Ex-lawmaker indicted for insulting Lai
Ex-lawmaker indicted for insulting LaiStaff writer, with CNAFormer Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) legislator Lin Kuo-chen (林國成) could face prison time after being indicted yesterday for insulting President William Lai (賴清德). Photo: Taipei TimesProsecutors said Lin publicly attempted to humiliate Lai through insults delivered in person and during a livestream, demeaning Lai’s personal and social standing. Under Article 309 of the Criminal Code, the penalty for publicly insulting someone is short-term imprisonment or a fine of less than NT$9,000. Prosecutors recommended a heavier penalty, citing what they described as Lin’s lack of remorse and his subsequent denial of wrongdoing. Lin apologized for his comments the day following the rally, posting on social media that they were due to an “emotional lapse.”
Source:Taipei Times
February 13, 2026 03:45 UTC
Taiwan, US sign tariff deal
Representative to the US Alexander Yui, third right, and American Institute in Taiwan Washington office Managing Director Ingrid Larson, third left, hold copies of a Taiwan-US trade agreement in Washington yesterday. Of the 2,072 items, 261 are agricultural products such as Phalaenopsis orchids, tea, tapioca starch, coffee, pineapple cakes, guava, fruit juices and mangoes, the Cabinet said. Meanwhile, Taiwan has agreed to eliminate or reduce 99 percent of its tariff barriers on US industrial and agricultural imports, the Office of the US Trade Representative said. Under the agreement, Taiwan has also agreed to remove quantitative restrictions on US motor vehicles and accept those that meet US safety and emissions standards, the office said. The reciprocal trade agreement followed nearly a year of trade negotiations between Taiwan and the US, and builds on agreements reached last month.
Source:Taipei Times
February 13, 2026 03:30 UTC
Property agency deals fall 11%
That was an 11 percent decline from 2024, reflecting a slowdown in new housing launches, it said. Notable assignments included urban renewal projects in New Taipei City’s Yonghe District (永和) and a major project near the city’s Banciao District (板橋). Newland and JSL maintained second and third place with NT$116.53 billion and NT$71.7 billion in contracts respectively. Xinyi Realty leveraged its brokerage network to secure approximately NT$33.02 billion in assignments, demonstrating the advantage of integrating agency and brokerage capabilities. The trend underscores the “stronger get stronger” dynamic, as established agencies continue to push ahead with projects despite a soft housing market, Chen said.
Source:Taipei Times
February 12, 2026 20:13 UTC
Shopping street spectacle
Trump fuels EU push to cut cord with US techUntil US President Donald Trump’s return a year ago, when the EU talked about cutting economic dependency on foreign powers — it was understood to mean China, but now Brussels has US tech in its sights. As Trump ramps up his threats — from strong-arming Europe on trade to pushing to seize Greenland — concern has grown that the unpredictable leader could, should he so wish, plunge the bloc into digital darkness. Since Trump’s Greenland climbdown, top officials have stepped up warnings that the EU is dangerously exposed to geopolitical shocks and must work toward strategic independence — in defense, energy andBy Raziye Akkoc
Source:Taipei Times
February 12, 2026 17:13 UTC
Fraudster wins gold over victim teammate
Fraudster wins gold over victim teammateThe Guardian, ANTERSELVA, ItalyAn athlete convicted of committing credit card fraud against one of her national teammates has won an Olympic gold medal for France in the women’s 15km biathlon, beating her victim to do it. A third member of the French team, Lou Jeanmonnot, won the silver. Simon was also found to have used the card details of the team physiotherapist to make purchases between 2021 and 2022. She helped the team win the gold medal in the 4x6km mixed relay on Sunday, when she was on the anchor leg. Simon refused to talk about the conviction, or her ban, or anything except her gold medal.
Source:Taipei Times
February 12, 2026 17:13 UTC
Ukrainian racer disqualified for helmet
Ukrainian racer disqualified for helmet‘SHAME’: The IOC said that Heraskevych’s helmet was not compliant with the rules, while Ukraine’s foreign ministry said there was nothing wrong with commemorationAFP, CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, ItalyUkrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych was disqualified from the Winter Olympics yesterday after refusing to back down over his banned helmet, which depicts victims of his country’s war with Russia. Ukraine’s Vladyslav Heraskevych starts a men’s skeleton training session at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, on Wednesday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had defended the athlete’s right to wear the helmet, but he knew he was taking a risk, as gestures of a political nature during competition are forbidden under the Olympic charter. “Mr Heraskevych was able to display his helmet in all training runs,” the IOC said. “These people that he showed in his helmet, they’re real people that died because of the Russian invasion,” she said.
Source:Taipei Times
February 12, 2026 17:13 UTC
Executive Yuan announces new business program
Executive Yuan announces new business programADAPT AND THRIVE The program will help small and medium businesses to take advances in tech and sustainability in strideBy Jonathan Chin / Staff writer, with CNAThe Executive Yuan yesterday unveiled an NT$4.25 billion (US$135.1 million) aid package over four years to facilitate small and medium-sized enterprises’ adoption of digital and sustainable technologies. The latest package is part of an ongoing program that has helped 248,000 businesses to create NT$9.75 billion in value and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 206,000 tonnes, Executive Yuan officials told a routine post-Cabinet meeting news conference. The measure’s services and subsidies apply to small andmedium-sized businesses in industries ranging from manufacturing to mom-and-pop type restaurants, the Executive Yuan said in a news release. A digital platform would be established for operators to shop for software needed to run their business, the Executive Yuan said. This would entail integrating a “trust network” of certified public accountants and carbon emissions consultants in the same online platform that small businesses use for taxes, the Executive Yuan said.
Source:Taipei Times
February 12, 2026 16:52 UTC
Warm weekend ahead before cooler, wetter weather from Monday
Warm weekend ahead before cooler, wetter weather from MondayStaff writer, with CNAWarm to slightly hot weather is forecast across Taiwan through the weekend, with daytime highs in the western half of the country approaching 30 degrees Celsius, before wetter and cooler conditions arrive from Lunar New Year’s Eve on Monday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said Thursday. The Central Weather Administration forecasts fair weather continuing through Sunday, while wetter conditions are forecast for Monday and Tuesday, including the first day of the Lunar New Year. Wetter conditions are forecast for Monday and Tuesday, including the first day of the Lunar New Year, with intermittent rain likely in areas north of Taoyuan as well as in Yilan and Hualien. Overnight lows are forecast at around 14-15 degrees in the north and 15-17 degrees elsewhere. The northeasterly wind system is forecast to weaken on Feb. 20, with relatively stable weather conditions expected through Feb. 22, according to Lin.
Source:Taipei Times
February 12, 2026 16:52 UTC
Peru could lose sovereignty to China: US
Peru could lose sovereignty to China: USAP, LIMAUS President Donald Trump’s administration on Wednesday expressed concern that China was costing Peru its sovereignty in solidifying control over the South American nation’s critical infrastructure, a blunt warning after a Peruvian court ruling restricted a local regulator’s oversight of a Chinese-built mega port. Let this be a cautionary tale for the region and the world: cheap Chinese money costs sovereignty,” it added. The concern comes as the Trump administration seeks to assert dominance over the western hemisphere, where China has long built influence through massive loans and high trade volumes. As Latin America’s deepest port, Chancay is capable of berthing some of the world’s largest cargo ships traveling between Asia and South America. China has been Peru’s biggest trading partner for more than a decade now.
Source:Taipei Times
February 12, 2026 16:52 UTC
Samsung starts mass production of next-gen AI chips
Samsung starts mass production of next-gen AI chipsAFP, SEOULSamsung Electronics Co yesterday announced that it had started mass production of its next-generation memory chips to power artificial intelligence (AI), touting an “industry-leading” breakthrough. The high-bandwidth HBM4 chips are seen as a key component needed to scale-up the vast data centers powering the explosion in AI. A mockup of a chipset featuring Samsung Electronics’ high-bandwidth memory technology is displayed at the Semiconductor Exhibition in Seoul on Oct. 22 last year. Samsung and its South Korean rival SK Hynix Inc are already among the leading producers of high-performance memory chips, and the two companies had raced to start HBM4 production. Taipei-based research firm TrendForce Corp (集邦科技) predicts that global memory industry revenue would surge to a peak of more than US$840 billion next year.
Source:Taipei Times
February 12, 2026 16:52 UTC
US House backs measure to end tariffs on Canada
US House backs measure to end tariffs on CanadaReuters, WASHINGTONThe US House of Representatives on Wednesday narrowly backed a measure disapproving of US President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canada, a rare rebuke of the president and leaders of his party in the Republican-majority House. It was an important symbolic vote in the chamber, where Trump’s Republicans hold a slim 218-214 majority. The House approved the resolution a day after three Republicans joined Democrats to narrowly defeat an effort by Republican leaders to block legislative challenges to Trump’s tariffs. Canada is our ally,” Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a speech before the vote. Last month, the Yale Budget Lab said the annual median cost of the Trump administration’s tariffs was about US$1,400 for each US household.
Source:Taipei Times
February 12, 2026 16:52 UTC
Wide public support for trade deal: poll
DPP Legislator Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) at a news conference yesterday showed poll results showing that 61 percent of people are satisfied with tariff negotiations. Wu said 74.1 percent of respondents wish to see the tariff agreement go through the legislative process without delay. The poll indicated that 67.6 percent support collaboration with the US and Japan, showing most Taiwanese wish to see closer economic and industrial cooperation, Wu said. “The public does not want to see our legislature become a barrier to Taiwan’s economic progress,” she said. “Opposition parties must work together with the ruling government, united against outside forces to safeguard our nation, the wish of all Taiwan’s public,” Cho said.
Source:Taipei Times
February 12, 2026 16:52 UTC
Agency to visit US and assess rare earths
Agency to visit US and assess rare earthsSEEKING SOURCES: The visit would assess mine conditions, ore veins and grade levels, and the findings would help determine whether they meet Taiwan’s industrial needsBy Meryl Kao / Staff reporterThe Ministry of Economic Affairs’ Geological Survey and Mining Management Agency plans to visit Texas, Wyoming and California in the second half of this year to assess sources of rare earths, as Taiwan seeks supply sources other than China. Wheel loaders fill trucks with ore at the MP Materials rare earths mine in Mountain Pass, California, on Jan. 30, 2020. US production consists mainly of light rare earths, whereas Taiwan’s industrial demand is more aligned with heavy rare earths, Hsu said. Light rare earths typically have higher concentrations in ore deposits — about 2 percent to more than 10 percent — while concentrations in heavy rare earths can be as low as 0.1 percent or even 0.01 percent, he said. Taiwan would be seeking potential multilateral collaboration with the US, Japan and Australia for supplies of rare earths, he said.
Source:Taipei Times
February 12, 2026 16:52 UTC
Dutch court orders probe into chipmaker Nexperia
Dutch court orders probe into chipmaker NexperiaAP, THE HAGUE, NetherlandsA Dutch court on Wednesday ordered a formal investigation into chipmaker Nexperia BV and upheld an earlier order suspending its Chinese chief executive officer Zhang Xuezheng (張學政), citing doubts about the company’s policies and conduct. Flags flutter in front of the headquarters of chipmaker Nexperia in Nijmegen, Netherlands, on Jan. 14. US officials had told the Dutch government Zhang should be replaced to avoid trade restrictions, a court filing last year showed. They urged the court not to order an investigation and said Wingtech had been blindsided by the Dutch government move. Nexperia in a statement posted online said that it “welcomes and respects” the ruling, and is “committed to fully complying” with the investigation.
Source:Taipei Times
February 12, 2026 16:52 UTC
Abuse of elderly people worsened last year
Abuse of elderly people worsened last yearBy Jake Chung / Staff writer, with CNAThere were about 2,000 more reports of elderly people abuse last year than the year before, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, advising people to call the 113 hotline if they witness any unusual injuries or behavior. The number of reports regarding domestic abuse against elderly people, defined as those aged 65 and older, has increased year on year, Department of Protective Services Director Kuo Tsai-jung (郭彩榕) said. The ministry recorded 20,000 calls of abuse against elderly people last year, with domestic violence from their grandchildren or children accounting for about 57 percent of the abuse, Kuo said. The ministry in 2024 recorded 24,396 reports of domestic violence against elderly people, or about 19,019 people, Kuo said. The number of abuse reports recorded last year was 26,684, and while it was still calculating how many people were involved, Kuo said that on paper, incidents appear to have increased.
Source:Taipei Times
February 12, 2026 16:52 UTC