Taiwan's opposition-controlled parliament has approved the government's annual budget, preserving funding for a drone programme central to the island's defence plans against China. Lawmakers passed the $93bn budget late on Friday, after a record 266 days of political deadlock and its legal deadline, as President William Lai Ching-te's administration, which lost its parliamentary majority in 2024, continues to clash with opposition parties over government spending. The Kuomintang dropped the proposed cut after concluding there was no wasteful overlap between the development and procurement programmes it had initially cited as justification. Other reductions included a 60 percent cut to special allowances for government agency heads, a 2.5 percent cut to military equipment and facilities spending, and a 50 percent cut to media policy and publicity budgets. Before Friday's vote, the government had been operating under a provisional budget mechanism to keep paying civil servants and funding welfare programmes.

Taiwan did not say who was behind the AI cyber-attacks, but it has in recent years complained about China's pressure on the democratically governed island through acts of'hybrid warfare'. Taiwan did not say who was behind the AI cyber-attacks, but it has in recent years complained about China's pressure on the democratically governed island through acts of'hybrid warfare'. Taiwan says it was hit by'abnormal' AI-assisted cyber-attack Taiwan's statement comes a day after reports that suspected China-linked hackers had carried out a first-of-a-kind breach Taiwan says it detected AI-assisted cyber-attacks on government agencies that came from overseas last month, a new kind of threat that has been reported as "first-of-a-kind breach". The Ministry of Digital Affairs (MDA) said its cybersecurity monitoring units detected the "abnormal attack" targeting government agencies, which began on 20 July. The National Institute of Cyber Security issued a series of warning alerts while it investigated.

Semiconductor powerhouse Taiwan has stepped up a campaign against what it sees as underhand methods being used by Chinese companies to poach Taiwanese tech workers. TAIPEI - Taiwan's government said on Wednesday it had searched dozens of locations and interviewed more than 100 people in an investigation into 17 Chinese companies suspected of illegally trying to recruit chip and other high-tech talent. Semiconductor powerhouse Taiwan, which China views as its own territory, has stepped up a campaign against what it sees as underhand methods being used by Chinese companies to poach Taiwanese tech workers. The Taiwan justice ministry's investigation bureau said in a statement that between July 13 and Aug. 4, 330 agents searched 64 locations and questioned 114 people in coordinated raids on Chinese firms suspected of illegally recruiting tech workers and operating unlicensed offices in Taiwan. Countries around the world are devoting resources to artificial intelligence research and development, and Taiwan has advantages "built on a deep foundation," the bureau said. "However, these industries have recently faced the problem of core high-tech talent being targeted and recruited away by Chinese companies, potentially eroding Taiwan's key competitive advantages," it added.

Plus: France has become the first EU country to ban social media for under-15s. Shape-shifting mirrors on NASA's new space telescope could unveil Jupiters like our own When NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope launches, as early as the end of next month, it will attempt one of astronomy's most precise disappearing acts to date. It will carry the first space-bound "active" coronagraph, an instrument that effectively erases most of the light from a star during photography. The technology will allow astronomers to take the first pictures of planets orbiting other stars that are similar to those in our solar system. Ultimately, it could pave the way for a future mission that could snap the first photos of Earth-like worlds. "I hope it's remembered for it being that critical stepping stone for finding Earth 2.0," says Brandon Creager, the instrument's lead mechanical engineer.

Goldman becomes Taiwan's top foreign broker on AI quant push Goldman Sachs Group has vaulted past Wall Street rivals to become the top global player in Taiwan's equity trading market, capitalizing on surging demand from quant funds for artificial intelligence. Goldman Sachs Group has vaulted past Wall Street rivals to become the top global player in Taiwan's equity trading market, capitalizing on surging demand from quant funds for artificial intelligence exposure. The Wall Street bank has risen from 10th place in early 2025 to become Taiwan's largest foreign brokerage by trading volume in the first half, overtaking rivals including JPMorgan Chase, and Morgan Stanley, according to exchange data. Goldman now ranks as the fourth-largest broker overall, rivaling the biggest domestic firms. The primary driver behind Goldman's market-share gains has been a rapid expansion of its coverage of high-frequency trading and quantitative clients, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified discussing private matters.

Taiwan's debate over drone procurement is being closely watched because the successful use of unmanned systems by Ukraine and Iran have underscored the ways in which the technology can be used to defend territory against larger adversaries. Taiwan's main opposition party has outlined plans to develop the drone industry just days after stalling a similar proposal from Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te's government, amid a debate on unmanned systems with crucial implications for the island's defense. The Kuomintang will submit legislation that could allocate 240 billion New Taiwan dollars (U.S.$7.5 billion) over six years for government procurement and industrial development of unmanned systems, KMT lawmaker Lin Pei-hsiang said during a briefing on Tuesday. Taiwan's debate over drone procurement is being closely watched because the successful use of unmanned systems by Ukraine and Iran have underscored the ways in which the technology can be used to defend territory against larger adversaries. The People's Republic of China has threatened to use force to push its claims of sovereignty over Taiwan, even though it has never controlled the self-governing democracy. Unlike the Cabinet's proposal, which would provide upfront authorization for NT$210 billion for drone procurement over multiple years, the KMT's legislation would fund the program through the annual budget process.

People visit the Delta Electronics booth during the annual Computex trade show in Taipei, Taiwan, on June 3, 2026. Thailand's stock market is having the best year among Southeast Asian peers, as investors discover an unlikely source of exposure to the global artificial-intelligence boom. Much of that gain has come from Delta Electronics (Thailand). The maker of power systems for AI data centers has surged more than 80% this year and became Thailand's first $100 billion company, large enough to be worth more than the next four largest Thai stocks combined. While the country lacks the semiconductor champions of Taiwan or South Korea, investors are increasingly recognizing its role in supplying the infrastructure behind AI. "Thailand isn't a pure AI market, but its exposure to data centers, electronics, power systems and digital infrastructure gives investors a new way to view Thai equities beyond the traditional tourism, banks and domestic consumption cycle," Bloomberg Intelligence Strategist Sufianti said in a note. Delta's rise is the clearest evidence of that shift.

Ukraine has developed a reputation as a master of drone warfare, which has helped an otherwise-outgunned Kyiv hold out for more ‌than four ‌years against Russia.

I n a small, crowded room in Taipei, Pan Chien-chin is trying to keep a drone hovering steadily. Imagining himself flying a plane, he gently nudges controller joysticks to guide the insect-like device as it hums through the air. Cheers break out as Pan, who has never flown a drone before, steers it around a rectangular course marked by traffic cones without crashing. Around him are about two dozen fellow trainees, all signed up for the same course: Taiwan's first civil defence drone training programme. "The war in Ukraine has really changed how drones are used," says Pan, 48, a food company worker. "It's like giving myself another skill, something I can use if it's ever needed one day," he adds.

Vision-language models (VLMs) often struggle with culturally specific content -- a challenge largely overlooked by existing benchmarks that focus on dominant languages and globalized datasets. We introduce TAIWANVQA, a VQA benchmark designed for Taiwanese culture to evaluate recognition and reasoning in regional contexts. TAIWANVQA contains 2,736 images and 5,472 manually curated questions covering topics such as traditional foods, public signs, festivals, and landmarks. The official benchmark set includes 1,000 images and 2,000 questions for systematic assessment, with the remainder of the data used as training material. Evaluations on state-of-the-art VLMs reveal strong visual recognition but notable weaknesses in cultural reasoning.