Ukrainian officials said Russian forces launched missile and drone attacks on Kyiv and surrounding areas overnight, damaging energy infrastructure and a major bridge spanning the Dnipro River. One person was killed and eight were injured.
India's Election Commission removed about 130 million voters from electoral rolls, triggering nationwide protests. Authorities deployed heavy security forces, carried out large-scale arrests of demonstrators, and sealed off the capital. The move has drawn serious concern from the international community over the state of democracy in India.
Kenya's High Court on the 6th convicted Ma Kenxi, the main suspect in a cult-related starvation case, on all 191 counts of murder and sentenced him to a combined maximum of 200 years in prison. According to the report, he indoctrinated followers by claiming that children who were starved to death would go to heaven to meet Jesus. At least 190 children and one adult died. Some relatives welcomed the verdict, but many have still not recovered the bodies of their loved ones.
US President Donald Trump confirmed on Friday (6th) that US forces carried out a small-scale strike on Iran, destroying an Iranian-made air defense system. Iranian media reported that two missiles hit Qeshm Island, while Iran's military said it shot down a US MQ-9 drone over the island. Trump said the action did not amount to war and described the US as an "occupier" because it controls the Strait of Hormuz. It is not yet clear whether the two incidents are related.
On the 5th, Trump chaired a National Security Council meeting at the White House on Iran, his first on the issue since the midterm elections. Afterward, he said a decision on whether to take further military action against Iran would come soon, saying "we will know the answer very soon." Qatar-led mediation reportedly made progress, and Qatari Emir Tamim spoke with Trump by phone on the 6th to discuss mediation efforts. Iran is reportedly reviewing a specific nuclear proposal put forward by the mediating countries.
Ukrainian officials said Russian forces launched missile and drone attacks on Kyiv and surrounding areas overnight, damaging energy infrastructure and a major bridge spanning the Dnipro River. One person was killed and eight were injured.
India's Election Commission removed about 130 million voters from electoral rolls, triggering nationwide protests. Authorities deployed heavy security forces, carried out large-scale arrests of demonstrators, and sealed off the capital. The move has drawn serious concern from the international community over the state of democracy in India.
The Legislative Yuan passed an amendment to the Old-Age Farmers Welfare Allowance Act on the 6th, raising the monthly allowance from NT$8,110 to NT$15,000. The Ministry of Agriculture said the third-reading version lacks a complete funding plan and estimates it would add about NT$32 billion in annual spending compared with the Executive Yuan's version, which could crowd out other agricultural policy resources.
US President Donald Trump said on Friday the 6th that talks between the United States and Iran were making progress and that Iran wanted to reach an agreement. Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said mediation efforts were ongoing and that the parties should not insist on a perfect agreement. According to Investing.com, Trump also said US forces had recently destroyed an Iranian air defense facility. Attacks have continued around the Strait of Hormuz, and the risk of renewed regional military conflict remains.
Paraguayan President Beiniya announced his resignation on the 5th, after the collapse of a digital bank triggered unrest. On the 6th, the Senate impeached him with all 44 votes cast by attending lawmakers. Police arrested him and placed him under house arrest, and Vice President Aliyana has been sworn in to succeed him. The collapse left 60% of the adult population unable to access their deposits, and angry citizens continue to protest in the streets.
US President Donald Trump confirmed on Friday (6th) that US forces carried out a small-scale strike on Iran, destroying an Iranian-made air defense system. Iranian media reported that two missiles hit Qeshm Island, while Iran's military said it shot down a US MQ-9 drone over the island. Trump said the action did not amount to war and described the US as an "occupier" because it controls the Strait of Hormuz. It is not yet clear whether the two incidents are related.
The US military said on the 6th that the government is offering a reward of up to $20 million for information on Iran's nuclear program and may help people who provide tips relocate.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced on the 6th that Stephen Miller will succeed Susie Wiles as White House chief of staff. In an earlier interview with CBS's "60 Minutes," Trump said he would adjust staffing within his team.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer spoke with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng on the morning of the 6th, calling on Beijing to immediately and fully implement the trade war truce agreement signed in Busan, South Korea, in October last year. They expressed dissatisfaction that China has not fulfilled its export commitments on rare earths and several agricultural products.
On the 5th, Trump chaired a National Security Council meeting at the White House on Iran, his first on the issue since the midterm elections. Afterward, he said a decision on whether to take further military action against Iran would come soon, saying "we will know the answer very soon." Qatar-led mediation reportedly made progress, and Qatari Emir Tamim spoke with Trump by phone on the 6th to discuss mediation efforts. Iran is reportedly reviewing a specific nuclear proposal put forward by the mediating countries.
Following the U.S. midterm election results, Wall Street initially rallied, but about 24 hours later market sentiment reversed sharply. On Thursday (the 5th), a wave of selling hit tech stocks, particularly AI-related shares, triggering a chain reaction of sales and steep losses in U.S. equities. Front-line traders described the market moves as dramatic.
Democrats won a decisive victory in the U.S. midterm elections on Tuesday (the 3rd), a result that has changed the political environment facing the Federal Reserve, according to Barron's. The outcome may limit President Trump's ability to influence the Fed's leadership and give Fed Chair Kevin Warsh greater independence. Barron's said the 'blue wave' could bring a mild cooling effect on inflation in the short term. Over the longer term, election results could reshape Warsh's policy direction through factors such as government spending and AI data center construction.
Musk said on X that government payments will make up less than 10% of SpaceX's total revenue this quarter, down from 16.6% last quarter. The decline continues a trend of shrinking revenue from NASA and Department of Defense contracts. The company also relies heavily on a small number of customers that rent its data center computing power.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Greer held a call with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng. They expressed concern about recent Chinese actions and stressed the importance of fully implementing the agreement reached between the two countries in Busan a year earlier. The U.S. Treasury published a readout of the call on the 6th.
The United States' net interest expenditure for fiscal year 2026 is about $1.14 trillion, higher than spending on Department of Defense military activities. Interest costs are consuming the budget, leaving the government less room to respond to the next crisis, and Taiwan is also affected.
AI infrastructure developer Crusoe said Friday that Google has acquired its data center site in southeast Wyoming. A day earlier, parent company Alphabet announced plans to invest $17 billion in building its first data center in the state. Crusoe had completed early development work, including site selection, government approvals and power supply planning.
U.S. stocks fell sharply on Thursday (5th), with the Nasdaq Composite down 5.5%, the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index plunging 12% and the S&P 500 down 4.4%. Goldman Sachs Delta One trading head Rich Privorotsky said the selloff more closely resembles the liquidity shock of the 1998 Long-Term Capital Management crisis than the 2000 dot-com bust. However, whether AI investment can generate revenue sufficient to match massive capital spending remains the key unresolved question.
U.S. labor market data for October showed strong gains. Nonfarm payrolls rose by 165,000 from September, well above expectations, and September's figure was revised up modestly. The unemployment rate fell, while labor force participation and wage growth accelerated. Economists said the likelihood of the Federal Reserve resuming rate hikes in mid-December has risen. Following the report, U.S. Treasury yields rose, the dollar strengthened and gold prices fell.
The Democratic Party won decisively in the US midterm elections, prompting market concerns that data center construction will face tighter regulation and hurting investment prospects for the artificial intelligence industry. The resulting sell-off in AI and semiconductor stocks wiped out about $3.5 trillion in global stock market value in a single day, with markets in Japan, Taiwan and South Korea also hit hard.
The US Department of Labor reported today that the economy added 165,000 jobs in October, well above analyst expectations. The unemployment rate edged down to 4.1% in October, also better than expected. The data may increase pressure on the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates.
Tesla has released a roadmap for its next-generation AI accelerators, outlining chip development plans for the coming years. The sixth-generation inference accelerator, SI6, is expected to launch in 2029 to 2030 and deliver 80 times the computing performance of the current fourth-generation chip, with significantly larger memory capacity. The relaunched third-generation Dojo training accelerator, D3, will adopt a chiplet design combining 2.5D and 3D packaging with stacked high-bandwidth memory (HBM), moving away from the SRAM-centric architecture of the previous two generations. According to a Tom's Hardware report, Tesla has also begun referring to the new accelerators as "Super Intelligence" (SI) rather than "AI," renaming the chip line the SI series.
A researcher said Apple maintains an undisclosed multilingual grey list of tens of thousands of words and phrases.
Speaking on Friday, the 6th, at an annual investment conference hosted by Baron Capital, SpaceX CEO Musk said the company may acquire traditional major telecom operators if it can use wireless spectrum more efficiently. He said spectrum licenses SpaceX has already acquired would allow it to make considerable progress in competing with large carriers, and hinted it could expand its spectrum holdings through acquisitions. The move signals SpaceX's push into the mobile communications market, potentially challenging AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile.
The Financial Times, citing informed sources, reported that the US government believes Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang once dated a female executive accused of being a Chinese spy. The claim is based on a US government memo, as reported by the newspaper.
Google announced it will invest $17 billion to develop a data center campus in Laramie County, Wyoming, its first data center in the state. Crusoe confirmed it had sold an unfinished data center project in southeastern Wyoming to Google. The plan includes a 702 MW fuel cell power facility with carbon capture and storage, with fuel cells supplied by Bloom Energy. Google has committed to covering 100% of the electricity costs. The $17 billion figure is the total investment in the campus, not the price paid for the Crusoe project.
In late October, protests against artificial intelligence broke out in more than 50 cities across the United States, with demonstrators calling for a pause in AI development. A recent study found that 71% of Americans believe AI will lead to job losses. Meanwhile, record investment in Silicon Valley is clashing with public fear and uncertainty.
Bloomberg, citing the technology outlet The Information, reported that TSMC is considering expanding its business into areas including advanced memory manufacturing.
In the U.S. midterm elections, 40 of 41 local referendums on data centers across 10 states backed restricting development or rejected proposals favoring it. Speaking to CNBC, OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar said the company will keep investing in AI data centers and continue raising funds to meet customers' demand for computing power. She said the election results had not significantly changed the company's investment direction, but that OpenAI needs to engage with local residents earlier to build community trust.
Bloomberg reported on Friday that bipartisan US congressional lawmakers are negotiating a bill to keep current AI chip export restrictions in place for 18 months, under which China could only access technology at least two generations behind the most advanced US products. Nvidia's H200, approved for sale to China, is two generations behind its latest Rubin series. Nvidia confirmed to investors in August that, due to Beijing's opposition, it had sold only a small number of H200 chips to Chinese customers.
The Information reported, citing two people familiar with the matter, that TSMC has recently begun planning to produce 3D DRAM at the request of its major customer Nvidia. The project is still under consideration, and no final decision on mass production has been made.
Europe has faced a series of suspected hybrid attacks this week. Refrigeration systems at supermarkets in seven countries were hit by cyberattacks, and dozens of flights received bomb threats. Media outlets from the United Kingdom to Bulgaria also received threatening letters. Ireland's state broadcaster RTE briefly evacuated staff, which affected its broadcasts.
Philippine immigration authorities arrested a Taiwanese national suspected of running a fraud syndicate in a central Philippine city, according to reports. More than 200 Taiwanese citizens were reportedly victimized, with losses exceeding NT$100 million. The case reflects cooperation between Taiwan and the Philippines in combating transnational crime.
Kaohsiung police arrested a 38-year-old man surnamed Lin in Fengshan on suspicion of hacking four public and private-sector websites in Taiwan and abroad. The suspect allegedly taught himself programming with AI, wrote an attack program, and stole about one million personal data records from Taiwan, Hong Kong and Thailand, which he allegedly sold on the dark web. About 230,000 Taiwanese residents were affected, and he allegedly earned about NT$2.7 million illegally.
Paraguay's Senate voted 44 in favor and one absent to impeach President Santiago Peña on Friday, the 6th, removing him from office. Peña was reportedly linked to the collapse and takeover of Ueno, the country's largest digital bank. After losing criminal immunity, he was arrested by police and placed under house arrest at his private residence in the capital, Asunción. Vice President Pedro Alliana was sworn in as president the same day.
Paraguayan President Santiago Peña was reportedly ousted amid a banking crisis that left millions of people unable to access their money.
White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles is stepping down. She is the longest-serving chief of staff under Trump and the first woman to hold the position.
AI safety research organization METR said Thursday in a report that Anthropic is using AI to build more powerful AI, with its models improving roughly twice as quickly as a year ago and showing little sign of slowing. The findings are based on an 11-week METR investigation inside the company, conducted as part of a report evaluating Anthropic's AI research and development. The probe is separate from a program giving safety researchers employee-like access to its systems.
U.S. Secret Service personnel arrested a Venezuelan national near the White House late on Thursday (5th) after discovering a vehicle. According to reports, the man claimed he intended to assassinate President Trump, and several firearms were recovered from the car.
Reforms launched after the deadly fire at Wang Fuk Court in Hong Kong's Tai Po district are facing scrutiny. Dorz Cheung, 34, a former resident, questioned whether the new oversight bodies would prevent another disaster. Cheung said systemic reforms addressing shoddy building maintenance and bid-rigging could be undermined by poor implementation, adding that even the best system depends on the people who put it into practice.
US President Donald Trump said on Friday that the American military carried out new limited strikes on Iran, targeting an Iranian air defence system. Iranian state media reported hearing two explosions in the Suza area of Qeshm Island, which lies in a crucial waterway for oil shipments. Trump described the action as 'minor', saying the anti-aircraft device was knocked out in about 15 minutes, maybe five.
Beijing has confirmed for the first time that it is discussing a historic meeting between Chinese leader Xi Jinping, U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The United States has urged China to fulfill its commitments on rare earths and agricultural products ahead of expected meetings between President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping. The two leaders are expected to meet at two separate summits, one in China and one in the United States.
The US State Department's Rewards for Justice programme is offering up to $20 million and possible relocation for information about Iran's nuclear programme, including its facilities, equipment and associated personnel, such as those in the scientific field. The US military announced the offer as President Donald Trump reiterated that Tehran wants to make a deal to end the war.
China's Vice Premier He Lifeng held a video call on Friday (6th) with US Treasury Secretary Bei Sente and Trade Representative Ge Li'er. Xinhua reported that China expressed serious concern over recent US economic and trade restrictions against China. The Office of the US Trade Representative said in a statement that Washington asked China to take "substantive action" to honor its trade commitments, including on rare earth and mineral exports and purchases of agricultural products.
Pedro Alliana became president of Paraguay on Friday after his predecessor was impeached over a massive banking crisis.
Vice President JD Vance and Gulf allies are urging Trump to end the war, while other advisers argue for renewed attacks.
Trump has replaced White House chief of staff Susie Wiles with Stephen Miller, the architect of his immigration agenda, following a crushing midterm defeat. Immigration was once a political strength for Trump but became a liability after two years of mass detentions, deportations and armed agents in U.S. cities. Miller's appointment signals a doubling down on Trump's agenda.
A Kenyan court today sentenced cult leader Ma Kenxi to 200 years in prison after finding him guilty of murdering 190 children. The court found that the children died of starvation after following his instructions to fast, and that their bodies were buried in a forest.
According to reports, on the evening of the 7th, a 59-year-old man surnamed Lin was turning left in an SUV at the intersection of Wenxin Road and Henan Road in Xitun District, Taichung, when the vehicle struck a 61-year-old woman surnamed Hong who was walking in a pedestrian crossing. Reports said the vehicle allegedly did not stop immediately after the impact. The woman died after being taken to hospital.
A sport utility vehicle struck a woman in her 60s, a pedestrian, at the intersection of Wenxin Road and Henan Road in Xitun District, Taichung, on the evening of the 7th. The vehicle did not stop and is suspected of running over the woman twice, with its front and rear wheels. She was rushed to hospital but was pronounced dead. Police are investigating the cause of the accident.
The Philippine Bureau of Immigration arrested a 27-year-old Taiwanese man surnamed You in the Metro Cebu area on October 29. He is suspected of operating a fraud ring involving more than 200 million pesos (over NT$100 million), and more than 200 Taiwanese citizens are reported to have been victimized.
Official statistics released today show that the United States has reported more than 5,000 measles cases this year, the highest total in 35 years.
Kenya's High Court on the 6th convicted Ma Kenxi, the main suspect in a cult-related starvation case, on all 191 counts of murder and sentenced him to a combined maximum of 200 years in prison. According to the report, he indoctrinated followers by claiming that children who were starved to death would go to heaven to meet Jesus. At least 190 children and one adult died. Some relatives welcomed the verdict, but many have still not recovered the bodies of their loved ones.
Markle, 82, the father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, was arrested on the 6th at an assisted living facility in Florida on suspicion of possessing child sexual abuse material. The U.S. Department of Justice said he has been indicted on one count of possession of child pornography, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years if convicted.
A 14-year-old girl in Inner Mongolia who had surgery to treat a broken left hand was indecently assaulted by a male nurse from the hospital's anesthesiology department after the surgery, when a doctor had left the room. Police initially detained the nurse for 10 days under administrative punishment, but the case was handled as a criminal matter after prosecutors intervened. The court sentenced him to one year and two months in prison for indecent assault and banned him from working with minors for five years.
The estranged father of the Duchess of Sussex was reportedly arrested in Florida on suspicion of possessing child sexual abuse material. The allegation has not been decided by a court.
European aviation has faced a series of fake bomb threats this week, with a new wave reported on Friday the 6th, the third since Tuesday. At least 27 flights were affected on Thursday, some of which were forced to divert, and several were escorted or intercepted by fighter jets. Searches have found no explosives, and all affected aircraft landed safely. Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said the incidents used the same method and may involve hybrid aggression and psychological warfare. The EU said it is too early to determine whether the incidents are connected.