content_text:
A German veteran journalist and author said the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau (MJIB) has confirmed his suspicion that he was followed by a Chinese spy on Alishan (阿里山) last year.

Jurgen Kremb, who has long researched Chinese intelligence agencies, Asian geopolitics and cross-strait relations, made the comment during an interview with Taiwan Plus on Sunday.

A video of the interview was subsequently shared by the Canadian Trade Office in Taipei on its Facebook page.

A composite image shows German author Jurgen Kremb during a media interview with Taiwan Plus that aired on Sunday.

Photo: Screen grab from Taiwan in Canada’s Facebook page

Kremb said that last year, while writing a report on Chinese espionage activities targeting Taiwan, he traveled to Alishan with friends. A young Asian woman approached them and struck up a conversation, but Kremb immediately noticed that she spoke with a distinctly northern Chinese accent rather than a Taiwanese one.

He said he was even more surprised when they returned to their hotel and found the woman sitting in the lobby, directly beside one of his colleagues.

He said he immediately warned his friends that she was an intelligence agent from China, and told them to stop talking on the phone.

Although his friends were initially skeptical, Kremb said his experience as the former editor-in-chief of a German magazine and his years working in China had taught him how to quickly identify intelligence operatives.

After returning to Taipei, they reported the incident to the investigation bureau. The bureau reviewed surveillance footage and confirmed that the woman, who had not checked into the hotel, had followed them, hiding behind cars and around street corners, Kremb said.

After the bureau intervened, the woman left Taiwan two days later, he added.

Kremb said he had faced daily surveillance and intimidation while working in China and was eventually expelled after developing reliable sources.

His experience has given him a clear understanding of Chinese intelligence operations, and he has even written a book about German intelligence agencies, he said.

He added that he was surprised to see similar surveillance and intimidation tactics being used in Taiwan.

“Seeing this with my own eyes in Taiwan felt like a warning,” he said. “I was not shocked, but I was very surprised.”

The MJIB yesterday confirmed the account of being followed and subsequently reporting the incident, as described by Kremb, was accurate.

It said it launched an investigation after receiving the report last year, but declined to provide further details, citing restrictions on disclosing information about an ongoing investigation.

The incident shows China has long carried out transnational repression worldwide, targeting not only Chinese and Taiwanese, but anyone who opposes communist authoritarianism or advocates democracy, freedom and human rights, it said.

Taiwan will continue working with democratic partners to counter China’s extraterritorial reach and transnational repression, it said.

Additional reporting by Liu Yung-yun

title: German writer tells of Chinese spy in Taiwan


content_text:
Russian court sentences anti-war politician Shlosberg to 11 years in jail

A Russian court on Monday sentenced prominent opposition politician Lev Shlosberg to 11 years in prison over his criticism of Moscow’s offensive in Ukraine.

The 63-year-old is among the very few Kremlin opponents who remained in Russia after it launched a sweeping crackdown on dissent following the 2022 Ukraine assault.

The court in Pskov, northwestern Russia, found the deputy head of the Yabloko party guilty of "public actions aimed at discrediting the use of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation," sentencing him to "11 years and 1 month of imprisonment."

Russian opposition politician Lev Shlosberg ,left, next to his wife Zhanna Shlosberg-Kozlovich, gestures as he attends a city court session in Pskov, northwestern Russia. Photo: AFP

Shlosberg, when asked by the judge whether he understood the verdict, said: "I feel sorry for you, Your Honour, you have to live with this."

Yabloko leaders Nikolay Rybakov and Grigory Yavlinsky called the ruling "the tragedy of the disintegration of modern Russian justice" and said the party would seek an end to Shlosberg’s prosecution by all lawful means.

Last week, Yabloko, Russia’s only anti-war party still functioning in the country, was barred from running in the September legislative elections and is appealing the ruling on Monday.

Rights group Amnesty International said Shlosberg’s "arbitrary prosecution and sentencing are blatant reprisals for exercising his right to freedom of expression to call for peace".

Shlosberg has repeatedly called for a ceasefire in Ukraine and was charged over his participation in an online debate on the war as well as for sharing critical articles about it.

The longtime Kremlin opponent has denounced Moscow’s actions in Ukraine since 2014, when Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula and backed pro-Moscow rebels in eastern Ukraine.

Russia has criminalised criticism of its offensive in Ukraine, with laws punishing "discrediting" the army and spreading "false information" about it carrying sentences of up to 15 years.

Most of President Vladimir Putin’s opponents are dead, jailed or exiled.


content_text:
Invasion is an existential gamble for Xi, expert says

WEIGHING THE RISKS:  A blockade could create economic turmoil, threatening Xi’s power, and taking Taiwan would mean years of guerrilla resistance, the ex-diplomat said

A full-scale Chinese invasion of “the unsinkable fortress” of Taiwan would be an “existential gamble” and could become Beijing’s biggest mistake, The Sun reported on Saturday, citing former British diplomat Charles Parton.

If Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) fails to take Taiwan, he “risks being swept away by the reaction from the mainland,” said Parton, senior associate fellow in international security at the Royal United Services Institute.

His biography on the institute’s Web site says he spent 22 years working in or on Taiwan, China and Hong Kong.

In addition to anger among Chinese who would lose their children in the war, the Chinese economy would likely collapse, and the resulting “great economic dislocation” would lead to unemployment, leaving Xi’s reputation for good governance “in tatters,” he said.

Parton called this an “enormous risk” and said he would be “very surprised” if Xi would pursue it “without being close to 100 percent sure he would win in Taiwan.”

If Taiwanese are properly prepared, “it would be extremely difficult to invade and the chances are that you wouldn’t succeed,” he said, adding that Chinese forces would have the “extremely difficult” task of crossing 161km of rough waters to reach Taiwan’s well-defended islands.

Parton said China has only about 13 beaches where forces could feasibly land on and that any airborne troops “are at great risk of being shot out of the sky, particularly as drone technology increases.”

Beijing would have to muster vast numbers of troops, materials and air support for an invasion, a buildup that would be a “pretty clear warning,” he said.

“This would give time for the Americans and others to reinforce and make it even more difficult for China,” he said. “So I am very doubtful that there would actually be an invasion.”

If China attempts to blockade Taiwan, it would essentially cut off much of the Taiwan Strait, a crucial shipping lane for the global economy, he said.

“There would be an economic meltdown globally” and “a massive downturn” in China, Parton said.

“And then you get into a scenario of mass unemployment in China,” he said.

Parton described the situation as an “existential threat,” citing “massive unemployment and massive instability aimed at the party.

Even if China could occupy Taiwan, it would be difficult to hold on to because of prolonged guerrilla resistance, he said.

Parton said that Xi could think: “If we’re going to go through months, years of guerrilla resistance then this is not going to look good with my people.”

China is much more likely to continue putting other forms of pressure on Taiwan to convince Taiwanese that unification is inevitable, he said.


content_text:
QUIET AFFAIRS: Slashing the MAC’s media budget by about 88% is excessive and would create information gaps that Beijing would welcome, the academic said   By Huang Ching-hsuanand Sam Garcia / Staff reporter, with staff writer

Heavy cuts to government media budgets in this year’s general budget would weaken Taiwan’s ability to counter Chinese disinformation and cognitive warfare, a researcher said on Sunday.

The legislature on Friday passed the central government’s annual budget, but slashed the media budgets of all government agencies by 50 percent.

The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) was hit with an even deeper cut, with its media budget cut to about NT$1.5 million (US$47,093) from NT$12.95 million.

The name and logo of the Mainland Affairs Council are pictured on a podium at the council in Taipei in an undated photograph. Photo: Taipei Times

It is the council’s job to analyze China’s policies toward Taiwan, “united front” tactics and cross-strait risks and communicate its findings to Taiwanese, said Hung Pu-chao (洪浦釗), deputy executive director of Tunghai University’s Center for Mainland China and Regional Development Research.

The deep cut to the council’s media budget would hinder its ability to communicate the information it gathers and analyzes and make it easier for Chinese messaging to gain influence in Taiwan, he said.

In its cognitive warfare efforts against Taiwan, China uses social media and exchanges to spread narratives that influence how Taiwanese view cross-strait relations, Hung said.

The government needs the resources to verify information and communicate with Taiwanese, he said.

The cuts weaken the government’s ability to counter China’s “united front” tactics and cognitive warfare through public communication and information campaigns, he added.

The MAC needs to communicate effectively with diverse groups facing different risks, including people traveling to China for tourism, study, work, business or exchanges, Hung said.

The cuts would limit the MAC’s reach and the channels available to it for targeted communication, making it harder for the council to get relevant information to those who need it, he said.

The legislature has the right to scrutinize government spending and review the effectiveness of media budgets, including asking agencies to explain or improve how funds are used, but cutting the council’s media budget to just 12 percent of its original amount is excessive, Hung said.

Taiwan would ultimately bear the cost of wider information gaps and greater risks from the cuts, he said, adding that this is a result China would welcome.

The cuts to the MAC’s media budget would make it harder for the government to inform people about China’s actions toward Taiwan, potential risks of traveling to China and changes to Chinese laws, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chang Hung-lu (張宏陸) said.

Without this information, Taiwanese could be at risk while traveling in China and Beijing would have an opportunity to claim it has jurisdiction over Taiwan, Chang said.

title: Cuts hamper fight on Chinese disinfo


title: KMT criticizes Lai’s handout initiative

content_text:
President William Lai’s (賴清德) announcement yesterday of a NT$10,000 cash handout represented a major reversal of his administration’s policy, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) said, calling it the “ultimate political irony.”

Lai yesterday said the proposed central government budget for next year would include NT$235.7 billion (US$7.4 billion) to fund a universal NT$10,000 cash handout, citing strong economic growth fueled by the artificial intelligence (AI) boom.

KMT Culture and Communications Committee Director Charles Chen (陳以信) said the KMT had proposed a NT$10,000 cash handout as early as May, when 23 KMT lawmakers submitted a bill that passed its first reading in the Legislative Yuan and was sent to a committee for review.

A person holds New Taiwan dollar notes in front of a screen showing the Web site for the government’s cash handout program in Taipei in November last year. Photo: CNA

A separate KMT proposal calling for excess tax revenue to be prioritized for cash handouts has also passed a first reading, he said.

He said the Lai administration had completely reversed course on cash handouts by announcing a NT$10,000 cash handout next year and framing it as an “AI dividend shared by all.”

Chen called the decision to announce the policy ahead of local elections in November the “ultimate political irony.”

When the KMT proposed the NT$10,000 cash handout, the Executive Yuan at the time called for fiscal discipline, saying that priority should go to national defense, major infrastructure and debt repayment, he said.

“I want to ask President Lai: How did the NT$235.7 billion budget go from being a financial burden in May to suddenly becoming an ‘AI dividend’ in August?” Chen said.

Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) said Lai was applying a double standard.

In posts on Facebook and Threads titled “Lai’s Nth time that Green can, but you cannot” — with green referring to the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) — Huang wrote that opposition lawmakers jointly pushed last year for a NT$10,000 cash handout as a way to “return tax revenue to the people” only to face fierce criticism from the DPP at the time.

In his “Ten Talks on Unity,” Lai said the measure was “unnecessary,” while Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said the proposal would not benefit the country and could only be used to buy refrigerators and remote-controlled airplanes, Huang said.

The NT$10,000 cash handout proposed earlier this year as a “national support payment” was also criticized by the DPP as a “money pit” bill, he added.

people: 賴清德 黃國昌 陳以信 卓榮泰


title: Executive Yuan appoints Wen NCC representative

content_text:
The Executive Yuan on Thursday last week appointed National Communications Commission (NCC) Secretary-General Wen Chun-yu (溫俊瑜) as the agency’s representative to maintain the commission’s basic operations after the terms of the last three commissioners expired on July 31, leaving all seven posts vacant, the NCC said yesterday.

The move was intended to protect the public interest and people’s rights by ensuring the regulator can continue performing essential functions, the commission said.

The NCC said it would handle matters in accordance with the rules governing issues that can be handled by internal units under delegated authority.

The National Communications Commission logo is pictured at the commission’s office in in Taipei in an undated photograph. Photo: Tsai Ssu-pei, Taipei Times

Under the arrangement, the NCC would prioritize cases affecting people’s daily lives and issues of major public interest, including import approvals for telecommunications-controlled radio-frequency control equipment.

The commission would compile a weekly list of cases handled during the leadership vacuum and submit them for review once a new group of commissioners takes office.

The lack of an authorized agency representative had prevented the NCC from formally issuing documents, including import approvals for radio-frequency equipment and licenses, the commission said.

As a result, 280 official documents and 269 equipment approval and licensing cases were left pending, it said.

Contractual payments could not be made either, affecting people’s rights, it added.

Wen said the agency would expedite the issuance of licenses and fulfill outstanding contractual obligations.

The NCC said that a sizable cut to its administrative budget could further undermine its ability to operate normally.

The legislature cut NT$57.823 million, or 56 percent, from the NCC’s budget for basic administrative operations from this month through December. The funding covers essential expenses such as electricity and water, telecommunications, rent, building security, cleaning and equipment maintenance.

The NCC said it faced a similar situation last year, when NT$37.589 million, or 50 percent, of its operating budget was cut.

The shortfall was later covered through a supplementary budget.

With its administrative funding again substantially reduced while all commissioner posts remain vacant, the NCC warned that its normal operations could be seriously affected.

Staff would remain at their posts and maintain operations despite the unprecedented challenges, the commission said, adding that it hopes the legislature would complete its review of seven commissioner nominees as soon as possible so the agency can return to normal operations.


title: Pancreatic cancer study shares findings

content_text:
LATEST RESEARCH:  To establish new CA19-9 thresholds and better predict cancer patients’ prognosis, researchers examined genetic variants in 615 people

A study by researchers at the National Health Research Institutes (NHRI) found that having low levels of serum carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9), a pancreatic tumor biomarker, in people with pancreatic cancer does not necessarily indicate a better prognosis.

NHRI’s National Institute of Cancer Research assistant investigator and attending physician Su Yung-yeh (蘇勇曄) said pancreatic cancer is the seventh leading cause of cancer death in Taiwan, and about 80 percent of patients were diagnosed at an advanced stage, with five-year survival of only about 13.7 percent.

Doctors typically use CA19-9 levels to assess a person’s risk, helping them decide treatment options and monitor treatment response, he said, adding that CA19-9 (also known as Sialyl Lewis antigen A) is a tumor marker protein that can be measured through a blood test and is typically elevated in people with pancreatic cancer.

National Health Research Institutes’ National Institute of Cancer Research assistant investigator and attending physician Su Yung-yeh, second right, poses with institute officials during a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Photo: CNA

It is generally believed that higher levels of CA19-9 indicate more advanced disease and a worse prognosis, and that a value below 37 units per milliliter (U/ml) is considered normal, making it a key indicator, Su said.

However, about 10 percent of people with pancreatic cancer do not have elevated CA19-9 levels, even in cases of advanced disease, Su said.

These people’s low CA19-9 levels are actually influenced by genetics — genetic polymorphisms in the FUT3 genes — that impairs CA19-9 production, he said.

Doctors without access to people’s genotyping cannot distinguish Lewis antigen-negative people with advanced disease from those with genuinely low tumor burden.

To establish new CA19-9 thresholds for Lewis antigen-negative people and better predict their prognosis, the research team examined FUT2/FUT3 genetic variants in 615 people with pancreatic cancer at National Cheng Kung University Hospital and Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital in Taiwan.

They identified a CA19-9 level of 7U/ml or less as a new threshold for identifying people with pancreatic cancer who have the Lewis antigen-negative genotype, Su said.

The study also found that Lewis antigen-negative people with a CA19-9 level of 7U/ml or less experienced outcomes comparable to patients with CA19-9 levels of greater than 200 units/mL, he said.

Patients with CA19-9 levels of 7U/ml or less had a median overall survival of 13.5 months, similar to the median overall survival of 12.8 months seen in people with levels of more than 200U/ml, he said, adding that it suggested levels of 7U/ml or less might be prognostic of high-risk disease

In comparison, those with CA19-9 levels between 7U/ml and 37U/ml had a median overall survival of 23.2 months, while people with levels greater than 37U/ml to 200 units/mL had a median overall survival of 22 months, he added.

Su said that they suggest using a dual-threshold CA19-9 model with a cutoff of 7U/ml or less to identify high-risk Lewis antigen-negative patients, and improve their risk stratification and prevent underestimation of their disease severity.

The study was published in the journal Clinical Cancer Research in May, the NHRI said.


content_text:
The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday confirmed that Uni Air has submitted an application to suspend its Taipei-Hualien flights due to persistently low passenger rates.

The airline, which is the only operator of the Taipei-Hualien route, proposed to suspend the service after Mandarin Airlines, another domestic flight carrier, applied to suspend flights to Hualien departing from Kaohsiung and Taichung earlier this year.

The average load factor of the Taipei-Hualien flights during the first six months was 24.2 percent, CAA data showed.

The average seat occupancy rate dropped even further to 17 percent last month, even though it was the beginning of the summer travel season, Uni Air said.

The average load factor for Taichung-Hualien and Kaohsiung-Hualien flights from January to June were 57.5 percent and 42 percent respectively, CAA data showed.

By contrast, the average passenger load factors for flights to Taiwan’s outlying islands all surpassed 80 percent, with some hitting 90 percent.

The average load factor for the Taipei-Taitung flights also exceeded 70 percent, CAA data showed.

The CAA said it is reviewing Uni Air’s application and has requested Mandarin Airlines to provide supplementary information.

Uni Air said in a statement that residents in northern Taiwan generally use the eastbound railway system when traveling to and from Hualien, and there is a very low demand for Taipei-Hualien flight services.

As there is greater demand for flights to outlying islands, the airline said it is seeking approval from the CAA to suspend its Taipei-Hualien service, in hopes of making more efficient use of its aviation resources.

In April, Mandarin Airlines chairman Chen Da-chun (陳大鈞) said the airline is practically losing money on every flight it operates to Hualien, with the collective loss topping about NT$70 million (US$2.2 million) per year.

Hualien Tourism Department Director Yu Ming-hsun (余明?) said while he respects the airlines’ positions, residents in Hualien still need air transportation.

“There is no freeway or high-speed rail system in Hualien. We rely heavily on the highway and railway systems for outbound travel. The county must still have aviation services and even marine services,” Yu said.

“Even though Hualien has a relatively smaller population, the residents’ transportation needs should be treated fairly. The government should address the issue from the standpoint of balancing regional developments,” he said. “Financial losses incurred from unprofitable flight routes should be covered by earnings from profitable routes, and the government should properly subsidize the operation of unprofitable routes as well.”

Air transportation is a lifeline for Hualien’s tourism industry, Hualien Hotel Association chairwoman Chang Hsuan-han (張琄菡) said, adding that suspending the route would undermine travelers’ confidence and hurt the development of the local tourism sector.

title: Uni Air applies to suspend Taipei-Hualien flights


title: Man ordered to pay NT$400m after hypermarket arson

content_text:
By Cheng Shu-ting and Esme Yeh / Staff reporter, with staff writer

The Taoyuan District Court has ordered a 22-year-old man to pay about NT$400 million (US$12.6 million) in damages after he set fire to a hypermarket in Taoyuan two years ago.

The man, surnamed Kuo (郭), went to the hypermarket along with two friends, surnamed Huang (黃) and Chou (周), early on Dec. 3, 2023, said the ruling handed down on July 31.

Kuo used a lighter to set fire to a bottle of insecticide spray in the cleaning supplies section on the first basement floor and put it back on the shelf, the ruling said.

Firefighters respond to a fire at a hypermarket in Taoyuan in an undated photograph. Photo: Taipei Times

The three continued to shop in other sections of the hypermarket when the fire on the spray bottle ignited other pesticides and caused explosions, it said.

The fire soon spread to other areas, and seriously damaged the wall and ceilings of the first and the first basement floors, it said.

The severely damaged hypermarket had to suspend operations for about half a year.

There were eight insurance companies seeking a total of more than NT$398.27 million in damages, and they have jointly filed a subrogation claim against Kuo.

Kuo must pay more than NT$398.27 million in damages, the court ruled.

As the fire also affected a nearby coffee shop, an insurance company filed another subrogation claim against Kuo to recover NT$979,326 in compensation. The court ordered Kuo pay the entire amount.

Kuo was sentenced to six months in jail on conviction for arson that destroyed an occupied building.

He did not attend his oral argument hearing, nor did he submit a written statement.

The judge found the insurance companies’ claims to be substantiated after considering the evidence and investigation results.

The ruling can be appealed.


title: Study highlights erroneous use of AI in academic articles

content_text:
NEW ISSUE: Report says that 16.1% of references in academic articles in Taiwan were incorrectly cited or suspected to have been fabricated by using AI

A report released yesterday found that 16.1 percent of references in Taiwanese academic articles are suspected to contain citation errors or artificial intelligence (AI) hallucinations, in which generative AI and large language models fabricate sources, references or citations.

The study examined academic integrity, scanning 26,635 references using the Paper Plagiarism Verify System, developed by the Doublemind AI education system.

The system found that traditional plagiarism, which is defined as more than 70 percent similarity to other published works, accounted for only 5.5 percent.

Meanwhile, 16.1 percent of references were found to be incorrectly cited or were suspected to have been fabricated by AI, highlighting a new challenge for academia in the face of rapidly developing AI, it said.

A further 12.3 percent contained errors in factual claims that conflicted with publicly available evidence or had no supporting evidence at all, it found.

Previously, systems were scanning whether documents were plagiarized from other sources, but with the widespread use of AI, the challenge is now detecting whether the sources cited actually exist, and whether the information it includes is true, Doublemind CEO Lin Cheng-hong (林政宏) said.

In academic literature, fake citations could provide authors, publication dates, academic journals and even digital object identifier numbers — unique codes that identify research papers — for work that does not exist, he said.

Such fabrications can be difficult to detect with the naked eye, he added.

Doublemind would continue strengthening its verification tools while also holding a series of outreach lectures to promote education on academic ethics, he said.

The company hopes to work with universities and high schools to establish an objective, verifiable and rigorous environment of academic integrity, he added.


title: Taiwanese inventors win big at Silicon Valley festival

content_text:
Taiwanese inventors won big at this year’s Silicon Valley International Inventions Festival (SVIIF) in California, taking the event’s top prize, 24 gold medals and other special awards.

The festival featured entries from more than 30 countries in two categories -- general inventors and youths aged 7-18 -- and the awards included SVIIF’s first and second prizes as well as special awards from partner organizations.

Taiwanese students who jointly designed "AllerDetect GO" won the top prize in the Youth Talent Competition category, drawing cheers from the audience when the team went onstage to receive the honor on Sunday, the three-day festival’s final day.

Members of the Taiwanese delegation taking part in the Silicon Valley International Invention Festival pose for a photograph in Santa Clara, California, in an undated photograph. Photo courtesy of the Taiwan Invention Association via CNA

The "AllerDetect GO" app is an active health protection system designed for children, older adults and people prone to allergies.

Combining detection, alert, record-keeping, and smart home response functions, it helps users identify potential allergen risks earlier, reduces accidental exposure, and builds a safer day-to-day health protection system, the inventors said.

The second prize went to a team from the Affiliated Senior High School of National Taiwan Normal University.

In the general inventors category, Baichao Greenergy Tech Co won the special award from the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

Kang Chiao International School’s 10-year-old Hsu Ting- wei (許庭維), who won a gold medal Saturday at SWIIF for his "Novel Artificial Electronic Nose," also went on to receive the International Federation of Inventors’ Associations (IFIA) best invention award.

The invention is an intelligent, non-contact security screening platform that combines a real-time air sampling system, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and AI- based odor recognition technology. It can be installed behind X-ray baggage screening equipment at locations such as airports.

Jury chairman Amin Ghafooripour said Hsu did not receive the award simply as encouragement because of his age, but because the jury genuinely recognized his efforts and believed his invention had practical value and left a deep impression on the judges.

Earlier on Saturday, Hsu expressed hope that his invention could help prevent pork products that may carry African swine fever from entering countries, as well as help the United States stop drugs such as fentanyl at its border.

Besides presenting special international awards, SVIIF handed out medals and certificates to participating inventors on Saturday, with entries receiving gold, silver or bronze medals.

Taiwanese inventors won a record 24 gold medals this year, along with eight silver and one bronze from 35 entries across the general inventors and youth categories.

Matt Nuccio, a SVIIF board committee member, praised the young Taiwanese participants.

"Taiwan had quite a few great innovations," Nuccio said, noting that he was particularly impressed by the quality of their inventions given their young age.

Ghafooripour said that Taiwanese inventors tended to focus on applying new technologies to develop practical solutions that could make everyday life easier for people.

Nearly every Taiwanese team won an award, while the gold medal count was the highest for Taiwan since it first participated in the Silicon Valley International Inventions Festival in 2018.

The festival was held in the Santa Clara Convention Center in California from Friday to Sunday.


content_text:
New Taipei opens cat-friendly space to promote pet care, adoption

New Taipei City has opened what it described as Taiwan’s first cat-friendly "demonstration and education space," where prospective adopters and existing cat owners can interact with shelter cats and learn how to provide a suitable home environment.

The "Happy Meow Home(幸福喵樂宅)," which opened yesterday in the Banciao public animal shelter, includes a mock home designed around cats’ behavioral and physical needs and an educational area covering such topics as adoption preparation, daily care, and health and aging.

Learning to live with cats

New Taipei Mayor Hou You-yi, in blue, gestures along with event guests at the opening ceremony of the “Happy Meow Home” in New Taipei City yesterday. Photo courtesy of the New Taipei City Government via CNA

Pao Hai-ni (鮑海妮), deputy head of the city’s Animal Protection and Health Inspection Office, said the space was designed to help people understand "not only how to interact with cats, but also the kind of environment cats need."

The mock home demonstration area, where three shelter cats are currently staying, includes elevated platforms, hiding spaces and gentler slopes for older cats, along with examples of litter boxes and water bowls, she said.

The city hopes the facility will help owners understand how to provide cats with a better living environment and "accompany them into old age," according to the official.

It will also give prospective owners the chance to interact with a cat before adoption, helping them figure out whether they are a good match and reduce the risk of animals later being returned or abandoned, Pao said.

Visitors can reserve a roughly 30-minute session to interact with cats in the mock home, with around six to eight groups accommodated each operating day -- Tuesday through Sunday -- due to limited space and to avoid overwhelming the cats.

Those who need English-language assistance can indicate this when making a reservation, and a volunteer will be arranged to help, Pao said.

During the sessions, visitors are encouraged to let the animals initiate contact.

"We don’t want people to grab the cats. We let the cats slowly approach them, because that is what really conforms to cats’ natural behavior," Pao said.

Only cats that have adapted to the environment and are comfortable around strangers will be brought into the area, she said.

New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜), who attended yesterday’s opening, said about 370,000 dogs and cats are registered in the city, including nearly 180,000 cats, with the number of new cat registrations in recent years more than double the number of dog registrations.

The trend mirrors a broader shift across Taiwan. A 2025 Ministry of Agriculture survey estimated the country’s pet cat population at 1.74 million, up 32.8 percent from about 1.31 million in 2023, while the estimated pet dog population fell 1.2 percent to about 1.46 million.

According to Pao, 142 cats and 823 dogs are currently available for adoption at the city’s eight public shelters, while 2,879 cats and 876 dogs were adopted over the past year.


content_text: Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen, right, and Thailand Trade and Economic Office Executive Director Narong Boonsatheanwong pose for a photograph holding bags at a news conference in Taichung yesterday. At the event, they announced that this year’s Thailand Cultural Festival would be held at Top City’s Taichung department store on Aug. 29 and 30.

title: Taichung Thai fest


content_text:
PROFITABLE TIMES: The savings, which were at NT$4 trillion just two years ago, are now projected to crack NT$11 trillion next year as the AI boom drives meteoric growth

Taiwan’s excess savings are expected to reach a record NT$11 trillion (US$345 billion) next year, as the artificial intelligence (AI) boom boosts the country’s exports and current account surplus, the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) said.

With excess savings expected to reach a record high, the excess savings rate is forecast to rise to a new high of 29.49 percent next year, up from an estimated 25.13 percent for this year, DGBAS data showed.

Excess savings refers to the difference between a country’s gross domestic savings and gross domestic investments and largely serves as an indicator of idle funds.

New Taiwan dollar notes are pictured in Taipei in an undated photograph. Photo: Taipei Times file photo

From 2020 to 2023, Taiwan’s excess savings hovered at about NT$3 trillion, but strong global demand for AI applications beginning in 2024 boosted the country’s exports, paving the way for a rise in the current account surplus and an increase in excess savings.

The current account primarily measures a country’s exports and imports of goods and services.

Taiwan’s excess savings topped NT$4 trillion for the first time in 2024 and rose to NT$5.6 trillion last year. The DGBAS said excess savings are expected to surpass NT$8 trillion this year, reaching NT$8.4 trillion.

DGBAS Department of Statistics chief Tsai Yu-tai (蔡鈺泰) said it was no surprise that excess savings increased after a spike in the country’s current account surplus.

However, an increase in excess savings does not necessarily have negative implications, Tsai said, referring to concerns over the accumulation of idle funds in the country.

To meet robust global demand for AI products, many Taiwanese high-tech manufacturers have been keen to expand production, using disposable funds for investments and growth, he said.

Because of increased investment, the DGBAS last week revised down its forecast for Taiwan’s excess savings to NT$8.4 trillion from an estimate of NT$9 trillion made in May after taking increased investment into account, he said.

In addition, the DGBAS has said gross domestic investment should hit NT$8.74 trillion this year, up from NT$7.28 trillion last year, and should rise to a record NT$9.22 trillion next year.

The increase in excess savings simply reflects savings growing faster than domestic investment, Tsai said.

Amid optimism over AI development, Tsai said he expects domestic investment to continue growing and boost the economy.

The DGBAS has raised Taiwan’s GDP growth forecast for this year to 11.05 percent, a 39-year high, citing stronger-than-expected exports, investment and consumption.

Taiwan’s GDP should grow 6.04 percent next year, the DGBAS said.

title: Taiwan’s excess savings skyrocketing


title: Survey shows 80% of responding companies using AI

content_text:
PRAGMATIC GROWTH: The analytics company said that companies are turning from finding their way with AI to expanding parts that work for their businesses

Taiwanese companies are moving beyond artificial intelligence (AI) experiments to focus on returns from their investments, but gaps in data quality and governance could constrain wider adoption, a report released yesterday by Dun & Bradstreet showed.

More than 80 percent of Taiwanese companies said they have seen returns from AI projects, showing that the technology is beginning to deliver measurable business value rather than remaining at the testing stage, the US business-data provider said.

The Taiwan Corporate AI Momentum Index fell to 60 in the third quarter from 72 in the previous quarter, but remained above the 50-point threshold for expansion in AI investment and adoption. Taiwan’s score was below those of Japan and South Korea, which both posted 66.

The decline does not necessarily signal a pullback in AI spending. Instead, companies appear to be entering a more cautious phase, evaluating which projects generate meaningful returns before scaling them further.

“Taiwan’s market is moving from the rapid adoption of AI to a more pragmatic stage of value validation,” said Julian Prower, Dun & Bradstreet’s executive vice president of global business operations and transformation and general manager for Taiwan.

Nearly 70 percent of respondents have launched AI-related projects, while 30 percent remain in the planning stage, the report said. About 41 percent have reached scaled deployment, including 25 percent that have integrated AI into multiple core business processes and 6 percent that are developing agentic AI workflows, it said.

By contrast, 27 percent remain in the planning or pilot stage, indicating that most surveyed firms have moved beyond proof-of-concept projects and are beginning to deploy AI in actual business processes, it said.

The survey found that 48 percent who responded have seen returns from some AI pilot projects, while 24 percent said multiple projects have generated business value. Another 8 percent reported large-scale and clear benefits, while 1 percent said they have yet to see any return.

The next hurdle is building the data infrastructure needed to scale those gains, the report said. More than half of surveyed companies have yet to fully establish the data foundation required for large-scale AI deployment, highlighting weaknesses in data quality, governance and readiness, it said.

That gap could become increasingly important as companies use AI for decisions such as credit assessments, supply-chain risk evaluation and compliance reviews, Prower said.

“The pace of AI adoption will ultimately depend on the maturity of their data governance,” Prower said. “The challenge is not unique to Taiwan.”

Globally, more than 75 percent of responding companies have reported measurable returns from AI projects, while 28 percent said multiple projects had generated broad or significant benefits, according to Dun & Bradstreet.

For Taiwanese companies, the next phase of AI adoption is likely to depend less on launching more pilots and more on scaling successful applications across the business while maintaining data quality and control.


content_text:
Gigabyte Technology Co (技嘉科技) expects revenue and earnings in the second half of this year to outperform first-half levels, driven by demand for artificial intelligence (AI) computing and faster customer deployment.

Ongoing progress in clients’ AI infrastructure buildout and improving key component supply would add growth momentum, Gigabyte said on Friday, when it reported that revenue in the first half rose 48.4 percent year-on-year to a record NT$249.27 billion (US$7.8 billion), and net profit surged 92.6 percent to a record NT$11.88 billion.

The company spent NT$1.82 billion on capital expenditure in the first half, mainly on office space and expanding AI server capacity and equipment, it said.

The Gigabyte Technology Co logo is shown at a trade show in Taipei in an undated photograph. Photo: Fang Wei-chieh, Taipei Times

Amid strong demand, Gigabyte raised its full-year capital expenditure from NT$2.3 billion to NT$2.5 billion to NT$2.8 billion to NT$3 billion, it added.

In the second quarter, the company saw revenue reach NT$144.21 billion and net profit hit NT$6.6 billion, both quarterly records in the company’s history.

Gross margin fell about 2.4 percentage points quarter-on-quarter to 9.62 percent, albeit a 0.2 percentage point increase from a year earlier.

The sequential decline in gross margin was due to changes in product mix, as Nvidia Corp’s lower-margin GB-series AI servers accounted for a larger share of shipments last quarter, while graphics card and motherboard businesses entered their seasonal trough, a Gigabyte official said in a phone interview.

Gross margin is expected to rebound this quarter as graphics card and motherboard products enter their peak season and Gigabyte adjusts the shipment mix between GB-series and HGX AI servers, said the official, who declined to be named.

title: Gigabyte expects second half of year to be prosperous


title: King Slide founder becomes Taiwan’s richest person

content_text:
Shares in King Slide Works Co (川湖科技), a supplier of rail kits used in servers, rose by the 10 percent daily limit to close at a record high of NT$13,750 yesterday, making the company’s founder and chairman Lin Tsung-chi (林聰吉) Taiwan’s richest person for the time being.

According to Forbes’ real-time billionaires list, Lin’s net worth increased by US$1.8 billion to US$19.5 billion yesterday, surpassing Yageo Corp (國巨) founder and chairman Pierre Chen (陳泰銘), who has a net worth of US$17.4 billion, to become the richest person in Taiwan and rank 140th globally.

The stock’s rally came as the company on Friday reported that its consolidated revenue last month surged 355.52 percent year-on-year to NT$6.41 billion (US$201 million), and net profit jumped 321 percent to NT$4.79 billion, reflecting strong growth momentum driven by demand for artificial intelligence (AI) servers.

The signage of King Slide Works Co is pictured outside company headquarters in Kaohsiung’s Lujhu District in an undated photograph. Photo courtesy of King Slide Works Co

King Slide’s shares rose above NT$10,000 for the first time earlier this month, becoming the third stock on the local bourse to cross the NT$10,000 milestone. The stock has risen 266.67 percent so far this year, Taiwan Stock Exchange data showed.

In the first seven months of the year, the Kaohsiung-based company’s cumulative revenue reached NT$22.69 billion, up 136.58 percent from a year earlier.

With earnings per share (EPS) of NT$50.24 for last month, King Slide’s cumulative EPS in the first seven months reached NT$161.2, surpassing the NT$103.23 registered for the whole of last year, company data showed.

Yuanta Securities Investment Consulting Co (元大投顧) said the company’s more than 3,600 patents, automated production and economies of scale have allowed it to continue driving product added-value and building up technical barriers for rivals.

“Overall, we remain positive on King Slide on the back of its patent moat, and expect its AI rail kit market share to remain at above 90 percent,” Yuanta said in a note last week.

Along with capacity expansion at plants in Kaohsiung and Houston, Texas, King Slide is expected to see growth momentum continue next year and remain solid through 2029, Yuanta said.


content_text:
A concerted restructuring of the global fraud-prevention landscape is under way as countries scramble to combat online fraud and transnational cybercrime. In September last year, China announced plans to establish an international alliance against telecom and online fraud, while in March, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime and Interpol held the second Global Fraud Summit in Vienna. However, despite its sophisticated fraud-centered policies and tracking technologies, Taiwan has been virtually excluded from international collaborative efforts on cybercrime. If political barriers continue to prevent countries from cooperating on emerging threats and technologies, they risk pursuing a Maginot Line-style defense strategy that is unable to meet the demands of an evolving cybersecurity landscape.

Over the past few years, the UK and the US have sustained heavy losses from fraud. Losses in the US rose to US$15.9 billion last year from US$12.5 billion in 2024 and US$10 billion in 2023. In the UK, the media have dubbed London the “dirty money capital of the world,” citing its high rates of fraud and money laundering.

The British government launched the first Global Fraud Summit in London in March 2024; by the second summit in Vienna this year, more than 100 countries participated with about 40 ministers in attendance. The summit focused on scam centers in Southeast Asia. The Chinese Ministry of Public Security sent a delegation that included law-enforcement representatives from Hong Kong and Macau to participate in the summit while promoting its own initiative through side events.

The emergence, within a relatively short period, of the US, the UK and China as major actors seeking to establish multilateral mechanisms to prevent fraud demonstrates how such crime is exceeding any single jurisdiction’s capacity to tackle it on its own.

Taiwan has long been on the front lines in combating telecom and cybercrime, and has often been the first to identify new forms of investment fraud and deepfake techniques. Its technology and expertise are no less advanced than those of any major country attending these summits, yet Taiwan has consistently remained absent.

It is also not a part of the Global Public-Private Partnership Agreement on Fraud, a UK-led UN initiative that brings together more than a dozen countries and technology giants, including Meta, Google and Amazon. If international-intelligence sharing cannot include Taiwan, countries are effectively confronting an increasingly globalized form of crime while at an information disadvantage.

Fraud rings operating in China have targeted Taiwanese, while those in Taiwan have targeted Chinese. After the two sides signed an agreement on combating cross-border crime, the fraud operations promptly shifted to Southeast Asia. The Criminal Investigation Bureau stationed police liaisons overseas, as criminal networks expanded to eastern Europe, the Middle East and Southern Africa, while those parts of Southeast Asia where cracks in global governance are deepest remain at the epicenter of the crisis. Concentrating efforts on these cracks is what transnational fraud networks do best, and they show no mercy in the process.

If political reservations continue to result in Taiwan’s exclusion from efforts to tackle cybercrime, then any alliance on fraud — regardless of which country leads it — risks being built on incomplete coverage that could lead to the same kind of fatal bypass of the Maginot Line in 1940.

Samuel Lin is an assistant professor in Ming Chuan University’s Department of Criminal Justice.

Translated by Gilda Knox Streader

title: Taiwan needs to be included in fraud fight


people: 賴清德 韓國瑜

content_text:
For the last 15 years, China has relied on gray zone operations to advance its territorial ambitions across Asia. And for 15 years, the US has struggled to respond. But the open door on which China has been pushing may finally be closing.Gray zone operations involve the assertive use of a variety of tools in ways that create conditions that can be described as neither peace nor war. Military forces might act provocatively — even dangerously — while carefully avoiding violence, whereas law enforcement employs nonlethal violence as a first resort. Such an approach creates difficult calculations for its targets.

China’s new exit and entry regulations might signal an increase in the risk that Taiwanese travelers will face, an analyst said on Tuesday last week. The new rules, which take effect on Sept. 15, expand the power of authorities to restrict travel on national, industrial and technological security grounds, question travelers about their reasons for leaving and inspect electronic data.Taiwanese who do not support the ruling party should not dismiss the warnings as fearmongering or propaganda. Beijing applies its “anti-secession” laws indiscriminately, an official said recently while presenting a report on proposed amendments to combat China’s efforts at transnational repression.Chinese

President William Lai (賴清德) late last month received a delegation of Polish members of the European Parliament at the Presidential Office — the first single-party, single-nation delegation from the EU legislature to visit Taipei in nearly two terms. The group, led by former Polish prime minister Beata Szydlo, also met Legislative Yuan Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), a gesture spanning Taiwan’s political divide. For most Taiwanese observers, this was a pleasant, if minor, diplomatic event. It was much more than that — and the timing matters. Within the same fortnight, Hudson Institute senior fellow Ken Moriyasu said in the Washington Examiner

By Hanna Shen

title: EDITORIAL CARTOON


content_text:
It is getting harder to explain why nuclear weapons are indispensable to protecting Japan while simultaneously arguing that they are unacceptable to have in the country itself

Japan’s defense posture has long relied on doublethink. How else can you explain the nation’s ability to simultaneously be devoutly opposed to atomic weapons, while sitting safely underneath the US nuclear umbrella?

Japanese Minister of Defense Shinjiro Koizumi faced those contradictions head-on recently when he referred to shifting attitudes toward such arms by countries such as France and Finland. He told an interviewer that Tokyo must also “discuss all policies, without any taboos.”

From the reaction, you might have thought he called on the country to spin up a Manhattan Project of its own, instead of merely advocating for an open discussion. China, Russia and North Korea — all in possession of nuclear arsenals — blasted the remarks. Coming ahead of the 81st anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the comments were quickly condemned. Nihon Hidankyo, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning atomic bomb survivors’ organization, dubbed his suggestion “out of the question.” Hiroshima Governor Mika Yokota has declared that the world was in “a crisis where the nuclear taboo might be broken.”

Opposing the use of the bomb is a norm that should, of course, remain intact. However, Japan must dispense with the idea that merely discussing the possibility of having a debate is controversial.

That conversation does not mean adoption. While some advocate for Tokyo acquiring its own nuclear weapons, in the short term there is near-zero possibility; it is just too politically sensitive in the only country to have ever suffered nuclear attack.

Japan’s three non-nuclear principles, adopted by then-Japanese prime minister Eisaku Sato in 1967, are non-binding guidelines that say the nation would not possess, produce or permit the introduction of nuclear weapons into its territory. With his frequent references to Finland, which recently lifted its own ban on allowing such arms on its land, what Koizumi is seeking to do is move the Overton window on the third of those.

The principles are worthy goals, as is Japan’s commitment to eliminating nuclear arms. They are also hypocritical: The reality is that Japan is not a country that rejects the nuclear deterrent, but is instead one protected by it, even as it maintains political rituals that keep it at arm’s length.

Tokyo is deeply dependent on the US’ nuclear umbrella. Its own defense strategy says that “in dealing with the threat of nuclear weapons, US extended deterrence, with nuclear deterrence at its core, is essential.”

In talks this June, Washington explicitly reaffirmed its commitment to defending its ally with the full range of capabilities, including nuclear.

It is getting harder to explain why those weapons are indispensable to protecting Japan while simultaneously arguing that they are morally and politically unacceptable to have in the country itself. In today’s security environment, it is harder still to rationalize why just talking about them should be beyond the pale.

The time for these post-World War II shibboleths has passed. One reason to accelerate such discussions is US plans to deploy nuclear-armed sea-launched cruise missiles on Virginia-class attack submarines in the next decade, as Shizuka Kuramitsu, a nuclear weapons research analyst at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said recently. Such vessels frequently call at Japanese ports. Tokyo and Washington want Japan to increase its contribution to regional security, and the flakiness US President Donald Trump’s administration is one reason why Japan must, in the near term, bind the US closer, and boost both sides’ dependence on the other.

Japan has made much progress in modernizing its defense posture, as Koizumi said. It has abandoned a spending cap of 1 percent of GDP, and dismantled self-imposed export controls that have stunted the defense industry. However, as he also remarked, the world is moving faster still. China, Russia and North Korea want to see Tokyo continue to limit its own power. Domestic taboos only aid their goals, while doing nothing to rein in those countries’ own growing nuclear arsenals.

At anniversary events for Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said that her administration maintains the three principles, but sidestepped questions about how far that would extend into the future. Before becoming prime minister, she called for a debate over allowing nuclear sharing, that is, placing US weapons in Japan.

Expect more blowback and complaints about “neo-militarism” if, as expected, she includes the possibility of debating the third principle in an earlier-than-scheduled update of the country’s three defense documents later this year. However, keep in mind that former Japanese prime minister Shigeru Ishiba, arguably the most left-leaning Liberal Democratic Party prime minister of recent times and one welcomed by Beijing, also called for nuclear sharing in Asia shortly before becoming leader.

The outcome of the debate should not be a fait accompli. There are lots of arguments against possessing nuclear weapons or allowing US arms on Japanese soil, but if so, the argument should be won through discussion, rather than being declared off-limits before both sides have been considered.

Lost in the fuss over Koizumi’s remarks was his most important point: That Japan cannot let fear of how others might react determine what it is allowed to talk about. The country’s nuclear deterrence is already outsourced; the boundaries of its debate should not be.

Gearoid Reidy is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Japan and the Koreas. He previously led the breaking news team in North Asia and was the Tokyo deputy bureau chief. This column reflects the personal views of the author and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

title: Japan’s nuclear doublethink is getting harder to defend


title: Modern war is systematically erasing human history

content_text:
Wars might not take summer holidays, but they do sometimes see exhaustion. As drones race back and forth across Ukraine and the Strait of Hormuz, a grim stalemate seems to have invaded the earth beneath. Aerial bombardment knows limited resistance and even less victory or defeat. Ukraine, Russia, Israel, Iran and their allies seem able to defy diplomacy and drop bombs on each other for ever.

At which point the outside world can merely count some of the costs. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s known desire to eliminate Ukraine’s historical identity has led to its cultural devastation. Two weeks ago, UNESCO reported the destruction or dereliction of 545 of its historic buildings, including 156 religious sites and 43 museums. The attempted eradication of what Putin himself claims to be an intrinsic part of Russia’s own history is sickening.

Russia’s bombing of Kyiv’s Pechersk Lavra complex and the Dormition Cathedral, coupled with shattering the magnificent St Sophia Cathedral, are comparable to Ukraine bombing the Kremlin. So, too, is the attack on a cathedral and a museum in Odesa, and the destruction of a theater in Mariupol. These are defining monuments of Ukraine’s past. Yet their dereliction has received little publicity in the West.

Meanwhile, in Iran, the beautiful city of Isfahan might surely have been spared US President Donald Trump’s egotistic bomb-fest. Not so. A Reuters survey in June found the historic Naqsh-e Jahan Square, the Jameh Mosque and the governor’s palace partially destroyed. In Tehran, the Persian royal palace of Golestan has been badly damaged. UNESCO reports of an attack on an 1,800-year-old fortress that embraced a prehistoric settlement reputedly 63,000 years old.

The most savage consequence of the collapse of order in the Middle East is the reported damage or destruction of over 80 percent of the buildings in Gaza. The ancient city of Gaza itself is now largely rubble. Bombed by Israel are the medieval Great Omari Mosque and the Church of St Porphyrius, dating from the fifth century and one of Christianity’s most ancient sites.

Gaza’s archives have been destroyed. The Omari Mosque’s library and the adjacent cultural center, whose thousands of ancient documents had survived the Crusades, have reportedly been lost. The al-Qarara Museum was bombed from the air and then bulldozed to the ground. A people’s entire past has been deliberately eradicated.

As for Israel’s war on Lebanon, it culminated in June in what appeared to be the gratuitous bombing of the ancient port of Tyre. This included an attack on the site of the Roman hippodrome. The 1,000-year-old fortress of Beaufort was also damaged. The past is clearly without privilege.

Aerial wars are unlike ground ones. Soldiers with guns have targets. So, we are constantly told, do modern missiles, but that does not explain the US bombing of an Iranian girls’ school in February. The reality is that bombers are casual, because they are near invulnerable, while their victims appear small and anonymous. Bombers do not conquer territory or secure surrender. They are manifestations of leadership machismo.

In the allied invasion of Italy in 1943-1945, British and US officers were known to take steps to protect its monuments from destruction. As a result, Italy’s ancient cities survived to a degree that Germany’s did not. In the aftermath, sincere efforts were made to evolve rules of war, including respect for cultural and historic monuments. War was still seen as a contest of professionals, not of cultures.

The result was The Hague Convention of 1954 and the Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in 1972. However, in the past few years, in which we have seen a collapse of global governance, have left The Hague Convention a paper tiger, like that other supposed discipline, the UN’s International Court of Justice. Victory today appears to lie in destroying an enemy’s identity and morale as much as in killing its people. When the Islamic State ruined much of the Iraqi city of Mosul in 2014, it set about eliminating all traces of its past. Trump’s threat to Iran, that “a whole civilization will die tonight,” showed an equally primitive approach to conflict. It hardly warned his bombers to spare the mosques of Isfahan.

Of international bodies, UNESCO is active in keeping a record of the fate of cultural heritage worldwide, but a record is just a record. Its listing of Russia’s and Israel’s devastation of their hated foes is like watching a historic tragedy unfold in real time. We might almost prefer it to happen behind our backs.


title: Ebola outbreak breaks record in DR Congo

content_text:
Ebola deaths were recorded at a rate of one every 28 minutes in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) last week, making the outbreak the nation’s deadliest on record as authorities struggle to contain the rapidly spreading disease.

The death toll reached 2,325 after another 365 fatalities were recorded last week, surpassing the 2,299 deaths during the nation’s record Ebola outbreak in 2018-2020.

Almost 5,000 confirmed infections have been reported since the current outbreak was declared in May, the National Institute of Public Health said on Sunday.

Red Cross volunteers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo carry the body of an Ebola victim on June 8, 2026. Photo: AFP

The epidemic is doubling about every 20 days and the response needs to expand substantially to regain ground, UN Under-Secretary-General for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator Tom Fletcher said on Friday.

Authorities and aid groups need to double the number of teams conducting safe burials, triple treatment capacity, improve contact tracing and deploy more experienced managers, he added.

“Ebola is winning in the Democratic Republic of the Congo,” he said. “We cannot let the virus outrun our response.”

Fletcher announced an additional US$30.5 million from the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund on Friday, on top of US$24 million already allocated to the nation and neighboring countries.

The UN has deployed another 20 humanitarian staff to the outbreak’s epicenter, while the World Food Programme is expanding food assistance at Ebola treatment centers.

The pressure is spilling into ordinary hospitals and clinics. Dedicated beds for suspected Ebola patients in North Kivu Province were fully occupied by Saturday, while suspected cases in Butembo, Masereka, Vuhovi and Kalunguta were being isolated in existing health facilities that were not designated transit centers, the institute said.

The virus poses particular risks for health workers. Ebola had infected at least 155 of them and killed 45 by Aug. 9, the WHO said in a report on Friday.

The infections highlight persistent weaknesses in infection prevention and control, particularly outside designated Ebola treatment centers, the agency said.

Ebola is hitting a health system already weakened by years of conflict and mass displacement, with recent cuts to humanitarian funding adding to the strain.

Hospitals and health centers in parts of North and South Kivu are operating with fewer staff, medicines and supplies, while some have suspended operations because of violence, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said.

Measles, cholera, malaria and other health emergencies risk being neglected as resources are mobilized against Ebola, MSF said last week. DR Congo had recorded 108,643 suspected measles cases and 1,394 deaths through July 19, as well as 35,464 suspected cholera cases and more than 1,050 deaths.

Fear of Ebola is also deterring some people from seeking care, potentially delaying treatment for other illnesses, the group said.

“We are putting the world on notice that the Ebola crisis is real,” Fletcher said. “This is now everybody’s problem.”


content_text:
Ojo Ayaninuola, a small-scale cocoa farmer from Akure in southwestern Nigeria, was initially reluctant to let exporters map and geolocate his farm as part of measures to comply with a looming EU anti-deforestation law.

However, when one of the country’s largest exporters and the buyer of all his cocoa beans, Sunbeth Global, warned that he could lose access to the EU, which buys 60 percent of the world’s cocoa, he eventually agreed.

Ayaninuola, who sells to a big and well-resourced exporter, is in an enviable position compared with other growers in the area and elsewhere.

Ojo Ayaninuola uses a long pole fitted with a blade to harvest cocoa pods from a tree on his farm in Idanre, Ondo State, Nigeria, on July 1. Photo: Reuters

Industry experts estimate that when the EU law banning commodity imports linked to deforestation comes into effect at the end of December, farmers who grow more than half the beans in the world’s fourth-largest cocoa producer could fail to meet the bloc’s rules. Nigeria has about 300,000 mostly small-scale cocoa farmers, according to the Nigerian Export Promotion Council.

The situation is similar across west Africa, including top grower Ivory Coast. Industry experts say struggles to comply with the law could squeeze the region’s exports to the EU and lead to higher costs for its chocolate makers.

The region grows about 70 percent of the world’s cocoa beans and ships about two-thirds to the EU, data from the World Bank, the EU and the UN shows.

A farmer cracks open a cocoa pod to reveal the white pulp-covered beans inside on a cocoa farm in Idanre, Ondo State, Nigeria, on July 1. Photo: Reuters

“There’s a distinct possibility that in the early days of the law, EU importers won’t be able to get enough compliant cocoa from indirect or third party shippers from origins like Nigeria, from Ivory Coast, from anywhere,” said sustainability consultant Nicko Debenham, a former global cocoa trader.

Debenham estimates that the supply squeeze in the EU could last about two years, during which exporters who have invested in meeting the bloc’s rules would command a premium from chocolate makers for their beans.

Aimed at ending the 10 percent of global deforestation fueled by the bloc’s consumption of imported goods, the EU law will require that importers of commodities and related goods prove their products were not grown on recently deforested land by, among other measures, tracing their raw materials back to the plot where they were grown.

Twice delayed due to its complexity, the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) also requires proof from importers that the goods were produced in accordance with laws in the country of origin.

Compliance is costly and challenging, cocoa buyers say, especially in countries like Nigeria, Ivory Coast and Ghana, where the industry comprises hundreds of thousands of small-scale farmers living in remote, rural areas.

Exporters have to map all the individual farms, verify land use and maintain — throughout a multilayered supply chain — digital traceability records that EU buyers can rely on.

In Ivory Coast, only about half the cocoa can be traced to where it was grown, non-profit Trase said in a study released in May, largely because the rest of the supply chain is indirect or involves several intermediaries.

Major Nigerian cocoa exporters such as Sunbeth Global say compliance is proving expensive, with EU buyers resisting efforts so far to pass on the costs.

Sunbeth said it spent the past three years mapping 124,000 hectares of farmland in southern Nigeria covering about 60,000 tonnes of cocoa in its supply chain, at a cost of US$30 to US$70 per tonne.

The company has also deployed hundreds of field agents over the past three years to train its farmers to comply with Nigerian laws, including those against child and forced labor, and hired a 35-person sustainability team that works with Amsterdam-based data verification specialist Meridia, it said.

“It is expensive to do this ... [and] in early conversations with our offtakers, there has been some pushback over who will bear the cost of EUDR compliance,” Sunbeth chief operating officer Nzubechukwu Anisiobi said. “The cost-benefit analysis right now is eating into our margins.”

Starlink Global and Ideal, Nigeria’s biggest cocoa exporter, which ships about 60,000 tonnes a year, said it has spent US$40 to US$80 a ton mapping and tracing its supply chain since 2023 — costs it says have yet to be recovered from European buyers.

title: West Africa cocoa sector struggles to meet EU rules


content_text:
IN OR OUT?  Xi Jinping told the party to brace for major tests and potential dangers. Former president Hu Jintao was not seen in media footage of the event

Top Chinese officials led by President Xi Jinping (習近平) yesterday gathered in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of late leader Jiang Zemin (江澤民), who led China in a pivotal phase in its rise from a marginal economy to a global economic power.

Jiang, who died in 2022 at the age of 96, led the country through a decade of rapid economic growth after the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown on pro-democracy protesters.

His co-partner in governance, former premier Zhu Rongji (朱鎔基), died last week, with the funeral scheduled today.

A giant screen shows a news footage of a portrait of the late former Chinese president Jiang Zemin during an event commemorating his 100th birth anniversary in Beijing yesterday. Photo: Reuters

The passing of the two leaders marks a definitive end to the reforms that both represented during the 1990s and early 2000s, with more emphasis on private entrepreneurship and wealth creation.

That stands in contrast to Xi, who has exerted greater central control and pressed a state-driven economic policy focused on technological autonomy and strategic industries.

In a 40-minute speech, Xi called on the Chinese Communist Party to carry forward Jiang’s legacy, presenting the current leadership as the continuation of his political and ideological project.

That message was also carried in state media coverage in the past few days.

Under Jiang and Zhu, China pushed through painful changes: shuttering unprofitable state firms, dismantling the old housing system in favor of a commercial property market, weathering the Asian financial crisis of the late 1990s and joining the WTO in 2001.

Xi now faces challenges of his own as he seeks to weather trade frictions with the US and Europe, tensions over Taiwan, slower economic growth and demographic decline.

“On the new journey ahead, we must heighten our sense of vigilance against potential dangers,” Xi said.

“With an indomitable fighting spirit and superb skill in struggle,” we must “proactively meet the major tests posed by high winds and rushing waters, or even by raging storms,” he added.

Events involving Xi are closely monitored by China watchers for clues to the political pecking order, and for indications of the health and continued standing of the country’s retired elite.

Former Chinese president Hu Jintao (胡錦濤), Jiang’s immediate successor, now 83, was not immediately seen in state media footage of the event, which was attended by current and retired officials.

Hu’s premier, Wen Jiabao (溫家寶), as well as former vice president Wang Qishan (王岐山), Xi’s one-time anti-corruption chief, were seen at the event, suggesting that they remain in favor with the leadership.

A number of officials once associated with Wang have come under corruption probes in recent years.

title: Xi leads event marking Jiang Zemin’s birth centenary

people: 胡錦濤 溫家寶 習近平


content_text:
When food safety inspectors raided a Mumbai dessert parlor famed for its ice cream sandwiches last month, they found rats, houseflies and expired flavoring agents. At another beloved restaurant known for slow-cooked mutton and beef stews, they discovered meat stored in filthy containers, greasy floors and open windows that could let in insects and crows.

Both eateries were ordered shut in the toughest crackdown in years on restaurants in the megacity of more than 20 million people.

Residents of India’s financial capital are fiercely protective of their food culture, but many have welcomed the closure of some of the best-known establishments over a lack of hygiene.

Maharashtra Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration Tukaram Mundhe speak at his office in Mumbai, India, on July 30. Photo: AFP

Much of the campaign has been driven by Tukaram Mundhe, the new head of Maharashtra state’s food safety regulator.

“If they are abiding by the law ... they have nothing to fear. And those who do not, they have no place to hide,” Mundhe said.

Last month alone, his office inspected nearly 900 businesses and temporarily suspended more than 100 licenses.

A photograph taken on Aug. 1 shows the 110-year-old Parsi Dairy Farm, which reopened after being closed down for food safety norms violation by Maharashtra’s Food and Drug Administration, in Mumbai, India. Photo: AFP

The sweep has targeted everything from top eateries and luxury hotels to canteens at elite institutions, including the nearly century-old Cricket Club of India.

Mundhe, who has 2.6 million Instagram followers, said he was surprised by how many owners lacked knowledge of even basic food safety rules.

“How to receive the raw material, how to store it, how to process it ... whether there should be [special] flooring. Many of the things they are unaware [of],” he said.

India has a robust food safety framework on paper, but enforcement remains weak.

Government data from 2022 to last year shows roughly one in six food samples tested by the federal regulator failed to meet key standards.

While Indians are used to street food carts that use grimy rags or rancid cooking oil, they have higher expectations for established restaurants. Mundhe’s no-holds-barred approach has won support from residents who believe some operators routinely bribe officials to overlook violations.

“Every department must have an officer like Mundhe,” Mumbai resident Pramod Shinde said.

“Corruption and adulteration can be contained only through the strict actions of such officers,” he added.

However, the campaign is also facing resistance from hotel lobby groups, who have criticized it as too heavy-handed.

“The sudden suspension or termination of licenses without prior notice or opportunity for corrective action is a matter of grave concern,” three industry associations said in a statement, adding that they had appealed to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Courts have also begun weighing in. In one case, local media reported that Mumbai’s high court had overturned the suspension of a hotel’s license, telling regulators to tone down their approach given “we’re in India.”

Anxiety has also spread among roadside vendors, many of whom fear they could be next.

“If the smaller street-food stalls are closed down, where will we go? We have a family and kids to support,” said Ashok Verma, who runs a sandwich shop.

Mundhe, who took over in May, says much of the criticism he has faced is unfair since only a small share of inspections have led to license suspensions.

But “we don’t compromise on unhealthy or unsafe food which is likely to go in the stomach of the person,” he said.

Experts say India’s food safety problems are structural and cannot be fixed through inspections alone. A shortage of personnel is among the biggest challenges. Maharashtra’s regulator has fewer than 400 officers, despite rules requiring more than twice that number.

“They ideally need 2,000 for proper functioning,” food safety consultant Sanjay Indani said.

Many residents worry Mundhe might not stay long enough to complete the overhaul, given India’s reputation for frequently transferring bureaucrats who upset powerful interests.

Mundhe has reportedly been moved 20 times during a career spanning more than two decades.

He has received some backing from the rich and influential, including billionaire Harsh Goenka.

“Nothing restores public faith faster than seeing the powerful treated like everyone else. Nothing destroys it faster than transferring the officer who made that happen. Let’s hope this time it’s different,” Goenka wrote on social media.

Mundhe himself is unfazed by the prospect of reassignment.

“I do not look at it as a hanging sword on me. I just look at my role where I am posted. I try to do it in the best possible manner,” he said.

title: Food safety crackdown snares Mumbai’s famed eateries


content_text:
ONE PERSON’S TRASH: Blanketed in white slurry and discarded stone, the industrial wasteland has drawn tourists, while authorities warn of environmental impacts

A sprawling expanse of white marble waste in India is drawing tourists, filmmakers and social media enthusiasts to a landscape that looks more like a snow-covered valley than a dumping ground.

The site in Kishangarh, a major marble-processing hub in the northwestern state of Rajasthan, is blanketed in white slurry and discarded stone generated when marble and granite blocks are cut and polished.

Spread across 33 hectares, it receives more than 5,500 tonnes of slurry every day from more than 1,200 processing units, making it one of Asia’s largest such disposal sites.

A young boy walks atop mounds of marble dust at the marble-waste dumping yard in Rajasthan’s Kishangarh City on Sunday. Photo: AFP

However, the industrial wasteland has evolved into an unlikely attraction.

Couples pose among the chalk-white mounds for pre-wedding photographs, while filmmakers and music-video crews use the terrain as a backdrop.

Visitors ride horses across the undulating landscape, drawn by its unusual appearance.

Social media have fueled the site’s popularity, with visitors comparing its gleaming surface to snowy alpine scenery.

After rainfall, water collects in depressions between the waste piles, forming vivid blue pools that accentuate the illusion of a mountain vista.

Authorities have repeatedly warned about the environmental impacts of marble waste disposal in the region, citing risks ranging from airborne dust to groundwater contamination.

Studies have detected elevated levels of salinity, hardness and some heavy metals in water from the surrounding area.

India’s top environmental court ordered a series of corrective measures in January, including guidelines aimed at promoting the reuse of slurry instead of uncontrolled dumping.

“There is no engineered liner system, no decanting wells, no dust suppression mechanisms, no monitoring of air or groundwater, and no protective green belt,” the tribunal said in its order.

However, those dangers have not yet deterred crowds of visitors from soaking in the striking, otherworldly scenery.

title: Indian marble waste dump becomes tourist attraction


content_text:
Art or medicine? Japan’s cosmetic tattoo artists in limboThe country bucks a global trend by viewing permanent make-up as the domain of medical professionals, and has ramped up threats of criminal prosecution against anyone else who practices it

Tattoo artist Remy painstakingly injects tiny dots of pigment into Koki Hatanaka’s bald scalp to mimic hair follicles, performing a grey-zone cosmetic procedure increasingly in the crosshairs of Japanese health authorities.

Japan bucks a global trend by viewing permanent make-up as the domain of medical professionals, and has ramped up threats of criminal prosecution against anyone else who practices it — like the 44-year-old Okinawan.

Industry insiders insist that their craft, from make-believe hair to filled-in eyebrows and lip tints, is an artistic pursuit more befitting tattooists and hairstylists.

A scalp tattoo artist, center, last month conducts a demonstration as others gather round during a tattoo and permanent make up contest in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Photo: AFP

But in a country where body art has long symbolized yakuza gangsters, these cosmetic tattooists’ safety and sanitary protocols are not enough to dispel skepticism.

“It’s a complete mystery to me why they keep saying this constitutes a medical practice,” Remy — his professional name — said as he used a fine needle to ink 28-year-old Hatanaka.

The procedure known as scalp micropigmentation (SMP) is “hardly invasive” and “so painless that clients sometimes even fall asleep,” while requiring sophisticated aesthetic talent, Remy argues.


countries: 希臘 美國 英國

content_text:
Nolan’s ‘Odyssey’ boosts sales of mythology tales 電影《奧德賽》帶動希臘神話文學作品熱銷

Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of “The Odyssey” has not only lured legions of fans to cinemas, but sparked huge interest in the UK in Homer’s epic poem and other Greek and Roman mythology works.

Some involved in Classics academia hope the blockbuster’s box office success and wider cultural impact will also prompt more young people to study the subject.

The movie’s mid-month release has helped hike UK print edition sales of “The Odyssey” by 1,400 percent in the four weeks to July 25 compared to the same period last year, according to market researchers NielsenIQ.

This image released by Universal Pictures shows Matt Damon as Odysseus, left, in a scene from The Odyssey. 麥特戴蒙在電影《奧德賽》中飾演奧德修斯。環球影業發布之劇照。 Photo: AP 照片：美聯社

A 2017 translation by British-American classicist Emily Wilson of the millennia-old mythological tale has been flying off the shelves at a similarly increased rate.

Britain’s biggest bookstore chain Waterstones saw sales of Wilson’s work rise over 1,000 percent compared to 2025 and were “increasing every week” alongside purchases of “all other available translations,” a spokeswoman said.

Meanwhile NielsenIQ noted many related works — including “The Iliad,” Madeline Miller’s “Circe” and Margaret Atwood’s “The Penelopiad” — had also seen “significant” sales uplifts.

Sculptor and ceramicist Haralambos Goumas works on a terracotta bust of the ancient Greek poet Homer, the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, at his workshop in the Athens suburb of Aigaleo on May 27. 雕塑家兼陶藝家哈拉蘭波斯．古馬斯5月27日在雅典近郊艾加里奧的工作室，製作古希臘詩人荷馬的赤陶半身像。荷馬著有《伊里亞德》與《奧德賽》。 Photo: AP 照片：美聯社

Actor and writer Stephen Fry’s “The Odyssey” currently tops the history bestsellers on Amazon’s UK Web site. Two of his other Classics books — “Mythos” and “Troy” — occupy the second and fifth spots respectively on the online giant’s list.

Audiobooks are also sharing in the boom, with Spotify reporting that searches for “The Odyssey” translations have skyrocketed by 310 percent.

“BUZZ”

“People are drawn to these stories,” University of Exeter Classics lecturer Richard Kendall told AFP, hailing the sales spike as “fantastic.”

“And that’s not just writers who continually return to the Greeks and Romans — the history, the myths, the characters, the events — that’s also readers. These are ripping good yarns.”

Kendall, the first expert-in-residence earlier this year at Britain’s The Classical Association, cautioned against viewing the renewed literary interest just in cinema-related isolation.

“If this is a gimmick, it’s been a gimmick that’s been lasting for over 2,000 years at this point,” he said.

“It’s wonderful that this has created so much popularity. People are reading more, but this is just this iteration ... People will always return to these stories.”

Nonetheless, at University College London (UCL) — where British-American director Nolan reportedly studied Homer as an English undergraduate — there are hopes for an increase in enrolments.

“The buzz around the film has been tremendous, and we’re hoping to see a bounce in student numbers in the next few years,” Phiroze Vasunia, head of its Greek and Latin Department, told AFP.

He noted there had been “an exceptional level of interest in Classics and in ancient studies” in recent years, coinciding with the growing fanfare around Nolan’s movie.

CRITICS

Based on Homer’s poem written originally in Greek around the 7th or 8th century BC, the film tracks hero Odysseus as he faces obstacle after obstacle on his trek home from the Trojan War.

It stars Matt Damon and Anne Hathaway as Odysseus and his wife Penelope, with Tom Holland portraying their son Telemachus.

Nolan’s first movie since 2023 Oscar-winner “Oppenheimer,” it has wowed audiences and critics, topping the US box office for two straight weeks and already taking US$640 million worldwide.

But not everyone has been won over by the modern adaptation of one of humanity’s oldest stories.

Wilson — behind an acclaimed translation which Nolan has praised — generated headlines last week after penning a scathing critique of his screenplay.

She argued it “lacks psychological, emotional, political and ethical depth.”

“I would be ashamed to have written any part of this,” Wilson argued in the London Review of Books, adding it “lacks many of the elements that make the poem great.”

High-profile British historian Mary Beard was similarly unconvinced, though like Wilson she welcomed the interest in Homer.

Writing in the Times, Beard bemoaned that the poem’s “erotic puzzles, the teasing ironies, the intriguing questions about truth and falsehood” had been replaced with “a rather ponderous Hollywood message about civilizational decline.” (AFP)

克里斯多福．諾蘭改編的電影《奧德賽》（The Odyssey）不僅吸引大批影迷走進戲院，也在英國掀起荷馬史詩及其他希臘、羅馬神話作品的熱潮。

一些古典學界人士希望這部電影的票房佳績，以及更廣泛的文化影響力，也能促使更多年輕人投入古典學的研究。

根據市場研究公司尼爾森愛科（NielsenIQ）的資料，電影7月中旬上映後，截至7月25日的四週內，《奧德賽》紙本書在英國的銷量大增，是去年同期的1,400%。

美籍英裔古典學者艾蜜莉．威爾森所譯、2017年出版的這部流傳數千年的神話史詩，銷量也以類似增幅快速攀升。

英國最大連鎖書店水石書店（Waterstones）表示，威爾森的譯本銷量較2025年同期增加逾1,000%，連同其他「所有現有譯本」，銷量「每週都在成長」。

尼爾森愛科同時指出，多部相關作品，包括《伊里亞德》（The Iliad）、瑪德琳．米勒（Madeline Miller）的《喀耳刻》（Circe）以及瑪格麗特．愛特伍（Margaret Atwood）的《潘妮洛普》（The Penelopiad）等，其銷量也「大幅」上升。

演員兼作家史蒂芬．弗萊（Stephen Fry）的《奧德賽》一書，目前高居亞馬遜英國網站歷史類暢銷書榜首。他另外兩本古典學著作《神話》（Mythos）及《特洛伊》（Troy），也分居網路巨頭亞馬遜榜單的第二名及第五名。

有聲書也搭上這股熱潮。Spotify表示，搜尋各種語言版本《奧德賽》的次數已暴增310%。

「熱門話題」

「人們就是會被這些故事吸引」，英國艾克斯特大學（University of Exeter）古典學講師理查．肯德爾接受法新社訪問時表示，並說這波銷售熱潮「太棒了」。

「不只是作家不斷回顧希臘與羅馬人的世界——歷史、神話、人物及事件——讀者也是如此。這些故事真的非常精彩」。

肯德爾今年稍早成為英國古典學協會（The Classical Association）首位駐會專家。他提醒，不應把這波重新燃起的文學熱潮單純視為電影帶來的短暫現象。

「如果這是一種噱頭，那麼這噱頭已經持續了超過2,000年」，他說。

「這帶來的人氣如此之高，真的很棒。閱讀的人更多了，但這只是這故事最新的一次演繹……人們永遠都會回頭來看這些故事」。

儘管如此，倫敦大學學院（UCL）仍期待招生人數能夠增加。據報導，英裔美國導演諾蘭大學唸英國文學系，曾在該校修讀荷馬作品。

「這部電影所帶來的熱潮非常驚人，我們希望未來幾年學生人數能有所增加」，倫敦大學學院希臘文與拉丁文系主任菲羅茲．瓦蘇尼亞對法新社表示。

他指出，近年來人們對古典學及古代研究展現「非比尋常的高度興趣」，而這股熱潮正好與諾蘭電影受到的關注同步。

批評的聲音

這部電影改編自荷馬以希臘文創作的史詩，原作約成書於西元前7或8世紀。電影描述英雄奧德修斯（Odysseus）在特洛伊戰爭後踏上返鄉之途，旅程中面臨重重阻礙。

麥特戴蒙與安海瑟薇分別飾演奧德修斯及其妻潘妮洛普（Penelope），湯姆．霍蘭德則飾演其子鐵拉馬庫斯（Telemachus）。

這是諾蘭自2023年獲奧斯卡獎的《奧本海默》（Oppenheimer）後推出的首部電影，不僅獲得觀眾與影評人好評，更連續兩週登上美國票房冠軍，目前全球票房已達6.4億美元。

不過，並非所有人都對這人類最古老故事之一的現代版本感到滿意。

曾推出廣受好評譯本、並獲諾蘭推崇的威爾森，上週因撰文嚴厲批評電影劇本而成為新聞焦點。

她認為該劇本「缺乏心理、情感、政治及倫理層面的深度」。

威爾森撰文在《倫敦書評》（London Review of Books）表示：「如果這電影有任何部分是出於我筆下，我都會感到羞愧」。她並指出，電影「缺乏這部史詩之所以偉大的許多元素」。

英國知名歷史學家瑪麗．比爾德也同樣不以為然，不過她和威爾森一樣，都對電影重新引起大眾對荷馬作品的興趣樂見其成。

比爾德在《泰晤士報》撰文感嘆，原詩中那些「情色謎題、戲謔的反諷，以及關於真實與虛假的引人入勝問題」，如今都被簡化為「好萊塢式對文明衰落的笨重探討」。

（台北時報林俐凱編譯）


content_text:
記者林明瑋／台北報導

前總統陳水扁女兒陳幸妤近日因自爆與趙建銘早已離婚，引發一連串話題，連日曝光於媒體前，她的服裝、配件成了另一條支線。

▲陳幸妤受訪，手上戴著梵克雅寶Sweet Alhambra手鍊。（圖／記者林東良翻攝）

身為開業多年的牙醫師，陳幸妤擁有一些精品很合理，一開始被注意到的是要價超過20萬元的HERMES（愛馬仕）Constance To Go，這只包從經典Constance包演化而來，是這幾年頗熱門的WOC（Wallet on Chain）款式，也就是有背帶的皮夾，是隨身好物，掏卡、掏錢都很容易。

▲愛馬仕Constance To Go包，放近卡片、現金，斜挎相當方便。（圖 / 翻攝愛馬仕官網）

但Constance To Go裝不了除了卡片、現金以外的東西，因此陳幸妤多背了帆布包，沒想到意外帶貨，陳幸妤被問到這包哪裡買？她回答：「那我兒子大學畢業的啦！」意指來自她大兒子就讀的University of California, Irvine（加州大學爾灣分校），這只包24.98美金，約800元台幣，包包上可愛的插圖由英國藝術家Julia Gash設計，她以獨特的手繪地圖與城市地標插畫聞名，許多學校的周邊商品中，都可見到她的插圖托特包。

▲UC Irvine托特包的插圖出自英國藝術家Julia Gash之手。（圖 / 翻攝UCI Spirit Shop）

除了包包很搶鏡，陳幸妤手上戴的是Van Cleef & Arpes（梵克雅寶）經典Alhambra幸運草系列中的Sweet Alhambra手鍊，鑲嵌著紅玉髓的幸運草精緻秀氣，定價57,500元，屬於梵克雅寶較入門的款式，小巧但很醒目又有美好的幸運寓意，因此相當討喜受歡迎。

▲梵克雅寶Sweet Alhambra紅玉髓手鍊，57,500元。

title: 陳幸妤意外帶貨800元帆布包！戴近6萬元梵克雅寶手鍊藏美好寓意


content_text:
▲釋昭慧曾發起「拒領普發1萬」運動。（資料照／記者劉維榛攝）

記者許力方／台北報導

總統賴清德17日宣布，政府將在歲入歲出平衡、實質零舉債前提下，增列歲出2357億元，明年2027年普發現金每人1萬元，主打「AI紅利，全民共享」。消息曝光後，網友紛紛喊話「搶救國庫聯盟」召集人釋昭慧出面回應，她也在深夜發文回應，再度質疑普發現金政策。

釋昭慧再批普發1萬 質疑朝野爭相撒幣

釋昭慧去年曾倡議「拒領普發1萬」運動，主張以民間力量搶救國庫，反對無差別發錢，甚至提出增設「不領」選項，認為自動入帳的設計是對拒領民眾的冒犯。

如今賴政府再次宣布普發1萬元，釋昭慧直言「普發1萬，果然有樣學樣」，爭相撒幣，只差沒有加碼！執政黨學乖了，與其被迫大撒幣，還要成為眾矢之的，不如主動出手、推動普發「大撒特撒」，但行政院與去年在野黨主張「應該無差別大撒幣」的說法相比，實質上有多大差別？

釋昭慧稱，行政院所有在去年「反對普發一萬」的理由，現在還可以接受逐一質問嗎？她引述政府所稱「台灣不是只有科技業」的說法，認為既然產業結構多元，更應該把有限資源集中投入傳統產業、中小企業、服務業及自營業者等相對弱勢族群。

▲釋昭慧再度批評普發1萬政策。（圖／資料照）

釋昭慧喊資源集中弱勢 與其普發不如助加薪

最後她也把焦點放到薪資問題上，認為科技業表現亮眼，軍公教人員也將加薪4%，反觀傳統產業、中小企業、服務業及自營業者中，有大量員工薪資較低、加薪無望。與其普發1萬元，不如集中資源協助雇主替員工加薪4%，或將更高額的金額提供給無薪人士、低收入戶及無依街友。

釋昭慧最後再次批評，無論由在野黨提出，或如今由行政院提出，「無差別大撒幣」都讓她難以接受。

title: 賴政府「普發1萬」網友狂@她　釋昭慧深夜發聲罵：爭相撒幣


title: 賴政府「普發1萬」網友狂@她　釋昭慧深夜發聲罵：爭相撒幣


title: 陳幸妤意外帶貨800元帆布包！戴近6萬元梵克雅寶手鍊藏美好寓意


title: 荷莫茲海峽問題引憂且油價仍高檔　歐洲股市收低

content_text:
〔中央社〕因為荷莫茲海峽（Strait of Hormuz）重新開放的問題缺乏進展，加上國際油價仍維持高檔，歐洲股市主要指數今天收盤挫跌。

倫敦FTSE 100指數小挫29.81點或0.28%，收10720.30點。

法蘭克福DAX指數下滑101.70點或0.38%，收26338.61點。

巴黎CAC 40指數下跌57.20點或0.66%，收8579.60點。（編譯：陳彥鈞）1150818

一手掌握經濟脈動 點我訂閱自由財經Youtube頻道

things: 油價 經濟


content_text:
Joeman五年前就自爆追求無套。（圖翻攝自YT:Joeman）

〔即時新聞／綜合報導〕百萬YouTuber Joeman（九妹）近日遭美妝網紅前女友蕭伊毀滅式爆料，當中包括交往期間只接受「無套」性愛，害她吃了長達2年的事前避孕藥，而且都是女方自己花錢。隨著輿論延燒，Joeman5年前一段坦承「追求無套」的影片被翻出，引發討論。

蕭伊17日在社群曬出整桌的避孕藥，驚曝「我吃了2年的事前，因為對方說只能無套，每次的避孕藥都是我自己買的，我很後悔自己那麼笨。」這件事曝光後，大批網友狠酸Joeman只顧自己爽，不只避孕藥的錢不出，還跑去外面亂搞，把得病的風險甩給女生，有夠噁心

同日也有網友翻出Joeman 2020年的招牌單元《Joe是要對決》，與「雞排妹」鄭家純合作拍「奢華保險套 VS 平價保險套」。片中Joeman一副道貌岸然稱使用保險套是對另一半最負責任的表現，能降低懷孕、得性病的風險，還說自己心目中最理想的狀況是，等到結婚後、做好隨時有小孩的準備才會無套性行為。不過他也在鏡頭前坦承：「作為男人，我追求的還是無套！」

網友紛紛朝聖，「給九妹哥好好回憶一下」、「Joe是要無套」、「九妹在鏡頭前說『心中最理想的情況，是等到結婚、做好隨時可以有小孩的準備後，再選擇無套性行為』，啊怎麼沒結婚就跟女方說『只能無套』啊？好奇怪喔」、「買了那麼多都不用」、「沒想到我們man哥都不用的」、「原來5年前就先透露喜歡無套的性癖了」。

title: 前女友自己花錢吃避孕藥 Joeman昔坦承「我追求無套」片曝光！


title: 黃世杰提中壢交通與醫療建設主張 強調捷運綠線應加速

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民進黨桃園市長參選人黃世杰今（17）日晚間前往中壢普仁市民活動中心，出席市議員張曉昀舉辦的「心桃園政見說明會」，與地方鄉親交流。黃世杰表示，自己雖出生新屋，但從小在中壢成長，曾就讀中壢國小，對中壢有深厚情感。隨著人口持續增加，中壢不僅是桃園重要城市核心，也需要與人口規模相匹配的交通、醫療及生活建設。

黃世杰提到，中原、普仁一帶結合大學、商圈與住宅，是中壢成熟生活圈。中原商圈帶來人潮與商機，但也是居民生活空間，未來市府應建立更有效的地方溝通機制，從道路品質、環境整潔、停車動線及行人安全逐步改善，在商圈發展與居民生活品質間取得平衡。

針對交通問題，黃世杰表示，中原大學、商圈及住宅區人口集中，尖峰時段交通壓力大，不能只靠增加停車位或局部改善路口。捷運綠線延伸中壢規劃設置中原站，攸關地方未來發展，應加速推動；在軌道建設完成前，也應重新檢視公車路線與班次，提升準點率，並提前整合公車、捷運、台鐵及YouBike轉乘，提供更便利的大眾運輸。

提及南桃園醫療資源，黃世杰批評，市府近年推動的多項大型醫院計畫進展不如預期，包括清大與高醫合作設院計畫確定無法推動，中央大學合作醫院進度不明，陽明交大A19醫院案仍待中央審查。他認為，雖然醫院設置涉及中央、大學及醫療機構等不同權責，但市府不能置身事外，應主動掌握人口成長與醫療需求，整合各方資源、協助排除設院障礙。

黃世杰強調，南桃園需要更多醫療資源，是城市發展下的實際需求，醫療建設需要專業、協調與執行力，「不是靠集氣」。若現任市府無法回應市民期待，就應由更積極的團隊接手。未來若當選，他將強化市府協調整合角色，積極爭取醫療資源，完善南北桃園醫療布局，打造更安心、有保障的健康桃園。

taiwan-subdivisions: 中壢 新屋 桃園


title: 荷莫茲海峽問題引憂且油價仍高檔　歐洲股市收低


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2026臺灣週預計11月舉行，今日官網正式上線。（證交所提供）

〔記者陳永吉／台北報導〕金管會今（17）日攜手證交所、櫃檯中心、期交所及集保結算所，共同宣布「2026臺灣週」將於11月3日至13日舉行。金管會表示，本屆以「從科技島到資本島—臺灣引領亞洲財富與創新的交會點」為主題，進一步擴大國際參與，規劃12場核心活動，超過20家投信、銀行、證券及彭博、臺灣指數公司等響應舉辦超過30場系列活動，金管會主委彭金隆並透露，亞洲公司治理協會（ACGA）第25屆年會今年首度在臺舉辦，預期吸引更多國際專業人士來臺參與，深化臺灣與國際資本市場交流合作。

彭金隆表示，本屆臺灣週除延續「國際連結、展現臺灣」的主軸外，活動主題更多元，參與者也更廣。面對全球市場快速變革，臺灣正站在金融轉型與產業升級重要關鍵時刻，政府將持續推動開放措施，為臺灣金融發展注入更多成長動能。臺灣週將成為展現政府未來政策推動方向的最佳窗口，讓世界看見臺灣、投資臺灣，進一步深化臺灣與國際市場的連結。

本屆臺灣週以「國際金融領袖參與」、「產官協力」、「精準匯聚多元受眾」、「結合政策成果與國際趨勢」四大亮點全面升級，集結金管會、國發會、高雄市政府及證券期貨周邊單位資源，金融業者熱烈響應辦理活動。「臺灣週」作為臺灣重要的國際金融交流平台，聚焦臺灣產業優勢與資本市場實力，以及在全球供應鏈及亞洲財富管理需求升溫下所扮演的關鍵角色。

本屆規劃七大核心主題，包含「全球展望與國際連結」、「亞洲市場競爭力」、「創新籌資平臺」、「提升企業競爭力」、「金融創新與資安韌性」、「衍生性商品與風險管理」及「多元投資與社會共融」，涵蓋國際市場趨勢、創新籌資、企業發展、金融創新及全民財富管理等面向，並納入亞洲資產管理中心、金融韌性、AI及ETF等國際關注議題。

「臺灣週官方網站」作為本屆活動資訊整合平台，將完整呈現活動資訊、講者陣容及報名方式，並將持續更新最新消息，提供國內外投資人、市場參與者及各界人士掌握關鍵資訊，共同見證臺灣從「科技島」邁向「資本島」的重要里程碑。

一手掌握經濟脈動 點我訂閱自由財經Youtube頻道

title: 2026臺灣週11月舉行 亞洲公司治理協會年會首度在台舉辦

things: 資安 經濟


content_text:
網紅蕭伊（左）開撕前男友Joeman。（翻攝自IG）

〔記者馮亦寧／台北報導〕百萬YouTuber「九妹」和網紅蕭伊交往約2年，近日蕭伊不斷爆料，指Joeman交往期間謊話連連，私約AV女優、隱瞞異性租客，還要求她凌晨到林口煮牛肉麵。網友發現15年前偶像劇《我可能不會愛你》也有過類似片段，掀起軒然大波。

15年前《我可能不會愛你》就曾上演半夜牛肉麵戲碼，圖為飾演丁立威的王陽明。（翻攝自YouTube）

《我可能不會愛你》當中有個橋段，王陽明飾演的「丁立威」以牛肉麵為由，在深夜約見林依晨飾演的「程又青」。當時丁立威表示自己一整天為了趕案子，只吃了一個麵包，現在想吃牛肉麵；程又青叫他趕快去吃，但丁立威卻表示想見對方，最後說「我等妳，以及牛肉麵」，隨即掛上電話。

大家回想起這個橋段後，忍不住大笑「牛肉麵是什麼壞壞男標配嗎？」、「Joeman在致敬丁立威？」

如果蕭伊不願意替Joeman煮牛肉麵，Joeman回答：「要叫別人幫我弄了」。（翻攝自IG）

蕭伊在限時動態貼出多張與Joeman交往期間的對話截圖。從截圖可見，有一張時間約為凌晨2時39分，兩人似乎因事情發生爭執，過程中Joeman突然表示自己想吃牛肉麵，並要求蕭伊立刻開車前往幫忙料理。Joeman甚至表示，「你如果願意來幫我弄牛肉麵，就會把扣掉的分加一些回來」，還稱如果她不願意幫忙，「要叫別人幫我弄了」，甚至說「我認真問一定會有人來煮給我吃的」。

title: Joeman「凌晨牛肉麵」撞梗15年前《我可能不會愛你》


countries: 美國 以色列

title: 庫什納晤內塔尼亞胡　討論加沙下一階段安排

content_text:
央視新聞報道，美國總統特朗普的女婿庫什納，與以色列總理內塔尼亞胡會面，據了解，會面歷時大約4小時。

報道引述消息人士說，會談的重點是討論加沙下一階段的安排，雙方同意在哈馬斯完全解除武裝之前，加沙不會進行任何重建；哈馬斯必須交出所有武器並銷毀；同時以軍仍有行動自由。消息人士說，這些安排是實現加沙非軍事化的第一步。

編輯：盧曉珊


people: 范雲 莊瑞雄

countries: 台灣 韓國

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【記者常懷仁／台北報導】韓國光州雙年展將於9月登場，台灣以「台灣館」（Taiwan Pavilion）名義提案參展，但卻被改名為「NTMoFA」（國立台灣美術館英文縮寫）。民進黨團17日表示，光州精神就是反威權、自由民主，因此這種做法違反了光州雙年展的基本理念，沒有退讓的空間。

民進黨團書記長范雲表示，這對台灣非常不尊重，因為台灣參展是用「Taiwan Pavilion」，結果卻變成「NTMoFA」，名稱非常重要，如同台灣尊重韓國，首爾不應該被翻譯成漢城一樣，因為名稱是韓國的決定。

范雲指出，光州是在韓國民主運動史上非常重要的城市，1980年的光州事件，很多人將其類比為台灣當年的美麗島事件，代表的是反威權、追求自由民主、由下而上的力量；光州精神既然核心是反威權、自由與民主，如此不尊重台灣的做法，違反光州雙年展的基本理念。

范雲認為，台灣走向世界會遇到各種阻撓，所以沒有特別驚訝，但是民進黨團支持文化部的嚴正抗議，文化藝術創作代表來自人民的自由自在聲音，本來就應該有權利被尊重，堂堂正正的在世界舞台上發聲。

民進黨團幹事長莊瑞雄表示，受到政治力的影響，讓人遺憾，文化部、外交部應針對本事件進行強力交涉，藝術家們走出去爭取的不是展覽位置，而是能夠堂堂正正的用台灣的名字站在世界的面前，所以沒有退讓的空間。◇

title: 韓光州雙年展 「Taiwan」遭改名


content_text:
AI（人工智慧）正快速改變全球產業，也成為中美科技競爭的新領域。中共正在積極發展AI相關產業，加速中國經濟分化，並且失業與社會不穩定的風險可能更高。中共官媒8月14日發文，以在上海舉辦AI大會和長鑫科技上市為例，宣稱「在技術層面打破封鎖實現突破」。

不過，美國人工智慧公司Anthropic和白宮此前指責中國企業存在智慧財產權盜用的問題。在開發模型時大量依賴蒸餾技術，即透過詢問現有AI模型獲取知識，再將這些知識轉移到更小、成本更低的模型中，同時保持高性能。美國政府將此視為「大規模竊取美國專有技術的祕密行動」，並稱「損害美國研究利益是不可接受的」。

AI對中國經濟是把雙面刃除了中美科技競爭，國際方面正在關注AI對中國經濟更廣泛的影響。英國《經濟學人》認為，真正決定AI能否帶動經濟成長的，並不只是能不能打造出強大的模型，而是AI能否大規模進入產業。這正是北京目前積極推動的方向，但如何處理AI取代大量勞工後造成的社會衝擊，將是北京難以迴避的挑戰。

從物流、影視到製造業，AI已開始改變傳統工作形態。北京同時加快推動人形機器人，未來更預期大幅增加銷量。但是，AI取代工作的速度可能遠快於人口減少的速度。中國目前青年失業率約15%，還有超過3億人從事打零工，如果大量基層工作被AI與機器人取代，可能形成新的失業壓力。

這對中共政府而言尤其敏感，因為問題不只涉及經濟，更牽涉社會穩定。當局目前更傾向要求企業重新安排員工，而不是大規模裁員，甚至可能要求國有企業吸收部分剩餘勞動力。因此，AI對中國而言可能是一把真正的雙面刃。中共政府能否維持就業、經濟成長與社會穩定之間的平衡，恐怕才是AI時代真正艱難的考驗。

AI帶動產業繁榮 未惠及民眾另外，總部在安徽省合肥市的記憶體晶片大廠長鑫科技7月27日在上交所科創板掛牌，資料顯示，合肥國資體系合計持有長鑫科技約33.11%的股份，按當天收盤價測算，合肥國資體系所持股份對應市值約1.09兆元人民幣。

合肥市統計局的數據顯示，今年上半年，當地經濟年增6.8%，高於2025年全年6.1%的增速。上半年全市規模以上工業增加值成長26%，創近年來最快增速，其中電子資訊產業產值成長93%。

中國AI產業變革的核心地帶正是合肥這樣的城市。然而，即便是在這些因AI熱潮而迅速崛起的城市，產業繁榮帶來的紅利也鮮少惠及普通居民。由於推動這一輪成長的工廠越來越依賴自動化和臨時用工，一些城市的零售業反而出現萎縮。

彭博的報導認為，這突顯了AI帶來的風險，尤其是在依賴傳統產業的地區迅速失去成長動能、房地產長期低迷仍未得到扭轉的背景下。對中國而言，僅靠少數幾個城市支撐全國經濟成長，同樣存在隱憂。隨著美國等主要貿易夥伴限制先進技術和設備進口，這種成長模式顯得更加脆弱。

受全球上半年人工智慧投資熱潮推動，野村證券定義的七座「智慧城市」（包括北京、上海、深圳、蘇州、杭州、合肥和武漢）的加權平均GDP增速升至5.6%。今年前6個月，這七座城市合計貢獻了全國約五分之一的經濟成長，而中國其他地區的經濟增速則放緩至4.5%。

更令人擔憂的是，即便是經濟成長表現最亮眼的城市，在提振消費需求方面也收效甚微，折射出中國經濟普遍面臨的困境。（小標為編輯所加）◇

title: 中共發展AI對經濟和社會穩定造成衝擊

countries: 美國 英國 中國


content_text:
Naomi在日本慶生跟晴空塔合照，陽台取景角度，竟與Joeman的東京三層樓透天厝幾乎一模一樣。（圖／翻攝自Naomi臉書、Joeman YouTube）

百萬YouTuber Joeman與美妝網紅蕭伊分手後，蕭伊於昨（16）日丟出核彈級爆料，指控Joeman在交往期間不僅與另一名網紅過從甚密，甚至還私約女優，瞬間在網路引爆熱烈討論。蕭伊更給出關鍵提示，透露女方追蹤數僅數萬且帳號帶有「YA」，大批網友隨即發揮柯南精神，將目標指向帳號以「ya」開頭的女網紅「Naomi」，並展開深度肉搜。

影音與社群蛛絲馬跡曝光 聲音車照引發熱議

網友紛紛挖出Naomi過往發布的影片與照片進行對比，發現在其東京旅遊影片中，背景隱約傳出極似Joeman的聲音；此外，Naomi更曾曬出疑似坐在Joeman愛車內部的自拍照。種種巧合連番爆出，讓不少追蹤動態的網友大呼「細思極恐」，認為兩人之間的關係絕非普通朋友那麼簡單。

Naomi於2024年1月曾分享「第一次生日在日本過，當然要跟晴空塔合照」的貼文。（圖／翻攝自Naomi臉書）

晴空塔豪宅陽台比對成功 網友神出同款日本行程

有網友在Threads上發文指出，Naomi於2024年1月曾分享「第一次生日在日本過，當然要跟晴空塔合照」的貼文。然而，照片中的陽台取景角度，竟與Joeman於2023年底斥資6,500萬日幣購入的東京三層樓透天厝幾乎一模一樣。甚至有店員網友出面爆料，早在2024年1月初於淺草唐吉訶德打工時，就曾目擊Joeman攜帶一名頭戴毛帽、身穿白衣的長髮女子同行，對照時間點與特徵完全吻合。

網友留言熱議讚「強過記者」 民宿出租說法引發論戰

面對鋪天蓋地的討論，網友留言反應相當熱烈，不少人直呼「網友超屌」、「這屆網友比記者還厲害」。不過，也有部分冷靜的網友提出不同看法，指出該棟東京透天厝平常有作為Airbnb民宿對外出租，認為入住並不一定代表特殊關係。即便如此，隨著相關細節不斷被挖掘出爐，整起事件的關注度與「含金量」仍在持續攀升。

更多三立新聞網報導． 蔡阿嘎宣布「蔡鼠芬」家中離世！陪伴3年全家喜愛 沉痛舉辦告別式． Joeman爆私約女優！蕭伊覺得染病要性檢 Tiny遭影射發聲：每月全套體檢． Joeman曾被前女友爆「會動手打女生！」網紅證實2人交往過：真有其人． 趙建銘診所6護理師「年輕又漂亮！」 病患想常來：全台南妹子都在這

journalist: 三立新聞

references: 網友 臉書

title: 女網紅慶生合照晴空塔！網驚：九妹日本家 - 鏡週刊 Mirror Media


content_text:
圖為欣新網總經理黃懷恩。（圖／欣新網）

全整合電商營運服務商欣新網（2949）H1合併營收達新台幣（以下同）31.65億元，年增23.15%，創歷年同期新高；營業毛利3.85億元，年增22.96%，毛利率為12.17%、營業利益0.73億元、稅後淨利0.54億元、EPS 1.68元，皆與去年同期相當。同時，該公司7月營收5.34億元，年增33.10%，維持雙位數成長。過往隨著服務品牌與業務規模快速擴大，公司必須同步增加營運人力、倉儲空間及物流量能，因此前期投資造成的相關成本上升通常會造成上半年度的營業利益下滑。

值得注意的是，今年在營收快速成長的同時，欣新網上半年員工人數並未增加，人均營收產值同步提升逾兩成。公司表示，這反映近年持續導入AI工具與推動流程重整已逐步產生效益，讓營運規模擴張不再需要與人力成長等比例增加。在AI應用方面，欣新網並非單純以降低費用或取代人力為目標，而是將AI導入業務、電商營運、數位行銷及物流等環節，提升既有人力的產出規模。

例如，過去製作一支短影音所需的時間與費用，如今透過AI輔助可延伸產出更多不同版本，讓品牌能以更多元的素材觸及不同客群，擴大內容曝光與測試範圍；同時，透過AI協助資料整理、商品上架、內容生成與營運分析，使團隊能將更多時間投入策略規劃與品牌服務。欣新網總經理黃懷恩表示，AI對欣新網而言，不只是降低成本的工具，而是讓既有團隊可以服務更多品牌、管理更多通路、產出更多內容。當營收成長超過兩成、組織規模卻不需要同步擴張，我們看到AI開始真正轉化為營運槓桿。

黃懷恩總經理進一步指出，未來電商競爭的關鍵，不只是誰的商品更多、價格更低，而是誰更能整合AI、數據與內容，打造完整且連貫的消費體驗。這也是欣新網持續投入AI應用、直播、短影音及跨平台營運的原因；唯有將科技、內容與營運能力有效整合，才能協助品牌在成熟且高度競爭的市場中維持成長。

欣新網持續透過策略投資深化品牌與服務生態系，董事會13日通過參與軒郁國際私募案，以約3,150萬元取得350張持股。雙方未來將結合品牌、電商營運及數位行銷資源，探索跨境電商與東南亞市場合作機會。

三立新聞網提醒您：

內容僅供參考，投資人於決策時應審慎評估風險，並就投資結果自行負責。

投資一定有風險，基金投資有賺有賠，申購前應詳閱公開說明書。

更多三立新聞網報導． 盤前／美股創高後變臉！台積電期貨盤後跌5元 台股開盤迎多空對決． 上半年營收年增11% ！銳澤氣體工程訂單升溫 下半年營運靠它挹注． AI真正瓶頸曝光！算力再強也要有電 電力這5檔引爆淘金潮． 7月股災也嚇不跑存股族！這4檔規模逆勢成長 它暴增逾10%奪冠

title: 欣新網H1營收創高 再砸3150萬入股這公司 - 鏡週刊 Mirror Media


content_text:
石英元件大廠晶技（3042）搭上AI光通訊與車用產品出貨順風車，隨著第三季步入傳統旺季，7月合併營收達13.66億元，較上月成長14.48%、較去年同期增加22.91%，寫下歷史次高紀錄。（圖／資料照）

石英元件大廠晶技（3042）搭上AI光通訊與車用產品出貨順風車，隨著第三季步入傳統旺季，7月合併營收達13.66億元，較上月成長14.48%、較去年同期增加22.91%，寫下歷史次高紀錄。晶技將於19日舉行法人說明會，除了下半年營運展望備受矚目外，AI光通訊、低軌衛星與網通等新興應用的發展進度也成為市場關注焦點。晶技股價昨（17）日勁揚15元，漲幅達8.31%，收盤報195.5元。

這大廠訂單達2027年 上半年EPS飆2.96元

晶技上半年合併營收70.38億元，年增7.75%；稅後純益10.05億元，年增19.4%，每股稅後盈餘（EPS）達2.96元。單看7月，稅前盈餘2.92億元，年增幅度高達49.4%；累計前7月稅前盈餘則來到15.12億元，年增28.1%，每股稅前盈餘4.45元。

近幾年晶技逐步淡出競爭白熱化的低階手機市場，轉而聚焦車用電子、5G-A及AI光通訊等附加價值較高的應用領域。隨著光收發模組規格朝800G、1.6T邁進，高階石英振盪器的市場需求也水漲船高，目前伺服器、光通訊及光模組相關產品的營收占比已提升至14%至15%，訂單能見度更已延伸至2027年。

以目前接單情況研判，晶技預估第三季營收可望較上季成長8%至10%，全年營收比重估約落在上半年45%、下半年55%，下半年整體表現可望優於上半年。法人方面則看好，2027年AI相關應用營收占比有機會突破二成，屆時甚至可能超車手機成為主力貢獻來源；公司新增產能預計第四季起將陸續開出。

三立新聞網提醒您：

內容僅供參考，投資人於決策時應審慎評估風險，並就投資結果自行負責。

投資一定有風險，基金投資有賺有賠，申購前應詳閱公開說明書。

更多三立新聞網報導． 三雄強勢拉抬 PCB族群放紅色煙火！「這6檔」沒被揪逆勢走跌． 旺宏急摔逾5% 記憶體族群遭綠光罩頂！「這3檔」硬扛逆勢上漲大旗． 買在1027元！「這檔」苦主慘套牢不敢開帳戶 釣一票韭菜取暖：當傳家寶． 開盤／無懼美股收黑！台積電上漲10元強勢領軍 台股強攻逾332點

title: 這大廠訂單達2027年 上半年EPS飆2.96元 - 鏡週刊 Mirror Media