Food Safety Crackdown: Taiwan’s six special municipalities back Cabinet amendments to the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation, aiming for tiered monitoring of food businesses by size and risk after the Central Union Oil scandal, with plans for shared central-local data governance and stronger source management. Cross-Strait Gray-Zone Pressure: Taiwan’s defense ministry says a PLA helicopter crossed the Taiwan Strait median line and operated in the no-fly zone, while over the prior 24 hours it detected multiple PLA warships, official vessels, and aircraft around the island. Satellite Internet Legal Fix: Taiwan’s legislature cleared major legal hurdles for Starlink by exempting satellite operators from foreign ownership caps and the Taiwanese-chair requirement, subject to security/public-interest checks. Starlink + Telecom Policy: The Starlink change is framed as a boost to both civilian and military communications resilience if conventional networks are disrupted. Trade Momentum: Taiwan’s June export orders hit a record US$95.26B, up 59.4% year-on-year, powered by AI-driven demand for ICT and electronic products. International Diplomacy: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Manila for ASEAN meetings, with Washington pressing Beijing to stop destabilizing conduct in the South China Sea amid the Iran crisis. Regional Security: Japan says it detected a China-Russia live-fire drill in waters Tokyo considers part of its EEZ, marking a first for Japan’s disclosure. Visa Curbs: Taiwan suspended tourist visa applications from Sri Lankan nationals and tightened requirements to approved travel categories. Tech-Defense Industry: Taiwan-based drone and AI firms continue pushing toward government demonstrations, while Taiwan’s AI compute and semiconductor ecosystem remains a key political-economic focus.