Taiwan’s black-faced spoonbill population growsBy Tsai Wen-chu / Staff reporterThe worldwide population of black-faced spoonbills has surpassed 7,700 birds, with Taiwan recording 4,719 — an all-time high, the Tainan Wild Bird Society said yesterday. The International Black-faced Spoonbill Census, released on Friday by the Hong Kong Bird Watching Society on the eve of this year’s “Black-faced Spoonbill Day,” showed a total of 7,746 birds recorded worldwide. Taiwan’s 4,719 birds was an increase of 550 from last year, a historical high and representing 60.9 percent of the global black-faced spoonbill population, the census showed. A black-faced spoonbill is pictured in Tainan in an undated photograph. Starting this year, the third Saturday of March has been designated “Black-faced Spoonbill Day,” the Tainan Bird Society said.

Fifteen sections of rope were found to have been cut and another 13 loosened, the agency said. Hikers use safety ropes to climb a trail on Yuanzui Mountain in Taichung in an undated photograph. Yuanzui Mountain is a popular but challenging route, and safety must remain the top priority, the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency’s Taichung branch said. Yuanzui Mountain, which rises 2,180m above sea level, is known for its steep cliffs and sweeping 360° views. Investigations found he had used a folding knife to cut ropes at multiple locations.

Pogacar ends long wait for Milan-SanremoAFP, SANrEMO, ItalyTadej Pogacar on Saturday claimed another landmark victory by edging the thrilling Milan-Sanremo, finally adding a fourth of road cycling’s five “Monument” races to his collection. UAE Team Emirates’ Slovenian rider Tadej Pogacar reacts as he crosses the finish line to win the 117th Milan-Sanremo one-day classic cycling race in Sanremo, Italy, on Saturday. Photo: AFPThe 27-year-old Slovenian, who won Strade Bianche earlier this month, became the first man since Giuseppe Saronni in 1983 to win Milan-Sanremo as world champion. But I also know that I cannot wait too long, because he has a better kick than me probably... That gap was cut to nine seconds by the time Pogacar attacked again on the Poggio and dropped Van der Poel, with Pidcock hanging on.

Older women in Uganda take up cricket for healthAFP, JINJA, UgandaGiggles and songs ripple across a field in rural eastern Uganda where elderly women swing cricket bats to reshape what aging, health and sports can look like in later life. An elderly woman runs between the wickets as others react during a cricket and physical training session in Jinja, Uganda, on Jan. 10. A woman plays a shot during a cricket and physical training session in Jinja, Uganda, on Jan. 10. A woman runs between the wickets as others react during a cricket and physical training session in Jinja, Uganda, on Jan. 10. For Kusasira, training the women has been a win-win, giving him the opportunity to coach children in the area without opposition.

Duplantis clinches 4th straight indoor pole vault titleAP, TORUN, PolandArmand Duplantis on Saturday won another pole vault world title after he was pushed all the way by Greece’s Emmanouil Karalis. Duplantis won his fourth consecutive world indoor championships with a tournament record vault of 6.25m, a 10cm improvement on his winning height a year ago in Nanjing, China. First-placed Armand Duplantis of Sweden celebrates with competition mascot Goosia after winning the men’s pole vault final during the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Torun, Poland, on Saturday. It was a tough competition, and that is why I didn’t go for a world record,” Duplantis said. Ehammer was the world indoor champion in 2024 and runner-up last year.

KMT lawmaker calls amendment ‘cyber martial law’NO WAR ADVOCACY The amendment would fine violators who called for invasion of Taiwan by foreign powers, but KMT lawmakers are calling it censorshipBy Lee Wen-hsin / Staff reporterOpposition lawmakers have called the a legal bill proposed by the Cabinet to impose administrative fines of up to NT$1 million (US$31,279) for advocating war-related rhetoric as a form of internet censorship. Academics attend a hearing on a proposed amendment to the National Security Act at the legislature in Taipei on Thursday. Chang said that President William Lai (賴清德) could seize broad powers of censorship over public speech, posing a serious threat to the public’s right to freedom of expression. When a speech is unfavorable to the ruling party, the agencies could easily label it as “misinformation,” Chang said, adding that it would be a form of disguised “cyber martial law,” forcing people to remain silent and trigger a chilling effect. By going through the drafted amendments in detail and listening to feedback, the DPP plans incorporate these insights in the next review to ensure a balance is reached between protecting “national security” and “fundamental freedoms,” he said.

Nuclear power could operate next to green power: LaiNECESSITY COMPELS Growing AI-driven power requirements and wars abroad mean that the government is looking at all options, Lai saidStaff writer, with CNAReviewing a possible restart of nuclear power plants is compatible with Taiwan’s continued push for renewable energy, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday in defending his administration’s reversal on nuclear power use. Lai said the government would continue developing green energy — including wind, solar, small hydropower and hydrogen — alongside any assessment of nuclear restarts. Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei TimesOpposing nuclear power has long been a central tenet of Lai’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). Lai said that renewable energy had compensated for the loss of nuclear power generation under Tsai’s green-energy initiative, helping maintain a stable power supply, but that Taiwan’s energy strategy needed to be reassessed. Lai said that based on those amendments, state-run Taiwan Power Co was preparing to submit restart plans for the Guosheng and Ma-anshan nuclear power plants to the Nuclear Safety Commission by the end of the month.

Map of Taichung’s red light district goes viral, draws ireBy Hsu Kou-chen / Staff reporterA map of Taichung depicting locations frequented by illegal sex workers, which has gone viral online, is not a joke, but rather a reflection of the city’s unbalanced development and the entrenched nature of the sex industry, Taichung city councilors said yesterday. A woman stands in an alleyway as a person walks past near Taichung Park in an undated photograph. Taichung Police Department’s First Precinct said that in August last year, it launched a program to reduce the number of illegal sex workers who linger near Guangfu Road and Pingdeng Street. Foot patrols, vehicle patrols and stationary surveillance are deployed daily from morning until late at night to continuously inspect, disperse and arrest illegal sex workers and their customers, it added. Streetlights are also gradually being replaced or upgraded to eliminate dark areas that attract illegal sex workers and their customers, it said.

Softbank announces US plant for AI data centersAFP, TOKYOJapan’s Softbank Group Corp said on Saturday that it plans to build a huge new gas-fired power plant in Ohio to provide energy for artificial intelligence (AI) data centers. Softbank Group Corp Chairman Masayoshi Son speaks during an announcement for a new data center on Friday in Piketon, Ohio. Photo: APConstruction of the US$33.3 billion power plant with a “large-scale” power generation capacity of 9.2 gigawatts (GW) would take place at the US Department of Energy’s Portsmouth site, Softbank said. Softbank on Saturday announced a consortium with major American and Japanese firms to help build the plant and develop AI infrastructure in Ohio. A study last month found that industrial investment surged by nearly a third last year thanks to investment in AI and data centers in the US.

The number of TSMC shareholders rose to 2.46 million as of Friday, up 75,536 from a week earlier, TDCC data showed. The stock price fell 1.34 percent during the same week to close at NT$1,840 (US$57.55). Photo: BloombergDealers said the increase in TSMC shareholders largely came from retail investors buying TSMC shares through odd-lot trading, which allows purchases of fewer than the standard block of 1,000 shares and makes high-priced stocks more accessible. TDCC said the number of TSMC shareholders holding odd-lot shares rose by 65,773 from a week earlier to about 1.96 million as of Friday. Strong investor interest in TSMC stock was also seen earlier this week when TSMC went ex-dividend, and the stock quickly returned to its pre-ex-dividend level as soon as the local market opened on Tuesday.

Attack on a Sudan hospital leaves 64 dead, 89 wounded‘DEVASTATING TOLL’: The WHO and the UN have condemned the strikes on healthcare, as the number of people killed in such attacks has passed 2,000AFP and AP, GENEVA and CAIROA strike on a hospital in Sudan killed 64 people and wounded 89, the WHO said on Saturday, with 13 children counted among the dead. The hospital “was struck, killing at least 64 people, including 13 children, two female nurses, one male doctor and multiple patients,” he wrote on X. The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has blamed the military for the strike on the hospital and Sudanese rights group Emergency Lawyers reported that the hospital was hit by an army drone strike. Eight health staff were among the wounded in the attack, which damaged the hospital’s pediatric, maternity and emergency departments, Tedros said. As a result of Friday’s tragedy, the total number of people killed in attacks on health are in the conflict has now passed 2,000.

CPC, Formosa to raise fuel prices as war takes tollBy Chen Cheng-hui / Staff reporterCPC Corp, Taiwan (台灣中油) and Formosa Petrochemical Corp (台塑石化) yesterday announced they would increase gasoline and diesel prices by NT$1.8 and NT$1.4 per liter respectively. Gasoline prices should have risen by NT$15 per liter based on international oil prices, but CPC only increased them by NT$1.8 per liter, with the government absorbing NT$13.2 per liter, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said. A CPC Corp, Taiwan employee fills a vehicle’s tank at a fuel station in Taipei’s Zhongzheng District on Friday. CPC said that according to its floating oil price mechanism, gasoline and diesel prices should have increased by NT$15 and NT$16.9 per liter respectively. However, the company would absorb part of the increasing costs in compliance with the government’s policies of stabilizing consumer prices and keeping domestic fuel prices lower than in major neighboring markets, it said.

MOFA to retaliate if S Korea does not fix Taiwan’s name on travel systemThe Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) today said that if South Korea does not reply appropriately to its request to correct Taiwan’s name on its e-Arrival card system before March 31, it would take corresponding measures to alter how South Korea is labeled on the online Taiwan Arrival Card system. South Korea’s e-Arrival card system lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan)” in the “point of departure” and “next destination” fields. The ministry said that it changed the nationality for South Koreans on Taiwan’s Alien Resident Certificates from “Korea” to “South Korea” on March 1, in a gesture of goodwill and based on theBy Hollie Younger

China’s premier vows to support balanced tradeBloombergChinese Premier Li Qiang (李強) pledged to address worries that trade partners have about China’s large surplus, underscoring Beijing’s concern the issue could disrupt relations with more nations during a truce with the US in the tariff dispute. “We take our trading partners’ concerns seriously and we are ready to work with all parties to promote the sound and balanced development of trade,” Li said in a keynote speech at the China Development Forum in Beijing on Sunday. Chinese Premier Li Qiang speaks at the China Development Forum in Beijing yesterday. Photo: BloombergChina racked up a record trade surplus of US$1.2 trillion last year and exports continued to surge in the first two months of this year, exacerbating worry in many countries around the world about the future of their own industries. It would also mean moving the tax burden from middle-class households toward better off ones, and cutting exemptions for corporates.

Five suspects arrested in mutilation, murder caseBy Yan Hung-chun and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writerFive suspects have been arrested following the discovery of a disfigured corpse in Changhua County’s Yuanlin City (員林) on Saturday, police said. The two main suspects, surnamed Chang (張) and Wu (吳), were taken into custody in connection with the alleged murder and are being held incommunicado, authorities said. Photo: Yen Hung-chun, Taipei TimesAn initial investigation suggests the death might be linked to illegal drug transactions, police said. Prosecutors and police interrogated Chang and Wu overnight, before applying to have them held incommunicado amid concerns they might tamper with evidence. The involvement of the other three suspects remains under investigation, authorities added.