Takaichi wins big, Japan’s national broadcaster reports
Takaichi wins big, Japan’s national broadcaster reportsAFP, TOKYOJapanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s ruling coalition won a super-majority of at least two-thirds of the seats in yesterday’s snap lower house elections, national broadcaster NHK projected. Takaichi’s ruling bloc capitalized on her honeymoon start as Japan’s first female prime minister. If confirmed, it would be the best result for the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) since elections in 2017 under Takaichi’s mentor, assassinated former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe. “We received backing for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s responsible, proactive fiscal policies and a strengthening of national defense capabilities,” LDP Secretary-General Shunichi Suzuki told Japanese media. The anti-immigration Sanseito party was projected to have increased its seats from two to between five and 14, NHK said.
Source:Taipei Times
February 08, 2026 17:22 UTC
Trump’s Iran gamble comes with big risks
Trump’s Iran gamble comes with big risksBy Ian BremmerAlthough Iran is not in the western hemisphere, it might well be the next theater where US President Donald Trump tries to reshape reality with military force — but unlike his quick win in Venezuela, US intervention in Iran could easily spiral out of control. Trump has made his position clear: Iran’s rulers can do this the easy way or the hard way. The easy way means accepting a deal tougher than the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA, the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement) that Trump walked away from during his first term. The hard way means military strikes — big ones. If Trump strikes Khamenei, expect a bigger spike in the range of US$5 to US$10 per barrel — or possibly more if the transition goes badly.
Source:Taipei Times
February 08, 2026 17:22 UTC
EDITORIAL: Film disrespects Taiwanese history
EDITORIAL: Film disrespects Taiwanese historyThe wrap-up press event on Feb. 1 for the new local period suspense film Murder of the Century (世紀血案), adapted from the true story of the Lin family murders (林家血案) in 1980, has sparked waves of condemnation in the past week, as well as a boycott. In the incident, Lin’s mother and seven-year-old twin daughters were stabbed to death, while his eldest daughter survived a severe knife injury. The 84-year-old Lin and his family were not approached for their consent before the movie was filmed, which triggered significant public concern of re-traumatization and exploitation. It also caused speculation about potential hidden motives for making the film and outrage toward the production team for its disregard for the privacy and dignity of the survivors. Claiming a “neutral” stance while depicting a high-profile political murder that took place under an authoritarian regime is inexcusable, and only lends itself to glossing over historical facts.
Source:Taipei Times
February 08, 2026 17:22 UTC
Liquor-based food raises alcohol use indicators: doctor
Liquor-based food raises alcohol use indicators: doctorBy Cheng Shu-ting and Jason Pan / Staff reportersAs a cold front hits, many in Taiwan might turn to alcohol-based dishes such as ginger duck stew and chicken soup cooked with wine to keep warm, but doctors cautioned that the alcohol in such dishes could affect blood test results. A pot of ginger duck stew is pictured in an undated photograph. Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) tests are usually used in evaluations, as they reflect longer-term regular alcohol consumption, instead of just short-term binge drinking, Su said. “Many people believe that when they stop drinking alcohol one or two weeks before they get tested, their indices would go down, but that is not correct,” Su said. However, some people consume ginger duck stew or wine-cooked chicken soup on cold winter days, which raises their CDT index, he said.
Source:Taipei Times
February 08, 2026 17:22 UTC
Johnny Kou apologizes to Lin family, victims of 228
The film, titled Murder of the Century (世紀血案), was based on the murders of three members of the Lin family on Feb. 28, 1980. Actor Johnny Kou poses for a photograph at a news conference promoting the film Murder of the Century in Taipei on Sunday last week. Photo: Pan Shao-tang, Taipei TimesThe Lin family murders is one of the highest-profile homicide cases in modern Taiwanese history and remains unsolved. Kou, who plays the role of a Taiwan Garrison Command and National Security Bureau high official in the film, apologized to the Lin family in a statement on Facebook. He expressed deep remorse and said that his insufficient understanding of the tragedy caused secondary harm to the Lin family.
Source:Taipei Times
February 08, 2026 17:22 UTC
T’way Air flight lands safely at Taoyuan airport after losing a tire
T’way Air flight lands safely at Taoyuan airport after losing a tireStaff writer, with CNAA passenger jet operated by South Korean low-cost carrier T’way Air lost a tire on landing at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport yesterday afternoon, prompting the temporary closure of its north runway and disrupting 14 flights. The T’way Air flight, arriving from Jeju Island, touched down on the north runway at 3:52 pm, when its right main landing gear tire detached, according to Taoyuan International Airport Corp. A T’way Air plane is pictured at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport yesterday. After foreign object debris (FOD), including aircraft components, was marked and removed, the north runway resumed normal operations at 5:35 pm. However, Japan Airlines flight JL8671, which landed shortly after the T’way Air jet, was delayed by about one hour while waiting on a taxiway for FOD clearance.
Source:Taipei Times
February 08, 2026 17:22 UTC
KMT rhetoric shifting to pro-China, silence on US under Cheng: academic
KMT rhetoric shifting to pro-China, silence on US under Cheng: academicBy Chen Yu-fu / Staff ReporterThe Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) approach toward the US has undergone a shift under the leadership of Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文), publicly evolving into a stance that is “pro-China, skeptical of the US and no longer anti-communist,” an academic said yesterday. “However, Cheng has so far not uttered the words ‘pro-US’ at all,” Chen said. Chen said that Ma consistently placed “closeness to the US” as a top priority, whereas the current KMT leadership no longer even mentions the concept. Chen added that Cheng, meanwhile, has not mentioned opposition to communism since assuming the party leadership. “The KMT’s party charter explicitly states opposition to communism,” Chen said.
Source:Taipei Times
February 08, 2026 17:22 UTC
Man arrested for starting fires in two MRT stations
Man arrested for starting fires in two MRT stationsBy Wang Kuan-jen and Sam Garcia / Staff reporter, with staff writerA 73-year-old man was arrested for allegedly starting fires in two Taipei MRT bathrooms yesterday to draw attention to his repeated petitions to be excluded from a redevelopment. The man, surnamed Zeng (曾), owns land in an area that is being redeveloped in Taichung’s Shengang District (神岡). He then traveled to Taipei Main Station via bus and dropped off four petition letters at Taiwan Railway Corp’s office building, they said. From Ximen Station, Zeng took the metro to Shandao Temple Station, where he allegedly lit another fire in the men’s bathroom, they said. Believing their efforts have gone unnoticed, Zeng allegedly came to Taipei and committed arson to draw attention to this issue, sources said.
Source:Taipei Times
February 08, 2026 17:22 UTC
KMT must open its eyes to the real enemy
KMT must open its eyes to the real enemyBy Huang Yi-sheng 黃義勝Watching news footage of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) officials shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries with their counterparts across the Taiwan Strait, I could not help but feel a profound sense of temporal displacement. From a constitutional perspective, this was an “independence movement” launched within the ROC that successfully split the national territory. For the KMT, it was the agony of a destroyed home and a lost nation. Ironically, one party is a historic enemy who tried to exterminate the KMT; the other is a competitor who inherited its brand and systems. In Taiwan’s internal political arena, the KMT fights the DPP tooth and nail, treating them as irreconcilable enemies.
Source:Taipei Times
February 08, 2026 17:22 UTC
India-US trade deal to give tariff-free access to Harley bikes, but not for Tesla
India-US trade deal to give tariff-free access to Harley bikes, but not for TeslaReuters, NEW DELHIIndia is to slash tariffs on high-end US vehicles to 30 percent from as high as 110 percent and eliminate duties on Harley-Davidson Inc bikes under an interim trade pact, an official said, but New Delhi would not make concessions for electric vehicles, a move that pointedly leaves Tesla Inc out. Under the deal, tariffs on traditional internal-combustion cars with engine capacity of more than 3,000cc would fall gradually to 30 percent over 10 years, an Indian government official said. India also agreed to address long-standing nontariff barriers to the trade in US food and agricultural products. “Agricultural output from India will now be able to go to the US on zero duties,” Indian Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal told a news conference on Saturday. “We have not given any concessions or done anything that will hurt the farmers,” he said, referring to the joint statement.
Source:Taipei Times
February 08, 2026 17:22 UTC
Budget holdup could cost deals
Budget holdup could cost dealsStaff writer, with CNAA US college professor has said that Washington’s “America First Arms Transfer Strategy” is good for Taiwan, but warned that continued delays in passing defense budgets could jeopardize Taiwan’s priority partner status. The national flags of Taiwan, bottom left, and the US fly outside a hotel in Houston, Texas, on Jan. 8, 2017. Lai has said Taiwan’s defense spending is expected to rise to 3.3 percent of gross domestic product this year and that the government aims to increase that to 5 percent by 2030. Hunzeker said that the US executive branch and US Congress are “clearly unhappy” that Taiwan’s regular defense budget and special defense budget have been blocked in the Legislative Yuan. The KMT said it would immediately review the defense budget with the Taiwan People’s Party if the Democratic Progressive Party-led government would approve pay raises for military personnel.
Source:Taipei Times
February 08, 2026 17:22 UTC
China mulls action on Taiwan elections
China mulls action on Taiwan electionsNOSY NEIGHBORS Sources allege a number of goals, such as pushing ‘united front’ actions, interfering with Taiwan-US trade cooperation, and kneecapping arms salesBy Tzou Jiing-wen and Chen Yu-fu / Staff reporterBeginning today, China is holding a “Taiwan Work Conference,” with sources from Beijing indicating that the meeting would establish a special task force to respond to Taiwan’s local elections. Local elections are scheduled for Nov. 28 for mayoral and city council positions in Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as for county commissioners, mayors, councilors, borough wardens and other local representatives in the other 16 counties and county-level cities. A person’s face is covered by a Chinese flag fluttering in the wind in Beijing in an undated photograph. Meanwhile, commenting on the special task force targeting Taiwan’s local elections, Taiwanese academics yesterday assessed that China might launch differentiated economic and trade incentives for different counties and cities, such as purchasing agricultural products, easing import restrictions and resuming group tourism. China might continue to send signals such as saying “cross-strait relations can be unlocked as long as central government policies are adjusted,” framing local elections as a choice between “pragmatism and ideology,” they said.
Source:Taipei Times
February 08, 2026 17:22 UTC
Epstein files have toppled top figures in Europe
Epstein files have toppled top figures in EuropeAP, LONDONA prince, an ambassador, senior diplomats, top politicians. All brought down by the Jeffrey Epstein files, and all in Europe, rather than the US. The Epstein files reveal the global network of royals, political leaders, billionaires, bankers and academics that the wealthy financier built around him. Across Europe, officials have had or resign or face censure after the Epstein files revealed relationships that were more extensive than previously disclosed. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said a team would scour the files for potential Polish victims, and any links between Epstein and Russian secret services.
Source:Taipei Times
February 08, 2026 16:40 UTC
Japan dominate Olympic big air
Japan dominate Olympic big air‘SO BORING’: After falling on his second try, Kira Kimura won by riding backward and spinning five-and-a-half times with a grab of his board between the bindingsAP, LIVIGNO, ItalyThat ever-growing bench of Japanese snowboarders runs deep. We had a really good offseason, lots of preparation.”Japan’s Ryoma Kimata competes during the men’s snowboarding big air finals at the Winter Olympics in Livigno, Italy, on Saturday. When Ayumu Hirano won the Olympic title four years ago, it marked has third Olympic medal. “We hate to lose,” said Ogiwara, who has won the last two X Games big air contests. Before this, the country had accumulated a single bronze medal in big air, saving most of the celebrations for Hirano and Co on the halfpipe.
Source:Taipei Times
February 08, 2026 16:06 UTC
Cortina curler wins the hearts of local fans
Cortina curler wins the hearts of local fansAP, CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, ItalyThere are four matches happening at once in Cortina’s curling stadium, yet you would hardly know it. Even with top contenders — the US and the UK — broom to broom, Italian fans are dominating this arena. The crowds are chanting “Italia, Italia, Italia!” putting US and UK contingents to shame. Constantini grew up in this tiny Tyrolean town, training on courts nestled between the high peaks of the Dolomites. It turns out the tiny town is seen as the national cradle of the sport.
Source:Taipei Times
February 08, 2026 16:06 UTC