Taiwanese authorities drag feet on same-sex marriage

Taiwan is urging residents to stay indoors and brace for torrential rain and heavy winds as Typhoon Chanthu approaches. Gusts of wind reached up to 250 kph (155 mph) over the Philippines.

Taiwan has formally filed to join the trans-Pacific trade deal initially negotiated by the US. Intended to freeze China out, Trump walked away from the deal but now China and Taiwan want in.

Nearly two-thirds of Swiss voters backed the government's plan to introduce same-sex marriage in a referendum, with campaigners calling it a historic day for gay rights in Switzerland.

Swiss same-sex couples have won the right to marry after voters overwhelmingly backed its legalization in a referendum. The vote was brought about by conservative politicians opposed to LGBTQ+ marriages.

China's recent air force maneuvers around Taiwan have caused consternation and confusion. However, there are critical distinctions to be made between rules on entering different kinds of airspace.

Taiwan has said 149 sorties by Chinese air force planes into its air defense zone in recent days are dangerous for regional stability. The increased military activity has also drawn international concern.

According to the US official, about 20 special forces are in Taiwan to train soldiers amid rising aggression from China. Both countries had previously denied such an arrangement existed.

China's President Xi Jinping says that the "reunification" with Taiwan "will be fulfilled", days after Chinese warplanes made record incursions into the air defence zone of the democratically ruled island. Self-governed Taiwan, which has never formally declared independence, lives under the constant threat of invasion by China, which views the island as its territory and has vowed to one day seize it, by force if necessary.

In her National Day speech, Taiwan's president called on Beijing to respect her country's sovereignty. The remarks came one day after China's Xi Jinping reiterated his desire for reunification.

China and Taiwan have entered dangerous territory. Beijing regards the latter as a breakaway province and has vowed peaceful reunification. But Taiwan's leaders say it is a sovereign state. The self-ruled island has strategically important maritime borders and is a longtime source of tension between China and the US. We take a look at what's behind the divide.

Taiwanese residents voice anguish and outrage after 46 people perished in an inferno that tore through a dilapidated housing block, as investigators searched for what sparked the island's deadliest fire in decades.

The president says the United States has a "commitment" to protect Taiwan as China continues to impose its sovereignty on the island. Beijing has urged Washington to act with caution on the Taiwan issue.