President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) stated on Tuesday, October 21, that Taiwan's tariff negotiations with the United States were progressing and could soon yield positive results. Economic Minister Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) told lawmakers Wednesday that his team is striving for tariffs not to overlap and fall below 20%, adding that it looks promising so far. 

Last week, we spoke with Frances Hui, policy and advocacy coordinator at the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation, about the Foundation’s investigative report “We Were Made to Suffer: Systemic Abuse and Political Control Inside Hong Kong’s Prisons.” The report documents how Hong Kong’s prisons have become instruments of political repression, where political prisoners are subjected to psychological manipulation, solitary confinement, and routine neglect. In this week’s episode, we continue our look inside Hong Kong’s tightening system of control, but from beyond the prison walls. As hundreds of political prisoners remain detained, what happens to those who’ve been released or forced into exile? And what does freedom look like when your home has turned against you?

Will the hunters find Pacifica's lost cousin?  Will they figure out what Finn is marked for?  Will Sock burn down Applebee? Find out on this Part 3 of Geek Out!'s Monster of the Week special feature!

Have you met anyone whom you’d like to spend your life with? Today, we are listening to a song in Tâi-gí that touches on the relationship between you and your significant other – 一人一半 You Complete Me by 旺福 Won Fu. This track is the theme song of the Taiwanese TV drama The Making of an Ordinary Woman. The lyrics are simple yet powerful. People follow different life paths: some succeed, others don’t. But deep down, we all share the same hope to find someone who will always stay by our side.

Today we will go over some forgotten good wishes for Taiwan's National Day ( or more like they didn't make the first episode, as 13 minutes is not enough) that took place on the 10th of October. There are also some other emails from our regular listeners, but one person from Nigeria!! How lovely, thank you all for taking the time to write to us!  If you would like to contact us and have your message read on air, please send a letter to P.O. BOX 123, 199 Taipei, Taiwan, or email us at English@rti.org.tw. You can also reach us on social media: Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram at @Rtienglish.

Last week, we caught up with fellow Filipino Rhea Leorag, who’s been charting her own path across cultures — from Manila to Taipei to Seoul. We learned how studying in both Taiwan and South Korea broadened Rhea's view of the world — especially through the lens of music. Today, we dive deeper into Rhea’s time in South Korea — this time, turning the spotlight on the country’s dynamic music scene. She shares what stood out to her from the inside and also offers her insights on the music industries in Taiwan, South Korea, and, of course, the Philippines. Listen in as Rhea gives us her inside take on South Korea’s vibrant music scene and what sets it apart from the rest of the world.

This week, we’re talking about the death of French Queen Marie Antoinette, a nuclear testing "coincidence" between Russia, China, and the United States, and finally Nelson Mandela and F.W. de Klerk's Nobel Peace Prize for their work ending South Africa’s apartheid regime! And of course, we’ve got some great tunes to pair them with as well!

Hanna shares her thoughts on the direction Chinese director Zhang Yimou ended up taking his career in the early aughts when he started making big flashy wuxia productions. Surprising no one, she's not especially impressed.

Which of the following is not true: A) Goldfish can grow up to 20 inches (roughly 50 cm) B) Declawing a cat is akin to amputating a human fingertip C) Sloths are lazy Just one of the above is not quite true. Based on the title of today's episode, you may have already guessed correctly that B is true. Declawing, or onychectomy, involves the surgical removal of a cat's claws along with part of the toe bone, akin to amputating a human fingertip. This is only one of the many reasons why the practice of declawing for non-medical, non-necessary issues is outlawed in Taiwan. 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. In this episode we talk about:  – Taiwan's beekeeping VR  – Training cats  – Koi fish ...and so much more. Want to share your own story and...

Welcome to today's episode with a member of Electric Monk, Kyle! Together, we will discuss how the band came into existence, current and past members of the band, some of his favorite and memorable performances, and we will dig into the topic of stage fright!  Electric Monk got started in the mid-2000s in Austin, Texas, where Kyle (vocals and guitar) and Brent Scheihagen (vocals, guitar, and bass) played in the first version of the band with various friends. A second version formed in 2012 when both brothers ended up in Taipei and were joined by Ed Schaefer on drums. After Brent left the band to pursue other interests, Kyle and Ed spent several years recording the band's first album, Light Dreams of Darkness, with help from Brent and several guest musicians. Following the album’s completion a few years ago, a new lineup began to take shape. In addition to Kyle and Ed, the latest iteration of the group includes Martin Maloney on bass; Max Lee on keyboards, violin, and guitar;...