Police receive praise for locating missing personsBy Tang Shih-ming and Jason Pan / Staff reportersPolice detectives and their staff in Changhua County have received praise for their diligence after recording a 90 percent success rate in locating or identifying missing persons in the past five years. Photo courtesy of the Changhua County Police Department“We knew that New Taipei City had started to collect DNA samples for found missing persons in their jurisdiction. “It is my core belief that one must have empathy for the families when working on missing persons cases. After the initial golden period, DNA testing can provide another opportunity to find the missing person, she added. “Afterward, the police officer would ask for consent to post a public ‘missing person’ notice, and permission to have photographs added to the police file,” she said.

Separate surrogacy from reproduction bill: DPP caucusBy Lin Che-yuan and Esme Yeh / Staff reporters, with CNAThe Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus yesterday called for the decoupling of surrogacy issues from the Assisted Reproduction Act (人工生殖法), while opposition party caucuses proposed draft amendments with sections dedicated to surrogacy. The Cabinet’s draft focuses on enhancing the quality of assisted reproduction services, improving the rights and benefits of children born through assisted reproduction — such as the right to blood recognition and status as children born in wedlock — and ensuring the reproductive health of women using assisted reproduction. During the meeting, DPP Legislator Lin Shu-fen (林淑芬) said that surrogacy issues should be addressed through separate legislation, as it remain a contentious issue. Other countries’ attitudes toward surrogacy have significantly changed over the past decade, DPP Legislator Fan Yun (范雲) said. Many European countries have shifted to banning surrogacy, while India has banned commercial surrogacy and legalized only altruistic surrogacy, she said.

Animal welfare largely ignored: groupSHORTCOMINGS: While the livestock industry is increasingly engaged in animal-friendly farming, there has been little support from the food industry, the group saidBy Esme Yeh / Staff reporterOnly two companies in the food industry incorporated animal welfare as a material topic in their sustainability reports last year, the Environmental and Animal Society of Taiwan said yesterday, urging the Financial Supervisory Commission to introduce mandatory regulations. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Jean Kuo, second left, and representatives of the Environmental and Animal Society of Taiwan hold up signs at a news conference in Taipei yesterday. None of the 58 inspected companies has set up concrete policies or departments dedicated to animal welfare, she said. Many global organizations, as well as the WHO, consider animal welfare one of the most important sustainability indicators for the food industry and a key aspect to its global competitiveness, Chen said. The commission would explore whether animal welfare should be specified in the rules to mandate relevant sustainability disclosures for the food industry, it said.

Kaohsiung, Taichung to give free school lunchesEQUALITY NEEDED: It is good that the government is paying attention to school lunches, but it is unfair student welfare varies by location, a federation saidStaff writer, with CNAStudents at public elementary and junior high schools in Kaohsiung and Taichung are to receive free lunches starting from the 2026-2027 school year, the two cities announced yesterday. Democratic Progressive Party councilors said they hoped the quality of school lunches would not be compromised by their “free” status, and that the city should propose concrete funding sources and implementation plans. Taoyuan has been providing free school lunches for elementary and junior high schools since the second semester of the 2022-2023 school year, while Taipei announced the same policy for all elementary and junior high schools on Tuesday. New Taipei City and Tainan provide school lunch subsidies for disadvantaged students in public schools. Yilan, Hualien, Changhua, Nantou, Hsinchu, Lienchiang, Kinmen, Penghu, Miaoli and Taitung counties, as well as Taipei, Keelung, Taoyuan, Taichung, Kaohsiung and Hsinchu City are providing or are to provide free lunches in elementary and junior high schools.

Tigerair Taiwan to upgrade, expand airline servicesBy Shelley Shan / Staff reporterTigerair Taiwan yesterday said it aims to further explore business opportunities generated by transit passengers and solidify its brand as a quality low-cost carrier through upgraded services this year. Tigerair Taiwan chairwoman Joyce Huang, second left, gestures with other airline representatives at a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Wang Yi-hung, Taipei TimesBy 2028, the average service years of the aircraft in Tigerair Taiwan’s fleet would be 3.1 years, Tigerair Taiwan chairwoman Joyce Huang (黃世惠) said in her presentation. Many Southeast Asian tourists want to travel to Tottori and Oita prefectures, while Japanese from second-tier cities might want to board Tigerair Taiwan and travel to Southeast Asian countries. For in-flight dining, Tigerair Taiwan would collaborate with several well-known brands to offer a more premium and enjoyable meal experience onboard.

Gilgeous-Alexander rescues ThunderMOTHER KNOWS BEST: Warriors’ coach Kerr said his 91-year-old mother criticized him for his attitude toward officials that led to his ejection from Monday’s gameAFP, LOS ANGELESShai Gilgeous-Alexander on Wednesday rescued the Oklahoma City Thunder with a game-tying buzzer-beater before finishing with 46 points in a 129-125 overtime victory against the Utah Jazz. However, NBA Most Valuable Player Gilgeous-Alexander drained a superb 13-foot jump shot to tie it up at 114-114 as the buzzer sounded to send the game into overtime. The Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, center, shoots against the Utah Jazz during their NBA game in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on Wednesday. “We just tried to stay in the moment and do whatever it took to get the W,” Gilgeous-Alexander said afterward. “I’m happy she got on Steve, that’s great,” Draymond Green said.

England cricket launches review into Ashes debacleAFP, SYDNEYThe England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) yesterday said it had launched an immediate and “thorough” review following the tourists’ defeat in the fifth and final Ashes Test. England’s preparations, coaching and off-field behavior all came under the microscope during a demoralizing series in Australia, which they lost 4-1. However, “we were not consistent enough across all conditions and phases of the contest and Australia ultimately deserved to retain the Ashes,” he added. Our focus is on regaining the Ashes in 2027.”“A thorough review of the campaign is already under way,” he said. “That’s Ashes cricket.

Semiconductor analysis companies do good tradeBy Lisa Wang / Staff ReporterMajor semiconductor material and failure analysis services providers Materials Analysis Technology Inc (MA-tek, 閎康) and Msscorps Co (汎銓科技) reported record annual revenue for last year, benefiting from strong demand amid an artificial intelligence (AI) boom. Photo: EPACSPs are expected to roll out new-generation AI ASICs every one to two years on average, MA-tek said, citing market researcher TrendForce Corp’s (集邦科技) analysis. To make faster technology migration possible amid shorter chip designing time, chip developers have proactively adopted advanced chip manufacturing technologies, which have stimulated demand for chip burn-in tests and reliability analysis, it said. Additionally, chipmakers want to enhance production yields as manufacturing becomes more complicated, boosting demand for the company’s services, MA-tek said. The company attributed its strong performance to customers’ migration to advanced technologies and strong demand for advanced packaging technology, which has led to rising demand for material analysis for AI chips, as well as for inspection and analysis of silicon photonics, it said.

Eclat Textile optimistic about sales this quarterBy Chen Cheng-hui / Staff reporterEclat Textile Co (儒鴻) yesterday projected that sales this quarter would be flat or slightly higher than the previous quarter, as brand clients are expected to resume orders after reaching healthier inventory levels. The company’s optimistic outlook is also supported by some orders being deferred from last quarter to this quarter due to shipping schedule problems, Eclat spokesperson Tiffany Lin (林芬如) told the state-run Central News Agency. As brand clients reported stronger-than-expected sales over the year-end holiday shopping season in the US, the company is cautiously optimistic about this year’s business prospects, with order visibility of about six months from now, Lin said. Eclat Textile Co’s logo is pictured at the company’s booth during a textile trade show in Taipei on Oct. 15, 2024. We also expect the FIFA World Cup to boost restocking orders and demand this year, helping drive a sales recovery for Eclat,” it added.

Wistron, Quanta see robust yearBy Meryl Kao / Staff reporterWistron Corp (緯創) yesterday reported revenue last month surged 141.59 percent year-on-year to NT$255.25 billion (US$8.1 billion), a company record for December, driven by strong demand for artificial intelligence (AI) servers. Last year, the company shipped 24.1 million notebook computers, up 19.3 percent from a year earlier. Separately, Quanta Computer Inc (廣達) yesterday reported record revenue of NT$272.5 billion for last month, a 94.5 percent year-on-year surge, driven by robust AI server shipments. Quanta said server revenue last year met its goal for triple-digit annual growth and expects revenue this year to double from last year, adding that it has order visibility for AI servers through next year. Both figures are likely to increase further this quarter, a Quanta official said yesterday.

Taiwan stock market sets six records in 2025, eyes global No. 6Staff writer, with CNATaiwan’s stock market set six record highs in 2025 and is aiming to overtake Canada to become the world’s sixth-largest equity market by capitalization, the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE) said yesterday. Taiwan Stock Exchange chairman Sherman Lin speaks at a news conference in Taipei yesterday. By the end of last year, total market capitalization of listed companies stood at NT$94.36 trillion, placing Taiwan eighth globally by market value, the exchange said. As of Tuesday, total market capitalization had risen to NT$99.6 trillion, allowing Taiwan to overtake France and rank seventh worldwide, Lin said.

China planning to green-light Nvidia chip salesBloombergChina plans to approve some imports of Nvidia Corp’s H200 chips as soon as this quarter, people familiar with the situation said, giving the company access to a critical market. Chinese officials are preparing to allow local companies to buy the chips from Nvidia for select commercial use, the people said. However, the H200 chip would be barred from the military, sensitive government agencies, critical infrastructure and state-owned enterprises due to security concerns, they said. China is the world’s largest market for semiconductors, and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) has said that the artificial intelligence (AI) chip market alone could generate US$50 billion in the coming years. The H200 is an older-generation chip that the US President Donald Trump’s administration has said can be exported to China.

US says it is to dictate Venezuelan decisionmakingAFP, WASHINGTONUS President Donald Trump’s administration on Wednesday said that it would dictate decisions to Venezuela’s interim leaders and control the country’s oil sales “indefinitely” after toppling Nicolas Maduro as president of the South American nation. Trump’s assertion of US dominance over Venezuela comes despite Interim Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez saying there is no foreign power governing Caracas. “There is a stain on our relations such as had never occurred in our history,” Rodriguez said about the US raid to depose her predecessor. “We obviously have maximum leverage over the interim authorities in Venezuela right now” following the capture operation, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told a briefing. Washington also seized two oil tankers, including a Russian-linked vessel that it pursued from Venezuela to the north Atlantic.

China hacked e-mails of US congress staff: reportReutersChina has hacked e-mails used by staff members of committees in the US House of Representatives as part of a cyberespionage campaign known as Salt Typhoon, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. China accessed e-mail systems used by some staffers on the House China committee, as well as aides on panels covering foreign affairs, intelligence and the armed services, the report said. Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Mao Ning speaks at a news conference at the ministry in Beijing on Dec. 4. US officials have previously alleged that the hacking group is prepositioning itself to paralyze critical US infrastructure in case of a conflict with China. China yesterday said that it was against “politically motivated disinformation” in relation to the report.

Fossils discovered in Morocco shed light on our African rootsAFP, PARIS, FranceWhere did our species first emerge? Fossils discovered in Morocco dating back more than 773,000 years bolster the theory that Homo sapiens originally appeared in Africa, scientists said in a study Wednesday. The oldest Homo sapien fossils, dating from over 300,000 years ago, were found at the Jebel Irhoud northwest of Marrakesh. The research published in the journal Nature fills that gap by finally establishing a firm date for fossils discovered in 1969 inside a cave in the Moroccan city of Casablanca. Until the last reversal — 773,000 years ago — our planet’s magnetic north pole was near the geographic south pole.