Civic group, parties slam opposition over budgetBy Chen Chih-cheng / Staff reporterA civic group and two political parties yesterday condemned lawmakers of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan Peple’s Party (TPP) for “disregarding the livelihoods of Taiwanese” by enjoying their year-end bonuses despite “failing to do their job” to review the government’s general budget. Representatives from civic groups including Citizen Congress Watch hold placards at a news conference in Taipei yesterday. “If a legislator’s performance is zero all year and they neglect even their basic duties, why should the public have to pay each of them a NT$300,000 year-end bonus?” he said. TSP secretary-general Ma Yin-hsian (馬依翔) criticized the KMT’s argument that they would only approve the committee review of the general budget and the special defense budget if the government promised additional pay raises for the military, and funding for police, firefighters and coast guard pensions. The civic group has a fundamental misunderstanding, failing to grasp that the essence of democracy is that power must be subject to continuous and public oversight, not blindly protected, the TPP said.

Investigation into 1980 Lin family murders continuesBy Lin Ching-chuan and Hollie Younger / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe High Prosecutors’ Office is continuing to investigate the infamous Lin (林) family murders from 1980 in the hopes that an unmatched fingerprint could bring a breakthrough in the cold case. The case of the Lin family murders is one of the highest-profile homicides in modern Taiwanese history. Democracy advocate Lin I-hsiung visits the graves of his mother and twin daughters in 2019. Photo: Taipei TimesOn Feb. 28, 1980, while democracy advocate Lin I-hsiung (林義雄) was jailed and awaiting trial on charges of rebellion for his participation in the Formosa Incident, an unknown person entered his house. In March 2007, the Criminal Investigation Bureau re-examined the physical evidence using the latest forensic technologies available at the time.

Taiwan congratulates Thailand on lower house electionStaff writer, with CNAThe government today congratulated Thailand on the smooth completion of its general election a day earlier, in which the country's ruling conservative party secured a solid victory. Yesterday's election was held to fill all 500 seats in the House of Representatives, including 400 constituency seats and 100 party-list seats. Then-Thai deputy prime minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Bhumjaithai Party lawmakers attend a news conference in Bangkok ahead of a parliamentary vote on a new prime minister on Aug. 15, 2024. Taiwan and Thailand have long maintained close and cordial ties in areas including trade, investment, tourism, culture and education, it ministry said. Building on this foundation, Taiwan looks forward to further deepening cooperation across various fields under Thailand's new government and parliament, it added.

Critically endangered wedgefish tracked off west coastBy Yang Yuan-ting and Hollie Younger / Staff reporter, with staff writerResearchers used satellites to track five critically endangered Taiwanese wedgefish, identifying the waters off the west coast and Penghu County as key habitats essential to its survival, the Fisheries Research Institute said today. The wedgefish (Rhynchobatus immaculatus) is a shark-like ray that is listed as critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources’ Red List of Threatened Species. It was named an endemic species to Taiwan in 2013 and lives in shallow coastal and continental shelf waters off the west coast. A Taiwanese wedgefish is pictured in an undated photograph. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora included all species of wedgefish in its list of trade controls in 2019.

Lai congratulates Takaichi, LDP on victoryStaff writer, with CNAPresident William Lai (賴清德) last night congratulated Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and her Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) on their historic landslide victory in Japan's general election earlier in the day. President William Lai, right, meets then-Japanese lawmaker Sanae Takaichi at the Presidential Office in Taipei during her visit in April last year. The LDP, which held 198 seats before the election, won 316 yesterday, securing the biggest majority for a single party in postwar Japan. The LDP and its coalition partner the Japan Innovation Party now jointly hold 352 seats. The snap election was held after Takaichi, Japan's first female prime minister, decided to dissolve the Diet three months after she took office.

LDP victory consolidates pro-Taiwan, anti-China stance: academicsBy Huang Ching-hsuan and Sam Garcia / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe landslide victory by Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) yesterday signals the collapse of the pro-China faction in Japanese politics, academics said today. The LDP, led by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, secured 316 seats in Japan’s House of Representatives in yesterday’s election. Takaichi has been able to unite the LDP, showing that factional politics within the party are weakening, institute vice president Kuo Yu-jen (郭育仁) said. Japan would continue to strengthen itself and take pro-US, pro-Taiwan stances while maintaining a tough stance on China, he said. Takaichi advocates for strengthening the state and has already broken out of the traditional framework of Japanese politics, Tung said.

Jimmy Lai sentenced to 20 years in national security caseReuters, HONG KONGHong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai (黎智英) was sentenced today to a total of 20 years in jail on three charges comprising two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and one count of publishing seditious materials. Hong Kong police officers escort tycoon Jimmy Lai, center, from his Kowloon home after he was arrested under the new National Security Law on Aug. 10, 2020. Photo: AFPThe trial has been the Chinese territory's most high-profile national security case. "The harsh 20-year sentence against 78-year-old Jimmy Lai is effectively a death sentence," Human Rights Watch Asia director Elaine Pearson said. Beijing says Lai has received a fair trial and all are treated equally under the national security law that has restored order to the territory.

Cool, mostly clear weather across Taiwan this weekStaff writer, with CNACool and partly to mostly sunny conditions are expected around Taiwan this week, forecasters said today, after temperatures dipped below 10°C in the north and center of the country early in the morning. Nantou County's Jhongliao Township (中寮) recorded an early morning low of 7.1°C today, the coldest temperature in a low elevation area nationwide, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Partly cloudy to sunny conditions are expected across Taiwan today, with high temperatures ranging from the mid teens in the north to the upper teens or low 20s in the south, the CWA said. From Thursday through Sunday, clear and gradually warmer weather would prevail across most of the country, but with large day-night temperature gaps, Wu said. Daytime highs from Thursday through Sunday are to range from the low to mid 20s in the north and the mid to upper 20s in the south, with the warmest temperatures expected on Saturday and Sunday, the CWA said.

US committed to Taiwan despite pressure over arms sales: State DepartmentStaff writer, with CNAThe administration of US President Donald Trump remains committed to Taiwan, a US official said yesterday, following reports that Beijing had privately warned the US that arms sales to Taiwan could jeopardize Trump's visit to China in April. "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 said, while declining to comment on pending arms transfers. The sale would follow a US$11.1 billion arms package that the US approved in December for Taiwan, the report said. The report said that Beijing had privately warned the US that the latest sale could jeopardize Trump's state visit to China in April. Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) also raised the issue during a call with Trump last week, urging the US to handle the issue of arms sales with "prudence," the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

‘Impossible’ to move 40% chip capacity to US: officialBy Wen-Yee Lee and Ben Blanchard / Reuters, TAIPEIIt would be "impossible" to move 40 percent of Taiwan's semiconductor capacity to the US, Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君) said yesterday, pushing back against recent comments by US officials who called for a major production shift. "I have made it very clear to the US that this is impossible," she said, referring to the 40 percent goal the US has floated. Photo: BloombergThat ecosystem would continue to grow in Taiwan, Cheng said, adding that the semiconductor industry would keep investing at home. "You can't have all semiconductor manufacturing 80 miles [129km] from China," he said. "When we leave office my goal, for this administration, is 40 percent market share in leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing," he said.

Taipei Zoo home to rare, seasonally appropriate critterTaipei Zoo welcomes the Lunar New Year this year through its efforts to protect an endangered species of horse native to central Asia that was once fully extinct outside of captivity. The festival ushering in the Year of the Horse would draw attention to the zoo’s four specimens of Przewalski’s horse, named for a Russian geographer who first encountered them in the late 19th century across the steppes of western Mongolia. “Visitors will look at the horses and think that since this is the Year of the Horse: ‘I want to get to know horses,’” said zookeeper Chen Yun-chieh, who has beenBy Fabian Hamacher, Ann Wang and Yi-Chin Lee

Taipei Zoo home to rare, seasonally appropriate critterTaipei Zoo welcomes the Lunar New Year this year through its efforts to protect an endangered species of horse native to central Asia that was once fully extinct outside of captivity. The festival ushering in the Year of the Horse would draw attention to the zoo’s four specimens of Przewalski’s horse, named for a Russian geographer who first encountered them in the late 19th century across the steppes of western Mongolia. “Visitors will look at the horses and think that since this is the Year of the Horse: ‘I want to get to know horses,’” said zookeeper Chen Yun-chieh, who has beenBy Fabian Hamacher, Ann Wang and Yi-Chin Lee

As part of its Indo-Pacific strategy, Washington plans to deploy up to four nuclear-powered submarines at Stirling starting in 2027, providing a base near potential hot spots such as Taiwan and the South China Sea. The move also aims to enhance military integration with Pacific allies under the Australia-UK-US trilateral security partnership, the report said. Currently, US submarines operate from Guam, but the island could be targeted early in a conflict, limiting operational flexibility, it said. The USS Vermont (SSN-792), a US Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarine, arrives at the HMAS Stirling naval base in Perth, Australia, on Oct. 29 last year. While China could still target the base with missiles, its distance makes an attack more difficult, Green said.

Gyokeres lifts Arsenal nine points clearAFP, LONDONArsenal FC moved nine points clear at the top of the Premier League with a 3-0 victory against Sunderland AFC, while Tottenham Hotspur FC boss Thomas Frank faced renewed calls for his sacking after a 2-0 defeat to Manchester United FC on Saturday. Viktor Gyokeres sealed Arsenal’s second successive league win with a 66th-minute strike before the Swede netted again in stoppage time. Arsenal also beat Chelsea FC last week to book a League Cup final date with Manchester City FC at Wembley on March 22. Third-placed Aston Villa FC are also nine points adrift of the Gunners after a 1-1 draw with AFC Bournemouth. Another damaging defeat for Frank left Tottenham in 14th place — just six points above the relegation zone — as their winless league run extended to seven matches.

KMT chairwoman shrugs off concerns about US‘DO NOT OVERTHINK IT’ Taiwan’s relationship with the US is based on more than arms sales, the recently elected chairwoman said of an upcoming Washington tripBy Sam Garcia / Staff writer, with CNAThe military procurement budget does not represent the entirety of Taiwan-US relations and the US values Taiwan’s strategic importance, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) said yesterday. Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun, center, poses with supporters at the party’s branch office in Pingtung County yesterday. Photo: CNACheng said she is not worried and not to overthink the situation, as some US lawmakers have expressed that Washington values Taiwan’s strategic importance. Separately, KMT caucus secretary-general Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) said yesterday that the US is an important partner. Hsiao’s comments were “metaphorical” and do not reflect a lack of respect for US representatives in Taiwan, Lin said, adding that the KMT treats the US with respect and courtesy.