March remembering the Tibetan uprising happening SaturdayRESISTANCE: The March 10 uprising is commemorated to remind the world that authoritarian expansion would not stop on its own, Kelsang Gyaltsen Bawa saidStaff writer, with CNAAn annual march commemorating the 1959 Tibetan uprising, the themes of which would be religious reincarnation, autonomy and resistance to transnational repression, is to take place in Taipei on Saturday, organizers said yesterday. Chinese authorities are trying to control the recognition of the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation, not out of respect for Tibetan Buddhism, nor for the Dalai Lama himself, “but because they are unable to truly control the faith and spiritual strength of the Tibetan people,” he said. Organizers of the annual march commemorating the 1959 Tibetan uprising hold a news conference outside the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday. The uprising was brutally suppressed, which led to the Dalai Lama’s exile to India and about 150,000 Tibetans fled into exile, the Human Rights Network for Tibet and Taiwan said. Since 2004, Tibetans in Taiwan and local non-governmental organizations have held an annual march in Taipei in early March to commemorate Tibetan Uprising Day.

The amendments were meant to increase protections, not make the process more complicated, Garden of Hope Foundation CEO Wang Yue-hao (王玥好) said. Photo: Chen Chih-cheng, Taipei TimesThe number of sexual harassment complaints has increased significantly over the past two years, with general sexual harassment cases rising from 2,650 in 2023 to 3,839 in 2024 — up about 45 percent, Wang said. Confirmed cases of campus sexual harassment rose 8 percent from 4,863 to 5,241, she said. There were 1,577 reports of workplace sexual harassment in the year the relevant legislation took effect, she added. The amendments are designed to support victims, but there are still gaps in the law, Fan said.

Prize money offered to misdirected runnersReutersThree athletes who were led off course when leading the US half marathon championship will receive compensation after organizers said police assigned to mark out the route had to leave their positions to respond to an emergency call. The Atlanta Track Club on Tuesday said it would award first-place prize money to Jess McClain, who was comfortably leading the women’s race ahead of Ednah Kurgat and Emma Hurley when the guide vehicle took the trio off the main course. Hurley and Kurgat will split the combined winnings for second and third place as they were shoulder-to-shoulder when they left the race course, it added. The US’ Jess McClain, right, participates in the women’s marathon at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo on Sept. 14 last year. The lead vehicle’s driver then followed a police motorcycle off course, believing that the race was being rerouted.

Financier ‘surprised’ by ‘benign’ reaction to warSITUATION UNCLEAR: ‘I think it’s gonna take a couple of weeks for markets to really digest the implications of what has happened,’ the Goldman Sachs chairman saidBloombergGoldman Sachs Group Inc chairman David Solomon said he has been surprised by the “benign” reaction in financial markets to the Middle East conflict, adding that it would take weeks to understand more about the situation. Goldman Sachs Group Inc chairman David Solomon speaks during The Australian Financial Review Business Summit in Sydney yesterday. Still, the Iran war has reverberated across the region, with Israel bombarding Tehran in a fresh wave of strikes. “I look at the market reaction, and I’m actually surprised,” Solomon said. Solomon said he was not surprised to see the VIX Index and other volatility measures climb.

Intel names Barratt as next chairman, replacing Frank YearyBloombergIntel Corp named Craig H. Barratt as its next chairman, putting a tech veteran in the role at a time when the company is trying to reassert its chipmaking prowess. Barratt, who already serves on the board, will replace Frank Yeary in the chairman job after the annual meeting on May 13, Intel said in a statement on Tuesday. The executive, who has a strikingly similar name to former Intel CEO and chairman Craig Barrett, joined the board last year. The Intel Corp logo is pictured on a sign in front of the company’s headquarters on Jan. 22 in Santa Clara, California. Tan, an Intel board veteran himself, is a year into his turnaround bid as CEO.

TSMC aims to complete new Tainan fab in 2028 amid AI-driven expansionStaff writer, with CNATaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) is pressing ahead with plans to build a new fabrication plant at the Southern Taiwan Science Park’s (南部科學園區) Tainan campus, with completion targeted for 2028, as booming global demand for artificial intelligence (AI) chips fuels aggressive capacity expansion, according to company planning documents. The development proposal was posted online for public review on Feb. 12 as part of the environmental impact assessment (EIA) process. People watch an introductory video about silicons, microchips and wafer inside the Museum of Innovation of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co in Hsinchu City on Jan. 29. Photo: Daniel Ceng, APTSMC did not specify whether the Tainan facility will produce chips using its 2-nanometer (2nm) process technology. Due to the heightening geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, TSMC yesterday fell NT$70, or 3.62 percent, to close at NT$1,865 in Taipei trading.

Advantech says Q1 revenue to increaseBy Meryl Kao / Staff reporterIndustrial computer maker Advantech Co (研華) yesterday said revenue this quarter is expected to increase, driven by front-loaded orders from customers amid a shortage of memory chips, as it expressed optimism about full-year performance on the back of strong design wins. North America accounted for 31 percent of the company’s revenue last quarter, followed by China at 21 percent and Europe at 16 percent, he said. The company raised prices by 4 to 8 percent for some products last quarter, Advantech president of embedded president of embedded Internet of Things Miller Chang (張家豪) said. After memory prices surged, the company began reviewing memory module prices every two weeks and system product prices monthly, he said, adding that memory supply remains stable in the short term. Revenue from the company’s edge artificial intelligence business accounted for 20 percent of total revenue and could rise to 30 percent this year, Chen added.

Critical juncture in AI governanceBy Chiang Tai-chin 江泰槿UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres this month announced the first meeting of the new Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence (AI), a body composed of 40 experts selected from nearly 2,700 global applicants. It marked AI governance’s formal entry into a more institutionalized phase. Among the panelists is professor Yutaka Matsuo, chair of Japan’s AI Strategy Council, indicative of Japan’s success in securing a crucial level of power in setting the agenda as the international community begins to form rules for global AI governance. First is that the classification of AI risks might well translate into future technological trade barriers. At this critical juncture in the formation of a global AI governance framework, this would undoubtedly represent a major milestone for smart national policymaking and industrial resilience.

Emirates flight arrives amid travel chaosBy Shelley Shan / Staff reporterAn Emirates flight from Dubai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport yesterday afternoon, the first service of the airline since the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on Saturday. Flight EK366 took off from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at 3:51am yesterday and landed at 4:02pm before taxiing to the airport’s D6 gate at Terminal 2 at 4:08pm, data from the airport and FlightAware, a global flight tracking site, showed. Of the 501 passengers on the flight, 275 were Taiwanese, including 96 group tour travelers, the data showed. Tourism Administration Deputy Director-General Huang He-ting, left, and Taoyuan International Airport Corp chairman Yang Wei-fuu, center, greet people arriving on Emirates Airlines Flight EK366 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport yesterday. As UAE has limited open airspace, business travelers there are advised to leave by boarding Emirates flights when services resume, the ministry said.

SPEAK UP: More hit movies to see amid 2026 Oscar season (1/2) 奧斯卡將揭曉、強片在台上映（上）A: The Oscars are set to take place next weekend. It’s a pity that the Taiwanese film “Left-handed Girl” got snubbed. B: And this year, the horror film “Sinners” broke the all-time record with 16 nominations, followed by “One Battle After Another” with 13 nods. Some of them haven’t been released in Taiwan yet. A: 本屆奧斯卡獎下週即將揭曉，可惜國片《左撇子女孩》未入圍。B: 恐怖片《罪人》共獲得16項提名，打破影史紀錄。《一戰再戰》則獲得13項提名緊追在後，都是最佳影片大熱門！A: 入圍最佳影片的還有哪些啊？B: 入圍的有：《暴蜂尼亞》、《F1電影》、《科學怪人》、《哈姆奈特》、《橫衝直闖》、《這不只是個間諜故事》、《火車大夢》、挪威片《情感的價值》。A: 真是難以決擇，其中好幾部還沒在台灣上映，希望他們能儘快上檔。（By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張迪）

In my bookmark folders, the number of Mirror reports in “Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) scandals” and “Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) scandals” are roughly simila. While writing this column, for example, Mirror Media released reports on DPP Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) having an extramarital affair with a corporate executive. Mirror Media famously ran a string of leaks related to the Core Pacific case, especially related to Ko Wen-je. Mirror Media was doing what news outlets do, but somehow, a very high percentage of leaks of all kinds go to this one outlet. In this case, and many others, it is crucial to remember that a democracy is rule by law, not trial by Mirror Media.

An Oscar race that looked like a runaway may be a close callLate drama in the race means that “One Battle After Another’ still has to work for the winBy Jake Coyle / AP, NEW YORKWho says to beware the Ides of March? But the upside of a prolonged Oscar race has meant some unexpected late drama. Photo: AFPAn Academy Awards that had looked like a runaway might be a close call, after all. But its nearly unblemished record was shaken up at Sunday’s Actor Awards (formerly the SAG Awards), where Sinners took the top prize. And it wasn’t an accident that when Sinners won best ensemble at the Actor Awards, Lindo gave the acceptance speech.

Hsu Jo-hsi to start WBC opener against AustraliaStaff writer, with CNA, TOKYOHsu Jo-hsi is to start today in Taiwan’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) opener against Australia, a game Taiwan have to win if they hope to advance in the tournament, manager Tseng Hao-jiu said yesterday. Taiwan’s Hsu Jo-hsi takes part in a practice session in Tokyo yesterday. During a previous exhibition game between Taiwan and the Hawks in Taipei on Thursday last week, Hsu threw three scoreless innings for the Japanese team. Meanwhile, Australia coach Dave Nilsson said his team is calling on 29-year-old lefty Alex Wells to face Taiwan. After the opener against Australia, Taiwan are to come up against Japan tomorrow evening, the Czech Republic on Saturday morning, and South Korea on Sunday morning.

North Korea unveils a statue of Kim Jong-unAFP, SEOULNorth Korea has unveiled one of its first-known statues of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, using the “highly unusual” sculpture to depict the leader as a smiling man of the people, an analyst told reporters. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un speaks at the Sangwon Cement Complex in North Hwanghae province in North Korea on Sunday. North Korea is dotted with massive statues venerating Kim’s grandfather Kim Il-sung and his father, Kim Jong-il — the first two members of the family dynasty to rule the nation. North Korea releases highly choreographed images to illustrate Kim Jong-un’s absolute grip on power. Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in 2019 gifted North Korea a half-body bust of Kim Jong-un during a visit to Pyongyang.

Japan’s Unification Church loses appealDISSOLUTION: A journalist hailed the decision, as ‘many young people had their lives stolen,’ but warned that a probe into political ties had not been carried outAFP, TOKYOThe Unification Church yesterday lost an appeal against a Japanese court’s order to dissolve the sect, which came under investigation following the assassination of former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe. The Tokyo District Court issued a dissolution order in March last year for the Japanese chapter of the Unification Church, saying it had caused “unprecedented damage” to society. The name and logo of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, widely known as the Unification Church, are pictured at its Japan branch headquarters in Tokyo on Sept. 22, 2022. Investigations after Abe’s murder revealed close ties between the sect and many ruling-party lawmakers, leading to the resignation of four ministers. Since Abe’s murder, the church has pledged to prevent “excessive” member donations.