Good Morning World: Childcare Services Act Passed to Prevent Child Abuse, Maximum Fine of NT$600,000; US Sanctions on Iran Ports, Taiwan Stock Market Hits Record High
Taiwan's Legislative Yuan passed the Childcare Services Act to prevent child abuse, increasing penalties and mandating surveillance cameras. The Taiwan stock market reached historical highs, and tax revenue hit a record. Taishin Securities experienced a system anomaly. The US implemented sanctions on Iranian ports, while US-Iran talks continue. Japan banned in-flight portable charger charging, and Taiwan reported an increase in food poisoning and diarrhea cases.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 15, 2026 at 08:59
- 🔍 Collected: April 15, 2026 at 09:31 (31 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 19, 2026 at 14:42 (101h 10m after Collected)
Central News
Childcare services have received high attention due to the "Kaikai case." The Legislative Yuan passed the Childcare Services Act on the 14th, legalizing the operational mechanisms for local governments to handle cases of inappropriate care. If childcare personnel engage in physical or mental abuse or serious sexual harassment, they can be fined up to NT$600,000. A demerit system for home childcare providers has also been added, similar to traffic violations, which can lead to the revocation of a nanny's license. For the "Supervision Cloud" part, childcare institutions are required to install surveillance cameras, with images retained for at least 30 days and uploaded to a system built by the competent authority for storage. (Read full report)
The Taiwan stock market performed strongly on the 14th, reaching a high of 36341.44 points during trading and closing at 36296.12 points. The total market value of listed companies reached NT$128.03 trillion, all setting historical highs. TSMC and stock king Symbio also hit new highs, with TSMC closing at NT$2055, up NT$65, and Symbio reaching a high of NT$13270 during trading, closing at NT$13005. Foreign investors bought NT$68.908 billion, the 5th largest in history, rushing into panel and Formosa Plastics Group stocks. As the Taiwan stock market closed at a record high, the New Taiwan Dollar strengthened by more than NT$0.1 against the US dollar during trading, closing at NT$31.69, up NT$0.095, a new high in over a month. (Read full report)
The Ministry of Finance announced preliminary statistics for national tax revenue in March. The net actual collection in March was NT$298.9 billion, a new high for the same month in history, with an annual growth rate of 28.6%. Driven by record-high trading momentum in the Taiwan stock market, the net actual collection of securities transaction tax in a single month was NT$53.5 billion, an annual increase of NT$31.6 billion, both setting new single-month records in history, with an annual increase of 1.4 times. The cumulative net actual collection of securities transaction tax for the first three months was NT$123.7 billion, also a new high for the same quarter in history. In March, in addition to securities transaction tax, futures transaction tax, and business tax setting new single-month records, individual income tax, inheritance tax, and license plate tax also set new records for the same month. Among them, the net actual collection of individual income tax in March was NT$51 billion, an annual increase of 46.1%, mainly due to the increase in withholding tax on salary income. (Read full report)
The trading system of Taishin Securities, which just merged last week, experienced an anomaly during trading on the 14th, leading to duplicate transactions for customers. Taishin Securities apologized to customers and promised to assist affected customers with necessary error reporting to ensure their assets are protected. Regarding market rumors that the error amount exceeded NT$100 million, the company explained that the error amount must be further reconciled with customers and there will be no figures for now. The Financial Supervisory Commission stated that if investors' rights are damaged as a result, Taishin Securities must bear full responsibility, and subsequent actions will be taken based on the results of the Taiwan Stock Exchange's investigation, depending on the severity of the circumstances. (Read full report)
On the first day of the US blockade measures against ships docking at Iranian ports, the US military announced the specific blockade area, covering the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea east of the Strait of Hormuz. Shipping data showed that the third oil tanker involved in Iran, the "Peace Gulf," was sailing into the Persian Gulf via the Strait of Hormuz on the 14th. As it was not heading to an Iranian port, it was not subject to the blockade restrictions. In addition, US officials stated that the US Navy currently has at least 15 warships deployed in the Middle East, including the aircraft carrier USS Lincoln and 11 destroyers. The US blockade of Iranian ports may further tighten global crude oil supply, pushing international oil prices close to US$100 per barrel, but signs that ceasefire talks may continue limited the gains. (Read full report)
US and Iranian officials held their highest-level talks in decades on the 11th. It is said that these marathon talks lasted over 20 hours. Sources said that the dialogue came close to reaching a preliminary framework several times but ultimately broke down due to Iran's nuclear program, the Strait of Hormuz issue, and Tehran's demand for the amount of frozen assets to be unfrozen. Although no breakthrough progress was made, dialogue channels between the two sides remain open. The Associated Press reported that US officials revealed that the US and Iran are considering a new round of face-to-face negotiations on the 16th, striving to reach an agreement to end the six-week war before the ceasefire agreement expires next week. US President Trump also said that Iran called to seek negotiations, and the market expects that the US and Iran may reach an agreement to end the Middle East war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, leading to a rebound in most Asian stock markets on the 14th. (Read full report)
Taiwanese left-handed pitcher Wang Yen-Cheng, 25, joined Japan's Rakuten Golden Eagles as a development player in 2019. After years of struggle, he did not get a formal player contract until this season when he transferred to South Korea's Hanwha Eagles as an "Asian foreign player," becoming the second Taiwanese player to play in South Korea after Wang Wei-Chung in 2018. Wang Yen-Cheng introduced himself with good performance at the beginning of the season, winning two consecutive starts on March 29th and April 4th. After years of professional baseball training, he feels his biggest transformation is becoming "braver." (Read full report)
Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism announced on the 14th that starting from the 24th, charging portable power banks themselves in the cabin will be prohibited, and using portable power banks to charge electronic devices such as smartphones should be avoided. It is recommended to use the power provided on board instead. The new regulations also include a limit of two portable power banks with less than 160Wh per person in carry-on luggage. If the limit is exceeded, they will be required to be discarded at the hand luggage security check. (Read full report)
There is a suspected food poisoning case at Taoyuan City's Ueno Yakiniku Rice Innerli branch. Some people experienced vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain after eating meals, with most reports from customers who bought bento boxes for lunch and dinner on the 13th. As of 4:30 PM on the 14th, 61 people sought medical attention. After receiving the report, the Health Bureau dispatched personnel for inspection and ordered the operator to suspend business. In addition, the CDC announced that the number of emergency and outpatient visits for diarrhea nationwide from April 5th to 11th exceeded 120,000, an increase of about 5,000 people from the previous week, judged to be affected by the Qingming holiday. Considering recent Mazu pilgrimage activities, it is estimated that food poisoning cases will continue to appear in the next week. (Read full report)
Taiwan People's Party legislator Li Chen-Hsiu was expelled from the party on the 13th, losing her legislator status. During her tenure, Li Chen-Hsiu caused controversy over whether she had renounced her Chinese nationality, and multiple citizens accused her of forgery and corruption. The Taipei District Prosecutors Office has opened a separate investigation, handled by the chief prosecutor of the anti-corruption and anti-black gold group. Li Chen-Hsiu stated on a program on the 14th that Taiwan People's Party caucus director Chen Chih-Han had already spread the news before April 7th.
Childcare services have received high attention due to the "Kaikai case." The Legislative Yuan passed the Childcare Services Act on the 14th, legalizing the operational mechanisms for local governments to handle cases of inappropriate care. If childcare personnel engage in physical or mental abuse or serious sexual harassment, they can be fined up to NT$600,000. A demerit system for home childcare providers has also been added, similar to traffic violations, which can lead to the revocation of a nanny's license. For the "Supervision Cloud" part, childcare institutions are required to install surveillance cameras, with images retained for at least 30 days and uploaded to a system built by the competent authority for storage. (Read full report)
The Taiwan stock market performed strongly on the 14th, reaching a high of 36341.44 points during trading and closing at 36296.12 points. The total market value of listed companies reached NT$128.03 trillion, all setting historical highs. TSMC and stock king Symbio also hit new highs, with TSMC closing at NT$2055, up NT$65, and Symbio reaching a high of NT$13270 during trading, closing at NT$13005. Foreign investors bought NT$68.908 billion, the 5th largest in history, rushing into panel and Formosa Plastics Group stocks. As the Taiwan stock market closed at a record high, the New Taiwan Dollar strengthened by more than NT$0.1 against the US dollar during trading, closing at NT$31.69, up NT$0.095, a new high in over a month. (Read full report)
The Ministry of Finance announced preliminary statistics for national tax revenue in March. The net actual collection in March was NT$298.9 billion, a new high for the same month in history, with an annual growth rate of 28.6%. Driven by record-high trading momentum in the Taiwan stock market, the net actual collection of securities transaction tax in a single month was NT$53.5 billion, an annual increase of NT$31.6 billion, both setting new single-month records in history, with an annual increase of 1.4 times. The cumulative net actual collection of securities transaction tax for the first three months was NT$123.7 billion, also a new high for the same quarter in history. In March, in addition to securities transaction tax, futures transaction tax, and business tax setting new single-month records, individual income tax, inheritance tax, and license plate tax also set new records for the same month. Among them, the net actual collection of individual income tax in March was NT$51 billion, an annual increase of 46.1%, mainly due to the increase in withholding tax on salary income. (Read full report)
The trading system of Taishin Securities, which just merged last week, experienced an anomaly during trading on the 14th, leading to duplicate transactions for customers. Taishin Securities apologized to customers and promised to assist affected customers with necessary error reporting to ensure their assets are protected. Regarding market rumors that the error amount exceeded NT$100 million, the company explained that the error amount must be further reconciled with customers and there will be no figures for now. The Financial Supervisory Commission stated that if investors' rights are damaged as a result, Taishin Securities must bear full responsibility, and subsequent actions will be taken based on the results of the Taiwan Stock Exchange's investigation, depending on the severity of the circumstances. (Read full report)
On the first day of the US blockade measures against ships docking at Iranian ports, the US military announced the specific blockade area, covering the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea east of the Strait of Hormuz. Shipping data showed that the third oil tanker involved in Iran, the "Peace Gulf," was sailing into the Persian Gulf via the Strait of Hormuz on the 14th. As it was not heading to an Iranian port, it was not subject to the blockade restrictions. In addition, US officials stated that the US Navy currently has at least 15 warships deployed in the Middle East, including the aircraft carrier USS Lincoln and 11 destroyers. The US blockade of Iranian ports may further tighten global crude oil supply, pushing international oil prices close to US$100 per barrel, but signs that ceasefire talks may continue limited the gains. (Read full report)
US and Iranian officials held their highest-level talks in decades on the 11th. It is said that these marathon talks lasted over 20 hours. Sources said that the dialogue came close to reaching a preliminary framework several times but ultimately broke down due to Iran's nuclear program, the Strait of Hormuz issue, and Tehran's demand for the amount of frozen assets to be unfrozen. Although no breakthrough progress was made, dialogue channels between the two sides remain open. The Associated Press reported that US officials revealed that the US and Iran are considering a new round of face-to-face negotiations on the 16th, striving to reach an agreement to end the six-week war before the ceasefire agreement expires next week. US President Trump also said that Iran called to seek negotiations, and the market expects that the US and Iran may reach an agreement to end the Middle East war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, leading to a rebound in most Asian stock markets on the 14th. (Read full report)
Taiwanese left-handed pitcher Wang Yen-Cheng, 25, joined Japan's Rakuten Golden Eagles as a development player in 2019. After years of struggle, he did not get a formal player contract until this season when he transferred to South Korea's Hanwha Eagles as an "Asian foreign player," becoming the second Taiwanese player to play in South Korea after Wang Wei-Chung in 2018. Wang Yen-Cheng introduced himself with good performance at the beginning of the season, winning two consecutive starts on March 29th and April 4th. After years of professional baseball training, he feels his biggest transformation is becoming "braver." (Read full report)
Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism announced on the 14th that starting from the 24th, charging portable power banks themselves in the cabin will be prohibited, and using portable power banks to charge electronic devices such as smartphones should be avoided. It is recommended to use the power provided on board instead. The new regulations also include a limit of two portable power banks with less than 160Wh per person in carry-on luggage. If the limit is exceeded, they will be required to be discarded at the hand luggage security check. (Read full report)
There is a suspected food poisoning case at Taoyuan City's Ueno Yakiniku Rice Innerli branch. Some people experienced vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain after eating meals, with most reports from customers who bought bento boxes for lunch and dinner on the 13th. As of 4:30 PM on the 14th, 61 people sought medical attention. After receiving the report, the Health Bureau dispatched personnel for inspection and ordered the operator to suspend business. In addition, the CDC announced that the number of emergency and outpatient visits for diarrhea nationwide from April 5th to 11th exceeded 120,000, an increase of about 5,000 people from the previous week, judged to be affected by the Qingming holiday. Considering recent Mazu pilgrimage activities, it is estimated that food poisoning cases will continue to appear in the next week. (Read full report)
Taiwan People's Party legislator Li Chen-Hsiu was expelled from the party on the 13th, losing her legislator status. During her tenure, Li Chen-Hsiu caused controversy over whether she had renounced her Chinese nationality, and multiple citizens accused her of forgery and corruption. The Taipei District Prosecutors Office has opened a separate investigation, handled by the chief prosecutor of the anti-corruption and anti-black gold group. Li Chen-Hsiu stated on a program on the 14th that Taiwan People's Party caucus director Chen Chih-Han had already spread the news before April 7th.