Man sentenced for threatening mayor
Man sentenced for threatening mayorStaff writer, with CNAA Keelung man has been sentenced to two months in prison for threatening to kill Keelung Mayor George Hsieh (謝國樑) over a water issue with his home. Upon reaching the hotline representative, Chang threatened Hsieh by name, before going on to warn: “If you come bother me again where I live, I’ll go to Keelung City Hall and start killing people. If you have the guts, you can sue me.”The Keelung District Court is pictured in an undated photograph. Photo: Lin Chia-tung, Taipei TimesThe hotline worker notified the police, while Chang, who was later brought in for questioning, admitted to having threatened the mayor. The court sentenced Chang to two months’ imprisonment, commutable to a fine of NT$60,000, significantly less than the maximum two-year prison sentence allowed under the law.
Source:Taipei Times
January 04, 2026 17:14 UTC
Okamoto signs 4-year deal with Blue Jays
Okamoto signs 4-year deal with Blue JaysAP, TORONTOInfielder Kazuma Okamoto and the Toronto Blue Jays have agreed to a US$60 million, four-year contract, two people familiar with the negotiations said on Saturday. He homered off Colorado’s Kyle Freeland to help Japan beat the US 3-2 in the 2023 World Baseball Classic final. Under the MLB’s posting agreement with Nippon Professional Baseball, the Blue Jays would owe the Giants a posting fee of US$10,875,000. After coming within two outs of their first World Series title since 1993, the Blue Jays have made significant additions to the roster. Right-hander Shane Bieber also exercised a US$16 million player option for this season rather than become a free agent.
Source:Taipei Times
January 04, 2026 17:14 UTC
Panama-flagged cargo ship refloated off Hualien
Panama-flagged cargo ship refloated off HualienStaff writer, with CNAA Panama-flagged bulk carrier that ran aground off Hualien County on New Year’s Day was successfully refloated on Saturday and towed into Hualien Port, with no oil pollution detected, authorities said yesterday. After passing hull inspections, the vessel, CSE Prosperity Express, was refloated by two tugboats under coast guard escort and safely berthed at Wharf No. 22 at around 8 pm, the Maritime Port Bureau said. No oil leakage was observed during or after the operation, despite the ship carrying more than 200 metric tons of residual fuel. The Panama-flagged bulk carrier, CSE Prosperity Express, is pictured off Hualien County on Saturday.
Source:Taipei Times
January 04, 2026 17:14 UTC
Osaka wins after Raducanu pulls out of the United Cup
Osaka wins after Raducanu pulls out of the United CupStaff writer, with AFP, PERTH, AustraliaFour-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka yesterday got her season off to a winning start for Japan in the United Cup, after the UK’s Emma Raducanu pulled out of their singles clash with a fitness issue, while in Brisbane, Taiwan’s Latisha Chan and Wu Fang-hsien crashed out of the women’s doubles. Osaka was too strong for reserve and 276th-ranked Katie Swan, winning 7-6 (7/4), 6-1 as Raducanu watched from the sidelines. Katie Swan of the UK returns to Naomi Osaka of Japan during their United Cup match in Perth, Australia, yesterday. Also on Saturday, in Sydney, Zhang Zhizhen led China to a 2-1 win over Belgium to begin their tournament, and despite Norway’s Casper Ruud stunning Australian No. 1 Alex de Minaur 6-3, 6-3, the hosts prevailed 2-1.
Source:Taipei Times
January 04, 2026 17:14 UTC
New year, new meal
Flights and shipping affected by Chinese drillsTrips for more than 100,000 international and domestic air travelers could be disrupted as China launches a military exercise around Taiwan today, Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said yesterday. The exercise could affect nearly 900 flights scheduled to enter the Taipei Flight Information Region (FIR) during the exercise window, it added. A notice issued by the Chinese Civil Aviation Administration showed there would be seven temporary zones around the Taiwan Strait which would be used for live-fire exercises, lasting from 8am to 6pm today. All aircraft are prohibited from entering during exercise, it says. Taipei FIR has 14 international air routes andBy Shelley Shan
Source:Taipei Times
January 04, 2026 17:14 UTC
KMT chair accuses US think tank of working with DPP
KMT chair accuses US think tank of working with DPPBy Lin Hsin-han, Chen Yun and William Hetherington / Staff reporters, with staff writerChinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday accused a US think tank of being “in cooperation with the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) rumormongering” following its claim that she echoes the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) narrative. Cheng criticized the report’s claim, saying that it is “in coordination with the DPP’s rumormongering supply chain.”Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun, center, speaks to reporters in Taipei yesterday. Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei TimeShe also took aim at Lai, who is chairman of the DPP. “The source of your national security crisis is your mistaken cross-strait policy, not the KMT,” she said, addressing Lai. “No wonder a US think tank identified Cheng’s remarks during the exercises as echoing CCP narratives.”
Source:Taipei Times
January 04, 2026 17:14 UTC
Littler storms to second successive world dart title
Littler storms to second successive world dart titleReuters, LONDONEngland’s Luke Littler on Saturday thrashed Dutchman Gian van Veen to win the PDC World Darts title for the second successive year in front of a raucous Alexandra Palace crowd. The 18-year-old dropped the first set in the best-of-13-set showdown, but hit back to stamp his authority on Van Veen who had no answer to Littler’s relentless scoring. Luke Littler kisses the trophy after winning the PDC World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace in London on Saturday. The 23-year-old Van Veen beat Anderson to reach his first world championship final and initially looked dangerous. Having come from behind in the first set to take it after Littler missed a double, Van Veen then went 2-0 ahead in the second set with checkouts of 145 and 127.
Source:Taipei Times
January 04, 2026 17:14 UTC
Former president Chen Shui-bian’s show canceled
Former president Chen Shui-bian’s show canceledBy Cheng Shu-ting, Wang Chun-chung and Jason Pan / Staff reportersFormer president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) political talk show on a local cable TV channel was canceled before its first airing yesterday, as authorities cited possible contraventions of medical parole. The interview-based program was scheduled to premiere on Mirror TV’s YouTube channel and be broadcast at 10am every Sunday. After Mirror TV advertised the new program on its YouTube channel in the past few days, the cancelation came as a surprise, Chen wrote yesterday morning on his Facebook page as he apologized for “having to disappoint everyone.”Former president Chen Shui-bian is pictured in an undated photograph. Photo: Screen grab from Chen’s Facebook pageAlthough the National Communications Commission green-lighted it, “Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) ordered that the program be canceled,” Chen wrote, adding that otherwise he would be “sent back to prison.”The Ministry of Justice’s Agency of Corrections Director Lin Hsien-ming (林憲銘) told him about the order in a phone call, Chen said. Chen, 75, has been out on medical parole since Jan. 5, 2015, after serving more than six years of a 20-year sentence, a consolidated term stemming from multiple corruption-related convictions involving actions during his two terms as president from 2000 to 2008.
Source:Taipei Times
January 04, 2026 17:14 UTC
TikTok users in Taiwan up significantly last year
TikTok users in Taiwan up significantly last yearSCREEN TIME: Users’ preference varied from age group to age group, from TV to apps to streaming services, with certain apps seeing their highest numbers to dateBy Shelley Shan / Staff ReporterAbout 73 percent of people aged 16 to 25 reported having used TikTok last year, up from 24 percent in 2019, according to a survey by the National Communications Commission. The TikTok logo is seen in this illustration taken on 2022. Photo: ReutersWhile last year’s survey showed that more than 95 percent of respondents reported having watched content on YouTube, the same as in previous years, it showed that 47.5 percent of respondents reported having viewed content on TikTok as well, up from 18.7 percent in 2019. About 21 percent of the respondents accessed the content on Xiaohongshu (小紅書, known asRedNote), up from 17 percent in 2024. Past surveys showed that 45.1 percent of viewers aged 16 or above watched streaming content in 2019, a 14.3 percent jump from 2017.
Source:Taipei Times
January 04, 2026 17:14 UTC
Beijing pushes ‘one China’ upon Seoul, source says
Beijing pushes ‘one China’ upon Seoul, source saysBy Chen Yun / Staff reporterNational security intelligence suggested China has set out four prerequisites and four corresponding commitments for a summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, including requiring Seoul to publicly reiterate the “one China” principle, sources said on Saturday. Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, shakes hands with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung before their meeting at the Gyeongju National Museum in Gyeongju, South Korea, on Nov. 1 last year. China also has been testing the US’ resolve in maintaining Indo-Pacific security following the publication of Washington’s National Security Strategy, they said. Corresponding to its four prerequisites, China would offer four commitments, including removing sanctions against the Hanwha Group’s subsidiaries, and lifting the “Korean culture ban” to allow South Korean entertainers to perform in China, the source said. Under the “CRINK” framework (referring to the alignment of autocracies China, Russia, Iran and North Korea), intensified unrest has broken out across Iran, the source said.
Source:Taipei Times
January 04, 2026 17:14 UTC
Gasoline, diesel prices to fall by NT$0.2 per liter
Gasoline, diesel prices to fall by NT$0.2 per literBy Chen Cheng-hui / Staff reporterGasoline and diesel prices at domestic fuel stations are to fall NT$0.2 per liter this week, after international crude oil prices fluctuated within a narrow range last week amid a mixed bag of positive and negative factors, CPC Corp, Taiwan (台灣中油) and Formosa Petrochemical Corp (台塑石化) announced yesterday. Effective today, gasoline prices at CPC and Formosa stations are to drop to NT$26.6, NT$28.1 and NT$30.1 per liter for 92, 95 and 98-octane unleaded gasoline respectively, the companies said in separate statements. The price of premium diesel is to fall to NT$25 per liter at CPC stations and NT$24.8 at Formosa pumps, they said. Front-month Brent crude oil futures — the international oil benchmark — last week gained 0.85 percent to settle at US$60.75 per barrel on the Intercontinental Exchange. Meanwhile, West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures — the US oil benchmark — increased 1.02 percent to US$57.32 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
Source:Taipei Times
January 04, 2026 16:17 UTC
Wall upgrade
China’s BYD Co poised to overtake Tesla in EV salesPOTENTIAL demand: Tesla’s chance of reclaiming its leadership in EVs seems uncertain, but breakthrough in full self-driving could help boost sales, an analyst said Chinese auto giant BYD Co (比亞迪) is poised to surpass Tesla Inc as the world’s biggest electric vehicle (EV) company in annual sales. The two groups are expected to soon publish their final figures for this year, and based on sales data so far this year, there is almost no chance the US company led by CEO Elon Musk would retain its leadership position. As of the end of last month, BYD, which also produces hybrid vehicles, had sold 2.07 million EVs. Tesla, for its part, had sold 1.22 million by the end of September. Tesla’s September figures included a one-time boost in
Source:Taipei Times
January 04, 2026 16:17 UTC
TSMC’s ADRs reach record US$1.657tn, becoming sixth-largest market cap firm
TSMC’s ADRs reach record US$1.657tn, becoming sixth-largest market cap firmBy Chen Cheng-hui / Staff reporterThe value of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC, 台積電) American depositary receipts (ADRs) reached a historic high on Friday, after the leading contract chipmaker’s Taipei-listed shares continued to break records amid an artificial intelligence (AI) boom. Photo: BloombergNvidia remained the world’s largest stock, with a market cap of US$4.597 trillion on Friday, ahead of Apple Inc at US$4.021 trillion. Alphabet Inc ranked third with a market value of US$3.806 trillion, followed by Microsoft Corp at US$3.515 trillion and Amazon.com Inc at US$2.421 trillion, CompaniesMarketCap’s data showed. TSMC’s Taipei-listed shares hit a new high of NT$1,585 on Friday, lifting its market value to NT$41.1 trillion (US$1.31) last week, Taiwan Stock Exchange data indicated. Aletheia Capital also raised price targets for TSMC’s Taipei-listed shares from NT$2,100 to NT$2,400 and its ADRs from US$450 to US$500, the note said.
Source:Taipei Times
January 04, 2026 16:17 UTC
A new horror for a new technology: Social dependency on an AI
A new horror for a new technology: Social dependency on an AIThere are steps people can take to avoid falling into a dependency on a non-sentient chatbotBy Parmy Olson / Bloomberg OpinionAmelia Miller has an unusual business card. For all our fears of AI, the most popular new tools are more customizable than social media ever was. Doing that with technology means that over time, people resist the basic social exchanges that are needed to make deeper connections. Configure ChatGPT to be direct and seek advice from real people rather than an AI model that validates all ideas. A former reporter for the Wall Street Journal and Forbes, she is author of Supremacy: AI, ChatGPT and the Race That Will Change the World.
Source:Taipei Times
January 04, 2026 16:05 UTC
Trump blocks chips deal, citing security concerns
Trump blocks chips deal, citing security concernsReuters, WASHINGTONUS President Donald Trump on Friday blocked US photonics firm HieFo Corp’s US$3 million acquisition of assets in New Jersey-based aerospace and defense specialist Emcore Corp, citing national security and China-related concerns. Photo: Reuters“The Transaction is hereby prohibited,” Trump said, ordering HieFo to “divest all interests and rights in the Emcore Assets, wherever located,” within 180 days. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the US (CFIUS) identified a national security risk in its investigation of the deal, the US Department of the Treasury said after Trump’s order. The statement did not specify the national security risk. Emcore, publicly traded at the time of the deal and later taken private, said HieFo bought its chips business and indium-phosphide wafer-fabrication operations for US$2.92 million.
Source:Taipei Times
January 04, 2026 16:05 UTC