French Finance Minister Roland Lescure stated that the Strait of Hormuz must reopen, but emphasized it cannot come at any cost. The Group of Seven is preparing to address potential economic impacts from the strait's blockade, including disruptions to energy supplies and global trade.
Ukrainian authorities reported on the 16th that Russia conducted one of its largest air operations this year, firing 659 drones and 44 missiles at major Ukrainian cities. The attacks killed at least 18 people, including a child, and wounded 118 others. Multiple buildings were damaged and caught fire across the country. Russia later stated the strikes were in retaliation for earlier Ukrainian attacks.
The U.S. State Department announced that Israel and Lebanon have reached a ceasefire agreement today. Under the accord, the Lebanese government commits to preventing the militant organization Hezbollah from launching attacks against Israel. The agreement aims to ease tensions along the border between the two nations, with the United States serving as a witness to the accord.
US President Trump announced on the 16th that after discussions with Lebanon's president and Israel's prime minister, both sides agreed to a 10-day ceasefire beginning at 5 PM Eastern Time. Trump stated he will invite both leaders to the White House for talks to advance the peace process.
A tragic case of fatal child abuse occurred in Tainan, where a man, his wife, and his sister jointly abused an infant under five months old, resulting in the child's death. The three suspects then disposed of the body wrapped in plastic bags in a drainage ditch beneath the Sicao Bridge. After investigation, prosecutors charged all three and requested severe sentences from the court.
Iran announced on the 17th that the Strait of Hormuz is completely open to commercial vessels, signaling a potential de-escalation in tensions with the United States and Israel. Following this announcement, international crude oil and natural gas prices fell approximately 10%, reflecting market expectations of reduced geopolitical risk in the region.
Following the breakdown of an Easter ceasefire, Ukraine and Russia resumed hostilities. Russian forces deployed approximately 700 drones and dozens of missiles within 24 hours, attacking Kyiv and multiple cities, killing at least 17 people. Ukraine announced its first unmanned robot assault operation, successfully capturing multiple Russian positions without infantry participation, marking a new combat milestone.
Israel and Lebanon reached a ten-day ceasefire agreement effective from early morning on the 17th. U.S. President Trump announced plans to invite leaders from both sides to the White House for face-to-face talks within one to two weeks. The international community, including Iran, welcomed the agreement, though Lebanese citizens hope for permanent peace. Reports emerged of Israeli military violations continuing attacks on Lebanon after the ceasefire took effect.
Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a ten-day ceasefire brokered by the United States. Under the agreement, Lebanon commits to preventing Hezbollah attacks on Israel. US President Trump stated that peace negotiations with Iran are progressing well, aiming to achieve long-term stability in the Middle East region.
French Finance Minister Roland Lescure stated that the Strait of Hormuz must reopen, but emphasized it cannot come at any cost. The Group of Seven is preparing to address potential economic impacts from the strait's blockade, including disruptions to energy supplies and global trade.
Ukrainian authorities reported on the 16th that Russia conducted one of its largest air operations this year, firing 659 drones and 44 missiles at major Ukrainian cities. The attacks killed at least 18 people, including a child, and wounded 118 others. Multiple buildings were damaged and caught fire across the country. Russia later stated the strikes were in retaliation for earlier Ukrainian attacks.
The U.S. State Department announced that Israel and Lebanon have reached a ceasefire agreement today. Under the accord, the Lebanese government commits to preventing the militant organization Hezbollah from launching attacks against Israel. The agreement aims to ease tensions along the border between the two nations, with the United States serving as a witness to the accord.
US President Trump announced on the 16th that after discussions with Lebanon's president and Israel's prime minister, both sides agreed to a 10-day ceasefire beginning at 5 PM Eastern Time. Trump stated he will invite both leaders to the White House for talks to advance the peace process.
US President Donald Trump announced via Truth Social that Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a ten-day ceasefire beginning at 5 PM Eastern Time, following his mediation efforts. The agreement marks a temporary de-escalation in regional tensions, with further details and implementation pending.
A tragic case of fatal child abuse occurred in Tainan, where a man, his wife, and his sister jointly abused an infant under five months old, resulting in the child's death. The three suspects then disposed of the body wrapped in plastic bags in a drainage ditch beneath the Sicao Bridge. After investigation, prosecutors charged all three and requested severe sentences from the court.
Sequoia Capital, one of the world's largest venture capital firms, has raised approximately $7 billion for a new fund under its new leadership team. The fund size is double the $3.4 billion raised in 2022. The capital will primarily support late-stage investments in the United States and Europe, with a focus on AI startups like OpenAI and Anthropic that require significant computational resources. This marks a new chapter under co-managing partners Alfred Lin and Pat Grady.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) has warned that European aviation fuel inventories may only sustain operations for six weeks. Disruptions to energy transport through the Strait of Hormuz, caused by Middle East tensions, are straining global energy supply chains. IEA Director Fatih Birol described the situation as the largest energy crisis the organization has faced, warning that continued shipping disruptions could lead to flight cancellations with severe economic consequences.
Iran-related conflicts have disrupted Hormuz Strait shipping, forcing vessels to reroute through the Panama Canal, causing severe congestion. Average waiting time now reaches approximately three and a half days, the worst in over two years. An LPG carrier paid $4 million for priority passage, a dramatic increase from less than $1 million in early March.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company released strong first-quarter financial results and second-quarter guidance that surpassed market expectations. Benefiting from growing demand in artificial intelligence and high-performance computing, Daiwa Capital and Morgan Stanley raised their price targets to NT$2,330 and NT$2,588 respectively, reflecting optimism about the company's future prospects.
Netflix released disappointing second-quarter financial guidance that fell short of analyst expectations, causing its stock to plunge over 9.5% in after-hours trading on Thursday. Co-founder Reed Hastings announced his departure from the company. The developments reflect market concerns about the streaming platform's operational outlook and mark a significant leadership transition for Netflix.
Israel and Lebanon agreed to a temporary ceasefire, while President Trump indicated potential US-Iran talks this weekend. Markets view the worst of Middle East tensions as past, driving US stock indices higher. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq reached new highs for the second consecutive day, with major indices closing in positive territory.
International crude oil prices rose on the 16th as markets remain skeptical about US-Iran peace negotiations resolving Middle East energy supply disruptions. Brent crude futures climbed 4.7% to $99.39 per barrel, while WTI crude rose 3.7% to $94.69. Iran's interference with Hormuz Strait shipping heightened concerns, as the strait handles approximately 20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas transportation.
The expiration of the U.S. Treasury's sanctions exemption on Russian seaborne crude oil has triggered an energy crisis across Asia. Global crude supply has tightened due to Middle East tensions, with Brent crude prices surging over 60% in a single month. Import-dependent nations including the Philippines, Indonesia, and India face difficult choices between energy security and geopolitical alignment, with the Philippines declaring an energy emergency and resuming Russian oil purchases.
International oil prices increased today as markets express skepticism about whether upcoming peace negotiations between the United States and Iran can resolve Middle East energy supply disruptions caused by the conflict. Concerns that talks may fail to effectively address the energy crisis resulting from the conflict are driving up oil prices.
The Federal Reserve's latest Beige Book report indicates that US economic activity is slowing due to geopolitical tensions and rising energy costs. The report shows businesses are adopting a cautious stance amid increased uncertainty, taking a wait-and-see approach to economic prospects. Rising energy prices emerge as a key risk factor for the current economy.
NASA's Artemis 2 crewed lunar orbit mission has been successfully completed, marking a significant milestone toward establishing a lunar base. Facing budget pressures, NASA is accelerating partnerships with other nations and private companies to develop a thriving lunar economy. Key sectors include lunar cargo transport, communications, power infrastructure, and resource extraction. Over the next 20 years, these industries are projected to generate 170 billion USD in economic value, equivalent to approximately 5.5 trillion TWD.
ChatGPT developer OpenAI has reportedly agreed to pay over $20 billion to California-based AI chip startup Cerebras over three years for servers powered by the company's chips. The agreement may also include equity stake for OpenAI in Cerebras, helping diversify dependence on Nvidia chips.
Benefiting from strong AI demand, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has raised its full-year revenue growth forecast to exceed 30%. To meet customer needs, the company will simultaneously expand 3-nanometer production capacity across Taiwan, the United States, and Japan—a rare occurrence. The 2-nanometer process is scheduled for mass production in 2025, while the A14 process is planned for 2028.
As global AI technology experiences explosive growth, demand for advanced semiconductor manufacturing has surged dramatically. TSMC is aggressively expanding its production capacity to meet market demand and strengthen its competitive position in AI chip manufacturing. This expansion further solidifies TSMC's leading position in the global semiconductor industry and poses significant challenges to competitors like Samsung.
Google announced a new Gemini feature allowing users to link personal photos from Google Photos to the AI chatbot. Combined with the Nano Banana image generation tool, users can generate customized images by inputting commands without manual uploads. Built on Google's "Personal Intelligence" framework, this feature integrates various Google services to deliver more personalized AI experiences tailored to individual lifestyles.
ASML and TSMC's recent strong earnings guidance indicates continued heavy spending by major US cloud computing companies on advanced AI chips. Demand from chip designers including Nvidia, AMD, and Broadcom remains robust, all relying on TSMC for supply. Despite investor pressure on tech giants like Microsoft, Meta, and Amazon to demonstrate clearer returns on AI investments, data center spending by these companies is expected to remain elevated this year.
Elon Musk's Terafab team is accelerating AI chip supply chain development by soliciting quotes from leading semiconductor equipment manufacturers including Applied Materials, Tokyo Electron, and Lam Research. The project, a collaboration between Tesla, SpaceX, and xAI announced in March, aims to build a highly integrated foundry enabling end-to-end AI chip production from design through manufacturing to packaging.
Anthropic announced the release of Claude Opus 4.7 on the 16th, emphasizing improved performance while reducing potential risks for high-risk applications. The model excels in software engineering, instruction following, and practical task completion, positioning it as the most capable widely available version. Claude Opus 4.7 strengthens agentic coding, cross-domain reasoning, multi-tool utilization, and computer operation capabilities, outperforming the previous Claude Opus 4.6 released in February across multiple industry benchmarks, with pricing remaining unchanged.
Intel announced the hiring of Samsung Electronics Vice President Shawn Han, who will join next month as General Manager of Foundry Services. Han brings over 10 years of commercial foundry experience and will report to Foundry Services head Naga Chandrasekaran. This strategic appointment supports CEO Lip-Bu Tan's transformation initiative to strengthen Intel's foundry operations and attract external customers.
Google is negotiating an artificial intelligence cooperation agreement with the US Department of Defense to deploy its Gemini model in classified environments for lawful purposes. Google has proposed contractual restrictions to prevent the AI from being used for domestic mass surveillance or autonomous weapons systems without human oversight. This potential agreement represents a significant shift in Google's relationship with the US military and could reshape the defense AI market landscape.
Estonian police discovered that over 1,600 teenagers purchased cyberattack services through online platforms, targeting schools and educational websites. Thirteen minors have been identified as criminal suspects and summoned for investigation. Authorities aim to correct their behavior and prevent future offenses.
Estonian police discovered over 1,600 teenagers purchased online cyberattack services targeting schools and educational websites. Thirteen minors have been identified and summoned for questioning. The investigation reveals concerning gaps in cybersecurity awareness among youth and highlights organized criminal networks facilitating such attacks.
Chinese hacker group APT41 has deployed malware targeting AWS, Google Cloud Platform, Microsoft Azure, and Alibaba Cloud to steal authentication credentials and access tokens. The campaign demonstrates APT41's expanding attack scope against enterprise cloud infrastructure. Security researchers warn organizations to strengthen cloud access controls and monitor for suspicious credential usage.
Cisco released security updates this week to patch a critical vulnerability in its Webex video conferencing platform. The flaw could allow attackers to gain unauthorized access and impersonate legitimate users. The patch aims to protect user accounts and meeting privacy from potential exploitation.
Marimo development team disclosed critical vulnerability CVE-2026-39987 on April 8 with CVSS v4.0 score of 9.3. Security firm Sysdig detected the first exploitation attempt within 10 hours, with multiple attack cases now reported. The vulnerability is being leveraged by attackers to distribute malicious software, posing significant security risks to users.
Security researcher Chaotic Eclipse publicly disclosed the BlueHammer vulnerability in early April after expressing dissatisfaction with Microsoft's vulnerability response process. Multiple security experts and firms verified the flaw relates to Microsoft Defender's update mechanism, potentially allowing attackers to gain SYSTEM privileges. Microsoft addressed the issue in this month's regular security update.
Privacy researcher Alexander Hanff released a report exposing 30 fingerprinting tracking technologies embedded in Google Chrome browser, potentially compromising iPhone users' privacy. The findings have drawn attention and warnings from major tech companies including Apple and Microsoft. Fingerprinting techniques collect device characteristics to identify and track users even without cookies.
Rakuten Eagles prospect Ho Pins-shih hit a grand slam in his first career home run, marking the youngest such achievement in CPBL history. With pitcher Wainwright returning to form with 5 scoreless innings, Rakuten defeated Taiwan Steel 6-3, ending their three-game losing streak and snapping Taiwan Steel's four-game winning streak.
Sakuraw Bawawalon, winner of the 20th National Arts Award, has been convicted of sexual assault in a final court ruling. Both lower courts sentenced him to four years and six months imprisonment for forced sexual intercourse. The Supreme Court dismissed his appeal, upholding the conviction. The National Arts Council subsequently revoked his award status and announced plans to recover his certificate, trophy, and one million NT dollars in prize money.
The Zhenlan Palace Mazu pilgrimage departs tonight, expected to attract 600,000 participants. The Baisha Gongtian Palace Mazu pilgrimage procession is currently returning northward and has reached Changhua. After 19 years, devotees from both sides eagerly anticipate witnessing the historic "Double Mazu Meeting" again.
A 76-year-old retired teacher in the United States discovered ten reels of old film in his attic in September 2024, including Georges Méliès' "The Clown and the Robot." Méliès, a French director who produced over 500 films during his lifetime, has only half of his works preserved. The film may be the first science fiction movie in human history. It has been acquired by the Library of Congress, digitized in 4K resolution, and uploaded to their website for public viewing.
A 60-year-old man from Miaoli, despite his mother and brother having colorectal cancer history, had never undergone screening. His first fecal occult blood test came back positive, leading to colonoscopy that revealed six tumors in his colon, with the largest measuring about 3 centimeters. All tumors were benign and have been removed in stages with ongoing follow-up care. Doctors emphasize that individuals with family history face five times higher colorectal cancer risk.
During a Yomiuri Giants versus Yokohama DeNA game in the 8th inning, batter Jose Osuna's bat slipped from his hands and struck home plate umpire Takuto Kawakami in the head. Kawakami lost consciousness and was hospitalized in the ICU. NPB officials will review safety protocols following this serious incident.
Ukrainian authorities reported on the 16th that Russia conducted one of its largest air operations this year, firing 659 drones and 44 missiles at major Ukrainian cities. The attacks killed at least 18 people, including a child, and wounded 118 others. Multiple buildings were damaged and caught fire across the country. Russia later stated the strikes were in retaliation for earlier Ukrainian attacks.
The U.S. State Department announced that Israel and Lebanon have reached a ceasefire agreement today. Under the accord, the Lebanese government commits to preventing the militant organization Hezbollah from launching attacks against Israel. The agreement aims to ease tensions along the border between the two nations, with the United States serving as a witness to the accord.
US President Trump announced a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, which includes Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. Trump stated that the US and Iran are close to reaching a peace agreement, marking significant progress in Middle East tensions.
US President Trump announced on the 16th that Israel and Lebanon will implement a ten-day ceasefire beginning at 5 PM Eastern Time on the same day. CNN reported that this ceasefire agreement may represent a significant step toward achieving a peace accord involving the US, Iran, and North Korea.
US President Trump announced on the 16th that after discussions with Lebanon's president and Israel's prime minister, both sides agreed to a 10-day ceasefire beginning at 5 PM Eastern Time. Trump stated he will invite both leaders to the White House for talks to advance the peace process.
US President Donald Trump announced via Truth Social that Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a ten-day ceasefire beginning at 5 PM Eastern Time, following his mediation efforts. The agreement marks a temporary de-escalation in regional tensions, with further details and implementation pending.
French Finance Minister Roland Lescure stated that the Strait of Hormuz must reopen, but emphasized it cannot come at any cost. The Group of Seven is preparing to address potential economic impacts from the strait's blockade, including disruptions to energy supplies and global trade.
A tragic case of fatal child abuse occurred in Tainan, where a man, his wife, and his sister jointly abused an infant under five months old, resulting in the child's death. The three suspects then disposed of the body wrapped in plastic bags in a drainage ditch beneath the Sicao Bridge. After investigation, prosecutors charged all three and requested severe sentences from the court.
Benefiting from strong AI demand, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has raised its full-year revenue growth forecast to exceed 30%. To meet customer needs, the company will simultaneously expand 3-nanometer production capacity across Taiwan, the United States, and Japan—a rare occurrence. The 2-nanometer process is scheduled for mass production in 2025, while the A14 process is planned for 2028.
Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a ten-day ceasefire brokered by the United States. Under the agreement, Lebanon commits to preventing Hezbollah attacks on Israel. US President Trump stated that peace negotiations with Iran are progressing well, aiming to achieve long-term stability in the Middle East region.
Israel and Lebanon reached a ten-day ceasefire agreement effective from early morning on the 17th. U.S. President Trump announced plans to invite leaders from both sides to the White House for face-to-face talks within one to two weeks. The international community, including Iran, welcomed the agreement, though Lebanese citizens hope for permanent peace. Reports emerged of Israeli military violations continuing attacks on Lebanon after the ceasefire took effect.
Iran announced on the 17th that the Strait of Hormuz is completely open to commercial vessels, signaling a potential de-escalation in tensions with the United States and Israel. Following this announcement, international crude oil and natural gas prices fell approximately 10%, reflecting market expectations of reduced geopolitical risk in the region.
Following the breakdown of an Easter ceasefire, Ukraine and Russia resumed hostilities. Russian forces deployed approximately 700 drones and dozens of missiles within 24 hours, attacking Kyiv and multiple cities, killing at least 17 people. Ukraine announced its first unmanned robot assault operation, successfully capturing multiple Russian positions without infantry participation, marking a new combat milestone.
Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah have reached a ceasefire agreement. This development may increase prospects for achieving a permanent resolution between the US and Iran. The ceasefire marks a significant turning point in Middle Eastern tensions and could advance regional stability and peace efforts.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is pushing for rapid nuclear advances, with the country's main nuclear site showing increased activity. While international attention remains focused on Iran's nuclear situation, North Korea is accelerating its weapons development program, raising regional security concerns.
Public health specialist Tsai Ping-chien highlights ongoing food safety concerns in Taiwan following the Tomb Sweeping Day holiday. A stall in Kaohsiung caused food poisoning affecting 173 people, while a chain convenience store in New Taipei also reported food safety incidents. Tsai proposes implementing a "food safety certification" system to strengthen preventive measures and reduce foodborne illness risks.