Australian police investigate threat against mosque
The letter sent on Wednesday to Lakemba Mosque in Sydney’s west contained a drawing of a pig and a threat to kill the “Muslim race,” local media reported. A security guard stands outside the Lakemba Mosque as people arrive for Friday prayers in Sydney on Dec. 19 last year. Photo: ReutersThe latest letter comes weeks after a similar message was mailed to the mosque, depicting Muslim people inside a mosque on fire. Police have also arrested and charged a 70-year-old man in connection with a third threatening letter sent last month to Lakemba Mosque’s staff. The Lebanese Muslim Association, which runs the mosque, told the Australian Broadcasting Corp (ABC) it had written to the government to request more funding for additional security guards and surveillance cameras.
Source:Taipei Times
February 19, 2026 16:09 UTC
Australian company helps Ukraine zap Russian UAVs
Australian company helps Ukraine zap Russian UAVsAFP, SYDNEYOne of Australia’s most highly valued defense firms is helping Ukrainian soldiers knock Russian drones off the battlefield, riding a surge in military spending by Western governments with tech combating the weapon of the future. An advertisement for DroneShield is displayed at the company’s office in Sydney on Oct. 10 last year. Last year, as the firm’s share price soared to a record high, Vornik offloaded a US$50 million stake. Australian financial firm Bell Potter has declared this year to be the “Year of the Drone” in a bullish note backing DroneShield. “They do things that otherwise are much more expensive and much harder to replicate using traditional munitions,” he said.
Source:Taipei Times
February 19, 2026 16:09 UTC
Wolves fight back to derail Arsenal title bid
Wolves fight back to derail Arsenal title bidAFP, WOLVERHAMPTON, EnglandMikel Arteta on Wednesday said that Arsenal deserve criticism for the self-inflicted wounds that threaten to ruin their English Premier League title bid after the leaders blew a two-goal lead in a 2-2 draw at rock-bottom Wolverhampton Wanderers. Hugo Bueno of Wolverhampton Wanderers, right, scores against Arsenal in their Premier League match at Molineux in Wolverhampton, England, on Wednesday. Photo: ReutersFor a second successive league game, the Gunners had failed to hold onto a lead following their 1-1 draw at Brentford on Thursday last week. City are just five points behind Arsenal and have a game in hand on their rivals, as well as a home game against the Gunners in April. In the second half we did not perform in the way we should and the way we require to win a Premier League match,” he said.
Source:Taipei Times
February 19, 2026 16:09 UTC
Early Gaza death toll exceeds 75,000
Early Gaza death toll exceeds 75,000SENSITIVE POLL: A survey of 2,000 families, administered by Palestinian pollsters, found that the official death toll was a substantial undercount by a margin of about 40%The GuardianMore than 75,000 people were killed in the first 16 months of the two-year war in Gaza, at least 25,000 more than the death toll announced by local authorities at the time, a study published on Wednesday in the Lancet Global Health medical journal showed. The research also found that reporting by the Gaza health ministry about the proportion of women, children and elderly people among those killed was accurate. Photo: ReutersThe deaths comprised 56 percent of violent deaths in Gaza. Gaza health authorities say the direct toll from Israeli attacks has exceeded 71,660 people, including more than 570 killed since a ceasefire came into effect in October last year. The new research also suggests that official death toll was a substantial undercount, and by a roughly similar margin.
Source:Taipei Times
February 19, 2026 16:09 UTC
Macron says determined to ‘shape rules’ with allies
Macron says determined to ‘shape rules’ with alliesAFP, NEW DELHIFrench President Emmanuel Macron told a global artificial intelligence (AI) summit in India yesterday he was determined to ensure safe oversight of the fast-evolving technology. The EU has led the way for global regulation with its Artificial Intelligence Act, which was adopted in 2024 and is coming into force in phases. “We are determined to continue to shape the rules of the game... with our allies such as India,” Macron said in New Delhi. Photo: AFPThe AI Impact Summit is the fourth annual international gathering focused on the rapidly advancing field. “We must resolve that AI is used for the global common good.”Modi, breaking into English, added: “We are entering an era where humans and intelligence systems co-create, co-work and co-evolve.”
Source:Taipei Times
February 19, 2026 16:09 UTC
Ambani joins rivals in AI cash splash
This investment by Reliance Industries Ltd and its telecom unit, Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd, will also seek to lower the cost of AI, Ambani said at the India AI Impact Summit on Thursday in New Delhi. Reliance Industries Ltd chairman Mukesh Ambani speaks at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi yesterday. India held one of the largest AI conferences this week that has already drawn industry heavyweights, including Alphabet Inc CEO Sundar Pichai and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Rather it will create new high-skill opportunities,” Ambani said, assuaging widespread fears that the advent of the AI era will displace workers. Such AI services are able to operate autonomously in certain circumstances, limiting the need for human intervention.
Source:Taipei Times
February 19, 2026 16:09 UTC
Norway’s Bodo/Glimt stun Inter
Norway’s Bodo/Glimt stun InterAZERBAIJAN ROUT: Newcastle United made short work of Qarabag, with Anthony Gordon netting two penalties among his four goalsAFP, PARISNorway’s Bodo/Glimt on Wednesday stunned Inter in the UEFA Champions League, beating last season’s runners-up 3-1 in the first leg of their playoff after Anthony Gordon scored four as Newcastle United hammered Qarabag 6-1 in Azerbaijan. Bodo/Glimt’s Sondre Fet celebrates scoring against Inter in their UEFA Champions League playoff first leg at the Aspmyra Stadion in Bodo, Norway, on Wednesday. Francesco Pio Esposito equalized on the half-hour mark for three-time European champions Inter, the goal standing after a video assistant referee check despite an apparent handball in the buildup. The result leaves Inter, who lost 5-0 to Paris Saint-Germain in last season’s Champions League final, facing a big challenge to overturn their two-goal deficit in next Tuesday’s return leg at San Siro in Milan. The winners of the tie play either Manchester City or Sporting of Portugal in the last 16 next month.
Source:Taipei Times
February 19, 2026 16:09 UTC
Peru’s lawmakers pick Balcazar as interim president
Peru’s lawmakers pick Balcazar as interim presidentAFP, LIMAPeruvian lawmakers on Wednesday picked Jose Maria Balcazar as the nation’s new interim president, after previous leader Jose Jeri was impeached on graft allegations. The vote brought to an end a power vacuum of more than 24 hours, unprecedented in the nation’s recent history. Jose Balcazar, center, gestures in front of the Government Palace in Lima on Wednesday after he was elected as Peru’s interim president. Photo: ReutersBalcazar is to lead the country until his successor takes office on July 28, after the presidential election on April 12. On Tuesday, he was ousted by lawmakers for suspected involvement in the irregular hiring of several women in his government and alleged graft involving a Chinese businessman.
Source:Taipei Times
February 19, 2026 16:09 UTC
Fed minutes reveal rate-cut hesitancy, risking Trump clash
Fed minutes reveal rate-cut hesitancy, risking Trump clashBloombergUS Federal Reserve officials appeared surprisingly wary of cutting interest rates when they met last month, with several even suggesting the central bank might need to raise rates if inflation remains stubbornly high. That could put it on a collision course with US President Donald Trump and complicates the task of Trump’s nominee for Fed chair, Kevin Warsh. Renovations are under way at the Federal Reserve Board building in Washington on Nov. 14 last year. “It’s high time for the Federal Reserve to acknowledge this abundantly clear reality and cut rates to deliver further economic relief for American homebuyers and businesses,” he said. The minutes showed most of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) believed last year’s labor market weakness was fading by late last month.
Source:Taipei Times
February 19, 2026 16:09 UTC
India beat Netherlands by 17 runs
India beat Netherlands by 17 runsAFP, AHMEDABAD, IndiaDefending champions India on Wednesday beat a spirited Netherlands team by 17 runs ahead of their meeting with South Africa in the Super Eights of the Men’s T20 World Cup. India posted 193-6 and then kept the Netherlands down to 176-7, with spinner Varun Chakravarthy returning figures of 3-14 in Ahmedabad to stay unbeaten in their four matches in Group A. India’s Shivam Dube plays a shot against the Netherlands in their Men’s T20 World Cup match in Ahmedabad, India, on Wednesday. India’s Tilak Varma plays a shot against the Netherlands in their Men’s T20 World Cup match in Ahmedabad, India, on Wednesday. “This is a World Cup and the game gets difficult sometimes,” Player of the Match Dube, who also took two wickets, told reporters.
Source:Taipei Times
February 19, 2026 16:09 UTC
Ex-South Korean president gets life imprisonment
Ex-South Korean president gets life imprisonmentAP, SEOULFormer South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol was yesterday sentenced to life in prison for his brief imposition of martial law in a dramatic culmination to the nation’s biggest political crisis in decades. Yoon was ousted from office after a baffling attempt to overcome an opposition-controlled legislature by declaring martial law and sending troops to surround the National Assembly on Dec. 3, 2024. Supporters of former South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol gather outside Seoul Central District Court yesterday. Prosecutors said it was clear he was attempting to disable the legislature and prevent lawmakers from lifting the measure through voting, actions that exceeded his constitutional authority even under martial law. The Seoul Central Court has also convicted two members of Yoon Suk-yeol’s Cabinet in other cases.
Source:Taipei Times
February 19, 2026 16:09 UTC
Isolating Taiwan would be ‘global catastrophe’: Pelosi
Isolating Taiwan would be ‘global catastrophe’: PelosiStaff writer, with CNAAny effort to isolate Taiwan would amount to a “global catastrophe” with economic, strategic and moral consequences, former US House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi said at The World Forum in Berlin yesterday, as she called on democracies to act in concert to deter authoritarian expansion. Former US House speaker Nancy Pelosi addresses the World Forum in Berlin via teleconference yesterday. Photo: CNAAny attempt to isolate, coerce or invade Taiwan, would not simply be a regional issue, but would trigger a global catastrophe — economically, strategically and morally, she said. The World Forum, organized by the Berlin-based Cinema for Peace Foundation focuses on issues including democracy, peace and global security. This year, the forum featured a Taiwan workshop, bringing together lawmakers from Europe and the US, as well as representatives of civil society groups, to examine Taiwan’s role in global security.
Source:Taipei Times
February 19, 2026 16:09 UTC
US presses Iran to do a deal as Trump hints at US strikes
US presses Iran to do a deal as Trump hints at US strikesREADY? The two sides recently resumed indirect talks, mediated by Oman, after Trump repeatedly threatened military action against Iran over a deadly crackdown on protesters last month. A previous attempt at negotiations collapsed when Israel launched surprise strikes on Iran in June last year, beginning a 12-day war that Washington briefly joined to bomb Iranian nuclear sites. Photo: EPA“Iran would be very wise to make a deal with President Trump and with his administration,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters. Speaking on Wednesday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian insisted: “We do not want war,” but suggested Tehran could not give in to US demands.
Source:Taipei Times
February 19, 2026 16:09 UTC
Legislature may start trade pact review on March 12
Legislature may start trade pact review on March 12By Chung Li-hua and Ho Yu-hua / Staff reportersThe Legislative Yuan could begin reviewing the Taiwan-US Agreement on Reciprocal Trade on March 12, a day after the election of conveners of legislative committees, sources said. The Executive Yuan is expected to approve the trade agreement as early as Thursday next week, sources said. With elections for legislative committee conveners set for March 11, lawmakers are expected to begin reviewing the trade agreement as early as March 12, they added. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) caucuses have pledged to expedite the review of the trade agreement. Both documents state that the reciprocal tariff for Taiwanese exports to the US is set at 15 percent without stacking, it added.
Source:Taipei Times
February 19, 2026 16:09 UTC
New US arms sales in limbo, WSJ says
New US arms sales in limbo, WSJ saysVACILLATING? Trump on Monday said that he would decide soon on whether to send more weapons to Taiwan, after Xi warned him not to do so. Beijing was already “angered” over the US$11.1 billion potential arms sales for Taiwan announced in December, the report said, adding that US officials had been discussing approving additional sales when Xi pressed Trump about the issue during their phone call. The new arms sale package had been expected to include Patriot anti-missile interceptors and other weapons, the report said, citing a US congressional aide. The US Congress has not officially been notified of new arms sales, it said.
Source:Taipei Times
February 19, 2026 16:09 UTC