Samba dancers, drummers dreaming of glory at Rio Sambodrome carnival
Samba dancers, drummers dreaming of glory at Rio Sambodrome carnivalAFP, RIO DE JANEIRO, BrazilIn a faded rehearsal hall in the gritty concrete sprawl of northern Rio de Janeiro, samba dancers and drummers fine-tune their rhythms for a grassroots carnival parade few tourists have heard of. Revelers of Caprichosos de Pilares samba school perform during aE parade on Intendente Magalhaes street in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Feb. 28, 2017. Samba and carnival roots are deeply tied to poor, Afro-Brazilian neighborhoods, where community organizations known as samba schools evolved and work year round to make the show happen. It’s samba in our feet, samba in our veins, love in our hearts, and that’s it,” she said, adding that making it to the Sambodrome was every dancer’s dream. Nowadays it’s a luxury carnival, a carnival of feathers, sequins, VIP boxes,” Peixoto said.
Source:Taipei Times
February 13, 2026 16:33 UTC
AI agents creating surprise dating accounts for humans
The platform is the latest bizarre evolution of OpenClaw, an AI tool able to execute tasks that has fascinated and spooked the tech world. They then communicate with their “AI agent” through WhatsApp or Telegram, as they would with a friend or colleague. ‘PERFECT MATCH’A pseudo-social network for OpenClaw agents called Moltbook — a Reddit-like site where AI chatbots converse — has grabbed headlines recently. When Luo set up his OpenClaw agent, he said he “wanted to explore its capabilities” and instructed it to join Moltbook and other platforms. Hong Kong Polytechnic University digital innovation professor Andy Chun said a human had likely linked an AI agent to a fake X account using Chong’s photos.
Source:Taipei Times
February 13, 2026 16:33 UTC
Heads of state attend Munich Security Conference
Heads of state attend Munich Security ConferenceAP, MUNICHAn annual gathering of top security figures that last year set the tone for a growing rift between the US and Europe opened yesterday, bringing together many top European officials with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and others. The Munich Security Conference opened with a speech by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, one of 15 heads of state or government from EU countries expected to attend. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to reporters at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland on Thursday, before boarding his plane to the Munich Security Conference. “So it is particularly welcome that the American side has such great interest in Munich.”At last year’s conference, held a few weeks into US President Donald Trump’s second term, US Vice President J.D. That one NATO ally threatens another NATO ally has deeply affected European trust in the trans-Atlantic relationship.”
Source:Taipei Times
February 13, 2026 16:33 UTC
N Korea warns ‘terrible’ drone response
N Korea warns ‘terrible’ drone responseREGRETTABLE: Seoul denied official involvement in last month’s drone incursion, with a minister saying it would run counter to South Korea’s efforts to mend tiesAFP, SEOULNorth Korea yesterday threatened “terrible response” if it detects any more drones buzzing across the border from the South. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un claps as he gives a speech during a visit to the North Korean Ministry of National Defense in Pyongyang on Sunday. Any government involvement in the drone incursion would run counter to Lee’s efforts to lower the temperature with North Korea. A UN Security Council committee recently approved exemptions allowing fresh flows of food and medicine into North Korea. North Korea is preparing to hold a landmark party congress at the end of this month.
Source:Taipei Times
February 13, 2026 16:00 UTC
DeepSeek distilling US AI models: OpenAI
DeepSeek distilling US AI models: OpenAIBloombergOpenAI has warned US lawmakers that its Chinese rival DeepSeek (深度求索) is using unfair and increasingly sophisticated methods to extract results from leading US artificial intelligence (AI) models to train the next generation of its breakthrough R1 chatbot, a memo reviewed by Bloomberg News showed. In distillation, one AI model relies on the output of another for training purposes to develop similar capabilities. When capabilities are copied through distillation, OpenAI said, safeguards often fall to the wayside, enabling more widespread misuse of AI models in high-risk areas such as biology or chemistry. The company said an internal review suggests that accounts associated with DeepSeek employees sought to circumvent existing guardrails by accessing models through third-party routers to mask their source. DeepSeek employees have also developed code to access US AI models and obtain outputs in “programmatic ways,” OpenAI said.
Source:Taipei Times
February 13, 2026 16:00 UTC
From Lebanon with love
‘Big tech’ plan to spend US$650bn on AIAI SPLURGE: The four major US tech companies have lost more than US$950 billion in value since releasing earnings and outlooks, while equipment makers were gaining Four of the biggest US technology companies together have forecast capital expenditures that would reach about US$650 billion this year — a flood of cash earmarked for new data centers and all the gear within them. The spending planned by Alphabet Inc, Amazon.com Inc, Meta Platforms Inc and Microsoft Corp, all in pursuit of dominance in the still-nascent market for artificial intelligence (AI) tools, is a boom without a parallel this century. Each of the companies’ estimates for this year is expected either near or surpass their budgets for the past three years combined. They would set a high-watermark for capital spending
Source:Taipei Times
February 13, 2026 16:00 UTC
Bolt driver facing life sentence after passenger’s death
Bolt driver facing life sentence after passenger’s deathBy Wang Ting-chuan and Hollie Younger / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office today indicted a driver from ride-hailing platform Bolt on charges of abandonment resulting in death, punishable by between seven years and life in prison. Driver Lin Yu-jun (林宇浚) on Jan. 25 allegedly forced a passenger out of his vehicle on Provincial Highway 64 in New Taipei City, prosecutors said. When the vehicle entered the ramp from Provincial Highway 64 in New Taipei City’s Jhonghe District (中和), Wen collapsed in the back seat, they added. He sustained a fractured skull and multiple bone fractures, resulting in his death, they said. Prosecutors determined that he would also be tried on charges of abandonment resulting in death and requested that his bail amount be increased to NT$200,000.
Source:Taipei Times
February 13, 2026 13:23 UTC
Opposition raises concerns over US trade deal
Opposition raises concerns over US trade dealBy Lee Wen-hsin and Fion Khan / Staff reporter, with staff writer and CNAThe opposition parties today vowed to rigorously scrutinize the newly signed US-Taiwan Agreement on Reciprocal Trade, with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) expressing "grave concerns" about its potential negative impacts. The trade agreement is not the "major breakthrough" touted by President William Lai (賴清德), but an arrangement that would put the uninformed public at risk, the KMT said in a news release. Photo: ReutersThe KMT said that the agreement could jeopardize food safety at home and on school campuses. In addition, the party raised 10 major concerns regarding the deal, demanding the executive branch provide explanations for each. The TPP said it has consistently supported deepening Taiwan-US economic and trade cooperation and recognizes the hard work of frontline trade negotiators.
Source:Taipei Times
February 13, 2026 12:56 UTC
KMT to propose own defense budget considering US arms delays
KMT to propose own defense budget considering US arms delaysBy Shih Hsiao-kuang, Liu Wan-lin and Sam Garcia / Staff reporters, with staff writerThe Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is to put forward its own arms procurement budget to be reviewed together with the Executive Yuan’s version, KMT Culture and Communication Committee deputy director Yin Nai-ching (尹乃菁) said today. The KMT has no intention of blocking the arms procurement budget, but the final version would not be the Executive Yuan’s proposal, Yin said. Separately, the KMT released a national poll today showing that 45 percent of respondents oppose the Executive Yuan’s special defense budget while 44 percent support it. “Supporting raising the national defense budget does not necessarily mean supporting the Executive Yuan’s budget,” KMT Legislator Hsu Chiao-hsin (徐巧芯) said, adding that 61 percent supported increasing the national defense budget in general. The KMT supports increasing the defense budget, but is considering whether it is necessary to pass a NT$1.25 trillion special budget, she said.
Source:Taipei Times
February 13, 2026 10:48 UTC
New US tariff rate to take effect before legislative approval: Cheng
New US tariff rate to take effect before legislative approval: ChengBy Fion Khan / Staff writer, with CNAThe US showed trust in Taiwan by allowing tariff reductions to take effect via the federal register before formal legislative approval in Taipei, Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君) said yesterday in Washington following the signing of a trade agreement with the US. As the agreement is now to be sent to the legislature for approval, Cheng, who led Taiwan's negotiating team, expressed hope that lawmakers would support the pact. Photo: CNADuring the fifth round of negotiations, the US had indicated that it preferred tariff reductions to take effect only after legislative approval, she said. However, Taiwan argued that tariff reductions should take effect as soon as possible after the agreement was signed, she said. While the US occasionally used tariff increases to advance negotiations, Taiwan remained focused on securing most favorable treatment, she said.
Source:Taipei Times
February 13, 2026 07:24 UTC
Beef import rules largely unchanged after US trade agreement: Cabinet
Beef import rules largely unchanged after US trade agreement: CabinetBy Chung Li-hua and Hollie Younger / Staff reporter, with staff writer and CNAFour key policies on meat imports would largely remain unchanged under a newly signed Taiwan-US trade agreement, the Executive Yuan said today, amid concerns that the deal may expose Taiwan to health risks brought by expanded beef imports. Under the US-Taiwan Agreement on Reciprocal Trade, Taiwan has agreed to remove non-tariff import barriers on US ground beef and offal, including heart, liver and kidneys, it said. However, not all beef products would be open to import, it added. A woman looks at beef products at a supermarket in Kaohsiung on Dec. 8, 2022. Photo: CNAAll US beef products approved for import would also be tariff-free, the Cabinet said.
Source:Taipei Times
February 13, 2026 07:06 UTC
US lawmakers urge passage of defense budget in letter
US lawmakers urge passage of defense budget in letterBy Ben Blanchard / Reuters, TAIPEIA bipartisan group of 37 US lawmakers have written to senior Taiwanese politicians expressing concern about the legislature stalling proposed defense spending, saying that the threat posed by China has never been greater. President William Lai (賴清德) last year proposed US$40 billion in extra defense spending to counter China. The US must address the massive backlog in weapons deliveries to Taiwan, but Taiwan needs to step up too, the letter said. "Nevertheless, we fear that without significant increases in Taiwan's defense spending at levels reflected in President Lai's proposed special budget, this progress will be insufficient," it added. The parties say they support defense spending, but would not sign "blank checks" and that they have a duty to fully scrutinize all budget proposals.
Source:Taipei Times
February 13, 2026 06:41 UTC
Agency urges travelers to use e-Gate for fast immigration
Agency urges travelers to use e-Gate for fast immigrationBy Liu Hsin-de and Sam Garcia / Staff reporter, with staff writerQualifying citizens and foreign residents can pass through e-Gates in just 10 seconds, the National Immigration Agency said today, encouraging people to use the automatic immigration clearance system, as travel is expected to surge during the upcoming nine-day Lunar New Year holiday. Travelers who have not registered in advance can store their face or fingerprints in the system when using e-Gate, clearing immigration and registering simultaneously, the agency said. An immigration official helps a traveler use e-Gate in an undated photograph. Travelers should remove glasses or facial coverings when using e-Gate to speed up the process, the agency said. The new generation of e-Gates are in use at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport), Taichung Airport, Kaohsiung International Airport and the Kinmen Shuitou Harbor Passenger Service Center, it added.
Source:Taipei Times
February 13, 2026 06:35 UTC
Lai forms economic ‘steering group’ after signing of US trade deal
Lai forms economic ‘steering group’ after signing of US trade dealBy Fion Khan / Staff writer, with CNAPresident William Lai (賴清德) today announced the establishment of a national economic “steering group” following the signing of the US-Taiwan Agreement on Reciprocal Trade. Lai said he would serve as the convener of the new group under the Presidential Office, which would be tasked with coordinating with the Executive Yuan’s Economic Development Commission — led by Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) — to address structural economic challenges. Lai made the remarks at a news conference following a high-level national security meeting following the signing of the agreement yesterday in Washington. President William Lai walks to the podium before a news conference in Taipei today. Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei TimesHe was accompanied by Cho, Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴), Presidential Office Secretary-General Pan Men-an (潘孟安) and National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮).
Source:Taipei Times
February 13, 2026 06:15 UTC
Lush foliage
Marriage of 102-year-old under scrutinyNOMINAL NEWLYWEDS: A man’s family and his wife — his long-term caregiver — are engaged in a legal dogfight over the propriety and validity of the recent union A centenarian’s marriage to his caregiver unbeknownst to his children has prompted legal action, as the caregiver accuses the man’s children of violating her personal liberty and damaging her reputation, while the children have sought a legal option to have the marriage annulled. According to sources, the 102-year-old man surnamed Wang (王) lives in Taipei’s Zhongshan District (中山) and previously worked as a land registration agent. Wang reportedly owns multiple properties and parcels of land worth several hundred million New Taiwan dollars and has ten children. His caregiver, a 69-year-old surnamed Lai (賴), has been caring for him since about 1999,By Chiu Chun-fu, Lin Chia-tung and Jake Chung
Source:Taipei Times
February 13, 2026 03:47 UTC