Inflation eases to 0.69% on lunar holiday effectBy Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterTaiwan’s inflation cooled further at the start of the year, underscoring muted price pressures and giving the central bank room to remain patient as domestic demand holds steady. “The softer January reading was largely due to base effects,” DGBAS official Tsao Chih-hung (曹志弘) told a news conference in Taipei. People shop for Lunar New Year goods such as candies, nuts, dried food and decorations at a store in Taipei’s Zhongshan District yesterday. Photo: CNALast year’s Lunar New Year holiday fell in January, pushing up prices for certain goods and services, and inflating the comparison base, he said. Prices of personal items such as gold ornaments and jewelry surged 17.22 percent from a year earlier, Tsao said.

Anime and manga festival comes to TaipeiBy Wu Po-hsuan and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe predicted crowd at this year’s Taipei International Comics and Animation Festival is a sign that Taiwan’s manga industry has built an international following, Deputy Minister of Culture Lee Ching-hui (李靜慧) said yesterday. Chinese Animation and Comic Publishers Association president Su Wei-chuan (蘇偉銓) said that the event’s theme, “Great Anime, No Limitations,” symbolizes the boundless creativity not only in manga, but also in associated products. Anime and manga fans line up to enter the Taipei International Comics and Animation Festival on its opening day yesterday. Anime and manga fans attend the Taipei International Comics and Animation Festival on its opening day yesterday. Meanwhile, under new Taipei MRT safety regulations, attendees wearing gas masks or costumes resembling terrorist equipment would be asked to leave the venue.

AI tool could flag Chinese propaganda narrativesA NOSE FOR NEWS An artificial intelligence-powered plug-in could help users by identifying misinformation, unsubstantiated ‘facts’ or propaganda aimed at TaiwanBy Hollie Younger / Staff writer, with CNATaiwanese groups yesterday launched a new artificial intelligence (AI) fact-checking tool called “True or False Meow” (真假meow一下), which can be enabled as a Google Chrome browser extension. The tool was built by the Taiwan Digital Diplomacy Association, Taiwan Network Information Center and Meow Detective Agency, a group of Taiwanese data engineers. Developers introduce an artificial intelligence-powered fact-checking app at a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Photo: CNAIt could be used to help fill a gap in the market for Chinese-language AI fact-checking tools, they said. Its creators added that the tool still has limitations as it is a public-interest project and that they hope to work with collaborators to improve its effectiveness.

Central bank reclaims unsold Lunar New Year coinsCOMMEMORATIVE COINS: With silver prices jumping about 140% last year, the bank retrieved unsold coins to prevent people from using them for speculationStaff writer, with CNAThe central bank has reclaimed unsold commemorative Lunar New Year zodiac coins from past years to prevent arbitrage as global silver prices surged sharply, a bank official said yesterday. The coins were taken back from Chunghwa Post Co (中華郵政), which had been selling leftover zodiac coins from previous years, the official said. A central bank staff member holds a set of Year of the Horse coins at a news conference at the bank in Taipei on Jan. 6. Photo: CNAThe central bank noticed a spike in purchases of older zodiac coins in the middle of last month as silver prices climbed, the official said. The central bank said it acted to prevent people from buying older coins at fixed prices and reselling them for profit based on higher silver values.

Foreign exchange reserves rise to record US$604bnBy Chen Cheng-hui / Staff reporterThe nation’s foreign exchange reserves last month increased by US$1.9 billion from the previous month to US$604.457 billion, the central bank said in a statement yesterday. Last month’s figure set a record high, the bank’s data showed. Foreign exchange reserves have risen for two consecutive months, as shifts in the exchange rate of other reserve currencies against the US dollar offset the net outflow of foreign capital and the central bank’s intervention to smooth out volatile capital flows, the bank said. Returns from the bank’s management of reserve assets also contributed to the increase in foreign exchange reserves, Tsai told a news conference at the bank. Taiwan’s foreign exchange reserves ranked fourth among major countries globally, after China, Japan and Switzerland, indicating that Taiwan’s external payment capacity and financial stability remain relatively robust, the central bank said.

Incinerator access road becoming heated issueBy Esme Yeh / Staff reporter, with CNAPublic funds should not be wasted on a road widening subproject for a proposed incinerator in Nantou County’s Mingjian Township (名間), as the project, which has caused strong controversy, might not even pass the second phase of the environmental impact assessment (EIA) review, environmental advocates said yesterday. Opponents of a proposed incinerator in Nantou County’s Mingjian Township demonstrate in the township on Jan. 1. The bureau on Saturday last week said that permission is not required for the county government to use existing roads for access to the site, and that permission has already been obtained from relevant landowners to widen the primary access road. Government Watch Alliance organizer Chen Jiau-hua (陳椒華) also said the National Property Administration has not granted permission for the use of the state-owned land located along the primary access road. It is rare that the bureau initiates road-widening efforts far before a proposed project passes its EIA review, Chen Jiau-hua said.

Hon Hai posts record January revenue, expects stronger-than-usual Q1Staff writer, with CNAHon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密) yesterday reported record January revenue and said it expects first-quarter performance to beat seasonal averages in recent years, supported by strong shipments of artificial intelligence (AI)-related products. Vehicles drive past Hon Hai Precision Industry Co’s office building in New Taipei City’s Tucheng District yesterday. Cloud and networking products fell from the previous month because of shipment scheduling, while components and other products also declined. Looking ahead to the first quarter, Hon Hai said revenue in the fourth quarter of last year reached a record high and that information and communications technology products are gradually entering their traditional low season. As a result, Hon Hai said it expects first-quarter seasonal performance to outperform the range seen over the past five years.

Ministry to limit legislator amid nationality controversyBy Chung Li-hua and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerMinister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) yesterday said she hopes all ministers would follow the Ministry of the Interior’s guidelines, the day after she said that the ministry would not provide a new China-born legislator with any classified information. “If there is no legally effective document, then we will determine that this is a renunciation that does not have legal effect,” Liu said yesterday. Sources on Monday said that administrative agencies might refuse to provide Li with information, and if she questions the premier or ministers in the legislature, they would not be required to respond. The cross-strait law governs eligibility to run for office, while the assumption of public office after election is governed by the Nationality Act, Liang said. The Nationality Act requires officials to renounce other citizenships within one year of taking office.

KMT appointment concerning: lawmakerUNCERTAINTY: Chen Pei-yu said it is worrying that the KMT added Qin to its Central Standing Committee, where she could interfere in the nation’s democratic systemBy Chen Yu-fu and Jason Pan / Staff reportersA Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmaker yesterday urged the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) to rethink its appointment of a China-born businesswoman to the party’s Central Standing Committee, saying it poses a national security threat. China-born entrepreneur Qin Pengzhen, right, holds a flag with then-Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman Wu Den-yih at an event in Taipei on Oct. 24, 2019. She has also set up platforms to assist young Taiwanese entrepreneurs to start businesses in Yunnan, news reports said. Chinese state media have touted Qin as working to bridge cross-straits relations, while promoting peace and economic development. Qin would have an influential role on KMT policymaking and campaigning for this year’s local elections, political science professor Fan Shih-ping (范世平) said.

Exports are forecast to grow 3.69 percent to US$664.4 billion this year, driven by continued demand for artificial intelligence (AI), high-performance computing and new consumer electronics, Kung said, quoting DGBAS figures. Last year’s exports increased 34.9 percent to US$640.7 billion from the previous year on the back of shipments of AI-related chips, servers and advanced electronic components, he said. Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin speaks at a news conference at the ministry in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Liao Chia-ning, Taipei TimesThe DGBAS’ economic growth forecast is based on a more conservative assumption about export growth, but several institutions have since raised their GDP growth projections to about 5 to 6 percent due to strong AI demand, he said. The impact of an additional 3-nanometer fab in Japan on Taiwan would be only about 1 to 2 percentage points, he added.

Ministry offers up-to-date carbon regulations courseBy Esme Yeh / Staff reporterThe Ministry of Environment’s 48-hour green talent training program has become the only program of its kind up to date with the latest regulatory development of carbon fees as local and international policies are incorporated into its updated version for this year, the ministry said yesterday. Photo: EPAThe updated course educates about internationally developing carbon fee schemes, including emissions trading systems (ETS), carbon border adjustment mechanisms (CBAM) and the Science-Based Targets initiative, it said. It focuses on the three major carbon fee-related schemes the government announced in 2024, including the Regulations Governing the Collection of Carbon Fees (碳費收費辦法), the Regulations Governing Self-determined Reduction Plans (自主減量計畫管理辦法) and Designated Greenhouse Gas Reduction Goal for Entities Subject to Carbon Fees (碳費徵收對象溫室氣體減量指定目標), the ministry said. The goal is to ensure that the EU would accept certificates issued by verification mechanisms of carbon footprints or carbon credits established in Taiwan, he said. Different countries have different carbon fee systems that must be negotiated with the EU, he said, adding that he expects Taiwan to achieve better results than most other countries by the middle of the year.

Alphabet plans record spending in race to win AI customersBloombergAlphabet Inc topped projections for quarterly revenue and outlined an ambitious capital spending plan, far surpassing predictions, leveraging its growth to build out the data centers and infrastructure needed to lead in the artificial intelligence (AI) age. “We’re seeing our AI investments and infrastructure drive revenue and growth across the board,” he said on Wednesday in a statement. To justify its heavy spending, Alphabet continued to demonstrate momentum in its cloud and search advertising businesses. Alphabet is supplying up to one million of its specialized AI chips to Anthropic PBC, cementing Google’s position as a key infrastructure provider in the AI space. Alphabet also said its research and development expenses went up by 42 percent, driven by compensation for AI talent and supporting Waymo.

She and her partially sighted partner were touring the site amid a new effort by Italy to make its myriad artistic treasures more accessible to people with blindness or low vision and enhance how all visitors experience and perceive art. Stefania Terre, who is blind, on Jan. 15 touches a life-size reproduction of the head of Michelangelo’s David during a visit to the Omero Tactile Museum in Ancona, Italy. Stefania Terre, who is blind, on Jan. 15 touches a reproduction of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Omero Tactile Museum in Ancona, Italy. Photo: APAn inclusive tourism model doesn’t just honor the human rights of people with disabilities; it also makes economic sense. The statue, which stands atop a large pedestal in the middle of the piazza, is too high for visitors to touch.

If you want to contemplate the vastness of the ocean in true solitude, however, you’ll need to travel further from the big cities. Here are four places where an individual seeking seclusion has a decent chance of finding a sizable stretch of seaside all to themselves. One of the few places in Taiwan with sand dunes, Dingtoue Sandbar lies within Tainan’s Cigu District. One of the few places in Taiwan with sand dunes, Dingtoue Sandbar lies within Tainan’s Cigu District. The beach near the docks isn’t a great swimming spot, but that doesn’t stop the occasional individual from enjoying a dip.

It’s because those quite plausible possibilities mean something different in a kids movie. Arco, voiced by Juliano Krue Valdi in the English dub, bottom, and Iris, voiced by Romy Fay, in a scene from Arco. For Iris (voiced by Romy Fay) and her baby brother, the family robot does most of the parenting. In Arco, kids are left to fend for themselves in a world of technology and ecological disaster. (In one of the movie’s most damning moments, the kids find refuge in a library because no one goes in there anymore.)