Thu, Feb 19, 2026
KEY PARTNERS: A vocal supporter of Taiwan, the Japanese prime minister has repeatedly stressed the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait Taiwan looks forward to working with Japan to realize a “free and open Indo-Pacific” and to continue their deepening partnership, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday, as he congratulated Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on her reappointment by parliament to form her
The Japanese House of Representatives yesterday formally reappointed Sanae Takaichi as prime minister, 10 days after her historic landslide election victory.Takaichi, 64, became Japan’s first female prime minister in October and won a two-thirds majority for her party in the snap lower house electio
Radio Free Asia (RFA) has resumed broadcasts to China, its CEO said on Tuesday, after US President Donald Trump’s administration last year cut funding, forcing it to cease operations.RFA and its sister outlets, including Voice of America (VOA), had for years been financed with funding approved by th
The Peruvian Congress was yesterday set to elect an interim president to replace Jose Jeri, who was impeached in a graft scandal just four months after taking office.Jeri, 39, was accused in the irregular hiring of several women in his government, and of suspected graft involving a Chinese businessm
GOING UP: Four stations would be rebuilt as part of the project, which would span about 16km, and a new ‘County Government Center Station’ would be added The government will move ahead with a long-planned project to elevate a stretch of railway between Yilan City and Yilan County’s Luodong Township (羅東), Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said yesterday.Cho made the announcement during a Lunar New Year visit to the city’s Bisia Temple (碧霞宮), where he was han
‘COLLECTIVE DEFENSE’: The US pledged to help modernize the Philippine armed forces, and increase deployments of cutting-edge missiles and uncrewed systems to the Philippines The US and the Philippines on Monday reaffirmed the importance of regional security in the Taiwan Strait following the 12th Philippines-United States Bilateral Strategic Dialogue in Manila.Washington and Manila in a joint statement released by the US Department of State emphasized collective defense
WAR GAMES: The drills along the Taimali River are a continuation of the military’s shift to live-fire exercises that emphasize realistic, location-specific training The military is to hold live-fire drills along the Taimali River (太麻里溪) in Taitung County’s Taimali Township (太麻里) next month for the first time in three decades, a source said yesterday.The drills, part of the “Tianma Exercise” (天馬操演), are aimed at enhancing combat readiness in eastern Taiwan. They
A New York-based NGO has launched a global initiative to rename the nation’s overseas missions, most of which operate under the name "Taipei," to "Taiwan Representative Office (TRO)," according to a news release.Ming Chiang (江明信), CEO of Hello Taiwan, announced the campaign at a news conference
Road traffic and passenger volumes on freeways, railways and high-speed rail are expected to reach a holiday peak today, the third day of the Lunar New Year, transportation agencies said yesterday, advising travelers to plan accordingly.The Freeway Bureau estimated that traffic on freeways today wou
Do not use eye drops indiscriminately, as the wrong kind could damage the cornea, a doctor warned on Tuesday.Many people stay up late over the Lunar New Year holiday binge-watching television or playing video games, and often use eye drops to relieve dry or sore eyes, Tri-Service General Hospital op
People who find it difficult to stop buying scratch-off lottery tickets during the Lunar New Year holiday should be aware of the signs of gambling addition, a doctor said on Tuesday.During the holiday, many people purchase scratch-off tickets in the belief that the holiday is an auspicious time to t
TOO DANGEROUS: The families agreed to suspend crewed recovery efforts that could put rescuers in danger from volcanic gases and unstable terrain The bodies of two Taiwanese tourists and a Japanese pilot have been located inside a volcanic crater, Japanese authorities said yesterday, nearly a month after a sightseeing helicopter crashed during a flight over southwestern Japan.Drone footage taken at the site showed three bodies near the wrecka
The popular Taiwan weather app "Raining Bell" has been upgraded to include an AI- powered voice assistant that allows users to ask about the weather using spoken Mandarin or Taiwanese Hokkien.First launched in 2020 through collaboration between the National Center for High-performance Computing (NCH
Temperatures across Taiwan are expected to rise today as a continental cold air mass weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday.Most areas will see cloudy to sunny skies, with only brief isolated showers forecast for eastern Taiwan and mountainous areas in the west.CWA fore
President William Lai, center, greets a crowd during a visit to Jhennan Temple in Kaohisung’s Cianjhen District yesterday, where he also handed out red envelopes to temple-goers.
SUPPLY CHAIN: One of the projects is a power plant in Ohio that would be the largest natural gas-fired generating facility in history, with a capacity of 9.2 gigawatts US President Donald Trump’s administration on Tuesday announced three projects valued at US$36 billion to be financed by Japan, including an oil export facility in Texas, an industrial diamonds plant in Georgia and a natural gas power plant in Ohio.The projects are the first investments under Japan’
European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde is expected to step down from her role before her eight-year term ends in October next year, the Financial Times reported.Lagarde wants to leave before the French presidential election in April next year, which would allow French President Emma
Meta Platforms Inc has agreed to deploy “millions” of Nvidia Corp processors over the next few years, tightening an already close relationship between two of the biggest companies in the artificial intelligence (AI) industry.Meta, which accounts for about 9 percent of Nvidia’s revenue, is committing
To our readers:Due to the Lunar New Year holiday, from Sunday, Feb. 15, through Sunday, Feb. 22, the Taipei Times will have a reduced format without our regular editorials and opinion pieces. From Mondy to Thursday the paper will not be delivered to subscribers, but will be available for purchase at
With the Year of the Snake reaching its conclusion on Monday next week, now is an opportune moment to reflect on the past year — a year marked by institutional strain and national resilience. For Taiwan, the Year of the Snake was a composite of political friction, economic momentum, social unease an
There is a story in India about a boy called Prahlad who was an ardent worshipper of Lord Narayana, whom his father considered an enemy. His son’s devotion vexed the father to the extent that he asked his sister, Holika, who could not be burned by fire, to sit with the boy in her lap and burn him to
MEN’s FREESKI BIG AIR: Norway’s Tormod Frostad found an extra gear under the most intense pressure to post a winning total of 195.50 to top the podium Japanese teenager Ami Nakai on Tuesday set the pace in the Olympic women’s figure skating competition as freestyle skier Tormod Frostad soared to gold in an all-time classic big air final.Nikai, 17, upstaged teammate Kaori Sakamoto at the Milano Ice Skating Arena, while Alysa Liu of the US rounded o
Sports fans have criticized Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) politician Hsieh Dien-lin, calling him “the man who ruined Taiwan basketball” for being embroiled in numerous controversies and his cited failures and negligence as chairman of the Chinese Taipei Basketball Association (CTBA).Hsieh said he
Coco Gauff on Tuesday bounced back from her shock early exit in Doha last week with a comfortable victory over Anna Kalinskaya in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, while Elena Rybakina opened her campaign with a dominant win.The American, who lost to lucky loser Elisabetta Cocciaretto in her opening matc
Carlos Alcaraz on Tuesday made a triumphant return to action following his Australian Open success as he beat Arthur Rinderknech 6-4, 7-6 (7/5) in the first round in Doha.Alcaraz, who became the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam with his victory in Melbourne, saw off the 30th-ranked Rinde
‘COST OF DEFECTION’: Duterte’s announcement could be an effort to keep allies in line with the promise of a return to power amid political uncertainty, an analyst said Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte yesterday announced she would run for president of the Southeast Asian nation of 116 million in 2028.Duterte, who is embroiled in a bitter feud with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, was impeached last year only to see the country’s Supreme Court throw
Wealthy Americans are dominating applications for New Zealand’s “golden visa,” driven by a love for the country’s natural beauty and entrepreneurial spirit, as well a desire to escape US President Donald Trump’s policies.New rules for the Active Investor Plus visa came into effect in April last year
NOT YET THERE: While the show was impressive, it failed to demonstrate their ability to move in unstructured environments, such as a factory floor, an expert said Dancing humanoid robots on Monday took center stage during the annual China Media Group’s Spring Festival Gala, China’s most-watched official television broadcast. They lunged and backflipped (landing on their knees), they spun around and jumped. Not one fell over.The display was impressive, but if
Due to the Lunar New Year holiday, from Sunday, Feb. 15, through Sunday, Feb. 22, there will be no Features pages. The paper returns to its usual format on Monday, Feb. 23, when Features will also be resumed. Kung Hsi Fa Tsai!
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists moving the Doomsday Clock to 85 seconds before midnight last month symbolized the closest humanity has ever been to global catastropheIn this context, the legislature remains gridlocked over the general budget, mirroring tensions simmering across the globe. Acco
Feb. 16 to Feb. 22Pai Ko’s (白克) film career appeared poised to reach new heights in 1962 with the completion of the highly-anticipated, star-studded Romance of Longshan Temple (龍山寺之戀). Despite being mainly in Hoklo (commonly known as Taiwanese), the film promoted harmony between those born in China
Due to the Lunar New Year holiday, from Sunday, Feb. 15, through Sunday, Feb. 22, there will be no Bilingual Pages. The paper returns to its usual format on Monday, Feb. 23, when Bilingual Pages will also be resumed.
A tragic case in California has brought renewed attention to the risks of using artificial intelligence. The parents of a 16-year-old boy, Adam Raine, filed a lawsuit in San Francisco against OpenAI, alleging that ChatGPT provided harmful information that encouraged his suicide. According to the com
A: Have you suddenly become so obsessed with ice sports because of the ongoing 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics?B: Apart from this, it’s also because of my obsession with an ice hockey-themed TV series, “Heated Rivalry.” A: Is that the gay romance drama where two ice hockey stars unexpectedly f
Two moves show Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) is gunning for Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) party chair and the 2028 presidential election. Technically, these are not yet “officially” official, but by the rules of Taiwan politics, she is now on the dance floor. Earlier this month Lu confirmed in an interview in Japan’s Nikkei that she was considering running for KMT chair. This is not new news, but according to reports from her camp she previously was still considering the case for and against running. By choosing a respected, international news outlet, she declared it to the world. While the outside world likely paid little attention, domestically the message was unmistakable: She is moving on to a larger stage. Part of the dance is to leave options open before formally committing, and with the chair race due in late September, she has time. If something goes wrong in the meantime, or if power brokers in the party offer her a deal that provides more benefits than taking on the role of chair, she can pivot accordingly. Earlier this year, I suggested that strategically, she would be better off concentrating on her job as Taichung mayor until she is term-limited out of office in December next year. Taichung mayor is obviously a full-time job, and concurrently running the Taipei-headquartered party runs the risk of doing one or both jobs poorly and making mistakes that could imperil her shot at the presidency in 2028. The situation has changed. Current KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), knowing he is likely to face challengers of a higher caliber than the three relative nobodies already declared, has gone all in on appealing to the base. The base is more likely to turn out to vote in the chair election, so this makes some strategic sense in the short term.
Among Thailand’s Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) villages, a certain rivalry exists between Arunothai, the largest of these villages, and Mae Salong, which is currently the most prosperous. Historically, the rivalry stems from a split in KMT military factions in the early 1960s, which divided command and opium territories after Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) cut off open support in 1961 due to international pressure (see part two, “The KMT opium lords of the Golden Triangle,” on May 20). But today this rivalry manifests as a different kind of split, with Arunothai leading a pro-China faction and Mae Salong staunchly aligned to Taiwan. Last spring at Arunothai’s Jiaolian School, principal Wang Mingming (王明明) had forewarned me of the division between villages, saying, “We are not like the people in Mae Salong. They are rich. Because of the Taiwanese.” Arunothai has in recent years become split in its loyalties between Taiwan and China (see part one, “A tale of two schools,” on May 15), but in Mae Salong, links to Taiwan remain strong. Taiwan-funded monuments pay homage to the Lost Army, villagers wear T-shirts emblazoned with the Republic of China (ROC) flag and tea plantations grown Taiwan’s most famous tea varieties, including Dong Ding (“frozen peak”) Oolong, Oriental Beauty and Jin Xuan (Golden Daylily or Milk Oolong). Even the numerical classifications of the teas — Oolong No. 12 or No. 17, for example — are the same, and the shops resemble those found on Alishan. At the tomb of General Tuan Hsi-wen (段希文) — perched on a Mae Salong hilltop with a view of his ancestral homeland in China’s Yunnan province — a third generation villager wearing a vintage KMT army uniform, Yan Si-Chung (岩思中), greets visitors with sharp military salutes. “Both my father and my grandfather were soldiers in the KMT army,” the 44-year-old
| New Taipei City | 27-28 | 20% |  |
| Hsinchu County | 26-27 | 10% | |
| Hsinchu City | 26-27 | 10% | |
| Taipei City | 27-28 | 20% |  |
| Miaoli County | 24-26 | 10% | |
| Taoyuan City | 26-27 | 10% | |
| Keelung City | 27-28 | 20% | |
| Yunlin County | 26-27 | 10% | |
| Taichung City | 26-28 | 10% | |
| Nantou County | 25-26 | 10% | |
| Changhua County | 27-28 | 10% | |
| Chiayi County | 26-27 | 10% | |
| Chiayi City | 25-27 | 10% | |
| Tainan City | 27-28 | 10% | |
| Kaohsiung City | 27-28 | 10% | |
| Pingtung County | 26-27 | 10% | |
| Yilan County | 25-26 | 30% |  |
| Hualien County | 25-26 | 30% | |
| Taitung County | 25-27 | 30% | |
| Kinmen County | 27-28 | 10% | |
| Penghu County | 27-27 | 20% | |
| Lienchiang County | 27-28 | 20% | |
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