The Foreign Ministry says that close cooperation with the United States has always been the cornerstone of peace across the Taiwan Strait and that Taiwan will continue to firmly defend the regional status quo and build effective deterrence capabilities. That came after US President Donald Trump concluded his visit to China and said he would soon make a decision on a US$14 billion arms sale to Taiwan.

Taiwan tech news roundup for the week of 5/09-5/15 and a featured interview with Viktor Buzna, a Senior Research Fellow at the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs, on digital governance in the age of AI.

What do music, third-culture kids, and elder care volunteering have in common?  Gwhyneth!  Listen to her journey as a TCK, professional pianist, and how she's integrating music in Alzheimer's care!

Do you have any loved one, whether it is your partner or a family member, whom you would like to spend your life with? Today, we are going to listen to a Tâi-gí song that explores this kind of deep bond: "等待雨散" (Waiting for the Rain to Stop) by Won Fu (旺福).   This warm and gentle song uses rain as a metaphor for life’s difficult moments, reminding us that love means staying together, holding hands, and patiently waiting for the clouds to clear. The songwriter, Min, once shared that he wrote the song while his father was battling cancer. When he finally recorded the track, he tried to sound happy, but his heart wasn't truly in it.   Looking back, he found that he had been immersed in grief, unaware that he had a bunch of friends who stayed with him and brought him joy. He eventually realised: “Instead of waiting for the rain to stop, why don’t we seize the day and have fun while holding the umbrella together?”   Let’s learn a few lines from the song, so that...

Join me for today's episode featuring 2 letters and a bunch of emails ranging from positive feedback to an interesting question about the tradition and trend of beverage drinking in Taiwan and India. 

Over the last two episodes, we looked at the emotional realities of pursuing dreams — from the uncertainty and comparison that come with feeling “stuck in the middle” of the journey, to the hidden costs of ambition, burnout, and overwork. But in this third part of the conversation, the focus shifts toward something quieter and perhaps something even more difficult to confront: what happens when achievement itself stops feeling meaningful? In this deeply personal episode, Mary Anne reflects on how modern life constantly pushes us toward productivity, optimization, and the pressure to keep chasing the next milestone. From family expectations and social media to hustle culture and the endless pursuit of self-improvement, it becomes really easy to tie our self-worth entirely to what we accomplish. This episode asks an important question many people quietly struggle with: in the middle of trying to build the life of our dreams, are we forgetting to actually live it? Blending...

This week, we continue our May Maestro series with Thomas Newman, the score composer for Shawshank Redemption, Finding Nemo, and more. Stay tuned to find out how his music stands out from his film composers family. To send your feedback or messages, feel free to find Wanson on Instagram (@wansonscafe) and YouTube (阿善Café/Wanson's Café).

Members of the public have launched websites including "Rat Radar" and "Taipei Rat Tracker" which allow residents to upload photographs, submit reports, and search for rat activity by location. Does the recent rat problem expose deeper issues in how the city manages its infrastructure? Some argue that it does, while city officials maintain that rat reports to their 1999 hotline have actually decreased. Formosa Fauna is back this week to entertainingly educate you about animals both in Taiwan and abroad! Spend the next 20 minutes listening to this episode and feeding your noggin with fun facts about the animal kingdom so you can become smarter than all of your friends. Want to share your own story and have it read on air? Send your story (photos welcome) to tristan@rti.org.tw! See you every week for Formosa Fauna Fridays!

Join Michelle on a trip down memory lane!  Here are hits from the 90s!