Steve Witkoff, a special envoy for U.S. President Trump, and Jared Kushner have arrived in Moscow for talks, while Russia simultaneously conducted airstrikes on Kyiv airport in Ukraine. The visit signals U.S. diplomatic efforts to engage in Russian-Ukrainian conflict negotiations, even as military operations continue. Details of the mission's objectives remain to be clarified.
Iran's semi-official FARS news agency reported multiple explosions near Kharg Island, a major Iranian oil facility in the Persian Gulf. The incident occurred days after escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran. The cause of the explosions and any casualties remain unconfirmed at this time.
Devastating floods and mudslides struck the Himalayan region bordering Nepal and Tibet on August 26. As of September 5, the death toll reached 1,342 with 4,886 people still missing. Unable to recover the bodies of their relatives, some families have accepted this reality and conducted symbolic cremation ceremonies using kusha grass effigies to honor their deceased loved ones.
Escalating US-Iran military tensions drove international oil prices higher on Friday. Brent crude rose 7.6% for the week to $92.68 per barrel, while US crude gained nearly 10% to $91.48, marking one of the strongest weekly performances since mid-July. US diesel prices reached historic highs, with average retail prices climbing to $5.85 per gallon as of September 4, up 4.3% from a week prior and 58% higher than a year ago.
A retired Navy petty officer surnamed Ma has been indicted for allegedly becoming a Chinese spy since 2008. He reportedly offered USD 100,000 to recruit a Coast Guard captain and retired major general to steal classified information through a junior high school classmate group chat. Both targets refused, leading to prosecution under national security and anti-corruption laws.
The Kremlin announced that Russian President Putin has ordered a three-day suspension of airstrikes on Kyiv starting from midnight today. The move coincides with a visit by a U.S. presidential envoy from President Trump to Ukraine's capital. The decision aims to facilitate conditions for the American envoy's diplomatic mission.
US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Moscow carrying a proposal to end the Ukraine conflict. Russian President Putin ordered a three-day halt to airstrikes on Kyiv, with the Kremlin confirming Ukraine agreed to the ceasefire. Putin plans to meet with the American envoys, though Russian signals suggest breakthrough prospects remain limited.
U.S. President Trump's special envoys Wicker and Kushner arrived in Moscow today to discuss plans for ending the Ukraine war, which has lasted over four years. The visit represents a new diplomatic effort by the United States to seek a resolution to the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.
A female university student working part-time at a pharmacy in Tamsui, New Taipei reported suspicious-tasting drinking water to police. Surveillance footage revealed the owner adding substances to the water, which tested positive for benzodiazepines (BZD), a controlled substance. The owner surnamed Chen has been referred for prosecution under the Controlled Drugs Act. The health department also found violations in controlled drug management and will impose penalties.
Steve Witkoff, a special envoy for U.S. President Trump, and Jared Kushner have arrived in Moscow for talks, while Russia simultaneously conducted airstrikes on Kyiv airport in Ukraine. The visit signals U.S. diplomatic efforts to engage in Russian-Ukrainian conflict negotiations, even as military operations continue. Details of the mission's objectives remain to be clarified.
Iran's semi-official FARS news agency reported multiple explosions near Kharg Island, a major Iranian oil facility in the Persian Gulf. The incident occurred days after escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran. The cause of the explosions and any casualties remain unconfirmed at this time.
Devastating floods and mudslides struck the Himalayan region bordering Nepal and Tibet on August 26. As of September 5, the death toll reached 1,342 with 4,886 people still missing. Unable to recover the bodies of their relatives, some families have accepted this reality and conducted symbolic cremation ceremonies using kusha grass effigies to honor their deceased loved ones.
A retired Navy petty officer surnamed Ma has been indicted for allegedly becoming a Chinese spy since 2008. He reportedly offered USD 100,000 to recruit a Coast Guard captain and retired major general to steal classified information through a junior high school classmate group chat. Both targets refused, leading to prosecution under national security and anti-corruption laws.
Registration for Taiwan's 2026 nine-in-one local elections closed yesterday, with voting scheduled for November 28. The elections will determine nine local positions including mayors of special municipalities and counties, as well as county council members. The DPP focuses on three major cities—Taipei, New Taipei, and Taichung—to boost momentum nationwide, while the KMT aims to maintain its current seat count. Both parties are fully committed to competing for local governance.
US President Trump stated Friday that the US military may soon strike Iran's Pickaxe Mountain nuclear facility near Natanz, though he did not specify timing. Western intelligence agencies suspect Iran may be constructing an undeclared uranium enrichment facility at the site. Trump characterized the situation as a military conflict rather than full-scale war, with 18 US military personnel killed so far.
German automotive giant Volkswagen Group unveiled its largest restructuring plan in 89 years, responding to intensified Chinese EV competition, US tariff pressures, and shifting market demand. The group plans to cut 50,000 additional positions by 2030, bringing total job cuts to 100,000 (approximately 15% of workforce). Additionally, VW aims to reduce its model lineup by 50% by 2035 across all brands including Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche, and Bentley.
US 10-year Treasury yield reached 4.814% this week, the highest since November 2023. Federal Reserve officials attribute the rise to strong economic resilience and growth momentum. Wall Street traders cite persistent inflation, surging energy prices, and government debt expansion as key factors. The 30-year yield stands at 5.12%, while Middle East tensions push oil prices above $95 per barrel.
Taiwan's Food and Drug Administration received 28 reports of severe allergic reactions associated with paclitaxel, a chemotherapy drug used for breast, lung, and ovarian cancers, with 9 cases life-threatening. The agency has mandated manufacturers strengthen warning labels on the medication to alert healthcare providers and patients to potential allergic risks.
MediaTek completed pricing of its first overseas convertible bonds totaling $3.9 billion, a record for Taiwan's capital market, with NVIDIA subscribing $3.5 billion. SEMICON this week featured new liquid cooling solutions from TSMC and AMD. The Taiwan Stock Exchange and FTSE Russell released Q3 2026 index rebalancing results, including the 0050 constituent changes.
Stronger-than-expected August US employment data strengthens the Federal Reserve's case for a September rate hike. However, President Trump is pressuring the Fed to cut rates instead, threatening to halt trade with countries running deficits with the US. Fed Chair Powell faces a dilemma: raising rates risks Trump's displeasure, while maintaining status quo contradicts recent hawkish rhetoric and credibility.
Escalating US-Iran military tensions drove international oil prices higher on Friday. Brent crude rose 7.6% for the week to $92.68 per barrel, while US crude gained nearly 10% to $91.48, marking one of the strongest weekly performances since mid-July. US diesel prices reached historic highs, with average retail prices climbing to $5.85 per gallon as of September 4, up 4.3% from a week prior and 58% higher than a year ago.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization reported on the 4th that global food prices reached their highest level since late 2022 last month. The increase is driven by severe weather conditions and conflicts in the Middle East and Black Sea region, deepening concerns about staple food supply security.
Volkswagen's supervisory board approved the "2030 Future Plan," cutting approximately 50,000 employees, combined with previously agreed 50,000 cuts totaling 100,000 job losses. The company plans to halve its vehicle lineup by 2035 and repurpose four German factories. This represents the largest restructuring in company history, with stock price rising 7.9% following the announcement.
US non-farm employment surged by over 160,000 in August, significantly exceeding Wall Street expectations and indicating stronger-than-anticipated labor market momentum. Released ahead of the Federal Reserve's mid-month policy meeting, the data may strengthen market expectations for interest rate hikes. Market attention will shift to inflation data due next week.
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics released its August employment report on the 4th, showing nonfarm employment increased by 162,000 seasonally adjusted positions, significantly exceeding market expectations of 53,000. This indicates the US labor market rebounded after summer hiring slowdown. The unemployment rate remained steady at 4.1%.
The artificial intelligence boom has sparked the establishment of thousands of AI chip startups across Asia. These startups operate as fabless semiconductor companies, focusing on chip design while outsourcing manufacturing, similar to NVIDIA's model. As the number of startups grows rapidly, securing production capacity from foundries like TSMC has become the primary competitive challenge for these emerging companies.
A new early-stage human trial demonstrates that a novel gene editing therapy requires only a single intravenous infusion. Patients receiving the highest dose showed an average 52.3% reduction in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol after 24 weeks. This approach offers potential new treatment options for hyperlipidemia patients and may reduce long-term medication dependency.
As global clean energy transition accelerates, demand for rare earth elements in high-tech industries surges significantly. The United States is developing technology to extract rare earth metals from coal ash, converting industrial waste into valuable resources. This initiative reduces reliance on imported rare earths, strengthens domestic critical mineral supply chains, and creates economic value.
Apple is scheduled to hold its fall product launch event on September 9, introducing its first foldable iPhone. However, reports indicate the device is encountering significant production difficulties, resulting in a 2% decline in the company's stock price. These manufacturing challenges may impact the product's release timeline and supply availability.
Nvidia released its latest financial report on August 26, with ACIE (AI Cloud and Government sectors) contributing over $40 billion in a single quarter. This development reflects how major AI companies, including Nvidia, are accelerating investments in open-source models to capture market opportunities and respond to evolving competitive dynamics in the AI industry.
As chip stacking technology advances, heat dissipation has become a critical challenge. German semiconductor equipment manufacturer Createq announced plans to integrate micro-cooling structures directly into 3D chips by 2028 to improve thermal performance. This initiative aims to address the increasingly severe heat management challenges in advanced chip manufacturing processes and provide industry with innovative cooling solutions.
Memory manufacturer Micron Technology is accelerating AI memory production to narrow the gap with competitors. The company plans to increase high-bandwidth memory (HBM) production capacity to 100,000 wafers by year-end, with production line expansions underway in Singapore and Taiwan. This initiative aims to strengthen Micron's competitive position in the AI chip memory market.
OpenAI announced the release of GPT-6 Astra on the 3rd, claiming it outperforms competitors in software engineering, science, and cybersecurity. The company describes it as their most powerful model to date, marking a return to technological leadership. This marks OpenAI's first ChatGPT update in over a year.
Chinese AI startup DeepSeek plans to procure at least 160,000 Huawei Ascend 950DT chips for a large data center in Inner Mongolia, creating one of the largest known Huawei chip clusters. The chips will be used for AI model inference tasks, though DeepSeek currently relies on Nvidia accelerators for model training. The move reflects China's strategy to replace imported chips with domestic alternatives.
Tesla officially unveiled its two-seater autonomous taxi Cybercab on the 3rd, featuring no steering wheel or accelerator pedal, only a screen interface and falcon-wing doors. The vehicle will operate in limited areas of Austin, Texas. The announcement boosted stock prices for both Tesla and SpaceX, with SpaceX's valuation returning to 2 trillion dollars.
The Chinese Academy of Sciences procurement website distributed expired procurement information. Investigation revealed that the original software developer embedded a hidden scheduling management interface that was exploited by a foreign IP address to trigger specific scheduled commands. Defense Minister Kuo Li-chung stated accountability measures will be taken and demanded the Academy establish standard operating procedures. Cybersecurity experts recommend investigating why the vendor left scheduling instructions in the code and whether the Academy was aware beforehand.
When multiple AI agents work together, they can create unforeseen system-level security risks that individual safeguards cannot prevent. Single-agent permission controls and isolation measures prove insufficient against combined capabilities. Enterprises must establish system-level governance frameworks to track information flows and accountability chains across agents, ensuring overall security.
Renowned author Chu Yu-hsun shared his experience as a literary award judge, describing this year as the most challenging. He estimates that among hundreds to thousands of novel submissions reviewed, approximately 40% appear to be AI-generated, significantly impacting traditional literary creation and evaluation mechanisms.
A retired Navy petty officer surnamed Ma has been indicted for allegedly becoming a Chinese spy since 2008. He reportedly offered USD 100,000 to recruit a Coast Guard captain and retired major general to steal classified information through a junior high school classmate group chat. Both targets refused, leading to prosecution under national security and anti-corruption laws.
Escalating US-Iran military tensions drove international oil prices higher on Friday. Brent crude rose 7.6% for the week to $92.68 per barrel, while US crude gained nearly 10% to $91.48, marking one of the strongest weekly performances since mid-July. US diesel prices reached historic highs, with average retail prices climbing to $5.85 per gallon as of September 4, up 4.3% from a week prior and 58% higher than a year ago.
US President Trump stated Friday that the US military may soon strike Iran's Pickaxe Mountain nuclear facility near Natanz, though he did not specify timing. Western intelligence agencies suspect Iran may be constructing an undeclared uranium enrichment facility at the site. Trump characterized the situation as a military conflict rather than full-scale war, with 18 US military personnel killed so far.
Steve Witkoff, a special envoy for U.S. President Trump, and Jared Kushner have arrived in Moscow for talks, while Russia simultaneously conducted airstrikes on Kyiv airport in Ukraine. The visit signals U.S. diplomatic efforts to engage in Russian-Ukrainian conflict negotiations, even as military operations continue. Details of the mission's objectives remain to be clarified.
Iran's semi-official FARS news agency reported multiple explosions near Kharg Island, a major Iranian oil facility in the Persian Gulf. The incident occurred days after escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran. The cause of the explosions and any casualties remain unconfirmed at this time.
Devastating floods and mudslides struck the Himalayan region bordering Nepal and Tibet on August 26. As of September 5, the death toll reached 1,342 with 4,886 people still missing. Unable to recover the bodies of their relatives, some families have accepted this reality and conducted symbolic cremation ceremonies using kusha grass effigies to honor their deceased loved ones.
The Kremlin announced that Russian President Putin has ordered a three-day suspension of airstrikes on Kyiv starting from midnight today. The move coincides with a visit by a U.S. presidential envoy from President Trump to Ukraine's capital. The decision aims to facilitate conditions for the American envoy's diplomatic mission.
U.S. President Trump's special envoys Wicker and Kushner arrived in Moscow today to discuss plans for ending the Ukraine war, which has lasted over four years. The visit represents a new diplomatic effort by the United States to seek a resolution to the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.
US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Moscow carrying a proposal to end the Ukraine conflict. Russian President Putin ordered a three-day halt to airstrikes on Kyiv, with the Kremlin confirming Ukraine agreed to the ceasefire. Putin plans to meet with the American envoys, though Russian signals suggest breakthrough prospects remain limited.
German automotive giant Volkswagen Group unveiled its largest restructuring plan in 89 years, responding to intensified Chinese EV competition, US tariff pressures, and shifting market demand. The group plans to cut 50,000 additional positions by 2030, bringing total job cuts to 100,000 (approximately 15% of workforce). Additionally, VW aims to reduce its model lineup by 50% by 2035 across all brands including Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche, and Bentley.
A female university student working part-time at a pharmacy in Tamsui, New Taipei reported suspicious-tasting drinking water to police. Surveillance footage revealed the owner adding substances to the water, which tested positive for benzodiazepines (BZD), a controlled substance. The owner surnamed Chen has been referred for prosecution under the Controlled Drugs Act. The health department also found violations in controlled drug management and will impose penalties.
The Chinese Academy of Sciences procurement website distributed expired procurement information. Investigation revealed that the original software developer embedded a hidden scheduling management interface that was exploited by a foreign IP address to trigger specific scheduled commands. Defense Minister Kuo Li-chung stated accountability measures will be taken and demanded the Academy establish standard operating procedures. Cybersecurity experts recommend investigating why the vendor left scheduling instructions in the code and whether the Academy was aware beforehand.
Trump administration envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff have arrived in Moscow carrying a Ukraine peace proposal. Russia and Ukraine have announced a pause in air strikes during the duration of their visit. This diplomatic move represents a new U.S. initiative to advance peace negotiations in the ongoing conflict between the two nations.
Bangladesh faces its deadliest measles outbreak in decades, with child deaths nearing 1,000 as the epidemic spreads rapidly. Dhaka's Shishu Hospital is overwhelmed with critically ill infants, filled with the sounds of sick children and oxygen machines. A 30-year-old mother reported witnessing a child's death at the hospital. The healthcare system is under severe strain as the outbreak continues to devastate the country.
US President Donald Trump announced sending envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Moscow and Kyiv to advance a peace plan ending over four years of war in Ukraine. This represents Washington's latest attempt to break diplomatic deadlock in Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II. A senior Ukrainian official confirmed the envoys are scheduled to arrive in Kyiv on Sunday. The Russia-Ukraine war has continued since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022.
Affected by low-pressure systems and southwest winds, Tainan experienced 21 rainy days in August with cumulative rainfall exceeding 1,300mm, three times the historical average. This weekend, the outer circulation of Typhoon Korowan will bring significant rainfall to northern Taiwan and Yilan. The first post-autumn northeast monsoon is expected to arrive next Wednesday.
Heavy rainfall has shifted to the Greater Taipei area due to Typhoon Koinu's outer circulation and low-pressure systems. The northern coast experienced significant precipitation, with flooding in Keelung streets and 8 schools closing for emergency evacuation. The Central Weather Administration forecasts continuous but gradually decreasing rainfall in northern Taiwan over the next two days, with northeast monsoon winds expected by next Wednesday. Southern Taiwan has finally cleared after two weeks of persistent rain.