to citizens. Vehicles with satellite dishes could be deployed to regions in crisis. However, with a limited amount of those, they could also be targeted by sabotage or missiles.

We suggest that the government explore the idea of building yet another layer of defense for resilience — a national mesh network. To create a reliable network that connects the west coast urban areas from Keelung to Kaohsiung, one would need large amounts of handheld devices, probably in the hundreds of thousands. To maintain connectivity on the east coast, mesh networks could still play a role, but it would need more nodes that have a longer range than handheld devices and would ideally be deployed on roofs.

Why do all this? When the government has no other way of communicating with its people, mesh devices would be the primary channel to relay the most essential government information. The government would not be able to send video or audio messages, but texts should be sufficient for the most important updates. Handheld devices also have a long battery life that would further bolster resilience. As there are so many devices, a foreign adversary would be unable to destroy a significant number.

Nevertheless, there are a few things to keep in mind. In the case of the Meshtastic network, about 80 to 90 percent of the devices would be on client mute mode, which functions as “receive only” nodes, while the rest of the devices relay communication, extending the network. This method prevents the network from becoming congested.

Wireless signals that a mesh network relies on to relay messages could be jammed, but this could be mitigated through frequency hopping techniques. Another weak point is that a foreign adversary could hijack these networks to spread disinformation, but with proper cryptography to authenticate message origins, such as the Reticulum network, this risk could be countered.

This brings us to the next hurdle in deploying a national mesh network. Many mesh device producers hail from China. However, Taiwan could easily manufacture these LoRa mesh devices with its advanced chip producing capability. Mesh devices only consist of a microcontroller (chip), another radio chip, an antenna and a battery.

If the government were to initiate a broader discussion on the pros and cons of a national mesh network, and decided to adopt the mesh network strategy, it could easily set up and scale production. When the project is deployed successfully, Taiwan could export its solution to other countries who face similar adversarial challenges to connectivity.

Valentin Weber is a visiting fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, and a senior associate fellow at the German Council on Foreign Relations. Myf Ma is a human rights researcher and an active member of New York City’s mesh network community.


title: Realigning discourse on energy transition

content_text:
Public discourse around the nation’s energy transition has increasingly been reduced to single-line, reductive narratives — for example, portraying green energy as a “futile pipe dream,” questioning the pace of Taiwan’s renewable energy development or even rejecting the transition’s overall direction. Such remarks might sound sharp, but they oversimplify the complex realities of energy governance, and tend to conflate the inevitable challenges of the transition process with the failure of the transition itself.

An energy transition is not a short-term undertaking, but a long-term restructuring that involves power grid construction, energy storage deployment, land-usage coordination and an overhaul of market mechanisms. To judge renewable energy as being infeasible based solely on changes in the share of electricity generation over the past few years is, in itself, a fallacy that uses short-term results to negate long-term policies. Applying the same standard to nuclear power would lead to a similar conclusion — getting from planning and review to actual commercial operation often takes more than a decade. As such, short-term performance is an inappropriate basis for assessing feasibility.

Some critics tend to focus on the land-use controversies surrounding solar power, yet fail to fully account for the diverse technological and institutional paths of renewable energy development. Rooftop systems, agrivoltaics and floating installations are precisely the policy choices adopted in many other countries to reduce land-use conflicts and enhance spatial efficiency. When the entire discussion focuses on just a few highly contentious cases, it risks obscuring the issues that truly warrant attention — namely, whether policy design is comprehensive and governance capacity adequate.

Furthermore, equating unmet policy targets directly with policy failure can easily lead to misjudgements in public evaluation. By nature, public policy must be adjusted in response to market conditions, technological maturity and the external environment. Throughout the past decade, the cost of renewable energy has continued to fall and global investment has grown rapidly, demonstrating that the energy transition’s overall trajectory has not been reversed as a result of short-term setbacks. Rather than rejecting the energy transition’s overall direction, what warrants closer scrutiny is whether institutional supports have kept pace with its demands.

More importantly, energy choices cannot exist separately from Taiwan’s structural realities. With a heavy reliance on imported energy, rising carbon costs and international supply chain demands for green electricity, Taiwan cannot avoid the long-term challenges of its energy transition. Advocating for a return to a highly centralized or import-dependent energy structure solely because of the difficulties encountered during the transition could expose the nation to even greater risks with regard to energy security and economic stability.

The energy transition is imperfect and requires continuous ajustments, but negatively labeling the entire process fails to address real-world challenges such as energy security, industrial competitiveness and climate risks. Public discussions should focus on how to strengthen institutional design and improve implementation capacity, rather than letting emotional judgements replace rational analysis.

In an era of rapid global energy restructuring, what Taiwan needs is a more mature discussion surrounding energy governance. Only through continuous adjustments across institutional, technological and social conditions can the energy transition become a policy choice that is demonstrable and worthy of public trust.

Lin Ren-bin is an academic member of the Taiwan Environmental Protection Union and an associate professor at Chinese Culture University’s chemical and materials engineering department.

Translated by Kyra Gustavsen


title: Trump’s summit delay casts pall over US-China trade truce

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Trump delays Beijing summit as Iran war and trade tensions complicate US-China ties

US President Donald Trump’s request to delay the planned summit in Beijing with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) casts a shadow over mutual ties that have been stable since their meeting in October last year, but is unlikely to cause a major setback, analysts said.

Trump’s move shows how the Iran conflict has upended his foreign policy agenda, and added war to trade and Taiwan among the spectrum of issues separating the world’s two biggest economies. The delay hits pause on the retooling of bilateral relations just as both sides concluded high-stakes trade talks in Paris on Monday to lay the groundwork for Trump’s Beijing trip, originally slated for the end of the month.

The negotiations followed Washington’s imposition of new investigations into “unfair trade practices,” aimed at rebuilding trade pressure on countries around the world — including China — after the US Supreme Court struck down Trump’s global tariffs last month.

“The situation is not in jeopardy, and Beijing still wants to organize the summit, but the US-Iran conflict and the Supreme Court ruling on tariff policies have complicated these efforts,” Fudan University international relations expert Zhao Minghao (趙明昊) said. “It makes US-China interactions this year more difficult because of Trump’s ‘war of choice’ in Iran.”

The postponement would mean there was also time for more trade actions, Zhao added.

“The White House says it will continue its tariff policy, but without a doubt, we could see new uncertainties in this regard that impact Beijing’s calculations on dealing with the US,” he said.

A source familiar with the Paris talks said before the second day of meetings that China showed openness to potential additional purchases of US agricultural goods, including poultry, beef and non-soybean crops. The two sides also discussed the flow of rare earths, largely controlled by China, and new approaches to manage trade and investment between the countries.

The state-run China Daily described the negotiations in an editorial published on Tuesday as “constructive,” but warned Trump that Beijing’s “openness should not be mistaken for acquiescence.”

“The US side should refrain from taking any further actions that could disrupt or undermine a stable China-US economic relationship. Actions that inject uncertainty — whether tariffs, restrictive measures or unilateral investigations — do just that,” the editorial said.

That sentiment would similarly apply to the setting up of the summit, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy associate professor Alfred Wu (吳木鑾) said.

“The fluctuations [in plans] are not ideal from China’s perspective. China actually wants something more predictable,” he added.

MIXED MESSAGES

US officials have sent mixed messages about the reason for the delay. On Sunday, Trump told the Financial Times he might postpone the meeting if China did not help unblock the Strait of Hormuz.

On Monday, US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent said Trump might need to delay the trip due to coordinating the war effort, not because of the request that China help police the strait or because of any trade disagreements.

Despite the delay, the priority for both sides is keeping relations on an even keel and continuing to plan for a successful visit, analysts said.

For the export-reliant Chinese economy, dealing with rising uncertainty in the global economy was the No. 1 priority, they added.

“China’s first priority remains keeping the relationship with the US relatively steady so it can continue focusing on self-strengthening in preparation for the longer-term strategic competition ahead,” Brookings Institution foreign policy fellow Patricia Kim said.

China understood keeping Trump satisfied was key to managing bilateral ties and would still host Trump, even though it might be wary of giving him too grand a reception as the US continued military operations against Iran, a strategic partner for Beijing, Kim added.

“Trump is preoccupied with a war in Iran that has not been resolved as quickly as predicted, so he is keen to ensure that the military and economic fallout from that is contained within the next couple of weeks or so, which means planning a successful visit to Beijing is next to impossible,” Asia Society fellow on Chinese politics Neil Thomas said. “From China’s perspective, there’s been a lot of concern in Beijing about the lack of preparations from the American side for the summit, so Chinese policymakers wouldn’t mind an extra few weeks to prepare for a more substantive visit.”

Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Lin Jian (林劍) echoed this sentiment on Monday when asked about Trump’s weekend remarks.

“Diplomacy between heads of state plays an irreplaceable role in providing strategic guidance to China-US relations,” he said.

There is ongoing communication about the timing of the trip, Lin added.


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Regional powers call for decisive action against Iran, balancing energy security with risk of wider war

Gulf states did not ask the US to go to war with Iran, but many are now urging it not to stop short by leaving the Islamic Republic still able to threaten the Gulf’s oil lifeline and the economies that depend on it, three Gulf sources said.

At the same time, these sources, and five Western and Arab diplomats said Washington was pressing Gulf states to join the US-Israeli war. According to three of them, US President Donald Trump wants to show regional backing for the campaign to bolster its international legitimacy as well as support at home.

“There is a wide feeling across the Gulf that Iran has crossed every red line with every Gulf country,” Gulf Research Center chairman Abdulaziz Sager said.

“At first we defended them and opposed the war, but once they began directing strikes at us, they became an enemy. There is no other way to classify them” he said.

Tehran has already demonstrated its reach, attacking airports, ports, oil facilities and commercial hubs in the six Gulf states with missiles and drones while disrupting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz — the artery carrying about one-fifth of global oil and underpinning Gulf economies.

The attacks have reinforced Gulf fears that leaving Iran with any significant offensive weaponry or arms manufacturing capacity could embolden it to hold the region’s energy lifeline hostage whenever tensions rise.

As the war entered its third week, with US and Israeli airstrikes intensifying, and Iran firing at US bases and civilian targets across the Gulf, a source said the prevailing mood among leaders was unmistakable: That Trump should comprehensively degrade Iran’s military capacity.

The alternative was living under constant threat, the source said, adding that unless Iran was severely weakened, it would continue to hold the region to ransom.

Predominantly Shi’ite Muslim Iran has often viewed its Sunni Arab Gulf neighbors — close allies of the US that host US military bases — with deep suspicion, even if relations with Qatar and Oman have generally been less fraught.

Over the years, Iran and its regional allies have been accused of attacks on Gulf energy installations, not least a 2019 strike on Saudi Arabia’s Abqaiq and Khurais oil facilities — for which Iran denied responsibility — that halved Saudi Arabian output and rattled energy markets.

For Gulf leaders, inaction is now the greater risk.

The effect of Iran’s attacks this month goes far beyond specific material damage, not only disrupting oil flows, but also damaging a hard-won image of stability and security that has underpinned Gulf countries’ attempts to expand trade and tourism, and rely less on fossil fuel exports.

“If the Americans pull out before the task is complete, we’ll be left to confront Iran on our own,” Sager said.

In response to those concerns, the White House said the US was “crushing [Iran’s] ability to shoot these weapons or produce more,” and that Trump was “in close contact with our partners in the Middle East.”

Of the Gulf countries, only the United Arab Emirates (UAE) responded, saying it “does not seek to be drawn into conflicts or escalation,” but affirmed its right to “take all necessary measures” to safeguard its sovereignty, security and integrity, and ensure residents’ safety.

Sources in the region said unilateral military action by any Gulf state remained off the table, because only collective intervention would avoid exposing individual countries to retaliation.

Moreover, consensus is still elusive. The six members of the Gulf Cooperation Council — Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman and the UAE — have held just one Zoom call, and no Arab summit has been convened to discuss coordinated action.

Gulf leaders remain deeply fearful of triggering a broader, uncontrollable conflagration.

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth last week said Gulf partners were “stepping up even more,” and were willing to “go on the offense” while already working with Washington on collective and integrated air defenses, although he did not specify what else they might do.

A senior UAE official said his country had chosen restraint, after Iran said the US military had used the UAE to strike Kharg Island, home to Iran’s main oil export terminal.

Yet, Sager said Saudi Arabia, Iran’s main rival for regional influence, could be forced to retaliate if Iran crossed red lines, notably with strikes on major oil facilities or desalination plants, or causing heavy casualties.

“In that case, Saudi Arabia would have no choice but to intervene,” Sager said.

Riyadh would nevertheless try to calibrate any response to avoid further escalation, he added.

London School of Economics international relations professor Fawaz Gerges said that at heart, the Gulf states face a strategic dilemma: Balancing the immediate threat of Iranian attacks against the far greater risk of being drawn into a war led by the US and Israel.

Joining that campaign would add little to Washington’s military superiority while sharply increasing exposure to Iranian reprisals, he said. The result is calculated restraint: Defending sovereignty and signaling red lines without entering a war the Gulf countries neither started nor control.

Right now, Iran’s leverage is evident. It has effectively been deciding which ships could pass through the strait, something no state in the region considers acceptable.

“Now that Iran has shown it can shut down Hormuz, the Gulf faces a fundamentally different threat,” Princeton University near eastern studies professor Bernard Haykel said. “If it’s not addressed, this danger will be long term.”

Trump on Sunday called — with little initial success — for a coalition of nations to help reopen the waterway.

While the global economy depends on Gulf oil and gas, most of it flows east to China, Japan and other Asian economies, meaning that they, too, must shoulder responsibility, Haykel said.

“China helped secure maritime routes off Somalia; it might be willing to step in here too,” Haykel added.

title: Gulf states press US to neutralise Iran for good


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Pakistan unleashes airstrikes, escalating tensions with TalibanIslamabad’s attempts to force the Taliban to act against militants spark fears of wider regional instability

An escalating Pakistani campaign of airstrikes against targets in Afghanistan is aimed at forcing the Taliban authorities to abandon their support for Pakistani militants, officials and experts said.

The strategy is to impose such a steep cost on the Taliban administration that it acts to prevent attacks emanating from Afghanistan. Yet, it carries the risk of spiraling violence.

Afghan authorities on Tuesday said an overnight airstrike in Kabul had hit a drug rehabilitation center, killing 400 people.

Islamabad described that claim as propaganda, saying that the targets were “military and terrorist infrastructure.”

Since the 2021 Taliban takeover, waves of terrorist attacks have pummeled Pakistan, launched from what Islamabad considers to be sanctuaries in Afghanistan.

Pakistan said that its patience has snapped, naming an operation launched at the end of last month “Ghazab lil-Haq,” or “Righteous Fury.”

A senior Pakistani security official said that, as Pakistan was facing a rise in bloodshed, Afghanistan should also suffer, adding: “Why should they live in peace?”

The Taliban has denounced the airstrikes as a violation of sovereignty and vowed to retaliate. It has hinted at unleashing suicide bombers.

“They should not think that they can martyr people in Kabul, destroy the city and disturb its security, while remaining safe in Islamabad,” said Taliban Minister of Defense Mohammad Yaqoob, son of the movement’s founder, Mullah Omar.

Taliban Minister of Foreign Affairs Amir Khan Muttaqi compared the airstrike to Israel’s actions in Gaza, “repeated with full cruelty by a Muslim neighbor.”

Some of the airstrikes are rumored to have targeted Taliban leaders. Pakistan might eventually look for even more radical options.

In past decades, Islamabad backed armed opposition in Afghanistan, including the Taliban. However, no obvious group now exists to stage an uprising, while experts in Pakistan have said that this strategy backfired repeatedly. Islamabad has called for a more “inclusive” government in Kabul.

In recent months, Pakistan also imposed other measures, such as closing the border for trade to landlocked Afghanistan and expelling hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees.

Mosharraf Zaidi, a spokesperson for Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, said Pakistan had no quarrel with Afghans.

The airstrikes were based on intelligence and as accurate as counterterrorism operations anywhere, he added.

“There’s one objective: protect the people of Pakistan from further terrorist attacks,” Zaidi said. “Under this [Taliban] regime, there is a clear and sustained protection, nurturing and support for terrorist groups that has to end.”

Former Pakistani foreign secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry said Islamabad had tried to negotiate with the Taliban, bilaterally and with the involvement of other countries as mediators, including China and Middle Eastern nations, without results.

“The Taliban are running the state as a militia, rather than a government that cares for its people,” Chaudhry said. “Pakistan’s actions are defensive, not offensive.”

Former Pakistani ambassador to Afghanistan Asif Durrani said the West had washed its hands of Afghanistan with the 2021 withdrawal of foreign forces, leaving Pakistan to deal with the fallout.

“Pakistan has borne the pain,” Durrani said. “This is payback time.”

Durrani predicted that the Taliban government would not last, with tribal factions or other opponents emerging at some point in the future.

US-led international forces, present in Afghanistan for 20 years after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, had accused Pakistan of harboring the Taliban.

Islamabad said that Pakistani militants are now based in Afghanistan and that Afghans have also joined them.

Some analysts warned that just as those international and Afghan soldiers had failed to defeat the Taliban, a military onslaught from Pakistan would not work and had no clear off-ramp.

Pakistan has always tried to avoid being sandwiched between a hostile Afghanistan to the west and the threat from its foe India to the east, a scenario it now confronts. The US-Israeli war on Iran adds further instability along another of Pakistan’s borders.

Sanober Institute executive director Qamar Cheema said that Pakistan’s military leadership — led by Field Marshal Asim Munir — was different.

Munir has been described by US President Donald Trump as his “favorite field marshal.”

“The military leadership at the moment has a view that we need to act hard, we need to act strong, we need to be bold and we need to deal with the threat wherever it is,” Cheema said. “Nothing is off the table.”


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ONE MORE CHANCE:  While North Korea denied Taiwan in Australia, Taiwan, who last played in the World Cup in 1991, could still qualify via inter-confederation playoffs

Taiwan yesterday lost 4-0 to a dominant North Korea in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup playoffs, closing off an avenue to qualify for the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Hong Song-ok scored a hat-trick in the match to determine the last of the confederation’s qualifiers from the tournament for next year’s World Cup in Brazil.

With their victory over Taiwan, North Korea has qualified for the first time since a doping saga in 2011 led to their long absence from top-tier international tournaments.

Taiwan midfielder Matsunaga Saki, right, controls the ball in front of North Korea midfielder Ri Hak during their AFC Women’s Asian Cup playoffs match at Gold Coast Stadium in Gold Coast, Australia, yesterday. Photo: EPA

Angela Beard and Jaclyn Sawicki scored in a six-minute span to help the Philippines secure a World Cup spot with a 2-0 victory over Uzbekistan in the afternoon game.

There were six guaranteed World Cup spots on offer at the continental championship, with Australia, Japan, China and South Korea assured places as quarter-final winners. The quarter-final losers went into playoffs at the Gold Coast for the fifth and sixth spots.

Taiwan and Uzbekistan still have another chance to qualify for Brazil via inter-confederation playoffs, which would offer an additional two tickets. Uzbekistan have never been to a World Cup and Taiwan just once, back in 1991.

The Women’s Asian Cup concludes tomorrow with the final between Australia and Japan.

North Korea officials in 2011 blamed traditional medicines based on deer glands for causing the squad’s five positive tests for steroids at the Women’s World Cup.

After two players were caught during the tournament, FIFA tested the rest of the North Korean squad and found three more positive results.

A subsequent ban resulted in North Korea missing the 2014 Asian Cup. They failed to qualify for 2018 and missed the 2022 tournament because of travel restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Head coach Ri Song-ho’s young North Korea squad in Australia included players he guided to the Under-20 Women’s World Cup title in 2024.

The three-time champions were playing at the Women’s Asian Cup for the first time since losing the 2010 final to Australia, and narrowly lost to the Matildas in the quarter-finals after placing second to 2022 champion China in Group B.

“We’ll play harder to become champions next time,” the 22-year-old Hong said in comments translated for a tournament social media post.

The Philippines had nine shots at goal in the first half without being able to break the deadlock, but Beard needed only two minutes following the interval to make it 1-0.

The ex-Australia youth international perfectly timed her run to the edge of the box and leaped to drive a left-foot volley into the net after Jael-Marie Guy’s long, high cross from the right.

Guy crossed from the right again for Sawicki to double the lead with a header in the 52nd to ensure the win.

The Philippines bench cleared at the full-time whistle as the substitute players sprinted onto the pitch and joined their teammates to celebrate back-to-back World Cup qualification.

With a view to World Cup qualifying, Philippines coach Mark Torcaso rotated his team in the quarter-finals, which resulted in a 7-0 loss to Japan, Asia’s top-ranked women’s team.

With a first-choice starting lineup restored, the Philippines had too much fire power for Uzbekistan.

“It’s another step in the right direction for Philippines women’s football, and just shows that we belong on the world stage,” defender Hali Long said.

Australia and two-time champions Japan are to meet in the final for the third time in four Women’s Asian Cups.

Japan on Wednesday beat South Korea 4-1 in Sydney in the semi-final, a night after Sam Kerr’s Australia edged defending champion China 2-1 in Perth.

Japan beat Australia in back-to-back finals in 2014 and 2018.

Separately, the Iranian women’s team, whose plight has become embroiled in the Middle East war, on Wednesday returned to Iran where they were promised a welcome ceremony in Tehran.

Seven members of the delegation had sought asylum in Australia last week after their decision not to sing the national anthem before their opening game at the Women’s Asian Cup. With their demands for protection an embarrassment for Iran’s leaders, but lauded by US President Donald Trump, five later changed their minds, including captain Zahra Ghanbari.

Activists have accused Iranian authorities of pressuring the women’s families — including summoning parents for interrogations — but Tehran has in turn alleged that Australia sought to force the athletes to defect.

Two members have remained in Australia, but the rest of the team completed a long journey back via Malaysia, Oman and then to Istanbul and Turkey’s overland Gurbulak-Bazargan border crossing with Iran.

Additional reporting by AFP

title: Taiwan loss sets back World Cup hopes


title: FBI investigating alleged leaking by departed official

content_text:
The FBI is investigating whether Joe Kent, who resigned his position as a top US counterterrorism official this week in protest of the Iran war, improperly shared classified information, a person familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

The investigation precedes Kent’s resignation on Tuesday from his role as director of the US National Counterterrorism Center, said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing FBI inquiry.

Additional details about what the investigation, which was first reported by the Semafor news Web site, is examining were not immediately available.

Joe Kent, who at the time was running for Congress, speaks at a rally in Washington on Sept. 18, 2021. Photo: Reuters

Kent on Tuesday wrote on X that his departure from the agency was over concerns about the justification for US military strikes in Iran.

He said that he “cannot in good conscience” back the war against Iran.

“Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby,” he wrote.

US President Donald Trump later told reporters that he always thought Kent was “weak on security” and if someone in his administration did not believe Iran was a threat, “we don’t want those people.”

Other Trump administration officials, including CIA Director John Ratcliffe, have since sought to distance themselves from Kent and his assessment of the reasons for the war.

A telephone message was left on Wednesday night for Kent, who previously ran unsuccessfully for the US Congress, with a former campaign manager.


title: Moldovans cut off from water after Russian strike

content_text:
DNIESTER DISASTER:  A ‘wave of pollution with oil products’ has forced authorities to cut the water supply to several areas, including Moldova’s second-largest city

Tens of thousands of Moldovans have been left without water after a Russian strike on a hydroelectric plant in Ukraine resulted in oil polluting a major river that flows through both countries.

Moldovan President Maia Sandu has blamed Russia for the pollution on the Dniester River following an attack on Ukraine’s Novodnistrovsk hydropower plant on March 7, saying it is “threatening Moldova’s water supply.”

The Ukrainian plant is about 15km upstream from Moldova’s northern border with Ukraine and supplies water to about 80 percent of Moldova’s population of about 2.5 million people.

Moscow has repeatedly targeted Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure, such as dams and river ports, since it fully invaded the country in 2022.

“Russia bears full responsibility,” Sandu wrote on X on Sunday.

The Moldovan Ministry of the Environment on Sunday declared an environmental state of alert for 15 days, giving the authorities a legal mechanism to boost technical interventions and impose temporary restrictions on water supplies.

“We are taking this decision to make sure we prevent any risk to the population’s health because of the continuous wave of pollution with oil products, the risk of the pollution spreading, and the exceedance of contaminant levels in the northern area of the Dniester River,” the ministry said.

While oil pollutants have been confirmed in the river following the strike, the exact source of the pollutant is not yet clear.

The situation has forced the authorities to cut the water supply to several districts, including Moldova’s second-largest city of Balti, which has a population of about 90,000 people.

As well as humanitarian aid from Romania, Moldova’s military stepped in this week to distribute drinking water in the northern city from a 10-tonne tanker.

“It’s very hard, very hard,” said 84-year-old Balti resident Liuba Istrati, who has been carrying buckets of water up to her apartment. “We live on the fifth floor, it’s just the two of us, old people, my husband is sick in bed.”

The water shortage has also forced some schools to close and move learning online.

“It’s a complicated situation, I have to come every day to get water,” said Irina Mutluc, a teacher living in Balti. “Even for one person you need quite an amount of water to consume, for the bathroom and so on, so it’s really complicated.”

The authorities are racing to clean up pollution, and analyze and monitor the river water.

Romania, which has close relations with Moldova, has dispatched teams and equipment, such as absorbent materials for dams, to aid cleanup efforts.

“The latest samples taken show an improvement in the water indicators, which confirms the effectiveness of the filters and barriers for the capture and disposal of pollutants,” the ministry said on Wednesday.

Authorities are “working at an accelerated pace” to resume water supplies, “but this decision will be made exclusively on the basis of at least two consecutive sets of analyses, taken on two different days... Protecting the health of citizens remains the absolute priority,” it added.

Moldovan Minister of the Environment Gheorghe Hajder on Wednesday told a news conference that for the first time since the crisis began, three critical monitoring points on the river “reached the admissible limit” of oil pollution.

If the analyses show the same results or improve in the next 48 hours, authorities would consider reopening a pumping station on the northeastern border with Ukraine, which supplies several districts and Balti, Hajder said.

“It is clear evidence that upstream oil diversions have been greatly mitigated, and the absorbing dams have had their effect,” he said.


title: Happiness report warns over effects of social media

content_text:
Heavy social media use contributes to a stark decline in well-being among young people, with the effects particularly worrying in teenage girls in English-speaking countries and western Europe, said the World Happiness Report, which was published yesterday.

Taiwan was 26th in the report, which ranks 147 states, giving the nation a “life evaluation” of 6.714.

Taiwan last year was ranked 27th globally with a score of 6.669.

The annual report, published by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford, showed that Finland is the happiest land in the world for the ninth year in a row, with other Nordic countries such as Iceland (second), Denmark (third), Sweden (fifth) and Norway (sixth) ranking among the top 10.

However, it highlighted how life evaluations among people younger than 25 in New Zealand (11th), Australia (15th), the US (23rd) and Canada (25th) and have dropped significantly over the past decade, and suggested that long hours spent scrolling through social media is a key factor in that trend.

A new entry to the top five is Costa Rica, which climbed to fourth place this year after rising through the ranks from 23rd place in 2023.

The report attributes that to well-being boosts from family bonds and other social connections.

“We think it’s because of the quality of their social lives and the stability that they currently enjoy,” said Jan-Emmanuel de Neve, an Oxford economics professor who directs the Wellbeing Research Centre and coedits the World Happiness Report.

“Latin America more generally has strong family ties, strong social ties, a great level of social capital, as a sociologist would call it, more so than in other places,” De Neve said.

The others in the top 10 were: the Netherlands (seventh), Israel (eighth), Luxembourg (ninth) and Switzerland (10th).

Finland and the other northern European countries’ steady ranking on top is related to a combination of wealth, its equal distribution, having a welfare state that protects people from the risks of recessions and a healthy life expectancy, the report said.

As in previous years, nations in or near zones of major conflict remain at the foot of the rankings. Afghanistan is ranked as the unhappiest country again, with Malawi and Sierra Leone 145th and 146th respectively.

Country rankings were based on answers given by about 100,000 people in 140 countries and territories who were asked to rate their own lives. The study was done in partnership with analytics firm Gallup and the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network.

In most countries, approximately 1,000 people are contacted by telephone or face-to-face each year.

Respondents were asked to evaluate their lives on a scale from 0 to 10. Among people younger than 25 in English-speaking and western European countries, that score dropped by almost 1 point over the past decade.

The report said the negative correlation between well-being and extensive social media use is particularly concerning among teenage girls.

For example, 15-year-old girls who use social media for five hours or more reported a drop in life satisfaction, compared with others who use it less, it said.

Young people who use social media for less than one hour per day report the highest levels of well-being, researchers said, higher than those who do not use social media at all.

However, adolescents are spending an estimated average of 2.5 hours a day on social media, they said.

“It is clear that we should look as much as possible to put the ‘social’ back into social media,” De Neve said.

Researchers said that in some parts of the world, such as the Middle East and South America, the links between social media use and well-being are more positive — and well-being among young people has not fallen despite heavy social media use.

The report said this is due to many factors that differ between continents, but added that heavy social media use in some countries is an important contributing factor to the decline in youth well-being.

It said the most problematic platforms are those with algorithmic feeds, feature influencers and where the main material is visual, because they encourage social comparisons.

Those who use platforms that mainly facilitate communication do better, it said.

Additional reporting by staff writer