Chinese social media influencer Guan Guan is pictured at Machangding Memorial Park in Taipei in an undated photograph. Guan Guan appeared as required, but the agency determined she threatened national security and social stability, it said. Sources said that Guan Guan came from Guangdong and married a Taiwanese man, but they have since divorced. Under the name “Little Chili Pepper,” Guan Guan continued to post pro-China, anti-Taiwan content. The official said that the comments Guan Guan made have gone beyond the threshold of free speech, as she advocated for the destruction of the ROC.

Exhibition showcases Jiaming Lake eco-craft trailBy Esme Yeh / Staff reporterA 10th-anniversary exhibition of the Jiaming Lake National Trail (嘉明湖國家步道) is to open at Just Arts House in Taitung County tomorrow, focusing on the ecological engineering methods used to design the trail and its volunteer-aided construction process. Volunteers repair a trail leading to the Jiaming Lake National Trail in an undated photograph. The trail is about 12.6km long with its elevations ranging from 2,300m at Siangyang National Forest Recreation Area (向陽國家森林遊樂區) to about 3,200m at Jiaming Lake Cabin. The exhibition aims to highlight the coexistence of humans and nature, and teach more people about the spirit of eco-craft trails, Wu said. The exhibition is expected to inspire more people to help with the eco-craft trail rebuilding while they are hiking the trail, he added.

Reunification Alliance appeal failsBy Bao Chien-hsin / Staff reporterThe Supreme Court yesterday rejected appeals by Reunification Alliance Party members Chang Tsun-feng (張存逢) and Huang Jung-te (黃榮德), upholding their prison sentences for espionage and electoral fraud. The Supreme Court in Taipei is pictured in an undated photograph. On Dec. 23, 2024, in a general assembly of the party’s members at its Pingtung branch, Chang and Huang tried to solicit votes for specific presidential and legislative candidates, the indictment said. They both appealed the verdict, but the Kaohsiung Branch of the High Court dismissed the appeal. Chang and Huang appealed again, but the Supreme Court yesterday dismissed the final appeal, finalizing the conviction.

Cho praises returning trade teamMIXED REACTION: Some welcomed the lower tariffs, on par with levies on other major US trade partners, but others worry the agreement could ‘hollow out’ TaiwanStaff writer, with CNAPremier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday greeted the nation’s US trade negotiation team when they arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, commending them for the tariff reduction and investment agreements they reached with the US. Led by Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君), and chief trade negotiator and Minister Without Portfolio Yang Jen-ni (楊珍妮), the team hashed out a “substantive” and “meaningful” deal with Washington, which was announced on Thursday, Cho told reporters at the airport. Cheng said the trade agreement proved that “the hard work of the Taiwanese people, along with Taiwan’s technology and industries, had become a key force in the world,” and showed that the world needs Taiwan. From right, chief trade negotiator and Minister Without Portfolio Yang Jen-ni, Premier Cho Jung-tai and Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun are welcomed at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport yesterday, after the delegation returned from Washington. TSMC chief financial officer Wendell Huang (黃仁昭) said the company was accelerating its investments in Arizona because of high customer demand.

Study finds Tyrannosaurus rex did not reach full size until age 40The study used a new statistical approach that considered growth records from different specimens to better estimate the growth trajectory of the species across all stages of lifeBy Will Dunham / Reuters, WASHINGTONThere is no question that Tyrannosaurus rex got big. But the question of how quickly T. rex achieved its maximum size has been a matter of debate. A new study examining bone tissue microstructure in the leg bones of 17 fossil specimens concludes that Tyrannosaurus took about 40 years to reach its maximum size of roughly 8 tons, some 15 years more than previously estimated. “Scotty,” the largest known Tyrannosaurus rex specimen, exhibited in Japan in this undated photo. This study involved more Tyrannosaurus specimens — many of them held at the Museum of the Rockies in Montana — than previous research into the life history of this species.

Delta Electronics posts record-high Q4 revenuePOWERING UP: PSUs for AI servers made up about 50% of Delta’s total server PSU revenue during the first three quarters of last year, the company said Power supply and electronic components maker Delta Electronics Inc (台達電) reported record-high revenue of NT$161.61 billion (US$5.11 billion) for last quarter and said it remains positive about this quarter. Last quarter’s figure was up 7.6 percent from the previous quarter and 41.51 percent higher than a year earlier, and largely in line with Yuanta Securities Investment Consulting Co’s (元大投顧) forecast of NT$160 billion. Delta’s annual revenue last year rose 31.76 percent year-on-year to NT$554.89 billion, also a record high for the company. Its strong performance reflected continued demand for high-performance power solutions and advanced liquid-cooling products used in artificial intelligence (AI) data centers,By Meryl Kao

Nvidia Corp’s GB300 platform to lead AI servers for this yearBy Meryl Kao / Staff reporterNvidia Corp’s GB300 platform is expected to account for 70 to 80 percent of global artificial intelligence (AI) server rack shipments this year, while adoption of its next-generation Vera Rubin 200 platform is to gradually gain momentum after the third quarter of the year, TrendForce Corp (集邦科技) said. Visitors listen to the introduction of NVIDIA GB300 NVL72 AI server during the Hon Hai Tech Day at the Nangang Exhibition Center in Taipei, Nov. 21, 2025. Photo: APAs development of GPU and ASIC-based servers accelerates this year, the threshold for system integration among local server manufacturers is rising, Kung said. High power consumption in AI servers based on Nvidia chips, coupled with the CSPs’ continued upscaling of AI data centers, results in a growing need for liquid cooling solutions this year, TrendForce analyst Fiona Chiu (邱珮雯) said. Fully liquid-to-liquid cooling solutions are expected to become more prominent next year as data center power density continues to rise, she added.

Nanya expects chip prices to riseCONSTRAINED MARKET: Memorychip shortages across the globe have affected prices for their products as the company plans record-high capital expendituresBy Lisa Wang / Staff ReporterDRAM chipmaker Nanya Technology Corp (南亞科技) yesterday said it expected chip prices to climb further this quarter due to supply constraints, which helped boost the company’s net profit last quarter as it skyrocketed by a factor of six. The new plant is to enter volume production in the first half of next year, Nanya Technology president Lee Pei-ing (李培瑛) said during an earnings conference. Nanya Technology Corp’s logo is pictured in front of the company’s headquarters in New Taipei City on July 3, 2024. With only a small portion of its chips shipped directly to the US, Nanya Technology has no plans to build a plant there, he said. For the whole of last year, Nanya Technology showed a net profit of NT$6.6 billion from a net loss of NT$5.08 billion in 2024.

Apple phone shipments jump in China after slumpBloombergApple Inc reclaimed the top spot in China after iPhone shipments jumped 28 percent year-on-year during the holiday quarter despite a memorychip shortage, according to Counterpoint Research. The iPhone 17 series of devices drew consumers, with Apple’s handsets accounting for one in every five shipments in the December quarter, the research firm estimated. Overall, shipments in the world’s largest smartphone arena fell 1.6 percent from a year earlier during the final quarter of last year. A woman uses her smartphone inside the Apple store in Beijing`s Sanlitun area as the new iPhone 17 series smartphones go on sale in Beijing, China September 19, 2025. One blemish on its record was the novel iPhone Air, which launched later in China than elsewhere and sold poorly.

Chinese economy sees slowest growth in decadesAFP, BEIJINGChina’s economy grew at one of the slowest rates in decades last year, according to official data released Monday, as officials struggle to overcome persistently low consumer spending and a debt crisis in the country’s property sector. In quarterly terms, the economy grew 1.2 percent in October to December. China`s economy grew at one of the slowest rates in decades last year, according to official data. “The gradual implementation of policies to clear unreasonable restrictions in the consumption sector will support consumption growth,” he said. Official data showed Chinese exports to the US plunged 20 percent last year, but that had little impact on demand for Chinese products elsewhere.

IMF lifts 2026 global growth forecast but flags AI, trade risksAFP, WASHINGTON, United StatesThe IMF yesterday upgraded its global growth forecast for this year, citing a boost from tech investments but warning that a reevaluation of artificial intelligence (AI) productivity gains or renewed trade tensions could bring disruptions. World economic growth is projected to hold steady at 3.3 percent this year, the IMF said, raising its forecast by 0.2 percentage points from October last year. The strikedown of some duties would “inject another dose of trade policy uncertainty into the global economy,” Gourinchas added. Besides trade, the AI boom pushing the global economy forward comes with its own risks, Gourinchas said. Most of the upward revision in global growth this time was accounted for by the US and China, the IMF said.

Economic outlook rosy with AI boom and tariff fixTICKING ALONG: Global demand for what Taiwan offers and eased tariff tensions have the economic outlook for this year looking strong, economic researchers saidBy Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterTaiwan’s economy is projected to expand 4.14 percent this year, driven by strong global demand for artificial intelligence (AI) hardware that continues to boost exports and imports, the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research (CIER, 中經院) said yesterday. “The forecast does not yet account for the recently concluded Taiwan-US tariff negotiations, which are expected to have a positive impact on traditional industries, technology and investment,” Lien said. Chunghua Institution for Economic Research president Lien Hsien-ming speaks to reporters in Taipei on Sept. 2, 2024. Exports are forecast to reach US$760.8 billion, an 18.75 percent increase from last year’s record high, providing solid support for economic growth, CIER researcher Peng Su-ling (彭素玲) said. Cathay United Bank Co’s (國泰世華銀行) chief economist Lin Chi-chao (林啟超) said the growth outlook could rise as export momentum in the electronics sector grows.

Chinese cargo ship retrofitted with weapons systems sets sailBy Hollie Younger / Staff writerA large Chinese merchant vessel equipped with weapons systems has been spotted departing port and is possibly set to conduct testing, military expert Wang Chen-ming (王臻明) said today on Facebook. The Zhongda 79 (中達79) civilian container ship has reportedly been fitted with weapons systems, including vertical launching systems, four close-in weapon systems (CIWS) and decoy launchers, he said. The “military-civil fusion” strategy of disguising weapons systems within standard shipping containers is a “gray zone” warfare tactic to complicate targeting decisions for Beijing’s opponents, a TechTimes report said. Armaments included a system resembling a loyal wingman — an artificial intelligence-controlled uncrewed aerial vehicle designed to fly alongside crewed fighter jets — and an electromagnetic aircraft launch system used to launch aircraft from the deck of naval aircraft carriers, Wang said. However, only live-fire tests would prove whether the onboard weapons systems are fully operational, he added.

Researchers develop membrane that can generate power, clean waterBy Sam Garcia / Staff writer, with CNAA research team at National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (NTUST) has developed a thin membrane dubbed the “black magic carpet” that uses solar and wave energy to generate electricity and purify water. A research team from National Taiwan University of Science and Technology pose with their invention in an undated photograph. The multifunctional graphene membrane can evaporate water with solar energy, generate electricity, degrade pollutants and clean itself, Hung said. When exposed to sunlight, the membrane converts seawater into clean water through evaporation and desalination, Hung said. Meanwhile, waves or wind trigger its piezoelectric structure to generate electricity, allowing it to supply both water and power in remote, offshore or drought-prone areas, he added.

Taipei lottery winner hangs up call over scam concernBy Tsai Kai-heng and Hollie Younger / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe Taipei City Government today announced the winner of a lucky draw for a share in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), but the winner hung up the call, thinking it was a scam. Taipei residents “have great anti-fraud awareness,” Taipei Department of Economic Development Commissioner Chen Chun-an (陳俊安) said, adding that the winner would be contacted via other channels. The “shop in Taipei and win big” (來台北有購嗨) campaign has been running since Nov. 11. Taipei City Government officials announce the winner of a Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co share at an event in the city today. Photo: Tsai Kai-heng, Taipei TimesTaipei residents who spend NT$200 in Taipei and register their purchase are eligible for a lottery draw to win flights, TSMC stock and cash prizes, the department said.