Warm weather expected through WednesdayBy Sam Garcia / Staff writer, with CNATaiwan is expected to experience stable and warm weather from today to Wednesday, followed by shifts in temperature and precipitation for northern and eastern regions starting Thursday, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA) and weather experts. High temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to gradually rise to 26°C or 27°C, while southern regions could see highs reaching 29°C or 30°C. Photo: Taipei TimesHowever, the CWA warned of significant temperature variations between day and night. WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) noted that a new weather front is expected to approach northern Taiwan on Thursday afternoon. Central and southern Taiwan are expected to remain largely unaffected, with highs staying around 28°C or 29°C.

Lai promotes unity, democracy at 2026 Yushan ForumBy Huang Ching-hsuan and Hollie Younger / Staff reporter, with staff writerPresident William Lai (賴清德) gave a speech at the 2026 Yushan Forum today promoting collaboration with regional and international partners to strengthen democracy, supply chain resilience and economic prosperity. Government and industry leaders, academics and experts, as well as innovators and leaders from around the world are attending, the Yushan Forum said. President William Lai gives a speech at the 2026 Yushan Forum in Taipei today. The forum demonstrates Taiwan’s determination to build on the achievements of the New Southbound Policy and continue expanding and deepening global partnerships, he said. Collaborating in areas from democracy and economy to defense and technology, Taiwan and its partners can strengthen non-China supply chain economic resilience, he said.

PSMC completes plant sale to US giant MicronStaff writer, with CNAPowerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp (PSMC, 力積電) today said that it has completed the sale of its facility in Miaoli County to Micron Technology Inc and is to begin a technological collaboration with the US memorychip supplier in accordance with their agreement. Photo: CNAThe strategic partnership with Micron is expected to boost momentum for PSMC’s growth in its new 3D artificial intelligence (AI) foundry business, the statement said. PSMC chairman Frank Huang (黃崇仁) today said that the company’s 3D AI foundry business has entered the field of AI applications, such as wafer-on-wafer, interposers and silicon capacitors. PSMC is also to help Micron accelerate the installation of advanced DRAM production lines in the Tongluo plant’s cleanrooms, the company said. In a separate statement, Micron said the new Tongluo site is expected to support meaningful product shipments starting in fiscal year 2028.

Over 3,800 workers on unpaid leave programs: labor ministryStaff writer, with CNAThe number of workers placed on formal unpaid leave programs in the first half of this month stood at about 3,800, with more than 70 percent affected by US tariffs on Taiwanese exports, the Ministry of Labor today said. A total of 3,839 workers at 240 companies were on furlough as of today, Ministry of Labor Department of Labor Standards and Equal Employment head Huang Chi-ya (黃琦雅) today said at a briefing in Taipei. The figure was an increase from the 3,770 workers at 247 firms reported to be on furlough on March 2. "A total of 184 companies, involving 2,804 workers, reported being affected by US tariffs, with those cases accounting for more than 70 percent of the overall total," Huang said. Most enterprises implementing furlough programs in the first half of this month were small companies employing fewer than 50 people, and most programs were scheduled to last less than three months, the ministry said.

Taiwan taekwondo team wins three golds in NetherlandsStaff writer, with CNATaiwan’s taekwondo team over the weekend secured three gold and two bronze medals at the 2026 Dutch Open Taekwondo Championships in the Netherlands. Taiwan's team at the 2026 Dutch Open Taekwondo Championships in the Netherlands display their medals together yesterday. Taiwan team head coach Su Tai-yuan (蘇泰源) said that he was satisfied with the athletes’ results, adding that they had performed well even in their losing matches. The squad is to rest for one day before traveling to Lommel for the Belgian Open Taekwondo Championships, which are scheduled to be held from Saturday to Sunday at the Soeverein Arena, Su said. He said that the athletes are seeking to accumulate points at international events prior to the Asian Taekwondo Championships in May, as the results would be vital for securing qualification for the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya.

Most Chinese favor peaceful ties over force for Taiwan: surveyBy Sam Garcia / Staff writer, with CNAThe Chinese public maintains relatively warm sentiments toward Taiwan and strongly prefers non-military paths to improving cross-strait relations, a recent survey conducted by the Atlanta, Georgia-based Carter Center and Emory University showed. The “China Pulse” research project, which polled 2,506 adults between Oct. 27 last year and Jan. 1 this year, found that 86 percent of respondents support strengthening cultural ties, while 81 percent favor deepening economic interaction. Photo: ReutersRegarding Taiwan’s semiconductor industry, only 45 percent of Chinese respondents cited high-tech manufacturing as a key part of Taiwan’s value. However, half of the respondents agreed that the use of military force would only make the Taiwan issue worse. Ultimately, the findings suggest that while the Chinese public remains committed to unification in principle, there is significant reticence regarding the risks of a major conflict.

Taipei launches TWICE-themed city campaignStaff writer, with CNAThe Taipei City Government has launched a limited-time promotional campaign ahead of K-pop group TWICE’s three-night concert run at the Taipei Dome starting Friday, inviting fans to visit themed attractions and take part in citywide check-in events. The campaign, titled “ONCE CITY MAP,” was announced by Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) in a Facebook post yesterday, using the group’s official fandom name, ONCE, to refer to TWICE fans. In partnership with the concert organizer, Chiang said the eight official fan events and themed attractions will “turn Taipei into ONCE CITY,” making the whole city feel immersed in TWICE. A view of K-pop group TWICE’s pop-up store in Taipei’s Huashan 1914 Creative Park is pictured in an undated photograph. The campaign also extends to Taipei’s transit network, featuring themed Taipei Metro train cars, themed Maokong Gondola cabins and a special audio experience at MRT Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall Station, the MRT stop closest to the Taipei Dome.

Convenience stores scratching into ‘cat economy’WHISKERY BUSINESS: Businesses are aiming to capture the growing percentage of feline fanatics as cat ownership across the country grows rapidlyStaff writer, with CNASales of cat-related products at major convenience stores have surged over the past few years, as rising cat ownership fuels what retailers call the emerging “cat economy.”Cat food and related products sales at stores such as 7-Eleven, Hi-Life and OK Mart have grown by about 30 percent, outpacing dog food, industry data showed. Cat food now accounts for more than 60 percent of the shelf space for pet food in many stores. A FamilyMart convenience store decorating its window with a large cat decal to attract cat enthusiasts is pictured in Taipei’s Wanhua District in an undated photograph. 7-Eleven chain operator President Chain Store Corp (統一超商) said it began observing strong growth in cat food sales in 2023, with the category posting double-digit gains. FamilyMart chain operator Taiwan FamilyMart Co (全家便利商店) capitalized on the trend through a Feb. 22 “Cat Day” campaign that went viral on Threads.

France win Six Nations once againA BREATHLESS BATTLE: France clinched the championship in a vicious back-and-forth match with England, denying Ireland the title by just a few pointsAP, PARISFrance won back-to-back Six Nations titles after beating England 48-46 on a last-second penalty-kick by Thomas Ramos in a thriller for the ages on Saturday. But France pressed yet again with 14 men, lost possession, regained it, and earned two simultaneous penalties after the fulltime siren. England scored four tries in the first half but suffered a major turning point right on halftime while leading 27-17. Prop Ellis Genge was sin-binned for collapsing a maul — England’s eighth yellow card in the tournament — and France were awarded a penalty try. Just over two minutes were left and France did not hold back, just as they did not at the start.

Taiwan-Japan pair win women’s doubles title at WTA 125 eventStaff Writer, with CNATaiwan’s Chan Hao-ching (詹 皓晴) teamed up with Japan’s Miyu Kato to win the women’s doubles title at the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) 125 Austin tournament, defeating Isabelle Haverlag of the Netherlands and Sabrina Santamaria of the United States 6-2, 6-3 in the final on Saturday (U.S. time). The victory marked Chan’s first title of the season and ended a title drought of more than a year. Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching, right, teams up with Japan’s Miyu Kato to win the women’s doubles title at the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) 125 Austin tournament on March 14. Both duos also held serve in the early stages of the second set, but the Taiwan-Japan pair broke serve again in the eighth game. Although their opponents saved two championship points, Chan and Kato remained composed and secured the title with a 6-3 win in the second set -- their first championship together as a pairing.

Venezuela defeat Japan 8-5 to advance to semisAP, MIAMIWilyer Abreu watched the ball leave the park and tossed his bat high in the air. His Venezuela teammates streamed out of the dugout in celebration. The comeback was on and the win over the reigning World Baseball Classic (WBC) champion Japan was within reach. The inside-the-park home run was the first by a Boston player in Fenway Park since Jacoby Ellsbury in 2011. On Saturday, in a game with much higher stakes, Abreu said the team fed off the energy of the Venezuelan fans.

WHERE IS THE BUDGET, KMT? All Taiwan needs is the budget,” Wen says. If the KMT budget passes, they will not have to face the asymmetric weapons of the type the US is facing against Iran. She has positioned herself as a moderate on defense, recently saying she was concerned that the KMT’s obstruction of the defense budget could affect US-Taiwan relations. There may be quiet meetings with US officials, who may ask her pointed questions about the KMT’s defense budget stance.

Pegatron eyes 10-fold AI server growthHEADWINDS: The company said it expects its computer business, as well as consumer electronics and communications segments to see revenue declines due to seasonality Pegatron Corp (和碩) yesterday said it aims to grow its artificial intelligence (AI) server revenue more than 10-fold this year from last year, driven by orders from neocloud solutions clients and large cloud service providers. The electronics manufacturing service provider said AI server revenue growth would be driven primarily by the Nvidia Corp GB300 server platform. Server shipments are expected to increase each quarter this year, with the second half likely to outperform the first half, it said. The AI server market is expected to broaden this year as more inference applications emerge, which would drive demand for system-on-chip, application-specific integrated circuitsBy Meryl Kao

Trump’s war jolts global central banksDAMAGE REPORT: Global central banks are assessing war-driven inflation risks as the law of unintended consequences careens around the world, spiking oil pricesBloombergCentral banks from Washington to London and from Jakarta to Taipei are about to make their first assessments of economic damage after more than two weeks of conflict between the US and Iran. Officials at the European Central Bank (ECB) are widely anticipated to keep the deposit rate unchanged on Thursday. However, the Middle East crisis has all but dislodged the central bank’s policy from the “good place” that ECB President Christine Lagarde and colleagues claimed to inhabit. However, its central bank is unlikely to raise rates on Thursday after recent inflation stayed well below 2 percent. Instead, the central bank is expected to revise up its GDP and inflation forecasts, DBS Bank Ltd said.

Japan, South Korea share volatile currency concernsReuters, TOKYO and SEOULJapan and South Korea expressed concern on Saturday about rapid declines in their currencies, saying they were ready to act against excessive foreign-exchange volatility. Japanese Minister of Finance Satsuki Katayama and South Korean Minister of Economy and Finance Koo Yun-cheol “expressed serious concern over the sharp depreciation of the Korean won and the Japanese yen,” they said in a statement after their annual meeting in Tokyo. South Korean won, Chinese yuan and Japanese yen notes are seen on US notes in this picture illustration taken in 2015. The greenback is benefiting as traders curb expectations for how much the US Federal Reserve might cut borrowing costs this year in the face of rising inflation concerns. The won breached a psychological barrier of 1,500 won to 1 US dollar this month for the first time since 2009.