Artemis II Races to Set New Distance Record
NASA’s Artemis II crew performed a six‑hour lunar fly‑around, becoming the most distant humans ever, surpassing Apollo 13’s 400,171 km record by more than 6,600 km. The mission used a free‑return trajectory that loops around the moon and brings the Orion capsule back to Earth without a landing burn. Three Americans and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen captured unprecedented far‑side lunar imagery while testing systems for future landings. Artemis II paves the way for Artemis III’s lunar docking test and a crewed landing near the south pole by 2028.
Taishin Securities to Be Fourth-Largest Following Merger
Taishin Securities merged with MasterLink Securities, boosting its market share to 5.13% and catapulting it from 16th to the fourth‑largest broker in Taiwan. The combined firm will operate 55 offices with a workforce of 2,763 employees. The merger also lifted...
German Uproar over Military Service
Germany’s new military service law, effective Jan. 1, requires men aged 17 to 45 to obtain permission before staying abroad for more than three months, even though service remains voluntary. The clause, a relic of the Cold War, was largely unnoticed...
China Needs a Major Overhaul to Attract Foreign Tourists
China is intensifying its tourism drive by expanding visa‑free access and urging digital platforms to add multilingual support. New policies from nine ministries aim to simplify travel logistics, yet foreign visitors still confront a cashless, ID‑linked ecosystem that hinders basic...
Major Sponsors Pull Out of Kanye West’s London Gigs
US rapper Kanye West, now known as Ye, will headline three nights of London’s Wireless Festival in July, reigniting controversy over his past anti‑Semitic statements. Beverage giants Pepsi and spirits group Diageo have both withdrawn their sponsorships of the event,...
Mexican Art World Protests Plan to Send Frida Kahlo’s Masterpieces to Spain
A 160‑piece Gelman‑Santander collection featuring Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera and other Mexican masters is slated to be shipped to Spain for Banco Santander’s new cultural centre, Faro Santander. The move has triggered an outcry from Mexico’s art community, with nearly 400 cultural professionals signing...
Mailiao Plant Coal-Fired Generators to Resume
Taiwan Power Co announced it will restart two 500‑megawatt coal‑fired generators at the Mailiao plant for a three‑month period, aiming to bolster electricity security amid heightened LNG supply risks linked to the Middle East conflict. The units, idle since late...
Taiwan’s Next Strategic Opportunity
Nvidia’s GTC highlighted a strategic pivot toward space‑based AI computing, featuring Starcloud’s orbital data centre equipped with an H100 GPU. The event emphasized tokens as the new unit of AI efficiency, while showcasing embodied AI through robots and digital twins....
Who Decides What News Means?
Matt Brittin, a former Google executive, has been appointed BBC director‑general, bringing platform and digital‑audience expertise rather than a journalism background. The article argues his tech savvy is crucial as AI and algorithmic news delivery reshape how Britons consume information,...
Commercial Property Deals Rise
Commercial property transactions in Taiwan surged to NT$99.3 billion in Q1 2026, more than double the previous year and the highest since Colliers began tracking the market. Technology firms drove the boom, investing NT$79.3 billion—about 79% of total activity—highlighted by Micron Technology’s...
Cruise Ship Caught Off Fiji, Crews Work to Prevent Oil Spill
Salvage crews in Fiji are working to prevent an oil spill after the Blue Lagoon Cruises vessel Fiji Princess ran aground on a reef near Monuriki Island, the filming location of Cast Away. All 30 passengers and 17 crew members...
Israel Normalized Dehumanizaton of Palestinians Executions
Israel’s parliament enacted a law permitting death sentences for Palestinians convicted of fatal attacks, expanding an already harsh legal regime. The measure follows a surge in detentions, with more than 10,000 Palestinians held without trial since October 2023, and over...
CCP Intensifying Cross-Border Aggression: Report
Taiwan’s National Security Bureau warns that the Chinese Communist Party is intensifying a “push and pull” campaign that blends transnational repression with diplomatic sub‑version. The report details Beijing’s push for a fabricated “Taiwan Retrocession Day” narrative, pressure on EU and...
Netflix Show Highlights Taiwanese Religious Traditions with a Modern Flair
Netflix’s new eight‑part series “Agent from Above” spotlights Taiwan’s temple culture by following Han Chieh, a mortal vessel for the deity Nezha. The production team filmed at active and abandoned shrines, creating sets that blend traditional Taiwanese religious architecture with modern...
Tankers with Qatar LNG Attempt to Exit the Strait of Hormuz
Two Qatar‑linked LNG tankers, Al Daayen and Rasheeda, moved toward the Strait of Hormuz, marking the first possible loaded transit since U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran began in late February. The waterway’s effective closure has halted about one‑fifth of global...
Saudi Arabia Raises Asia Oil Price to Record
Saudi Aramco announced a record‑high Arab Light price for Asia, adding a $19.50 premium over regional benchmarks for next‑month sales. The hike follows a widening Middle East conflict and Iran’s near‑closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which has strained global...