Holger Chen indicted over threat to ‘behead’ president
Holger Chen indicted over threat to ‘behead’ presidentBy Wang Ting-chuan and Jason Pan / Staff reportersThe New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office yesterday indicted Internet influencer Holger Chen (陳之漢) for allegedly calling for the decapitation of President William Lai (賴清德) during a live stream in October last year. While Chen was commenting on Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) “decapitation strike” exercises around Taiwan, he allegedly segued into a specific threat to cut off Lai’s head, prosecutors said. I have waited for it day and night.”Internet personality Holger Chen, center, speaks to reporters in Taipei on Oct. 7 last year. “A military ‘decapitation’ operation is clearly not the same as calling to ‘behead’ the nation’s president,” prosecutors said. Chen’s remarks were sufficient to instill fear in any ordinary person, regardless of whether they are the president, they said.
Source:Taipei Times
January 09, 2026 17:47 UTC
The real meaning of the Puma Shen affair
The real meaning of the Puma Shen affairBy Chu Meng-hsiang 朱孟庠After staging military exercises around Taiwan last week, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) once again launched a ruthless repression campaign against Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋). This is not merely personal intimidation, it is a direct challenge to Taiwan’s sovereignty and democratic system. For Taiwan, the so-called “Puma Shen phenomenon” is not merely a matter of a single legislator being threatened — it epitomizes how a democratic nation confronts infiltration and transnational repression by an authoritarian regime. On one hand, civil society has rallied around the slogan “We are all Puma Shen,” demonstrating both clarity and resistance. “We are all Puma Shen” is more than just a slogan, but a democratic society reinforcing its own identity in the face of authoritarian oppression.
Source:Taipei Times
January 09, 2026 17:45 UTC
TSMC’s revenue comes in at high end of predictions
TSMC’s revenue comes in at high end of predictionsBy Lisa Wang / Staff ReporterTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), which supplies advanced chips to Nvidia Corp and Apple Inc, yesterday reported NT$1.046 trillion (US$33.1 billion) in revenue for last quarter, driven by constantly strong demand for artificial intelligence (AI) chips, falling in the upper end of its forecast. Last year in total, revenue jumped 31.61 percent to NT$3.81 trillion, compared with NT$2.89 trillion generated in the year before, according to a TSMC statement. To cope with strong AI chip demand, TSMC plans to speed up its 2-nanometer chip production in Taiwan and to quicken its chip manufacturing technology upgrade at its fabs in Arizona, it said. KGI expected the chipmaker to make NT$475.89 billion net profit last quarter, higher than the consensus of NT$454.67 billion, according to a KGI report released on Monday. Gross margin was expected to reach 61.5 percent in the fourth quarter of last year, exceeding TSMC’s guidance of between 59 percent and 61 percent, the KGI report said.
Source:Taipei Times
January 09, 2026 17:45 UTC
China widens attack on Japan’s ‘nuclear threat’
China widens attack on Japan’s ‘nuclear threat’SELF-DEFENSE: Tokyo has accelerated its spending goal and its defense minister said the nation needs to discuss whether it should develop nuclear-powered submarinesBloombergChina is ramping up objections to what it sees as Japan’s desire to acquire nuclear weapons, despite Tokyo’s longstanding renunciation of such arms, deepening another fissure in the two neighbors’ increasingly tense ties. In what appears to be a concerted effort, China’s foreign and defense ministries issued statements on Thursday condemning alleged remilitarism efforts by Tokyo. Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Toshimitsu Motegi speaks during the 28th ASEAN Plus Three Summit in Kuala Lumpur on Oct. 27 last year. Asked about China’s claims regarding Japan’s nuclear ambitions, Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Toshimitsu Motegi said: “I’d like to state that there is absolutely no truth to such claims.”The three nonnuclear principles refers to Japan’s long-standing commitment to not possess, produce or permit the entry of nuclear weapons. A record 45 percent of respondents said the armed forces should be bolstered, but they were not asked whether Japan should acquire nuclear weapons.
Source:Taipei Times
January 09, 2026 17:45 UTC
Go star Hsu Hao-hung wins awards
Go star Hsu Hao-hung wins awardsStaff writer, with CNATaiwanese go ace and Asian Games gold medalist Hsu Hao-hung yesterday was named “Mr Popular” and the Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the sport last year at an annual awards ceremony in Taipei. In a public round, Hsu won 151 of 630 votes (32.5 percent) to narrowly defeat fellow 9-dan professional Hsiao Cheng-hao for the most popular player award. Go pro Hsu Hao-hung poses alongside trophies at the annual Taiwan go awards ceremony in Taipei yesterday. Cheng Yu-hao, a 13-year-old who turned professional in 2023, was voted Rookie of the Year by his peers. Eligibility for the award was restricted to players who turned professional after 2021.
Source:Taipei Times
January 09, 2026 17:45 UTC
Trump’s China strategy evolving
Trump’s China strategy evolvingBy Juan Fernando Herrera RamosFor Taiwan, the intensifying confrontation between the US and China is often discussed through arms sales, military exercises and diplomatic statements in the Indo-Pacific region. China has invested heavily in Venezuela as a strategic partner, securing access to energy resources and political backing in international forums. Honduras’ decision in 2023 to sever ties with Taipei in favor of Beijing was widely seen as part of China’s strategy to further shrink Taiwan’s diplomatic space. The package was approved amid heightened Chinese military activity around Taiwan, signaling that US commitments to Taiwan are being reinforced even as tensions rise. The arrest of Maduro therefore matters in Taipei not because it concerns Venezuela itself, but because it illustrates a broader shift in US strategy.
Source:Taipei Times
January 09, 2026 17:45 UTC
Martinelli sorry for shoving Bradley
Martinelli sorry for shoving BradleyGOALLESS DRAW: The closest either team came to scoring before the late altercation was when Conor Bradley hit the crossbar after chipping the goalkeeperAP, LONDONArsenal winger Gabriel Martinelli on Thursday apologized to Conor Bradley after bundling the injured Liverpool defender off the field in the final seconds of their 0-0 draw in the Premier League. Martinelli, clearly frustrated, walked up to Bradley, dropped the ball on him and then pushed the defender outside the playing surface. Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli reacts during an altercation in stoppage-time of their Premier League game against Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium in London on Thursday. “Let’s hope for the best, but I fear the worst for Conor Bradley,” Liverpool manager Arne Slot said of Bradley’s injury. Photo: APCommentating on Sky Sports, former England and Manchester United defender Gary Neville called Martinelli’s behavior “absolutely disgraceful.”Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta defended Martinelli, saying “probably he doesn’t know” Bradley was injured.
Source:Taipei Times
January 09, 2026 17:45 UTC
Court tries online predator accused of sadistic crimes
Court tries online predator accused of sadistic crimesAFP, HAMBURG, GermanyA German juvenile court yesterday started the so-called “White Tiger” trial in which a man is accused of multiple sadistic online crimes, including coercing a 13-year-old to die by suicide. The case shines a spotlight on the dark world of sadistic online exploitation, where predators seek out vulnerable youths and manipulate them to commit acts of self-harm, violence against themselves or animals, or to kill themselves. “White Tiger” allegedly found vulnerable children and adolescents in online chats or gaming forums, and then developed a bond to groom them. He is accused of encouraging them to produce pornographic content, and using the material to coerce and extort them, among other allegations. An FBI investigator said that he had shared the identity of “White Tiger” with German law enforcement more than two years before the suspect’s eventual arrest.
Source:Taipei Times
January 09, 2026 17:45 UTC
Syria announces ceasefire with Kurdish fighters
Syria announces ceasefire with Kurdish fightersAFP, DAMASCUSThe Syrian Ministry of Defense yesterday announced a ceasefire in Aleppo after days of deadly clashes between the army and Kurdish fighters forced thousands of civilians to flee. Kurdish fighters were given until 9am yesterday to leave those areas, while the Aleppo governorate said Kurdish fighters would be sent, along with their light weapons, to Kurdish areas further east. There was no immediate comment from Kurdish forces in response to the government statements. Sheikh Maqsud and Ashrafiyeh have remained under the control of Kurdish units linked to the SDF, despite Kurdish fighters agreeing to withdraw from the areas in April. Turkey, which shares a 900km border with Syria, has launched successive offensives to push Kurdish forces from the frontier.
Source:Taipei Times
January 09, 2026 17:45 UTC
Wiwynn closes out highly profitable year
Wiwynn closes out highly profitable yearBy Meryl Kao / Staff ReporterCloud computing equipment supplier Wiwynn Corp (緯穎科技) on Thursday reported a 95.7 percent year-on-year surge in net profit last quarter to NT$13.79 billion (US$436.46 million), a record high for the period, driven by strong customer demand for artificial intelligence (AI) servers and data center equipment. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an, third left, Wiwynn Corp chairwoman Emily Hong, and other guests attend a groundbreaking ceremony in Taipei last year. Last year, Wiwynn mainly shipped server racks powered by application-specific integrated circuits, but beginning last quarter it started supplying servers using Nvidia Corp’s graphics processing units, it said. Last year as a whole, Inventec shipped 21.3 million notebook computers, up 6.5 percent annually. Compal shipped 6.8 million notebook computers last quarter, down 12.8 percent year-on-year, bringing full-year shipments to 28 million units.
Source:Taipei Times
January 09, 2026 17:45 UTC
Rare Central Asian gull spotted for the first time in Tainan
Rare Central Asian gull spotted for the first time in TainanVULNERABLE SPECIES: As the relict gull is not a regular migrant to Taiwan, it might be the same bird sighted in Changhua last year, birdwatchers saidStaff writer, with CNAA relict gull has been spotted in Tainan for the first time, in only the fifth recorded sighting of the vulnerable Central Asian species in Taiwan, the Wild Bird Society of Tainan said. Local birdwatcher Lin Kun-hui (林坤慧) spotted the gull on Wednesday after noticing it stood out among other birds at a salt pan in Tainan’s Jiangjun District (將軍). A relict gull is pictured in Tainan’s Jiangjun District in an undated photograph. As the gull is not a regular migrant to Taiwan, the society said it might be the same bird spotted last year, possibly moving south to escape cold surges. Earlier sightings were recorded in Kinmen County in 2013, Yilan County in 2016 and Pingtung County in 2024, it said.
Source:Taipei Times
January 09, 2026 17:45 UTC
How a US takeover of Greenland would undermine NATO from within
“If the US chooses to attack another NATO country, everything will stop,” Danish Prime Minister Mette Fredriksen said on Monday. The military alliance might well continue to exist, but its effectiveness would be called into fundamental question; the obvious beneficiary, an already aggressive Moscow. During the 2024 US election campaign, US President Donald Trump said he would not protect “delinquent” NATO members; countries that did not meet the then-target of spending 2 percent of GDP on defense. It was enough to provoke alarm in Europe, but diplomacy in the run-up to June’s NATO summit appeared to have massaged away the problem. Yet, rather than heal differences in opinion, it appears the NATO summit simply papered over a rift.
Source:Taipei Times
January 09, 2026 17:45 UTC
Taiwan reports captive breeding of C meridithii
Taiwan reports captive breeding of C meridithiiBy Tsai Tsung-hsien and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerA research team led by National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium assistant researcher Leu Ming-yih (呂明毅) has provided the first comprehensive account of natural spawning of Chaetodontoplus meridithii, or Queensland yellowtail angelfish, in an artificial environment. C meridithii is a marine ornamental species endemic to subtropical waters in Australia’s Queensland area. Queensland yellowtail angelfish are pictured in an undated photograph. Queensland yellowtail angelfish are “not easy to handle,” as they are very territorial and would often refuse to mate, museum Director Wen Chih-hung (溫志宏) said. The latest findings “expand understanding of Queensland yellowtail angelfish reproduction, supporting captive breeding, larval rearing, sustainable aquaculture and efforts to mitigate overfishing from the marine ornamental trade,” it added.
Source:Taipei Times
January 09, 2026 17:45 UTC
Ex-soldier indicted for selling secrets
Ex-soldier indicted for selling secretsStaff writer, with CNAA former Marine Corps soldier has been indicted for allegedly pledging allegiance to China in exchange for money and selling military secrets, with prosecutors in Kaohsiung seeking a heavy sentence. Photo: Tsai Ching-hua, Taipei TimesHe allegedly received NT$200,000 after sending the video to Jixiang, the indictment says. Acting on a tip, prosecutors and military police searched Chen’s residence and arrested him in August last year. He was dismissed from service in November last year and formally indicted last month on charges including contravening the National Security Act (國家安全法) and the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例). His actions seriously endangered national security and military discipline, they said, urging the court to impose a heavy sentence as a warning.
Source:Taipei Times
January 09, 2026 17:45 UTC
Farmers advised to step up protection of crops from cold
Farmers advised to step up protection of crops from coldBy Esme Yeh / Staff reporterThe Agriculture and Food Agency yesterday called on farmers to enhance measures to protect crops as the effects of a cold air mass and radiative cooling continued to affect the nation. Farmers are advised to refrain from planting rice seedlings during the cold surge and set up cold barriers around rice seedling nurseries, it said. Non-woven or plastic cloth can be used to shield growing seedlings from cold, but water pooling on the cloth must be promptly removed to prevent frost damage, it said. Tea plants could be affected by cold temperatures although most of them have entered winter dormancy, it said, adding that cold protection techniques like anti-frost fans are recommended to reduce cold damage. Fruit trees damaged by cold temperatures must be trimmed to remove the affected branches and leaves, it added.
Source:Taipei Times
January 09, 2026 17:45 UTC