The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that conflict-related energy price increases, particularly gasoline surging 21.2%, pushed March's Consumer Price Index up 0.9% month-over-month, marking a 4-year high. The annual CPI growth rate reached 3.3%, reflecting persistent inflationary pressures in the U.S. economy.
Film producer Li Neng-qian, husband of actress Liu Hsiang-chun, is accused of being recruited by Chinese military intelligence operatives to steal military secrets and collect personal data of over 3,000 military personnel. The Taipei District Prosecutors Office indicted Li and four others under the National Intelligence Work Act, seeking a sentence of at least 12 years. The court ordered Li to remain in custody.
Democratic Progressive Party legislator Zhang Mingda, speaker of Chiayi County Council, allegedly received luxury gifts worth over 130,000 NT dollars and subsequently pressured the county health bureau to reduce a company's fine from over 6 million NT dollars to approximately 900,000 NT dollars. Prosecutors have charged Zhang with bribery and abuse of authority based on evidence gathered during the investigation.
Japan released its 2026 diplomatic bluebook on the 10th, downgrading its characterization of Sino-Japanese relations from "one of the most important bilateral relationships" in the 2025 version to "important neighbor." This reflects the rapid deterioration in bilateral ties following Prime Minister Takayaki Koichi's remarks on Taiwan contingencies in parliament last year.
US Vice President Harris will lead a delegation to Islamabad, Pakistan on the 11th for US-Iran ceasefire negotiations. Harris expressed confidence that the talks will yield positive results while warning Tehran against attempting to deceive the United States. Analysts suggest the outcome of these negotiations could shape the global order for decades to come.
The United States and Iran are set to hold ceasefire negotiations in Pakistan. Iran's parliament speaker Kalibaff, representing Iran's delegation, stated that two key conditions must be met by the US before negotiations can begin. This reflects Iran's firm stance ahead of the talks.
Iran continues to control the Strait of Hormuz and has announced a new alternative shipping lane called the "Tehran Toll Station," imposing fees on vessels transiting the waterway. This move reflects Iran's control over critical oil transportation routes and could impact global energy trade. British media reports highlight challenges under international maritime law and questions about the policy's practical feasibility among international observers.
Film producer Li Neng-qian, husband of actress Liu Hsiang-chun, is accused of being recruited by Chinese military intelligence operatives to steal military secrets and collect personal data of over 3,000 military personnel. The Taipei District Prosecutors Office indicted Li and four others under the National Intelligence Work Act, seeking a sentence of at least 12 years. The court ordered Li to remain in custody.
Democratic Progressive Party legislator Zhang Mingda, speaker of Chiayi County Council, allegedly received luxury gifts worth over 130,000 NT dollars and subsequently pressured the county health bureau to reduce a company's fine from over 6 million NT dollars to approximately 900,000 NT dollars. Prosecutors have charged Zhang with bribery and abuse of authority based on evidence gathered during the investigation.
Pingtung's Xinghai Fishing Port expansion officially opened yesterday, eliminating the need for fishermen to travel two hours to Houbihu for shelter. The port now serves as a strategic base for coast guard operations, strengthening maritime security in the southeastern waters and enabling rapid response to regional challenges.
The 47th anniversary of the U.S. Congress passing the Taiwan Relations Act was marked with President Lai Ching-te stating the law, combined with the six assurances to Taiwan, demonstrates deepened friendship and serves as a key foundation for regional stability and security in the Indo-Pacific. The American Institute in Taiwan issued a statement affirming the policy framework's success in supporting Taiwan's democratic, economic, and social development.
Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) responded to the Cheng-Xi meeting by criticizing KMT Chair Cheng Li-wen's proposed peace framework as essentially a unification framework. The MAC stated that the CCP deliberately creates a false impression that Taiwan is China's internal affair to mislead the international community and achieve its goal of opposing external interference. The MAC believes Cheng echoes CCP narratives, diverging from mainstream Taiwan opinion.
Japan released its 2026 diplomatic bluebook on the 10th, downgrading its characterization of Sino-Japanese relations from "one of the most important bilateral relationships" in the 2025 version to "important neighbor." This reflects the rapid deterioration in bilateral ties following Prime Minister Takayaki Koichi's remarks on Taiwan contingencies in parliament last year.
The Taiwan Relations Act reached its 47th anniversary this year. Multiple US lawmakers expressed on social media that the act serves as the foundation of US-Taiwan relations, with Taiwan being an important partner. The lawmakers pledged continued firm support for bilateral ties, opposition to coercion, and commitment to regional stability.
US Vice President Harris will lead a delegation to Islamabad, Pakistan on the 11th for US-Iran ceasefire negotiations. Harris expressed confidence that the talks will yield positive results while warning Tehran against attempting to deceive the United States. Analysts suggest the outcome of these negotiations could shape the global order for decades to come.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that conflict-related energy price increases, particularly gasoline surging 21.2%, pushed March's Consumer Price Index up 0.9% month-over-month, marking a 4-year high. The annual CPI growth rate reached 3.3%, reflecting persistent inflationary pressures in the U.S. economy.
International oil prices declined across the board on Friday, with Brent crude falling 12.7% for the week and WTI dropping 13.4%, marking the largest weekly declines since 2022. Despite the price pullback, market concerns persist over potential supply disruptions from Strait of Hormuz shipping obstacles and Middle East energy infrastructure damage. Geopolitical risks remain elevated ahead of US-Iran ceasefire negotiations.
CoreWeave stock jumped approximately 10% Friday after AI startup Anthropic agreed to rent computing resources for deploying its Claude AI model. The partnership will use phased infrastructure deployment with expansion potential. This follows CoreWeave's recent $21 billion contract with Meta, reflecting strong demand for AI infrastructure services.
Iran's oil exporters union spokesman announced that Iran is collecting approximately one dollar per barrel in tariffs from tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz, requiring payment in cryptocurrency to evade international sanctions tracking. According to Chainalysis data, Iran's cryptocurrency economy has reached approximately 7.8 billion dollars, experiencing rapid growth in recent years amid sanctions and currency devaluation pressures.
Sources revealed that the Senate confirmation hearing for Federal Reserve chair nominee Bessent has been delayed and will not proceed as scheduled next week. The postponement disrupts the White House's plan for Bessent to assume office in mid-May, replacing current Chair Powell.
Optical communications manufacturer Lumentum announced accelerating demand from U.S. hyperscale cloud providers for optical components, extending its order backlog through 2028, beyond the previously projected 2027 timeline. The positive outlook drove Lumentum's stock up over 1% in early U.S. trading on the 10th, lifting the broader optical communications sector.
Military actions by the United States and Israel against Iran have escalated geopolitical tensions, creating economic uncertainty worldwide. Following tariff-related disruptions, markets worry this conflict may trigger another wave of global economic impact, potentially forcing central banks to initiate new tightening cycles. Year-end interest rate expectations have risen accordingly.
The US March Consumer Price Index surged due to rising oil prices, while core CPI remained stable, indicating inflation pressures have not spread to other sectors. Economists worry April oil shocks may trigger a second wave of price increases. The Federal Reserve is expected to maintain a cautious stance, holding steady at its next meeting while monitoring Middle East developments' impact on inflation and employment.
As de-dollarization accelerates globally, the market value of gold held by central banks worldwide has exceeded dollar assets excluding interest income, reaching approximately 5.6 trillion US dollars. Analysts note that recent geopolitical tensions in the Middle East have caused long-term damage to the dollar system, prompting central banks to increase gold allocations.
Taiwan's Taipei District Prosecutors Office continues investigating the Absolute Energy Group's alleged fraud scheme, with 17 people previously indicted. Prosecutors recently apprehended 9 individuals including an operations manager. Three defendants were granted detention without bail in the evening, while two business employees await bail decisions and one faces residence restrictions. Three additional suspects' detention hearings remain ongoing.
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent held a closed-door meeting this week with executives from major banks including Bank of America, Citigroup, and Goldman Sachs to discuss potential cybersecurity risks posed by Anthropic's latest AI model, Claude Mythos. The meeting, held Tuesday in Washington, reflects the U.S. government's growing concern about AI's potential cyber capabilities as a significant risk to the financial system.
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy announced in his shareholder letter that the company's custom chip business has achieved over $20 billion in annualized revenue. Amazon is considering selling its chips to external customers through a potential public offering, which could generate up to $50 billion in annualized revenue, positioning the company as a potential competitor to Nvidia.
Amazon announced an additional 12 billion dollar investment in Mississippi to build two new data centers in Richland and Clinton. The investments of 11 billion and 1 billion dollars respectively will bring total state investment to 25 billion dollars across four data centers, creating 2,000 jobs.
AI company Anthropic's Mythos model has prompted urgent action from US Treasury Secretary Bessent and Federal Reserve Chair Powell, who convened multiple bank executives this week to discuss risks posed by the model and similar systems. The meeting aimed to ensure banks understand potential threats and implement protective measures for financial system security. Anthropic is also exploring the possibility of designing its own chips.
OpenAI introduced ChatGPT Pro at $100 per month, offering Codex code model usage limits five times higher than the Plus plan and priced lower than the previous $200 Pro tier. The plan targets competition with Anthropic's Claude Code. Additionally, OpenAI began testing ad placements on free and Go versions in the US starting January, with annualized revenue reaching $100 million.
Japan's XRISM telescope observed the Cigar Galaxy M82, located 12 million light-years away, discovering high-speed matter outflows reaching 3 million kilometers per hour. M82 is classified as a starburst galaxy with extremely active star formation. This observation reveals the violent mass ejection phenomena in the galaxy, providing insights into the physical mechanisms and evolution of starburst galaxies.
Film producer Li Neng-qian, husband of actress Liu Hsiang-chun, is accused of being recruited by Chinese military intelligence operatives to steal military secrets and collect personal data of over 3,000 military personnel. The Taipei District Prosecutors Office indicted Li and four others under the National Intelligence Work Act, seeking a sentence of at least 12 years. The court ordered Li to remain in custody.
Democratic Progressive Party legislator Zhang Mingda, speaker of Chiayi County Council, allegedly received luxury gifts worth over 130,000 NT dollars and subsequently pressured the county health bureau to reduce a company's fine from over 6 million NT dollars to approximately 900,000 NT dollars. Prosecutors have charged Zhang with bribery and abuse of authority based on evidence gathered during the investigation.
US Vice President Harris will lead a delegation to Islamabad, Pakistan on the 11th for US-Iran ceasefire negotiations. Harris expressed confidence that the talks will yield positive results while warning Tehran against attempting to deceive the United States. Analysts suggest the outcome of these negotiations could shape the global order for decades to come.
Lebanon and Israel have agreed to hold direct negotiations in Washington scheduled for next week. This marks the first direct talks between the two countries in over four decades. The talks represent a significant diplomatic development in Middle Eastern relations, with the United States hosting the negotiations.
US consumer prices hit their highest level in two years during March, with gasoline prices posting a record monthly increase. Geopolitical tensions have driven energy costs significantly higher, causing consumer sentiment to plummet to historic lows as households express growing concerns about economic prospects.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that conflict-related energy price increases, particularly gasoline surging 21.2%, pushed March's Consumer Price Index up 0.9% month-over-month, marking a 4-year high. The annual CPI growth rate reached 3.3%, reflecting persistent inflationary pressures in the U.S. economy.
Lebanon's national security agency reported that Israel conducted an airstrike on the southern city of Nabatiyeh, resulting in 13 security force deaths. The strike is part of escalating tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, with the conflict causing mounting casualties in the region.
Japan released its 2026 diplomatic bluebook on the 10th, downgrading its characterization of Sino-Japanese relations from "one of the most important bilateral relationships" in the 2025 version to "important neighbor." This reflects the rapid deterioration in bilateral ties following Prime Minister Takayaki Koichi's remarks on Taiwan contingencies in parliament last year.
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy announced in his shareholder letter that the company's custom chip business has achieved over $20 billion in annualized revenue. Amazon is considering selling its chips to external customers through a potential public offering, which could generate up to $50 billion in annualized revenue, positioning the company as a potential competitor to Nvidia.
The United States and Iran exchanged threats in the final hours before ceasefire talks, signaling potential obstacles to reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Both nations' last-minute warnings indicate significant challenges to negotiations, with implications for global energy transportation security. The talks are expected to address ways to ease Middle East regional tensions.
US President Donald Trump pressed Iran to meet American demands on Friday as Vice-President J.D. Vance travelled to Pakistan to lead critical negotiations aimed at ending the month-long Middle East conflict. Talks between the US and Iran are scheduled to begin Saturday morning in Islamabad during an agreed two-week ceasefire brokered by Pakistan. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif confirmed both countries' leaders have agreed to participate in the negotiations.
The Taiwan Relations Act reached its 47th anniversary this year. Multiple US lawmakers expressed on social media that the act serves as the foundation of US-Taiwan relations, with Taiwan being an important partner. The lawmakers pledged continued firm support for bilateral ties, opposition to coercion, and commitment to regional stability.
The United States and Iran are set to hold ceasefire negotiations in Pakistan. Iran's parliament speaker Kalibaff, representing Iran's delegation, stated that two key conditions must be met by the US before negotiations can begin. This reflects Iran's firm stance ahead of the talks.
Iran continues to control the Strait of Hormuz and has announced a new alternative shipping lane called the "Tehran Toll Station," imposing fees on vessels transiting the waterway. This move reflects Iran's control over critical oil transportation routes and could impact global energy trade. British media reports highlight challenges under international maritime law and questions about the policy's practical feasibility among international observers.
Pingtung's Xinghai Fishing Port expansion officially opened yesterday, eliminating the need for fishermen to travel two hours to Houbihu for shelter. The port now serves as a strategic base for coast guard operations, strengthening maritime security in the southeastern waters and enabling rapid response to regional challenges.