Canada, India agree on critical minerals, uraniumAFP, NEW DELHIIndia and Canada yesterday reached a string of agreements, including on critical mineral cooperation and a “landmark” uranium supply deal for nuclear power, the countries’ leaders said in New Delhi. The pacts, which also covered technology and promoting the use of renewable energy, were announced after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney hailed a fresh start in the relationship between their nations. “In civil nuclear energy, we have struck a landmark deal for long-term uranium supply,” Modi said, adding that the countries would also work together on small modular reactors and advanced reactors. “As India seeks access to critical minerals for its manufacturing, its clean-tech and its nuclear plants, Canada’s resource base and world-leading companies position it as a strategic partner,” he said. The two countries last year agreed to resume negotiations on a proposed free-trade deal, the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement.

No snags from Iran attacks: Australia F1 headReuters, MelbourneAustralian Grand Prix head Travis Auld anticipates no impact on the upcoming Formula One season-opener in Melbourne from the travel issues caused by the conflict in the Middle East. The US and Israeli attack on Iran was followed by retaliatory strikes across the Gulf States, throttling air traffic through the region. People walk through a Williams F1 team fan zone in Melbourne`s central business district yesterday, ahead of the season-opening Australian Formula One Grand Prix. Photo: AFP“No doubts the events of the weekend have thrown out the travel plans for the teams and F1 themselves,” Auld told Fox Sports on Monday. But it’s certainly been a busy 48 hours, particularly for F1,” Auld said.

Six months after the initial implementation of the US’ reciprocal tariff policy, uncertainty remains. Comparatively, the tariff provisions of ART are more favorable than the previous reciprocal tariff arrangement and the current 15 percent global tariff rate. Without ART, Taiwan would likely continue facing persistent demands to open markets for rice, pork, beef and other products. At the very least, the 27 important agricultural categories would face no further pressure to liberalize in the near term. Had it not been for the window of opportunity created by Trump’s tariff storm, it is unlikely Taipei would have concluded a Taiwan-US trade agreement within 10 months.

Iran’s impact on US-China meetingBy Tzou Jiing-wen 鄒景雯When the flames of war leapt from the Caribbean coast of Caracas to the Alborz Mountains overlooking Tehran, the geopolitical map began its most brutal reshuffling since the end of the Cold War. Only weeks earlier, Peking University academic Wang Jisi (王緝思) and US-China academic David M. Lampton had published a striking essay in Foreign Affairs. Timed conspicuously ahead of the Trump-Xi meeting, the article floated a bold proposition: Capitalize on Trump’s transactional instincts. Through satellite intelligence sharing and counter-stealth radar technologies, China helped strengthen Iran’s deterrent posture under sanctions pressure. Therefore, the Trump–Xi meeting later this month is unlikely to resemble the G2-style distribution of spoils some in Beijing envisioned.

The violence came after the US and Israel attacked Iran, killing its supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. People attend the funeral of victims of violent protests outside the US consulate in Karachi, Pakistan, on Sunday. “Pakistan stands with the Iranian nation in this moment of grief and shares in their loss,” he said. Summaiya Syed Tariq, a police surgeon at the city’s main government hospital, confirmed six bodies and multiple injured people were brought to the facility. Protesters also held a peaceful rally in Multan, a city in Punjab province, chanting slogans against Israel and the US.

People take cover on the ground in Beit Shemesh, Israel, yesterday as sirens sound near the site of a fatal Iranian missile strike on Sunday. In Israel, where several locations were hit by Iranian missiles, 11 people were killed. The Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group also targeted Israel, which responded with strikes on Lebanon, killing more than two dozen people. Rescue services in Israel said several locations have been hit by Iranian missiles, including Jerusalem and a synagogue in Beit Shemesh. Iran’s proxies were a chief concern for US and Israeli officials before they moved ahead with strikes over the weekend.

Lithuania’s Taiwan policy unclearBy Michele MarescaLithuania, led by Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene, is considering a definitive shift in its strategy toward China. Such a change would require a significant scaling back of its relations with Taiwan. In this context, Ruginiene’s main focus has been the issue of Taiwan’s diplomatic representation office in Lithuania — the only one within the EU to include “Taiwan” in the name. “I don’t see any reasons why, for example, it could not be called the Taipei Representative Office. “Taiwan and Lithuania are important partners that share the values of freedom and democracy,” ministry spokesman Hsiao Kuang-wei (蕭光偉) said.

World Cup prices skyrocket ahead of startAFP, WASHINGTONFrom almost US$900 for the opening game to more thanUS$8,000 for the final, match tickets are hardly affordable for the World Cup, which begins in North America in 100 days. Cyclists pass the Akron Stadium, one of the host venues for the upcoming FIFA World Cup, in Guadalajara, Mexico, on Sunday. There are 104 matches scheduled for this expanded World Cup, the first ever to feature 48 teams, and ticket prices have soared for the most in-demand games. FIFA president Gianni Infantino insists ticket prices are simply a consequence of the huge demand. The price of parking is extortionary at many World Cup stadiums, which are often situated well away from the downtown areas of host cities.

Belgian Minister of Defense Theo Francken said the tanker was escorted to the port of Zeebrugge after being intercepted in Belgium’s exclusive economic zone. The Belgian army intercepts and boards the oil tanker Ethera in the North Sea off Zeebrugge, Belgium, on Sunday. Footage of the operation posted online by Macron showed Belgian forces rappelling down from the aircraft to board the ship. Sanctions aimed at limiting Moscow’s revenues used to pursue its war have shut out many tankers carrying Russian oil from Western insurance and shipping systems. It was revealed last month that two employees of a Russian private security company were aboard another suspected Russian “shadow fleet” tanker seized by France in September last year.

EDITORIAL: Taiwan growing, but not spendingTaiwan’s current account surplus in the fourth quarter of last year increased from US$36.02 billion a year earlier to US$69.93 billion, a record high, data released by the central bank show. Last year, Taiwan registered a current account surplus of US$181.14 billion, as the goods trade surplus reached an all-time high of US$176.05 billion, the data showed. The DGBAS has said that the excess savings rate is estimated to jump to 26.03 percent this year from 19.61 percent last year. Some critics have long viewed excess savings as idle funds and say an increase in excess savings reflects weakening domestic consumption and investment. That implies two things: First, even though investment momentum is not weakening, particularly in the semiconductor industry, domestic investment growth does lag behind export growth.

However, in the case of Iran, Trump has called for regime change — but without preparing the ground for it. This is the lesson of Germany and Japan after World War II, and Panama, Iraq and Afghanistan more recently. Here the parallel is to the 2003 Iraq War, another preventive war of choice in the region that cost the US enormously. He might also have been tempted to achieve something historic in Iran — regime change — that eluded his predecessors. He might still succeed, but as a rule, regime change is easier called for than successfully carried out.

Lai hopes to deepen semiconductor alliance with USBy Chen Yun / Staff reporterPresident William Lai (賴清德) yesterday expressed hope that Taiwan and the US would deepen cooperation and become comprehensive strategic partners in driving the future of artificial intelligence (AI). Lai made the remarks when meeting with the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) delegation at the Presidential Office. President William Lai, right, and Semiconductor Industry Association president John Neuffer, left, raise their cups during their meeting at the Presidential Office in Taipei yesterday. In the face of intensifying global semiconductor competition, Taiwan, as one of the world’s semiconductor hubs, would uphold the principles of “pragmatism, openness and mutual trust,” he said. SIA president John Neuffer expressed optimism about ongoing Taiwan-US semiconductor cooperation and commended Taiwan’s commitment to expanding semiconductor production capacity in the US.

The government also raised its travel warnings for several Middle East nations affected by the ongoing conflict. The Cabinet meets at the Executive Yuan in Taipei yesterday. As of yesterday, the travel plans of 2,059 Taiwanese had been disrupted since Saturday. The Tourism Administration said it has asked travel agencies to arrange meals and accommodation for tourists who were not able to return in the short term. Two Emirates flights from Taipei to Dubai and one Etihad Airways flight from Taipei to Abu Dhabi were canceled yesterday, Taoyuan International Airport Corp said.

Bad weather scrubs WBC warm-up game in JapanStaff writer with CNA, Miyazaki, JapanTeam Taiwan’s warm-up game against a Japanese professional farm team yesterday morning was canceled due to poor weather, as the squad continued to prepare for the upcoming World Baseball Classic (WBC). Team Taiwan was scheduled to face the Orix Buffaloes’ farm team at Sokken Stadium in Miyazaki, Kyushu. The cancelation of the warm-up game means that Team Taiwan has only one opportunity to fine-tune their play with the full roster, in a game today against the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks’ farm team. Photo: CNATaiwan play their first WBC game against Australia at the Tokyo Dome at 11am on Thursday. After the opener against Australia, Taiwan play Samurai Japan on Friday evening, the Czech Republic on Saturday morning, and South Korea on Sunday morning.

The powerful are more desperate to silence journalistsBy Janine di GiovanniA friend wrote to me last week to tell me that my name appeared in the Epstein files. Epstein was not a household name in those days, but one can only assume Rod-Larsen knew about his alleged Mossad connections. Last year, Palestinians in Gaza accounted for more than half of all journalists killed globally. In Mexico — the second-most deadly country for journalists after Palestine — reporters are hunted down by criminal organizations. Janine di Giovanni is a war correspondent and the executive director of The Reckoning Project, a war crimes unit in Ukraine, Sudan and Gaza.