The city has been promoting “road name diplomacy” since November 2024, naming roads after sister cities in Japan, the US, France, South Korea, Poland and Lithuania. People have mostly been able to accept these road names, and the government selects smaller roads to reduce the impact on residents, he said. People have said that they have never heard of some of these foreign cities, making the road names hard to remember, Tainan City Councilor Chen Pi-yu (陳碧玉) said. The sentiment of road name diplomacy is valuable, but for the public, it is most important that road names are easy to read and remember, Chen said. Road names in Tainan are generally written in English using Tongyong pinyin, while roads named after cities would follow those cities’ official names in English, Lin said.

Taiwanese in LA mark 228 anniversary with children’s eventStaff writer, with CNAThe Taiwanese community in Los Angeles commemorated the 79th anniversary of the 228 Incident over the weekend, with nearly 20 children taking part in a bilingual storytelling session introducing one of Taiwan’s darkest chapters. Taiwanese-American Alina Yang, back row, second right, is pictured at a bilingual storytelling session hosted by the Taiwanese community in Los Angeles on Saturday. Photo: CNAThe 17-year-old Yang was referring to the 228 Incident, a bloody crackdown on protesters and dissenters in 1947 following the brutal beating of a tobacco vendor in Taipei by government agents. It later incorporated children’s picture books recommended by Taiwan’s Transitional Justice Commission to introduce the history of the 228 Incident through storytelling. As one example, he said that when he took his daughter back to Taiwan, she even asked to see where Tianma Tea House -- the site where the 228 Incident started -- had once stood.

Former minister talks Takaichi, TaiwanBy Chen Yu-fu / Staff Reporter, in TokyoThere is no mistake in Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks regarding a “Taiwan contingency,” former Japanese minister of economy, trade and industry Akira Amari said in an recent interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper). Amari said that on the Taiwan issue, the position of the Liberal Democratic Party administration has not changed and would not change. Former Japanese minister of economy, trade and industry Akira Amari gestures during an interview in Tokyo in an undated photograph. “Establishing TSMC production sites outside of Taiwan can help deter Chinese aggression, while enhancing the stability of the global supply chain,” he said. Regarding semiconductors, very few nations are capable of high-end manufacturing — essentially only Taiwan, Japan, the Netherlands and South Korea.

Afghan-Pakistani clashes continueCROSS-BORDER FIRE: Afghan-Pakistani clashes continueAFP, KABULAn explosion followed by successive gunfire were heard in central Kabul yesterday, Agence France-Presse (AFP) journalists reported, with the Taliban government saying Afghan forces were shooting at a fresh incursion by Pakistani aircraft. “Anti-aircraft fire is being directed at Pakistani aircraft in Kabul,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said yesterday, referring to guns being fired overhead. Mosharraf Zaidi, a spokesman for Pakistan’s prime minister, said that gunmen he said were associated with the Pakistani Taliban had attacked a checkpoint in the northwest. “Pakistan’s immediate and effective response to aggression continues,” Zaidi said on Friday, giving a figure of about 300 Afghan soldiers and militants killed. More than 80 Pakistani soldiers were killed and 27 military posts captured, Fitrat said.

Development is its own form of hard powerBy Alexander De CrooThis year’s Munich Security Conference brought plenty of talk about geopolitics, spheres of influence, the future of NATO and defense budgets. Understood in these terms, international development is not just a form of “soft power” (exerting influence through persuasion and attraction). It is hard power — and our most effective pre-emptive strike against future threats. Yes, defense spending matters and increased military investment is a legitimate policy response in today’s world. Development is the ultimate expression of hard power, allowing us to prevent crises that we would otherwise need to respond to.

Takele defends his Tokyo Marathon title in sprint finishAFP, TOKYOEthiopia’s Tadese Takele yesterday defended his Tokyo Marathon title, edging Kenya’s Geoffrey Toroitich in a sprint finish to cross the line in 2 hours, 3 minutes, 37 seconds. “Around 41km I wanted to wait and see what would happen and then I made my move right before the finish.”Ethiopia’s Tadese Takele finishes first in the men’s category of the Tokyo Marathon yesterday. In warm, dry conditions in the Japanese capital, a men’s leading pack including Takele, Toroitich, Mutiso and Kenya’s Daniel Mateiko broke away around the 37km mark. Takele made a late move and managed to stay in front despite a last-gasp challenge from Toroitich. Kosgei, the Tokyo Marathon champion and Olympic silver medalist in 2021, has said she would compete for Turkey at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

Taiwan’s Lin fights into WTT Singapore finalStaff writer, with CNATaiwan’s top men’s table tennis player Lin Yun-ju yesterday advanced to his first Grand Smash men’s singles final after defeating Sweden’s Truls Moregard in six games at the WTT Singapore Smash. Taiwan’s Lin Yun-ju talks to reporters at the WTT Singapore Smash yesterday. Photo: CNALin entered yesterday’s match in excellent form, having already secured the 100th win of his career in the quarter-finals of the WTT Singapore Smash. In the opening game, Lin excelled in mid-to-long rallies, winning 11-7. After four ties and a time-out by Moregard, Lin won another close game 12-10 to take a 3-0 lead in games.

Doncic shines as Lakers cruise past WarriorsAFP, LOS ANGELESLuka Doncic on Saturday marked his birthday with 26 points as the Los Angeles Lakers boosted their playoff hopes with a 129-101 drubbing of the depleted Golden State Warriors. Doncic rattled in four three-pointers with six rebounds and eight assists in a dominant Lakers win at San Francisco’s Chase Center. LeBron James backed Doncic with a 22-point haul, while Austin Reaves finished with 18 points to give the Lakers a morale-boosting victory after three consecutive losses. The Los Angeles Lakers’ Luka Doncic, left, drives past the Golden State Warriors’ Nate Williams during their NBA game in San Francisco on Saturday. So that was a great win,” added Doncic, who turned 27 on Saturday.

EDITORIAL: Unclear advice spreads diseaseThe Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on Tuesday last week reported that it observed a growing trend of diarrhea cases from the beginning of this year, and with schools opening and people returning to work after the Lunar New Year holiday, diarrhea cases are expected to rise. During the holiday itself, diarrhea cases accounted for 10.1 percent of all emergency room visits. Meanwhile, there were many discussions on social media in recent years about whether people should use soap bars or liquid soap in public restrooms, due to concerns over contamination. A similar experiment by a TV news network in 2024 found that four in 10 soaps in public restrooms had a bacterial count exceeding legal limits, and also showed clips of insects and impurities found in the samples. It also advised public restrooms to use touchless sealed-system soap dispensers rather than refillable soap dispensers, and said that refillable dispensers must be routinely cleaned and dried before being refilled to reduce contamination.

Notes from Central Taiwan: Subsidies today, solvency tomorrow? Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei TimesAccording to Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) estimates, Taiwan’s social protection expenditure (SPE) in 2024 was NT$2.63 trillion (US$80.89 billion). Taiwan’s working age population peaked in 2015. After 1990, social spending began to outstrip it, driven by the competitive party dynamics under which the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) sought to outbid each other for votes with increases in social spending. Notes from Central Taiwan is a column written by long-term resident Michael Turton, who provides incisive commentary informed by three decades of living in and writing about his adoptive country.

The announcements came after a joint US and Israeli aerial bombardment that targeted Iranian military and governmental sites. A woman holds a photograph of late Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as mourners gather at the Enghelab Square in Tehran yesterday. The Israeli military yesterday said that its strikes had killed 40 top Iranian military officials, including Chief of the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Abdolrahim Mousavi. A massive explosion struck Iran’s capital yesterday as the Israeli military said it was targeting the “heart” of the city. The blast appeared centered in a neighborhood home to the country’s police headquarters and Iranian state television.

LNG, oil supplies uninterrupted: CPC Corp, TaiwanReuters and CNAState-run CPC Corp, Taiwan (CPC, 台灣中油) yesterday said that it had confirmed on Saturday night with its liquefied natural gas (LNG) and crude oil suppliers that shipments are proceeding as scheduled and that domestic supplies remain unaffected. The CPC yesterday announced the gasoline and diesel prices will rise by NT$0.2 and NT$0.4 per liter, respectively, starting Monday, citing Middle East tensions and blizzards in the eastern United States. CPC said it aims to gradually reduce LNG imports from Gulf countries and increase those from the US, with US imports expected to account for about 25 percent of the total by 2029. The state-owned company said it would continue to monitor developments in the Middle East and work with the government to help stabilize commodity prices. Middle East leaders have told Washington that a war on Iran could lead to oil prices jumping to more than US$100 a barrel, said RBC analyst Helima Croft.

Taoyuan agriculture office touts new rice varietiesDEVELOPMENT: The Taoyuan office said that, to stabilize rice production, it has cultivated new rice varieties that are more tolerant of diseases and droughtsBy Esme Yeh / Staff reporterThe Taoyuan District Agricultural Research and Extension Station said it has developed three new rice cultivars that need less water and can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions thanks to their tolerance of pests, diseases and extreme weather. High temperatures could cause more chalky rice grains in rice production, while water shortages often cause insufficient irrigation to fields and disrupted tillage in spring, it said. To stabilize rice production and ensure the quality, the station has cultivated new rice varieties that are more tolerant of diseases and droughts, with three important cultivars developed over the past few years, including “Taoyuan No. 3” — a variety that won many local rice competitions for its excellent quality, but became prone to rice blast diseases due to climate change, it said. 3, it successfully developed Taoyuan No.

Brahma Chellaney On Taiwan: At last, some good news for Taiwan’s security — Taiwan’s strategic position gets a boost from JapanThe Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has long been expansionist and contemptuous of international law. It marks a strategic inflection point for Taiwan’s security environment. For the first time in decades, Japan is moving decisively from strategic ambiguity toward strategic clarity — and that shift matters enormously for Taiwan’s future. Geography has always made Japan central to Taiwan’s security. Compared with a year ago, Taiwan’s strategic position is stronger.

US could shift focus to Indo-Pacific, researchers sayBy Huang Ching-hsuan and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writer and CNAThe death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on Saturday in airstrikes on Iran carried out by the US and Israel, could allow Washington to shift its strategic focus to the Indo-Pacific region, a Taiwanese defense researcher said yesterday. The US and Israel on Saturday conducted coordinated strikes against Iran, reporting that Khamenei was killed in the attacks — a claim later confirmed by Iranian state media. “If US-Israeli military operations achieve substantial suppression of Iran, the regional security architecture would be reshaped,” he said. A weakened Iran would deprive Beijing of a key Middle East partner in any anti-US alignment, Su said. Chang cautioned against assuming the US would apply similar precision strikes against China as it did against Venezuela and Iran.