Tue, Feb 17, 2026
HOT AND COLD: Seasonal winds were expected to affect Taiwan today, with the CWA urging people to remain alert to big day-night temperature drops The Freeway Bureau yesterday warned of heavy traffic and potential congestion on 12 major sections of freeways and highways today, the first day of the Lunar New Year, when people typically make courtesy calls to relatives and friends, or visit temples and scenic spots.Traffic volume on national hig
Tokyo has lodged a protest with China over remarks by Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) that “far-right forces” in Japan were seeking to revive militarism, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said yesterday.Speaking at the Munich Security Conference in Germany, Wang weighed
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un touted a newly built street of homes for families of soldiers killed supporting Russia’s war against Ukraine, state media reported yesterday, with photographs showing him accompanied by his daughter.North Korea has deployed thousands of troops to fight for Russia, acc
Iran’s top diplomat yesterday met with the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), ahead of a second round of negotiations with the US over Tehran’s nuclear program.Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Abbas Araghchi met with IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi and said he would also m
DEFENSE PRIORITY: While the Lunar New Year address is normally given at the Presidential Office, Lai chose the navy base to highlight the military’s year-round dedication President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday delivered his Lunar New Year address, pledging to strengthen national defense and steadily advance economic development to ensure Taiwan maintains its leading edge in global technology and industrial competition.Lai joined officers and soldiers at the navy’s 3,0
UNITED WE STAND: The ministry called on the international community to continue to back Taiwan in a ‘democracy protection umbrella’ against authoritarian challenges China is the real threat to security and is hypocritically claiming to uphold UN principles of peace, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday in a rebuff to comments by China’s top diplomat at the Munich Security Conference.Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅), add
DEFENSE: The US should cancel the US visas or green cards of relatives of KMT and TPP lawmakers who have been blocking the budget, Grant Newsham said A retired US Marine Corps officer has suggested canceling the US green cards and visas of relatives of opposition Taiwanese lawmakers who have been stalling the review of a proposed NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.7 billion) special defense budget.The Executive Yuan has proposed the budget for major weapons
Representatives to Taiwan from the US and Japan earlier this month showcased signature New Year dishes from their countries, including Japanese mochi and Kentucky bourbon, ahead of the arrival of the Year of the Horse that begins today.Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍), American Instit
LUNAR NEW YEAR: People might be more vulnerable amid a surge in social gatherings, disrupted routines and emotional highs and lows during the holiday For people with a history of alcohol or drug addiction, the Lunar New Year is a peak period for relapse, as it is a time for family reunions and festive banquets, a doctor said, urging the public to stay vigilant during the holiday.Clinical experience has shown that relapses are often triggered by t
Doctors advised people with rheumatoid arthritis to manage the condition with an anti-inflammatory diet and appropriate cold and heat therapy during flare-ups, after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi was briefly hospitalized when her symptoms worsened.Takaichi, who led the Liberal Democratic Pa
Kunekune pigs feast on a meal prepared by caretakers at Shoushan Zoo in Kaohsiung on Lunar New Year’s Eve yesterday. The Year of the Horse begins today.
People look at cherry blossoms at Tianyuan Temple in New Taipei City’s Tamsui District yesterday.
TAIWAN PROWESS: FS-8A’s highest-resolution images could be useful in disaster prevention, national security, mapping and precision agriculture, the agency said The Formosat-8 Chi Po-lin Satellite (FS-8A), the first satellite in Taiwan’s first domestically produced optical remote sensing satellite constellation, has delivered results beyond expectations, the Taiwan Space Agency (TASA) said yesterday after the satellite released its first images on Wednesday
A total lunar eclipse coinciding with the Lantern Festival on March 3 would be Taiwan’s most notable celestial event this year, the Taipei Astronomical Museum said, urging skywatchers not to miss it.There would be four eclipses worldwide this year — two solar eclipses and two lunar eclipses — the mu
IN LOVING MEMORY: Ali, who has been with the zoo since it opened, was loved by visitors for being clever and naughty, and viewed as gentle and by her keepers Kaohsiung’s Shoushan Zoo yesterday announced that it was mourning the death of one of its longest-tenured residents, African elephant Ali, who was found dead on Saturday. She was 52.Although Ali was relatively old, she had not shown any signs of illness before her sudden passing, the zoo said.The zo
STAGNATION: GDP growth of just 0.1 percent in the fourth quarter could embolden PM Sanae Takaichi to expand fiscal loosening despite debt and inflation concerns Japanese economic growth fell short of market expectations late last year, official data showed yesterday, adding to pressure on Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to stimulate activity after her recent election landslide.GDP in the world’s fourth-biggest economy expanded by just 0.1 percent in
India is hosting an artificial intelligence (AI) summit this week, bringing together heads of state, senior officials and tech executives to New Delhi for a five-day gathering highlighting the growing global importance of the technology.Organizers said the India AI Impact Summit is the first such su
COPYRIGHT: Disney accused Seedance of reproducing, distributing and creating derivative works featuring characters like Spider-Man and Darth Vader, a source said ByteDance Ltd (字節跳動) will take steps to prevent the unauthorized use of intellectual property on its artificial intelligence (AI) video generator Seedance 2.0, the Chinese technology firm said yesterday, following threats of legal action from US studios, including Walt Disney Co.Videos generated by
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
NEW FORMAT: Instead of the usual two-team event, NBA stars played four 12-minute games between two US sides and a World group of global talent Anthony Edwards and Tyrese Maxey on Sunday sparked the USA Stars over USA Stripes 47-21 in the final of the 75th NBA All-Star Game tournament.Maxey scored nine points, while Edwards and Chet Holmgren added eight each as young Stars talent overwhelmed the veteran-laden USA Stripes in the championship
India on Sunday routed their bitter rivals Pakistan by 61 runs to qualify for the next round of the Men’s T20 World Cup in a showdown that had been in doubt until a few days ago.Suryakumar Yadav’s side scored 175-7 after being given a flying start by Ishan Kishan’s brilliant 77, and then bowled out
Italy’s Federica Brignone on Sunday won her second gold medal of a fairy-tale Olympics in the giant slalom as Norway’s Johannes Klaebo claimed a record ninth Winter Games crown.Brignone, who was on the surgeon’s table just 10 months ago, celebrated in front of passionate home fans in the Cortina d’A
France on Sunday inevitably racked up a record win against struggling Wales and were the only unbeaten team in the Six Nations after two rounds.Favored to win back-to-back titles, France scored eight tries, the first after just 88 seconds. The 54-12 scoreline eclipsed its previous high against Wales
MARCH 5 VOTE: The first elections since September’s deadly protests would see a clash between younger candidates offering change and veterans promising stability Nepalese candidates yesterday launched their campaigns for next month’s parliamentary elections, the first since deadly anti-corruption protests toppled the previous government last year.“This election will draw the future of the country,” Sushila Karki, who is serving as interim prime minister unti
Heavy rain and strong winds yesterday disrupted flights, trains and ferries, forcing the closure of roads across large parts of New Zealand’s North Island, while snapping power links to tens of thousands.Domestic media reported a few flights had resumed operating by afternoon from the airport in Wel
From perfectly spelled phishing e-mails to fake videos of government officials, artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the game for Interpol’s cat-and-mouse fight against cybercrime at its high-tech war rooms in Singapore.Their foe: crime syndicates, structured like multinational firms, which are
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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