SoftBank increases its stake in OpenAI to 11 percentAFP, TOKYOJapanese tech investor Softbank Group Corp yesterday said that its stake in OpenAI is now about 11 percent after completing the second stage of a US$41 billion investment in the maker of ChatGPT. Having made colossal profits as well as losses on previous investments, flamboyant founder Masayoshi Son has pivoted Softbank toward artificial intelligence (AI). The company in April announced its planned investment of up to US$40 billion in OpenAI. A man walks past a Softbank sign in Tokyo on Nov. 11. Softbank and OpenAI, with Oracle Corp, are also leading the US$500 billion Stargate project to build AI infrastructure in the US.

Manila ‘warmly welcomes’ Taiwan recruitment center‘ABUSIVE’ PRACTICES: Most migrant workers in Taiwan are recruited through brokers, and they pay expenses to brokers in their home countries before employmentStaff writer, with CNAThe Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) on Tuesday said it “warmly welcomes” Taiwan’s plan to set up its first cross-border recruitment center in the Philippines to enable Taiwanese employers to directly hire Philippine migrant workers. “This initiative reflects the growing partnership between the Philippines and Taiwan and marks an important step toward more ethical, transparent and worker-centered recruitment,” office Chairwoman and Resident Representative Corazon Avecilla-Padiernos said in a statement. MECO serves as the Philippines’ de facto embassy in Taiwan in the absence of official diplomatic ties. The Ministry of Labor’s logo is displayed at the ministry in Taipei in an undated photograph. Although the recruitment center has yet to open, Minister of Labor Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) on Friday last week said that the ministry has a special task force in place to take applications for workers from Taiwanese employers starting today.

NIA halts use of facial recognition system over concernsBy Yang Shih-yi and Jason Pan / Staff reportersThe National Immigration Agency (NIA) has suspended the use of a face recognition system developed by domestic firm Papago Inc (研勤科技), citing reports of alleged data theft and national security breaches due to the use of China-made components. Taipei-based Papago is a major manufacturer of navigation tools, vehicle camcorders, and facial recognition systems, and is listed on the TAIEX. Photo: Taipei TimesChinese-language Mirror Media on Tuesday published a report based on insider sources’ accounts saying that the company’s facial recognition systems use China-made motherboards and software resulting in data leaks. Papago chairman Jian Liang-yih (簡良益) yesterday in a public statement said that the firm’s facial recognition system is developed domestically and it conducts an internal testing before the release of its products. The ministry added that “besides the NIA, other agencies of the ministry and the Ministry of Economic Affairs have installed the system.”

Brokers freeze orders for Chinese military stocksBloombergTaiwanese brokers are to stop taking buy orders for shares and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) linked to Chinese military companies, a Taiwan Securities Association spokesperson said yesterday. The measure applies to stocks and ETFs traded through the Shanghai or Shenzhen stock connect links, the spokesperson said. A man holds a phone displaying stock market information at the Taiwan Stock Exchange Corp headquarters in Taipei on May 6 last year. The move would affect less than 0.5 percent of Taiwanese investors’ overall exposure to foreign stocks, the FSC said. The announcement comes at a sensitive time, with China appearing to have just wrapped up the large-scale military drills.

Gender equality and the climateBy Sutandra SinghaClimate change escalates its impacts through inequalities, with one such being gender. Hence, it is necessary to establish a connection between the sustainable development goals involving gender equality and climate action. In India, gender issues and climate vulnerability are deeply interrelated. These issues indicate that the direct execution of climate programs tailored for women is an urgent need. To prevent the occurrence of detrimental oversights, climate projects should incorporate gender-responsive budgeting, collect sex-disaggregated data and conduct gender assessments.

Taiwan market closes out year at historic highAI TECH WAVE: Strong demand from local suppliers supporting the construction and expansion of AI data centers boosted stocks greatly, an analyst saidBy Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterTaiwan’s stock market yesterday closed out Taiwan’s stock market yesterday closed out the year at a historic high, with the benchmark TAIEX closing at 28,963.60 points on the final trading day of 2025. The performance placed Taiwan among the world’s top-performing markets and pushed the market capitalization of all companies listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange to a record NT$94.36 trillion (US$3 trillion) at the end of the year, up about NT$20.46 trillion from a year earlier, Taiwan Stock Exchange data showed. A woman stands in front of an electronic stock board at the Taiwan Stock Exchange in Taipei yesterday. The stock ended the year at a record NT$1,550, up 44.18 percent annually, adding NT$12.31 trillion in market value and contributing 3,813 points to the TAIEX, exchange data showed. Global and local securities houses remain generally bullish on Taiwan equities, projecting that the TAIEX could challenge new record highs.

Exercises timed to hurt US credibility: analystsAWKWARD TIMING: Holding the drills during the US holiday period ‘ensured Washington would struggle to coordinate an immediate reply,’ one US analyst saidStaff writer, with CNAChina’s military exercises around Taiwan this week were deliberately timed and framed to provoke only a minimal response from the US, hurt US credibility and punish Taiwan for buying weapons from Washington, US-based analysts said on Tuesday. The flags of Taiwan and the US are pictured at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei on March 27, 2018. Second, Fedasiuk said the exercises were “timed to provoke minimum US response.”Holding the drills during the US holiday period “ensured Washington would struggle to coordinate an immediate reply,” Fedasiuk said. The exercises also allowed the PLA to prepare for a potential military campaign against Taiwan, he added. Trump on Monday said he was aware of the exercises, but not concerned, adding that China has conducted naval drills in the region for years.

High Court upholds Ma’s acquittalBy Yang Hsin-hui and Hollie Younger / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe High Court yesterday upheld a not-guilty verdict for three defendants, including former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), in connection with a case involving the sale of three media companies by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) that resulted in significant losses. Former president Ma Ying-jeou, center, is pictured at the High Court in Taipei on Sept. 9 last year. Charges were brought against three defendants: Ma, former Central Investment chairman Chang Che-chen (張哲琛) and former general manager Wang Hai-ching (汪海清). The High Court also upheld his verdict. The case has been in litigation for seven years, with more than three years of High Court proceedings, and the six defendants have denied any wrongdoing throughout the proceedings.

Air quality improved slightly last year, ministry saysBy Sam Garcia / Staff writer, with CNATaiwan’s average PM2.5 concentration was 12.6 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m3) last year, showing that overall air quality has improved slightly from 2024, the Ministry of Environment said yesterday. The average PM2.5 concentration last year as of Dec. 3 was 12.6mg/m3, slightly better than 12.8mg/m3 the previous year, the ministry told a news conference. Deputy Minister of Environment Hsieh Yein-rui, second right, and other officials hold placards at a news conference at the ministry in Taipei yesterday. Such particulates are a key component of air pollution and a known cause of many health issues, including cardiovascular and neurological diseases. On Jan. 26, the ministers of environment, and health and welfare are planning to meet with the National Climate Change and Healthy Taiwan Promotion committees to discuss air pollution and health, and to promote air quality management in schools, he said.

118 Taipei attack ‘copycat’ cases are under investigationStaff Writer, with CNACross-party lawmakers on Wednesday expressed concern over possible copycat incidents following a fatal stabbing attack in Taipei earlier this month, as police and prosecutors detailed efforts to counter online misinformation, threats and imitation during a Legislative Yuan committee session. Liao Tsung-hung (廖宗宏), a chief administrator at the National Police Agency’s Criminal Investigation Bureau, said the bureau had so far investigated 118 reported cases since the fatal attack and have uncovered 23 potential cases of criminality involving 22 suspects. Armed police patrol in Taipei Railway Station on Dec. 22 last year, after a fatal stabbing attack happened in Taipei earlier the same month. Wu said Taipei’s Beitou District was also mentioned following December’s attack and is currently “on alert,” adding that police previously traced IP addresses to Vietnam. Liao said the cases are still under investigation and that police will issue follow-up reports.

Conflicting, overlapping accounts of Lena Wu — or someone who resembles her — appear throughout the patchwork of narratives, in the ultimate, goose-bump instance, impossibly cutting across generations. Here, we learn that the forthcoming text was a Chinese-language manuscript found among the father’s personal effects after his death. Given the need to travel to China, at considerable risk, through third countries, there cannot have been many such cases. Tasked by the father/manuscript author with producing a book on the circumstances of Uncle Rafael’s death, she embodies the blurred lines of literary fiction. In a lengthy passage from her short story collection, she recalls on the risks of writing during Mao’s crackdown on bourgeois elements.

Teams in Africa Cup of Nations last-16 setAP, RABATTanzania and Tunisia on Tuesday secured the last two available spots in the Africa Cup of Nations last-16, completing the lineup before half of the groups had concluded their final games. Tunisia’s Naim Sliti, left, and Ibrahim Hamad of Tanzania vie for the ball during their Group C Africa Cup of Nations match at Stade Prince Moulay Abdellah in Rabat on Tuesday. The four best third-placed teams from the six groups progress, along with the top two in each. Nigeria’s Calvin Bassey, top, and Uche Ikpeazu of Uganda vie for the ball during their Group C Africa Cup of Nations match at Fez Stadium in Fes, Morocco, on Tuesday. In Group C, Nigeria were already sure of topping the group before their 3-1 win over Uganda on Tuesday.

Japanese female lawmakers petition for more restroomsAFP, TOKYONearly 60 female lawmakers in Japan, including Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, have submitted a petition calling for more toilets in the National Diet Building to match their improved representation. Although the number of female politicians rose in the last election — and despite Takaichi becoming the first female prime minister in October — Japanese politics remains massively male-dominated. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a ceremony at the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Tuesday. The entire lower house building has 12 men’s restrooms with 67 stalls and nine women’s facilities with 22 cubicles, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported. Seventy-two of 465 lower house lawmakers are women, up from 45 in the previous parliament, as are 74 of the 248 upper house members.

NT dollar rose 4.27% against US dollar in 2025, highest in 5 yearsStaff writer, with CNAThe New Taiwan dollar rose over 4 percent against the US dollar last year, marking its largest gains against the greenback in the past five years. Yesterday, the last trading session of 2025, the US dollar rose NT$0.01 to close at NT$31.438 against the NT dollar. For the year, the US dollar fell by NT$1.343, or 4.27 percent, from the end of 2024, when it hit a 9-year-high of NT$32.781 against the NT dollar. New Taiwan dollar and US dollar banknotes are pictured in Taipei on Nov. 17 last year. In total, the NT dollar moved between a high of NT$29 and a low of NT$33 against the US dollar last year, showing significant volatility.

EDITORIAL: Managing the plastics problemThe Ministry of Environment on Monday announced new plastic-reduction targets, including proposed restrictions on plastic wrapping for e-commerce and retail products. Measures could include banning polyvinyl chloride containers, promoting packaging-free shopping and encouraging the adoption of reusable packaging. A large majority — roughly 80 to 90 percent — of plastic waste is either sent to landfill or wantonly discarded, entering the environment. Although reducing non-recyclable plastics is a necessary goal, reuse schemes alone are unlikely to achieve the scale required to significantly reduce plastic waste. Sharing such innovations would not only enhance the nation’s standing on the global stage, but also help address the growing problem of plastic waste.