Monthly births hit record low as population falls for 26th monthBy Sam Garcia / Staff writer, with CNAMonthly births fell below 7,000 for the first time last month, marking the 26th consecutive month that Taiwan’s population has decreased, Ministry of the Interior data showed. There were 6,523 births last month, a decrease of 2,200 births compared with January, showing a 25.2 percent drop. As of the end of last month, Taiwan’s population was 23,280,273. The largest population declines were in Kinmen County at 2.5 percent, Lienchiang County (Matsu) at 1.96 percent and Taipei at 1.87 percent. The lowest were Keelung at 2.54 per 1,000, Tainan at 2.85 per 1,000 and Lienchiang County at 2.87 per 1,000.

Legislative speaker Chiang meets former Australian PMStaff writer, with CNADeputy Legislative Speaker Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) visited former Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull yesterday, the Legislative Yuan said today. Turnbull welcomed Chiang and expressed support for Chiang's proposed "3D" principles of deterrence, dialogue and democracy for maintaining regional peace and stability, the legislature said in a statement. Deputy Legislative Speaker Johnny Chiang, center, poses with former Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, left, in Australia yesterday. Photo courtesy of the Legislative Yuan via CNATurnbull agreed that maintaining communication could help reduce misunderstandings and create opportunities to ease tensions, the statement said. Later the same day, Chiang visited the US Studies Centre at the University of Sydney, the statement said.

Taiwan moves up one spot to 31st in passport rankingsStaff writerTaiwan moved up one spot from last month to rank as the 31st most powerful passport globally, the latest Henley Passport Index ranking showed today. Singapore topped the list once again, with its citizens enjoying visa-free access to 192 destinations. Taiwan ranked 31st globally with visa-free access to 134 destinations. In second place was a tie between Japan, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates with visa-free access to 187 destinations, followed by Sweden in third with 186. Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Norway, Spain and Switzerland were tied for fourth place, boasting visa-free entry to 185 destinations.

Guam, Kaohsiung sign sister-city agreementStaff writer, with CNAVisiting Guam Governor Lourdes A Leon Guerrero signed a sister-city agreement with Kaohsiung during her current visit to Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today. As part of an eight-day visit that concludes tomorrow, Guerrero traveled to Kaohsiung on Thursday last week to sign a sister-city agreement with Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁). Guam Governor Lourdes A Leon Guerrero, left, holds up a sister-city agreement with Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai in the city on Thursday last week. Photo courtesy of the Kaohsiung City Government via CNAYesterday, she attended a welcome banquet hosted by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍), during which she said the sister-city partnership between Guam and Kaohsiung aims to strengthen ties through "city diplomacy." Lin welcomed Guerrero's visit, saying that Taiwan and Guam share a "deep Austronesian cultural heritage" and are steadfast democratic partners committed to safeguarding regional peace and stability.

Investigators rule out alcohol in Nantou bus crashBy Hollie Younger / Staff writer, with CNAInvestigators today determined that the driver of a tourist shuttle bus that plunged into a ravine in Nantou County yesterday afternoon was not drinking, after finding he had a blood alcohol content of zero. Investigators today take photographs of a tourist shuttle bus that fell down a ravine in Nantou County. The accident occurred at an elevation of 1,600m near the flower center of the Sun-Link-Sea Forest Recreation Area of Nantou County. After the incident, investigators from the Nantou District Prosecutors’ Office and the Nantou County Police Department conducted a preliminary investigation. The recreation area has suspended all shuttle bus services until the cause of the crash is determined.

‘Hai Kun’ begins fifth submerged sea trialBy Fion Khan / Staff writer, with CNATaiwan’s indigenous defense submarine prototype, the Hai Kun (海鯤), or Narwhal, today conducted its fifth submerged sea trial, drawing military enthusiasts to Kaohsiung Harbor. Today marked the submarine’s 11th sea trial and its fifth submergence test. Military enthusiasts take photographs as the Hai Kun submarine sails out to sea from Kaohsiung Harbor this morning. Recent tests have focused on calibration and optimization following the first four dive trials, he said, adding that sonar performance is particularly important. CSBC Corp, Taiwan last month released the first video documenting the submerged sea trials of the submarine, showing underwater navigation and the launch of countermeasures.

The HIMARS case is particularly time-sensitive and starting the schedule earlier would allow the systems to be obtained sooner, he said. Photo: Cheng I-hwa, AFPThe 82 HIMARS at a cost of US$4.05 billion were included in a US$11.1 billion arms package the US approved for Taiwan on Dec. 17. Taiwan has now received LOAs for four out of five of these items. The Ministry of National Defense previously said it had received LOAs for the TOW missiles, Javelin anti-armor missiles and M109A7 self-propelled howitzers. Taiwan has ordered four MQ-9B surveillance drones from the US, originally scheduled for delivery last year.

Guangfu mayor released on NT$1m bail over flood disasterStaff writer, with CNAThe Hualien District Court last night released Guangfu Township (光復) Mayor Lin Ching-shui (林清水) on NT$1 million (US$31,425) bail, on the condition that he wear an electronic monitoring device. Cars are inundated by floodwaters in Hualien County’s Guangfu Township on Sept. 23 last year. Prosecutors charged the three officials with causing a catastrophe through dereliction of duty, negligent manslaughter and falsification of evacuation figures. Lin failed to take command of emergency response operations after warnings were issued about a potential disaster, prosecutors said. Lin had been held in detention since Jan. 15 over concerns that he could collude with accomplices or witnesses or attempt to flee.

Cold air mass pushes temperatures downStaff writer, with CNAA continental cold air mass is driving temperatures around Taiwan lower, with lows expected to remain between 12°C and 14°C today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Due to the cold air mass, the CWA issued a "yellow" cold surge advisory for New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Miaoli County and the outlying Kinmen County, indicating temperatures in those areas could dip below 10°C. Photo: Taipei TimesThe cold surge alert is expected to stay in effect into tomorrow morning, the CWA said. Wu said the cold air mass was expected to weaken tomorrow morning and cloudy to sunny skies were expected to return to most of Taiwan tomorrow and on Thursday, with brief showers possible in the east. He said another wave of cold, but relatively dry air is expected to set in on Thursday night, bringing Taiwan chilly but dry weather conditions through Friday.

Ministry spends NT$151m to support bilingual studyBy Rachel Lin and Sam Garcia / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe Ministry of Education distributed NT$151 million (US$4.73 million) to 271 high schools nationwide last year to support bilingual education. Students at Taichung Municipal Wen-Hua Senior High School take part in an English presentation competition in an undated photograph. Photo courtesy of the Ministry of EducationThey are also encouraged to design diverse, engaging and life-oriented bilingual learning activities, he added. At Affiliated Taoyuan Agricultural and Industrial Senior High School of National Taipei University of Technology, students give visiting international guests campus tours in English, the ministry said. The ministry is to collect schools’ experiences to improve policies aimed at expanding bilingual learning in high schools, Yeh said.

Fake AI satellite imagery spurs war disinformationUS-iRAN WAR: The rise of generative AI has turbocharged the ability of state actors and propagandists to fabricate convincing satellite imagery during major conflictsAFP, WASHINGTONThe satellite image posted by an Iranian news outlet looked real: a devastated US base in Qatar. OSINT came as a solution, using public satellite imagery to circumvent the censorship” inside countries like Iran, Hagin said. Reports of fake satellite imagery created or edited using AI also followed the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the four-day war between India and Pakistan last year. ‘CRITICAL AWARENESS’“Manipulated satellite imagery, like other forms of misinformation, can have real-world impacts when people act on the information they come across without verifying its authenticity,” Africk said. The company’s own satellite imagery helped confirm that the photos were fake, almost certainly generated using AI, Vantor’s Tomi Maxted said.

Agency urges returning fans to follow food rulesSTAY INFORMED: Travelers can add the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency on Line to search what items are prohibited and to stay abreast of rule changesBy Yang Yuan-ting / Staff reporterThe Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency yesterday urged Taiwanese travelers to review quarantine regulations before buying food products to bring back. With many Taiwanese traveling to Taiwan for the World Baseball Classic in Tokyo, the agency reminded them not to bring meat, or fresh fruit or vegetables back to Taiwan. Japan remains the top destination for Taiwanese travelers, and the Tokyo Dome has been packed the past few days with Taiwanese fans passionately cheering for the national team, who beat South Korea in their last game in Tokyo on Sunday. People found carrying pork products from areas affected by African swine fever would be fined NT$200,000, even first-time offenders. Recent inspections showed that the majority of people fined for carrying prohibited quarantine items are travelers aged 50 or older, mostly returning from China, Hong Kong and Macau, the agency said.

Premier Cho’s trip to Japan sparks controversyBy Lin Hsin-han / Staff reporterThe Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday demanded that the Executive Yuan provide an explanation regarding the chartered plane Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) took to watch a World Baseball Classic (WBC) game in Tokyo on Saturday. Cho on Sunday said it was a personal itinerary for which he paid out of pocket on his day off. Photo: Lin Cheng-kun, Taipei TimesKMT Deputy Secretary-General Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) yesterday said local media reported Cho took a chartered plane — Airbus A321neo, No. “If it was purely a private trip, then how can the plane take off from the ROCAF Songshan Base Command? How much money did the chartered plane cost, and where did the money come from?” he asked.

Iran war strengthens the US’ hand, academics sayStaff writer, with CNATaiwanese academics yesterday said that US military actions in Venezuela and Iran have strengthened Washington’s hand ahead of US President Donald Trump’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), but their interpretations on the implications for Taiwan differed. Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, and US President Donald Trump attend a welcoming ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Nov. 9, 2017. “The implication is very clear: The Iran war can in effect be seen as a form of US pressure on China,” Fu said. The two academics had slightly different views on how the edge they felt the US had going into the Trump-Xi meeting would affect Taiwan. However, the US position on cross-strait relations remains “very clear” in opposing any “unilateral change of the status quo,” he added.

Two million attend lantern festival on its first weekendBy Shelley Shan / Staff reporterTwo million people visited the Taiwan Lantern Festival in Chiayi County on its first weekend, the organizer said, leading to limited shuttle bus availability and spurring the Tourism Administration yesterday to encourage people to visit on a weekday to avoid overcrowding. People visit the Taiwan Lantern Festival in Chiayi County on Friday. Meanwhile, the Tourism Administration urged visitors to visit the lantern festival on weekdays to avoid the peak crowds typically seen on weekends. This surge in lantern festival visitors has also boosted local tourism and consumer activity, it added. Weekend occupancy rates at hotels and guesthouses near the lantern festival venue — particularly in Chiayi County’s Puzih City (朴子) and Taibao — have reached 95 to 100 percent respectively.