Taiwan News Quick Take

A 50-year-old woman surnamed Chao (趙) was shot in the chest and hand at about 2pm yesterday while walking in an alley in Taipei. Despite sustaining severe injuries, she remained conscious and was rushed to National Taiwan University Hospital for emergency treatment. Chao had just left her home to run errands when she was attacked by a man wearing a raincoat near Lane 29, Shuiyuan Road, police said. She collapsed on the spot, and bystanders immediately called the authorities, police said, adding that officers recovered two spent shell casings at the scene. Surveillance camera footage showed that the shooter fled on foot to a nearby intersection and jumped into a waiting car, police said. Vehicle registration data identified a man surnamed Chen (陳), Chao’s estranged husband, as the owner of the car, which police believe he drove as a getaway vehicle for the shooter. Chen was arrested at the Taian Service Area on Freeway No. 1 at about 6pm. The shooter remains at large.

MILITARY

Man injured in air base fire

A contractor in his 60s surnamed Chang (張) is in critical condition after falling into a 12m-deep fuel tank that caught fire at the Chihhang Air Base (志航基地) in Taitung County yesterday. The Taitung County Fire Bureau said it received an emergency call at about 4pm and immediately dispatched fire engines and ambulances, but base personnel had already brought the fire under control and pulled Chang from the tank before first responders arrived. Chang had lost his vital signs at the scene and was rushed to Taitung Mackay Memorial Hospital. Chang sustained burns to 90 percent of his body and remained in critical condition, the hospital said. The military said the fire accidentally broke out while the contractor was clearing residual fuel from the tank.

DEFENSE

CSBC, Havoc team up

CSBC Corp yesterday announced that it has teamed up with US-based all-domain collaborative autonomy firm Havoc to develop autonomous surface vessels (ASVs) in Taiwan. The shipbuilder said in a statement that it had signed a partnership agreement with Havoc at the firm’s headquarters in Rhode Island on Thursday to pursue licensed coproduction of ASVs for Taiwan’s maritime security. Under the agreement, the two companies are to leverage their respective capabilities to integrate Havoc’s industry-leading autonomy software into CSBC-built platforms produced and maintained in Taiwan, it said. The cooperation is in line with Section 1266 of the US National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 on joint US-Taiwan production of uncrewed systems, as well as Taiwan’s policy goal of promoting defense autonomy and domestic production of uncrewed vehicles, the shipbuilder said. The two firms hope to establish a scalable cooperation model that combines Taiwan’s industrial base with US autonomous technology to further enhance capabilities for producing and deploying autonomous maritime systems, it added.

LABOR

Committee to review wages

The Ministry of Labor on Sept. 24 is to review next year’s minimum wage, which is expected to exceed NT$30,000 after the government expressed support for an increase. A panel of representatives from government, labor, management and academia meets annually in the third quarter to review minimum wage levels for the coming year. The minimum wage stands at NT$29,500 per month and NT$196 per hour.