CECC reports Taiwan’s first case of XBB.1.5 strainEND OF SERIES: As the first generation of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines are set to expire, the CECC would no longer offer them to children younger than four years old The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported the nation’s first case of a person infected with the Omicron XBB.1.5 subvariant of SARS-CoV-2. The Taiwanese man in his 20s arrived from Canada on Jan. 22, said Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞), who is deputy head of the CECC’s medical response division. He tested positive after reporting having a runny nose and muscle soreness while in airport quarantine, Lo said. The XBB.1.5 subvariant is the dominant strain in the US, but there is no evidence to suggest that it causes more severe illness than other Omicron subvariants, he said,By Lee I-chia

India ride Sharma ton and 50s to forge strong leadAFP, NAGPUR, IndiaSkipper Rohit Sharma yesterday hit a brave 120 on a turning Nagpur pitch as India extended their lead to 144 despite Australia debutant Todd Murphy’s five wickets in the opening Test. India were 321-7 at stumps with all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja proving his worth for the second straight day of his international return with an unbeaten 66. India captain and opener Rohit Sharma celebrates passing 100 on day 2 of the first Test against Australia in Nagpur, India, yesterday. Murphy stood out for the tourists with remarkable control to knock off stalwarts of India cricket, including Virat Kohli, caught behind for 12. Axar hit eight boundaries en route to his second Test 50.

EDITORIAL: US warnings an opportunityA memorandum from US Air Mobility Command Commander General Mike Minihan, leaked on social media on Friday, warns of a US military conflict with China over Taiwan as soon as 2025. Minihan’s comments, which Agence France-Presse said were confirmed by the Pentagon, present an opening for Taipei to press Washington to step up its defense measures. US lawmakers in 2017 proposed such visits in a version of the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act. Most notably, then-US House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi visited in August last year in defiance of warnings from the Chinese government. On Monday last week, Punchbowl News reported that US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy is planning to visit Taiwan in the coming months, despite renewed warnings from Beijing.

Pay of top bankers covering Asia cut up to 50 percent after deal droughtBloombergTop bankers in Asia ex-Japan at Wall Street’s biggest firms are experiencing their worst payouts since the global financial crisis more than a decade ago, people familiar with the matter said. Compensation for nonperformers has fallen 60 to 70 percent, with many being left out all together from the bonus pool. Goldman plans to slash 3,200 jobs globally and has already made two rounds of reductions in Asia since September last year, firing mostly China-focused bankers. Managing directors were the hardest hit. Citigroup Inc, for example, is raising compensation for its junior investment bankers by as much as 15 percent.

Philippines to offer foreign tourists tax refund from 2024Reuter, MANILAPhilippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has approved a value-added tax (VAT) refund program for foreign tourists by next year to attract more visitors, the Presidential Communications Office said yesterday. The plan is to allow foreigners to receive a VAT refund on items they are taking out of the Philippines, similar to what many other countries offer. Marcos is to issue an executive order to implement the tax refund plan. Last year’s total comprised 2.02 million foreign nationals and 628,445 Filipinos based abroad, which compared with only 163,879 tourists recorded in 2021 and was still significantly lower than the pre-pandemic annual level of 8.26 million. The government aims to boost visitor arrivals this year to 4.8 million tourists.

Brazil open the door to breaking foreign coach tabooAFP, SAO PAULO, BrazilMore than two decades since their last FIFA World Cup triumph, and without a local consensus pick, Brazil are considering breaking an unwritten taboo: hiring a foreign coach. After six years in the job, Tite left the Brazil post last month following the Selecao’s World Cup quarter-final exit against Croatia. Then-Brazil head coach Tite, front right, and Neymar, front left, react during their FIFA World Cup quarter-final match against Croatia in Doha, Qatar, on Dec. 9 last year. Brazil did once have foreign coaches, although their reigns were fleeting. With Sport Club Corinthians Paulista, Tite won the Copa Libertadores, two Brazilian titles and the Club World Cup in a five-year period.

In addition to a bomb threat received on Friday morning via e-mail, the MRT operator also received an e-mail at about 7am yesterday saying that a mass killing would occur on the transit system. Police have identified a suspect and the public should not be worried, Chiang said. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an speaks to reporters in Taipei yesterday. The division yesterday said the two e-mails were tracked to the sender’s Internet protocol address, which was routed through an overseas virtual private network. The student had been identified sending six other e-mailed threats to the MRT operator this year, it said.

New Taipei City brightens Pingsi venues for visitorsBy William Hetherington / Staff writer, with CNAThree areas in New Taipei City’s Pingsi District (平溪) have been brightened by colorful light installations in an effort by the city’s Tourism and Travel Department to draw visitors. Installations at Jingtong Sky Lantern Pavilion, the entrance to Shihfen Scenic Area and at Pingsi Railway Station are worth visiting day or night, the tourism department said on Friday. A woman stands under a light display at the Shihfen Scenic Area in New Taipei City in an undared photograph. Visitors can also travel to the district on route 795 of the Taiwan Tourist Bus Travel Service (台灣好行), it added. In Shihfen, visitors can explore the remnants of structures built when the area was originally settled as a coal mining town.

Asteroid mining start-up to launch first missionsBy Loren Grush / BloombergAsteroid mining start-up AstroForge Inc is planning to launch its first two missions to space this year as it seeks to extract and refine metals from deep space. The missions are part of AstroForge’s goal of refining platinum-group metals from asteroids, with the aim of bringing down the cost of mining these metals. The company is planning to then launch its second craft, to scout out a previously identified near-Earth asteroid for a future mining mission. AstroForge is not announcing the target, and says it will probably not do so until it is done mining the asteroid. AstroForge’s emergence in the space industry comes a few years after the demise of an asteroid mining boom.

Real Madrid advance to semisMADRID DERBY: After Atletico’s Stefan Savic was sent off, Karim Benzema tucked home from a Marco Asensio pass and Vinicius Jr netted right at the deathAFP, MADRIDKarim Benzema and Vinicius Jr’s extra-time strikes on Thursday earned Real Madrid a 3-1 win over rivals Atletico Madrid to reach the Copa del Rey semi-finals. Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr, left, scores against Atletico Madrid in their Copa del Rey quarter-final at the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid on Thursday. Photo: APAtletico took the lead through Alvaro Morata after 19 minutes, but Rodrygo’s sensational slalom run past three defenders and slick finish pulled Real Madrid level with 11 minutes remaining. Real Madrid added another name to a long injury list when Ferland Mendy had to be replaced before halftime, with Eduardo Camavinga slotting in at leftback and Dani Ceballos coming on. Atletico defender Savic foolishly handed Real Madrid the edge when he was sent off for two yellow cards in two minutes.

Brazil’s Stefani, Matos win mixed doubles titleAP, MELBOURNEBrazilian duo Luisa Stefani and Rafael Matos yesterday beat India’s Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna 7-6 (7/2), 6-2 to win the Australian Open mixed doubles title in Mirza’s last match at a Grand Slam tournament before she retires. Mirza, who has won six Grand Slam doubles championships — three in mixed, including the 2009 Australian Open — is to retire next month after a tournament in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Brazil’s Luisa Stefani, left, and Rafael Matos hold the trophy after winning the Australian Open mixed doubles final in Melbourne yesterday. Stefani and Matos are undefeated as a pairing, having won all seven matches together at the United Cup and at Melbourne Park. Now here we are, winning our first Grand Slam together in Australia in this beautiful court ... it’s a dream come true.”

Ukraine support to be Japan’s priority at the G7: diplomatReuters and AFP, TOKYO and WASHINGTONJapan, this year’s chair of the G7, expects Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to dominate talks among the world’s major advanced economies, Japanese Vice Minister of Finance for International Affairs Masato Kanda said. “Sanctions against Russia and support for Ukraine will be a top priority at G7 financial leaders’ meetings under Japan’s chair,” said Kanda, who is to oversee G7 deputy-level talks on economic policy this year. Among other issues at the top of the G7 agenda would be global debt problems, he said. A Leopard 2 battle tank throws fog grenades during a drill in Ostenholz, Germany, on Oct. 17 last year. “We shoot and shoot and shoot, but after five minutes another wave of 20 enemies is coming at us.”

Tsai taps new national security head‘THE MAN FOR THE JOB’: A report said Cheng Wen-tsan would be the deputy of Chen Chien-jen, who was earlier confirmed to be Tsai Ing-wen’s nominee for premierStaff writerPresident Tsai Ing-wen yesterday (蔡英文) appointed Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥) as new National Security Bureau director-general and Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) as Presidential Office secretary-general, ahead of a Cabinet reshuffle. The report came a day after the government confirmed that former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) was nominated by Tsai Ing-wen to be the new premier. Deputy Foreign Minister Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥) delivers a speech in the European Values Taiwan-Czechia-Ukraine Forum hosted by the Prague-headquartered think tank EVC, in Taipei on Oct. 28 ,2022. The current Cabinet is to resign on Monday, while the new members are to take office on Tuesday, it said. “Chen Chien-jen is the man for the job, and we all have great expectations for him to lead us into the elections.”Additional reporting by CNA and Jason Pan

Man apologizes for hotel no-showHOT-SPRING RETREAT: A hotel in Japan incurred a loss of about US$1,846 after a Taiwanese man failed to show up for his reservation due to a misunderstood message A Taiwanese man who failed to show up for a hotel reservation in Japan has apologized and offered compensation, the hotel said yesterday. The man, surnamed Lee (李), reserved a room at the Yufuin Tsubaki hot-spring hotel in Oita for the Lunar New Year holiday, but failed to show up on Friday. Lee yesterday called the hotel to apologize and offered to compensate the losses caused by his failure to show up, a hotel employee surnamed Yashiro said. Lee’s wife also called on Sunday to apologize, she said. Lee had booked a two-night stay with upscale seafood and beef meals, the hotel said.

Theater announces spring rebrandARTISTIC FLAIR: National Taichung Theater aims to revamp its upcoming season with plays, musicals and dances by Taiwanese and international performersStaff writer, with CNANational Taichung Theater (NTT), which opened in 2016, is rebranding its spring season this year in a bid to encourage audiences to explore new and unknown territory in the performing arts, the venue said. The National Taichung Theater is pictured on May 16, 2021. Over the past six spring seasons from 2017 to last year, the Taichung theater programmed the Taiwan International Festival of Arts and co-presented some productions with the National Theater and Concert Hall in Taipei, the statement said. Rodrigues is also scheduled to stage his Dans la mesure de l’impossible, a play based on first-hand stories of humanitarian aid workers, at the National Theater in Taipei. For this theater production, Lepage uses a Japanese ancestral puppetry technique called Bunraku, the theater said.