Timeline of key events of Taiwan Air Force F-16 fleetStaff Writer, with CNAThe disappearance from radar of an F-16V fighter jet during a nighttime training mission off eastern Taiwan on Tuesday has renewed attention on Taiwan’s F-16 fleet. 14 April 1997:Taiwan’s first two F-16 fighter jets flew from the United States to Taiwan and were assigned to Chiayi Air Base. 15 May 2013:An F-16 fighter jet crashed into the sea near Chiayi Air Base during a training mission, with pilot Wu Yen-ting (吳彥霆) ejecting to safety. 7 Nov. 2020:An F-16 fighter jet disappeared from radar shortly after taking off from Hualien Air Base, with pilot Chiang Cheng-chih (蔣正志) declared missing, later formally declared dead. 19 Dec. 2023:Taiwanese company Aerospace Industrial Development Corp. (AIDC) upgraded 139 F-16 fighter jets to the F-16V configuration.

Taiwan property market to stay lukewarm in early 2026: Cushman & WakefieldStaff writer, with CNATaiwan’s property market is expected to remain steady but subdued early this year, with transaction volumes staying flat and commercial real estate demand supported mainly by the technology sector, Cushman & Wakefield Taiwan said on Tuesday. The outlook for local property market remains cautious as capital conditions and the policy environment show little improvement, Cushman & Wakefield Taiwan managing director Billy Yen (顏炳立) said at a news conference in Taipei. Shrinking land supply, a cooling presale market, and tight mortgage restrictions also continue to weigh on demand, Yen said. Cushman & Wakefield Taiwan managing director Billy Yen speaks at a news conference in Taipei on Tuesday. Cushman & Wakefield Taiwan said that AI and semiconductor firms are expected to continue supporting commercial property demand in the first half of this year.

The consumer price index (CPI) rose 1.31 percent from a year earlier last month, marking the eighth consecutive month that inflation stayed below the central bank’s 2 percent target. The latest CPI data reflected a sharp decline in vegetable prices, even as costs for miscellaneous goods and housing continued to climb, DGBAS official Tsao Chih-hung (曹志弘) said. Core CPI, which excludes volatile items and is closely watched as a gauge of underlying inflation, rose 1.83 percent, driven mainly by higher service charges, he said. The producer price index (PPI), which measures price movements at the wholesale level, fell 2.57 percent year-on-year last month, little changed from a 2.61 percent decline the previous month. Full-year CPI grew 1.66 percent last year — the lowest in five years and the first time in four years that the annual inflation gauge came in below 2 percent, Tsao said.

Nan Shan Life’s exposure to Venezuela stood at NT$13.55 billion, Peng said. Total bank exposure to Colombia was NT$816 million, with the largest single exposure at NT$392 million. In contrast, Taiwan’s insurance sector had no exposure to Venezuela, while its total exposure to Colombia was NT$138.51 billion, with one insurer alone accounting for NT$62.91 billion. Kuo asked the FSC head whether the insurer with NT$62.91 billion in exposure was Nan Shan Life, which Peng confirmed. Under the Financial Holding Company Act (金融控股公司法), firms are required to disclose their exposure amounts, the legislator said.

Yet civil and social organizations like religion are a massive part of the social landscape. In each of those cases a Taiwan-wide farmers’ association became involved, in addition to local organizations. Similarly, in East Turkestan — Xinjiang as the PRC calls it — thousands of mosques have been destroyed and religious organizations tightly controlled. It’s not just armed revolt that the PRC fears in occupying Taiwan, but this long history of resistance through organization. It’s time for us to talk more about what kind of future Taiwan can envision under PRC rule.

Samsung warns of memory-related price hikesBloombergSamsung Electronics Co expects memorychip supply shortages to raise prices across the electronics industry, including potentially among its own consumer products. Counterpoint Research in November last year forecast a 50 percent price rise for memory modules through the second quarter of this year. Samsung is better positioned than competitors who are unable to manufacture memory for their own products, and Lee sees the company outpacing the broader market. Samsung shares yesterday rose as much as 4 percent. Research analysts are scrambling to raise price targets on TSMC shares, underscoring continued bullishness on the chipmaking giant after its record surge.

Photo: AFPMORE FUNDING, RESOURCES, SUPPORTAcademics cited access to rapidly developing industries in China’s massive market as a draw. Four of the top five leading research institutions in natural and health sciences last year were Chinese, according to an index by the journal Nature. That is a change from the past, when US and European institutions held sway. But in the last five years, “the funding, resources and support” available — far more than overseas — changed the calculus. But he grew uncomfortable with Beijing’s political climate after Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, due to China’s close relationship with Moscow.

In 2003, he was paralysed from the waist down after being shot multiple times by terrorists while filming in Saudi Arabia. Invasion , by Frank Gardner. This, alone, makes the passages of this novel that deal with China’s deployment of weapons and miliary equipment ahead of an invasion of Taiwan scarily plausible. The prevention of the invasion and, with it, World War III may hinge on her rescue. This might be hard to avoid in a book that targets a general readership but could surely have been done more subtly.

PentaPro to invest NT$3bn in new factory in TaiwanBy Lisa Wang / Staff reporterPentaPro Materials Inc (宇川精材), which produces metal organic precursors used in advanced chip production, yesterday said it plans to invest NT$3 billion (US$95.17 million) in a new factory in Taiwan to meet rising demand. The company’s semiconductor precursors are high-purity chemical liquids used in chip manufacturing. “Utilization of the existing factory is running in high gear now,” PentaPro co-CEO C.Y. To cope with growing demand, PentaPro said it is revamping an older production line to produce advanced semiconductor precursors later this year. Semiconductor precursors accounted for more than 70 percent of the company’s revenue last year, PentaPro said.

Taipei Book Fair Foundation chairman Rex How, left, poses for a photograph with representatives from different foreign embassies at a news conference for the Taipei International Book Exhibition in Taipei yesterday. Taipei Book Fair Foundation chairman Rex How (郝明義) said the Thai pavilion would be a good opportunity for Taiwanese to learn more about Thailand, as there are many similarities and exchanges, but also distinctive cultures. He thanked all countries participating in the book fair for their support, as well as the ministry for raising the value of culture coins for teenagers aged 13 to 15 from NT$600 to NT$1,200 this year and for distributing them before the event so that teenagers could spend them on books at the fair. Thai Trade Office Director Kallaya Leewongcharoen said the Thai Pavillion proudly presents “CreaTHAIvity,” a fusion of creativity and “Thainess,” which captures the essence of Thai imagination, rich cultural heritage and the country’s diverse storytelling traditions from every region. The Thai Pavillion would host more than 30 activities and performances, featuring Thai authors and artists, forums, language and cultural shows, and even Thai cuisine, she said.

Toxic Nestle formula not sold in Taiwan: companyStaff writer, with CNANestle Taiwan yesterday said that affected batches of baby formula have not been sold in Taiwan, even as at least 30 countries have issued recalls over concerns that the products contain the toxin cereulide. In a statement, the company said that its products sold in Taiwan are all safe for consumption. The company said that it has implemented necessary control measures to protect consumers’ trust in its products and safety. A screen grab of an announcement issued by Nestle Taiwan is pictured yesterday. Screen grab from the Web site of Nestle TaiwanThe international food company also welcomed people to contact its customer service centers for any questions.

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.