Taiwan Tonight - Formosa English News | Nov. 2, 2026

The 2026 Summer Youth Olympics in Dakar held its opening ceremony on Saturday, marking the start of the first-ever IOC event held in Africa. Team Taiwan was represented at the ceremony by two flag bearers, wushu practitioner Zhu Yu'en and swimming ace Li Han. As their first time on such a big stage, both athletes said they were nervous and excited ahead of stepping onto the arena. Let's hear more. I had never competed in an event like this, or taken part in the opening ceremony, so I didn't know what to do. I was very excited, and I was always thinking about where I had to go next. This is my first experience. It was a first for me. I kept thinking, what if I mess up, or if I fall over, things like that. Young athletes from all over the world have flown into Senegal for the event. Taiwan's delegation comprises 37 athletes who will compete in 17 sports. The sports include Baseball 5 for the first time, and already Taiwan is heading up the scoreboard. In the first round, Taiwan played Cuba, a traditionally strong team nicknamed the Red Lightning. Taiwan took victory in straight sets 5-3 and 5-4, marking Taiwan's first ever win over Cuba. When the driver turned the corner he suddenly noticed there were some travelers with a tent camping beside the tracks. Drawing closer to them he saw they were situated just one meter or so from the tracks. If they were not careful when the train passed by there could be a serious accident. Oh, what a danger. It's not just dangerous it's over the top. That was really too much. This is really overdoing it. Bringing a child along it's setting a problematic example. Around noon on Sunday, a train was heading from Chiayi to Alishan on Alishan's forest railway. When approaching Erwamping station, the driver and several passengers noticed a rather extreme situation, which not only violated the law, but was very concerning. The station immediately sent personnel to urge the campers to leave and took photos for the police to sort the matter out. People on vehicles cannot trespass onto the train tracks. The punishment is 10,000 NT to 50,000 NT. Kaohsiung's Xi Ziwan also saw travelers setting up tables and chairs to look at the sea. But one in a particularly humorous spirit brought an entire mattress to enjoy the view. He even brought a blanket to enjoy the night view, which many found hilarious. Yes. So many people are even making tea and listening to music, and many will even bring lights. Bringing a mattress is a little too much. He is very comfortable. He may be comfortable, but people that are walking past might not be. One brought a tent to camp next to the train tracks, and the other brought an entire mattress to the seaside. It seems that Taiwanese have bizarre ideas on how to spend their days off. Each one more ridiculous than the previous. It is crucial to remind the public to look out for their safety and avoid turning a moment of fun into a tragedy. The passenger was telling the driver his destination when he realized the driver's hands were so shaky that he could barely hold his phone. It's Chuseok! In a sudden rage, the passenger told the driver to get out of the car and called the police. What are you going to eat today? I'm going to eat pork. Pork? Yes. The incident happened in Kaohsiung's Zuo Ying District. The driver was 23-year-old Mr. Ding, who was caught drugged behind the wheel by his passengers in an unlicensed car. When police arrived, the driver handed them an etomidate cartridge, colloquially known as zombie vape juice. A blood test later turned out positive for the drug. You're on social media. The case was referred to the Chaozhou District Prosecutor's Office for investigation on suspicion of endangering public safety and violating the Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act. The driver faces a $150,000 NT fine for drug-impaired driving. The vehicle was immediately impounded and confiscated, while the driver's license was revoked and the vehicle's license plates were confiscated. The passenger barely avoided a trip with a drugged driver and posted about the incident online. If I keep shaking, I might get worried. If his hands were shaking like that, I'd be concerned about it affecting the driving. I would keep a close eye. You might say, hey, I'm sorry, I'm at... I'd probably say sorry and ask him to drop me off there and then. I'd call the police. Zombie vape incidents have captured headlines in recent months. This time, the protagonist was an illegal cabbie who even tried to pick up passengers. Fortunately, the passenger quickly realized something was wrong and called the police to intervene and avoid a potentially disastrous outcome. Surrounded by supporters, Puma Shen slowly makes his way to Da'an Forest Park. The entrance is just 300 meters, but it still takes him 21 minutes to cross it. The view from above is even more stunning. The park is filled, but the hundreds packed inside aren't just there to see him. The moment former president Tsai Ing-wen stepped on stage, the crowd went wild and the air filled with deafening cheers. As the crowds went ballistic, Tsai attempted to calm them down, so that she could finally express that after seeing Shen's debate, she felt that he had many reassuring qualities. Ladies and gentlemen, please raise your hands. Puma Shen also has many reassuring qualities. He always confronts attacks head on and uses warmth to counter darkness. Voting isn't out of hatred for someone. It's also not about teaching someone a lesson. It's about the future we want and choosing whatever is closest to the way of life you want During the 2020 presidential elections, it's highlighted all of Taipei City except for Wenshan District. With Shen's popularity, Taipei's blue skies could turn into a green land. In the 2020 presidential election, those who voted for Tsai Ing-wen, please raise your hand. Please raise your hand if you want to vote. For Tsai Ing-wen, on November 28th, please... also cast your vote for Shen Boyang, okay? The president... Former President Tsai earned more than 50% of the vote both times in Taipei. This shows that Taipei is not the home of any political party. Tsai's post also has some humor. She copied a meme where she pats Shen's back, telling him to rest. Xavier Chang, Secretary General of the Executive Yuan, left a comment saying, I'm waiting for Shen to reply to this in the middle of the night. Shen's campaign manager, Rosalia Wu, commented as well, saying, If he still doesn't listen, then I can't do anything. kept telling me that he would do the talking and told me not to speak. She kept saying that only she would speak. She told me to not speak because she thinks that I really need to rest. A lot of people believe Shen should be resting. Even the former president was prompted to comment. Let's wait and see if Shen will actually abide by these instructions. An orthopedic doctor was beaten by a man who was unhappy with his mother's post-surgery recovery. The incident happened last week at a hospital in Kaohsiung. Police were called to the scene and took the assailant away, who has been referred for investigation for violations of the Medical Care Act. His punches left the doctor with several face injuries and a concussion. Let's hear from the doctor. He suddenly snapped, hurled insults at me, and started throwing punches. He hit me at least five or six times. I was backed into a corner, but he still wouldn't let up, and kept punching me in the face. Even with so many people trying to restrain him, he just wouldn't stop attacking me. And to make matters worse, my own parents happened to be at the clinic that day for my outpatient consultation. They saw what was happening from outside and were in tears. Facing difficulties on the spot. Police arrested the suspect, surnamed Pan, at the scene. The case has been referred to the Kaohsiung District Prosecutor's Office for investigation on suspicion of violating the Medical Care Act and assault. So it's so it's on We, as a society, should have zero tolerance for things like this. It's outrageous. He could have just talked it out. There was no need for violence. Security cameras captured the moment that staff escorted the man out of the consultation room. But even after police arrived, he continued trying to resist. Inside the consultation room, the beating left the doctor bloodied with face masks and tissues stained red. He suffered abrasions and contusions to his forehead, nose and upper and lower lips, bruising beneath his right eye, as well as a concussion. Commenters say the man's behavior was absolutely unacceptable. After all, the doctor was just doing his job. Now he'll be facing legal consequences for his violent outburst. A smuggling scandal rocked Taiwan earlier this year after it came to light that super microservers equipped with advanced Nvidia chips were sold illegally to China. The incident came as Taiwan looked to strengthen cooperation with the US on export controls. DPP lawmakers are now proposing amendments to the Trade Act. The goal is to deter further incidents with tougher penalties and explicit export ban. On designated semiconductors, critical materials and components to China. A public hearing on the proposal was held on Monday with attendance of several experts. Let's hear more. Controls and strategic high-tech goods need to be adjusted to respond to the evolving situation. Semiconductor security and resilience are changing. Changes in semiconductor security and resilience are increasingly fast. We need regulations that can respond more quickly to developments, while emphasizing cooperation between Taiwan and the U.S. This cooperation could eventually expand to Southeast Asia, as well as Japan and South Korea. Yeah. Our export control regulations are actually far behind international standards, particularly those of the U.S. In the U.S., violating export controls is punishable with up to 20 years in prison, whereas in Taiwan, the maximum is just five years. If there is no way to compare with the value of the landmark, If fines cannot be adjusted based on the value of the goods involved, the deterrent effect may be limited. The current legislation also fails to incorporate the concept of technology itself. With regulations still largely focused on controlling physical goods. Exporting or importing strategic high-tech goods to or from restricted destinations can carry prison sentences of up to five years and fines of up to three million NT. The proposed amendments would increase the maximum sentence to ten years with fines ranging from 5 million NT to 10 million NT. Lawmakers and experts hope the revisions will help safeguard Taiwan's technological advantage while also addressing U.S. efforts to curb China's access to advanced technology. The area near Tsuo Ying high-speed rail station is always crowded with pedestrian and vehicle traffic, especially during rush hour on weekdays. But now, as pedestrians step onto Zhongxing Road, they see an expansive bright green pavement, clearly labeled to say it's a sidewalk. When walking here, they won't encounter oncoming traffic. It's important to have someone to guide you, because the traffic here is quite heavy. It offers protection to pedestrians, which is great. Sometimes people park all over the place, but this protects the people walking. It's a very nice idea. It's certainly safer. With this, cars and scooters won't park wherever they want. By painting the pavement to delineate vehicle and pedestrian zones, installing posts at corners to keep cars out, reminding drivers to be vigilant, and using parking spaces as a buffer, it gives pedestrians an added layer of security. So far, Kaohsiung has painted 159 sections stretching for 18.1 kilometers. 35 of these sites are by schools. When painting sidewalks, we study a few key areas like schools, transit hubs, stations, hospitals and markets. After making the improvements, we found that vehicles will slow down by about 10% when passing by these zones. Comparing traffic data on Chongqing Road from before and after the improvements, overall accidents decreased by about 25%. Simply by painting the pavement green for pedestrians can provide everyone with a safer path to wherever they're going. If you wear earplugs to bed, remember to take them out fully in the morning. One 60-year-old man in Taoyuan apparently forgot to do so and ended up with four earplug chunks stuck inside his ears. The man initially thought he had hearing loss as he has gradually lost hearing over the course of six months. It was only when he went to the doctor that he found out that it was all because his ears were blocked. You can imagine his joy when he realized he could still hear perfectly fine. Let's hear more. Every time he took his earplugs out, he didn't check to see if they were still in one piece, so some fragments ended up lodged inside his ear canal. Having the pieces in there naturally impaired his hearing. The further in they are pushed, the harder they are to remove. They could even seal off the ear canal fully, which may cause a fungal infection. The doctor pulled out several orangey-yellow earplug chunks out of the patient's ear with forceps. The patient says he had been suffering from severe hearing loss for nearly six months and only went to the doctor due to his wife's insistence. It turns out that the earplugs he wore to bed to block out his wife's snoring were the root of the problem. It was quite a gruesome procedure as the earplugs appeared to be moldy after staying in the ear for stuck a long time. To avoid problems, doctors suggest checking earplugs for damage every time and avoid pushing them too deep inside the canal. Taiwan and Japan's medical partnership grows stronger. TLC and Nippon Zoki announced a new agreement on the drug TLC-599, bringing a new treatment option to treat osteoarthritis pain in Japanese patients. Thank you very much. Several Japan-Taiwan representatives attended the event, as well as Taiwan's Minister of Health, Chu Chung-yang. They witnessed the signing of the exclusive licensing agreement, which is worth around 6.5 billion NT. This collaboration with a 90-year-old Japanese company will promote the treatment in Japan. Japan Nipponzaki actually focuses on pain and joints. There's also a very good sales channel for the product, which will let TLC-599 enter the Japanese market faster. I'm In Japan's aging society, there are many patients starting who deeply suffer from osteoarthritis of the knee. We hope that from today onwards, we can use all our efforts to contribute to this field. We want to thank everyone who made this contract signing possible. to The health condition of osteoarthritis doesn't just affect the elderly. speak It also affects many middle-aged and young adults. Statistics show that there are over 25 million patients in Japan now. who are over 40 years old, from which 8 million experience painful symptoms, which could limit daily walking to basic activities ultimately affecting their quality of life. Japan's medical market is around the 10th biggest in the world. So this is a very good benchmark to see if this product could have a breakthrough in European or American markets as well. The TLC-599, beyond relieving pain for patients suffering from osteoarthritis, also promotes transnational cooperation, strengthening ties between Taiwan and Japan.