Why do we feel empathy for robots? The exhibit is not just about a robot dog, it is about what is coming next. Todo’s exhibit begs the question of what turns a bundle of computer parts into something people feel obligated to spare. People ultimately rated the high-extroversion personality as the most enjoyable to interact with, and the findings suggested that sprinkling in a bit of neuroticism make a hunk of metal feel more relatable. As we reflexively feel for robots, researchers have found that they mimic empathy right back to us.

Brutal ending to Vonn’s Olympic dreamAFP, MILAN, ItalyLindsey Vonn on Sunday needed surgery on her broken leg after she crashed out of the Winter Olympics downhill to brutally end the American skiing great’s improbable dream of a medal. In happier scenes, figure skating sensation Ilia Malinin produced a pulsating routine to see off Japan and retain the team title for the US. Malinin will now go for gold in the men’s individual competition later at the Milano Cortina Games. Lindsey Vonn of the US crashes during the women’s downhill at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, on Sunday. In Tesero, Norwegian cross-country skier Johannes Klaebo racked up the sixth Olympic gold medal of his career by taking the skiathlon title.

Leonard’s 41 points lead Clippers over Timberwolves, Knicks cruise to victoryAFP, WASHINGTONKawhi Leonard on Sunday scored 41 points, grabbed eight rebounds and made four steals to lead the Los Angeles Clippers in a lopsided 115-96 victory at Minnesota. Josh Hart added 19 points for New York, while Jose Alvarado had 12 off the bench on his Knicks debut, while Karl-Anthony Towns contributed 11 points. Miami’s Bam Adebayo scored 22 points and Norman Powell added 21 to lead the Heat in a 132-101 triumph at Washington. Toronto’s Scottie Barnes scored 25 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, while R.J. Barrett added 20 points to lead the Raptors (32-22) over visiting Indiana 122-104. Former Raptors star Pascal Siakam of Cameroon scored 18 points to lead Indiana (13-40), who suffered a fourth consecutive loss.

Taiwan’s Zhang Bo-ya wins gold at Asian Indoor Athletics ChampionshipsStaff writer, with CNATaiwan’s top hurdler Zhang Bo-ya (張博雅) won gold in the women’s 60-meter hurdles on Sunday at the 2026 Asian Indoor Athletics Championships in Tianjin, China, setting a new national record of 8.12 seconds and securing Taiwan’s first gold medal of the meet. Zhang, known as Taiwan’s “hurdles sweetheart,” broke her own national record twice during the competition. She clocked 8.18 seconds in the heats earlier in the day, surpassing the previous mark of 8.27 seconds she set at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in March last year, before lowering it again in the final. Taiwanese top hurdler Zhang Bo-ya celebrates her gold medal win on Sunday. Wang said Zhang did not make any special training adjustments for the championships.

Manchester City fight back to end Anfield hoodooAFP, LIVERPOOL, EnglandErling Haaland’s stoppage-time penalty on Sunday earned Manchester City a dramatic 2-1 win at Liverpool to reduce Arsenal’s lead at the top of the English Premier League back to six points. City were heading for defeat at Anfield with six minutes to go before Bernardo Silva canceled out Dominik Szoboszlai’s stunning free-kick to spark an incredible finale. Manchester City’s Erling Haaland, front, scores a penalty against Liverpool in their Premier League match at Anfield in Liverpool, England, on Sunday. Szoboszlai played Silva onside as he slid in to volley home Haaland’s header for City’s first second-half goal in the Premier League this calender year. With Alisson remaining forward from the resulting corner, the Liverpool goal was open when Rayan Cherki took aim from the halfway line to roll the ball into an empty net.

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold, second right, throws a pass against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara, California, on Sunday. Bad Bunny performed the halftime show, singing entirely in Spanish in a Super Bowl first. It all meant Seattle avenged their loss to the Patriots in the Seahawks’ previous Super Bowl appearance in 2015. The storied franchise could not secure a record seventh Super Bowl and their first since the departure of Tom Brady. “I know we won the Super Bowl.

Director in film controversy offers apologyBy Liao Li-hui / Staff reporterHsu Kun-hua (徐琨華), director of the film Murder of the Century (世紀血案), late on Sunday evening issued an apology, adding he would withdraw from the film’s production. Director Hsu Kun-hua speaks in a screenshot from an undated video. This was a lapse in judgement on my part and I am willing to accept all criticism,” he added. Alongside expressing his apology to Lin, he announced that he would immediately remove himself from all involvement in the film’s post-production. His statement followed apologies from other cast members, including Candy Yang (楊小黎), Jian Man-shu (簡嫚書), Nana Lee (李千娜) and Johnny Kou (寇世勳).

Wide and shiny paintings present large overlays of anime culture, street art and famous brands, creating a kaleidoscope that reflects urban life in East Asia today. This resonates in Taiwan, where such brands are also a cornerstone of daily life, and where Japanese urban lifestyle is often seen as a model for development. “That similarity was part of our considerations in making this exhibition.”Most of Mr’s art blends street art with anime subculture. “Murakami encouraged him to use his otaku passion and his past as a yanki bad boy to create art,” Hsu says. He just asked to eat street food or at convenience stores.”Another room features large, wall-sized snapshots of his neighborhood.

Jimmy Lai’s sentence sparks international concernAP, HONG KONGThe sentencing yesterday of former Hong Kong media magnate Jimmy Lai (黎智英) raised concerns from international governments, while Chinese and Hong Kong authorities defended it, saying it reflected the spirit of the rule of law. “It signifies the total destruction of the Hong Kong legal system and the end of justice,” he said. “This outcome highlights how the vague and overly broad provisions of Hong Kong’s national security legislation can lead to being interpreted and enforced in violation of Hong Kong’s international human rights obligations,” Turk said. The judicial cases are purely Hong Kong’s internal affairs, Lin said, urging “relevant countries” to avoid interfering in Hong Kong’s judicial affairs or China’s internal affairs. Beijing’s office in Hong Kong affairs said Lai’s sentence reflected Hong Kong’s determination in safeguarding national security and demonstrated the spirit of the rule of law.

State Department defends position of AIT directorUS ENVOY? American Institute in Taiwan Director Raymond Greene is pictured in an undated photograph. Hsiao during an online interview yesterday said he had no intention of showing disrespect, but hoped Greene would understand public concerns over arms purchases. Taiwan’s democratic system requires legislative oversight of budgets, he said, adding that while Taiwan needs weapons, procurement must be reasonable and deliveries timely. “This administration has been very clear that the enduring US commitment to Taiwan continues, as it has for over four decades,” a US Department of State spokesperson told CNA, while declining to comment on pending arms transfers.

MAC, rights groups condemn Jimmy Lai sentencingStaff writer, with CNAThe Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday “strongly condemned” the “political persecution” by Chinese authorities after Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai (黎智英) was sentenced to 20 years in prison under Hong Kong’s National Security Law. “We also lament that, under the shadow of the CCP’s authoritarian rule, Hong Kong has suffered devastating damage — making today the darkest day for Hong Kong’s democracy,” it added. International rights groups also condemned the sentencing. “This court decision underscores the complete collapse of press freedom in Hong Kong and the authorities’ profound contempt for independent journalism,” Reporters Without Borders director-general Thibaut Bruttin said in a statement. “Imprisoning a 78-year-old man for doing nothing more than exercising his rights shows a complete disregard for human dignity,” Amnesty deputy regional director Sarah Brooks said.

Super Micro secures first syndicated loan worth US$1.765bnStaff writer, with CNAUS-based artificial intelligence (AI) server supplier Super Micro Computer Inc has secured its first syndicated loan in Taiwan, which was worth US$1.765 billion, CTBC Commercial Bank Co (中國信託銀行) said yesterday. CTBC Bank served as the administrative agent of the loan syndication. Super Micro Computer Inc founder Charles Liang speaks at a company event in Taipei on May 19 last year. Super Micro is a leading global supplier of high-performance computing, AI and edge computing solutions, and its products are widely used in data centers, and AI training and inference. With global demand for AI applications and data centers on the rise, Super Micro has further cemented its lead in the market, CTBC Bank said.

Wiwynn expecting strong ASIC AI server shipmentsBy Meryl Kao / Staff ReporterWiwynn Corp (緯穎科技) on Friday said it expected continued strong shipments of its application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC)-based artificial intelligence (AI) servers this year, as it seeks to enter major cloud service providers’ (CSPs) supply chains. Wiwynn Corp signage is pictured at a booth at Nvidia Corp’s GTC developer conference in San Jose, California, on March 19 last year. Photo courtesy of Wiwynn CorpLike its parent company, Wistron Corp (緯創), Wiwynn is highly optimistic about the AI server business this year, as expanding AI applications continue to drive demand for servers based on ASICs or graphics processing units (GPUs). GPU-based servers, mostly equipped with Nvidia Corp’s chips, are expected to account for the lion’s share in the overall server market, Lin said. It is certain that some manufacturers that previously focused on GPU-based training systems have begun shifting toward inference, Lin said, adding that the trend would further lift the market share of inference servers this year.

Hermes anticipating growth despite slow seasonBy Lisa Wang / Staff ReporterHermes Testing Solutions Inc (漢民測試) yesterday said revenue this quarter is likely to beat seasonal weakness, benefiting from rising demand for its advanced wafer probing and inspection tools used in the production of artificial intelligence and high-performance computing (HPC) chips. The first quarter of the year is usually an off-season for the electronics sector, Hermes said. Hermes Testing Solutions Inc honorary chairman C.Y. Photo: CNAThe company’s customized solutions, mostly high-end semiconductor inspection equipment, have become a key growth driver over the past few years, it added. Hermes, 30 percent held by semiconductor inspection and equipment supplier Hermes-Epitek Corp (漢民科技), counts the world’s major chipmakers and chip designers as its key customers.

Chinese robot makers ready for Lunar New Year entertainment spotlightReuters, BEIJINGIn China, humanoid robots are serving as Lunar New Year entertainment, with their manufacturers pitching their song-and-dance skills to the general public as well as potential customers, investors and government officials. Other Agibot humanoid robots waved from an audience section. A Unitree Technology Co humanoid robot takes part in the freestyle competition at the inaugural World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing on Aug. 15 last year. This year’s CCTV gala will include participation by four humanoid robot start-ups, Unitree, Galbot Co (銀河通用機器人), Noetix Robotics Technology Co (松延動力) and MagicLab Robotics Technology Co (魔法原子), the companies and broadcaster have said. US billionaire Elon Musk, who has pivoted automaker Tesla Inc toward a focus on artificial intelligence and the Optimus humanoid robot, has said the only competitive threat he faces in robotics is from Chinese firms.