NCKU tops Taiwan’s 2026 University Brand Power surveyStaff Writer, with CNANational Cheng Kung University (NCKU) has been ranked Taiwan’s top university by 104 Corp. in the local job bank’s 2026 University Brand Power Survey released yesterday. NCKU was followed by National Tsing Hua University and National Taiwan University in second and third place, respectively. NCKU tops Taiwan`s 2026 University Brand Power. The rest of the top 10 comprised National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, National Sun Yat-sen University, Taipei Tech, National Chengchi University, National Central University and NCHU. Among private universities, Chung Yuan Christian University, Fu Jen Catholic University, Feng Chia University, Tamkang University and Tunghai University ranked highest, placing between 12th and 16th overall.

Seki made the remarks as he gave an interview to the Chinese-language Liberty Times, the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper. Seki said that Beijing forbade him from setting foot in China, so his visit to Taiwan showed that Taiwan and the People’s Republic of China are two different countries. Japanese lawmaker Hei Seki gives an interview with the Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) in Taipei yesterday. Seki, a member of the Japan Innovation Party, was born in Chengdu, China, and became a naturalized Japanese in 2007. Beijing sanctioned Seki in September last year, barring him and family members from entering China and its territories.

Taiwan’s situation likens prewar Ukraine: officialBy Lee Wen-hsin and Jason Pan / Staff reportersDeputy Minister of the Interior Ma Shih-yuan (馬士元) yesterday likened Taiwan’s situation to that of Ukraine before the Russian invasion that started in February 2022. “The situation Taiwan has been in since last year resembles the conditions before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” he said. Legislators at the committee reviewed proposed amendment bills to the National Security Act (國家安全法). “China has engaged in united front propaganda and disinformation campaigns to infiltrate into every level of Taiwanese society to undermine social stability and threaten Taiwan’s national security,” Liang said. According to National Security Bureau data, public prosecutors in 2024 indicted 64 people in suspected China-related espionage cases, which is about three times the number in 2021, he added.

Hsieh advances in Australian Open warm-upStaff writerTaiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Latvian partner Jelena Ostapenko yesterday overpowered Australia’s Priscilla Hon and Czech Karolina Muchova to advance to the women’s doubles semi-finals of the Brisbane International as last year’s Australian Open runners-up prepare for another run in Melbourne. Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei, right, and Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko fist-bump during their women’s doubles final against Taylor Townsend of the US and the Czech Republic’s Katerina Siniakova at the Australian Open in Melbourne on Jan. 26 last year. 9 Hsieh, who has won seven Grand Slam titles in women’s doubles, is the only WTA player in her 40s ranked in the top 100. 1 Daniil Medvedev extended his impressive start to the season ahead of the Australian Open, which starts on Jan. 18, with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Frances Tiafoe. In the deciding mixed doubles, Gauff teamed up with Christian Harrison to battle past Tsitsipas and Sakkari 4-6, 6-4, 10-8.

Ministry expects two new R&D agreements in EUBy Meryl Kao / Staff reporterThe Ministry of Economic Affairs yesterday said it expects to sign two additional memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with European countries this year to promote research-and-development (R&D) collaboration under the A+ Corporate Innovation and R&D Enhancement program. The planned collaborations with two additional European countries would mainly focus on laser technology and another technology listed under Taiwan’s 10 major artificial intelligence (AI) projects, Kuo said. Department of Industrial Technology Director-General Kuo Chao-chung, center, and other guests pose for a photograph at a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Liao Chia-ning, Taipei TimesThis year, the government aims to secure 25 international collaborative R&D projects under the program, he said. Taiwan has reached out to 14 EU countries and secured 86 projects so far since the program was launched in 2014, he said.

Lawmaker raises concerns over TAIEX distorted by TSMC weightingStaff writer, with CNAChinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lin Te-fu (林德福) yesterday raised concerns that the heavy weighting of contract chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) is distorting the performance of the TAIEX. A man stands in front of an electronic stock board at the Taiwan Stock Exchange in Taipei yesterday. Despite the significant gains, 749 stocks fell on the main board on Monday with only 156 stocks moving higher. Yesterday, TSMC closed at NT$1,675, down 1.76 percent on profit taking, pushing the TAIEX lower by 0.46 percent. If fears that an AI bubble will burst become a reality, the local stock market will be severely impacted with many investors hurt, he added.

Air force says search for pilot to be extendedSYSTEM FAULT? Contact with air force pilot Captain Hsin Po-yi’s (辛柏毅) fighter was lost off Hualien while on a routine training flight on Tuesday night. Air force officers attend a news conference in Hualien County yesterday. The air force said that it has been logging all faults found in F-16s, and has provided the data to the US to identify the sources of malfunctions and develop system patches to improve reliability. Hsin has logged 611 hours of flight time, of which he spent 371 hours in F-16Vs, the air force said, adding that Tuesday’s weather and sea state were within exercise standards.

Panama is critical to global oil shipping, while Venezuela is home to one of the world’s largest crude oil reserves. Reports last month estimated that Venezuela accounts for 4 to 7 percent of China’s overall oil supply. Beijing is even more reliant on Tehran, with Iran accounting for more than 13 to 15 percent of its total oil supply. Any attack on Taiwan, whether direct military invasion or a prolonged blockade, would require a massive oil supply. If China’s oil imports from Venezuela and Iran are reduced, it would significantly hamper Chinese ambitions against Taiwan.

Donovan’s Deep Dives: The TPP enters the year strong, but faces headwindsBy Courtney Donovan Smith(石東文) / Staff ColumnistTaiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Huang Kuo-chang’s (黃國昌) New Year’s resolution was to get healthy and fit. This should make their pan-blue coalition partners, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), nervous, and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) very concerned. Former Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) chair Ko Wen-je, left, and current Chair Huang Kuo-chang share a moment of comraderie at Huang’s campaign launch for New Taipei City mayor. STAVING OFF DISASTERTPP Chair Huang Kuo-chang’s before and after shots of his accomplishing his 2025 New Year’s resolutions, posted to his Facebook page on Dec. 31, 2025. Photo taken from Huang Kuo-chang’s InstagramIn August 2024, the TPP was in serious trouble.

EDITORIAL: Taiwan’s faltering green transitionTaiwan’s green energy industry was one of the most promising industries back in 2016, when the government pledged full support to green energy developments as part of its greater push to build energy resilience and combat climate change through a policy revamp. Since then, solar energy deployment has stagnated. The future of Taiwan’s solar industry and green energy industry is scattered and uncertain. To avoid being marginalized, the government has to speed up green energy deployment effectively and streamline the review processes. Only when the investment environment improves would green energy deployments gather pace.

Taiwan needs geothermal powerBy Marcin JerzewskiTaiwan’s energy debate is too often framed as merely a technical issue of emissions targets or electricity prices. Energy security is a crucial pillar of national security, and it must be treated as such. Unlike solar or wind, geothermal power provides constant, round-the-clock baseload electricity. Estimates vary, but even conservative assessments suggest that geothermal could supply a meaningful share of Taiwan’s electricity needs. Several European countries have accumulated decades of experience in geothermal energy, including newer technologies that enable access to geothermal resources beyond traditional hotspots.

Saudi Arabian strikes follow exit of Yemeni leaderAFP, ADEN, YemenA Saudi Arabian-led coalition yesterday struck the home province of Aidaros Alzubidi, Yemen’s United Arab Emirates (UAE)-backed separatist leader, after he failed to show up for talks in Riyadh and was kicked out of the country’s presidential body. The coalition said that it had given Alzubidi a 48-hour ultimatum to travel to Riyadh for discussions, after his Southern Transitional Council grabbed swathes of territory last month. The Southern Transitional Council’s advance and the Saudi Arabian response have also sent relations with the UAE, a rival powerbroker in Yemen, plummeting. The Southern Transitional Council said that it was open to discussions, but warned that it had lost contact with its delegation in Riyadh, urging Saudi Arabian authorities to guarantee the group’s safety. The coalition carried out strikes to prevent Alzubidi from “escalating the conflict” and extending it into Dhale governorate, he added.

Russia sends sub to escort tanker pursued by USAFP and AP, WASHINGTON and HAVANARussia sent a submarine to escort an empty oil tanker that the US military has been pursuing and attempting to seize for weeks, US media reported on Tuesday. US officials said the tanker is part of a shadow fleet carrying oil for countries such as Venezuela, Russia and Iran in contravention of US sanctions. Russia sent “a submarine and other naval assets” to escort the tanker, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing unnamed US officials. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs earlier on Tuesday said that it was “following with concern” the US pursuit. The uniformed personnel belonged to the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces and the Cuban Ministry of the Interior, it said.

Trump’s special military operation in VenezuelaThe framers of the US constitution designed a system, wagering that requiring justifications would discipline power and prevent its arbitrary exercise. US President Donald Trump announced his own version of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation” in Ukraine on Truth Social before most Americans were awake. To this miscellany of publicly announced reasons can be added Trump’s undisguised desire to demonstrate that he has “superseded” all previous US presidents. What happens when colectivos or remnants of the old Venezuelan military launch an insurgency against foreign-controlled oil fields? True, “Project 2025,” the comprehensive policy blueprint that the Heritage Foundation designed for Trump’s second term, was a coherent plan of action.

Doctor warns of sexually transmitted intestinal infectionsBy Sam Garcia / Staff writer, with CNAIntestinal infections previously thought to be gastroenteritis or food poisoning may be linked to sexual activity, posing a new public health issue, a physician at National Cheng Kung University Hospital said today. This type of infection is more common among those with multiple sexual partners, men who have sex with men, HIV-positive people and those with a history of sexually transmitted infections, Tsai said. National Cheng Kung University Hospital infectious disease specialist Tsai Chin-hsiang displays data on a computer in his office in Tainan in an undated photograph. From 2020 to 2023, sexually transmitted disease monitoring at the hospital confirmed that rectal LGV is spreading in Taiwan for the first time, Tsai said. The key to treatment is accurate diagnosis, which can include stool tests and sexually transmitted infection screenings, Tsai said.