Last treaty limiting nuclear deployment set to expire
Last treaty limiting nuclear deployment set to expireNEW WORLD ORDER: Trump could have followed through with calls to renew the treaty, but neither side did, as they would prefer to do as they like, an analyst saidAFP, WASHINGTONCome Thursday, barring a last-minute change, the final treaty in the world that restricted nuclear weapons deployments would be over. New START, the last nuclear treaty between Washington and Moscow after decades of agreements dating to the Cold War, is set to expire, and with it restrictions on the two top nuclear powers. Russian President Vladimir Putin in September last year suggested a one-year extension of New START. New START restricted Russia and the US to a maximum of 1,550 deployed strategic nuclear warheads each — a reduction of nearly 30 percent from the previous limit set in 2002. US allies France and the UK also have established nuclear arsenals on a smaller scale, while India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea have known nuclear weapons, but are not part of international agreements.
Source:Taipei Times
February 01, 2026 18:12 UTC
US ‘welcomes’ Chinese oil investment in Venezuela
US ‘welcomes’ Chinese oil investment in VenezuelaAFP, WASHINGTONUS President Donald Trump on Saturday said he would “welcome” Chinese investment in Venezuela’s oil industry as the South American country seeks to revive its battered economy following the kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Venezuela sits on the world’s largest proven oil reserves and reformed laws this week to open the sector up to private and foreign investment. China had been the dominant buyer of Venezuelan oil under Maduro, whose Jan. 3 capture by US forces drew condemnation from China’s foreign ministry and made uncertain Beijing’s future with Caracas. He said that Acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez on Friday agreed to an energy cooperation deal with India. They’re going to make more money than they’ve ever made, and it’s going to be beneficial to us,” he said.
Source:Taipei Times
February 01, 2026 18:12 UTC
Dozens killed in Baloch militant attack
Baloch separatists have previously targeted civilians believed to have collaborated with state agencies. The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), the most active militant separatist group in the province, claimed responsibility for the attacks in a statement. The group said it had targeted military installations and police and civil administration officials in gun attacks and suicide bombings. The separatists attacked a train with 450 passengers on board last year, sparking a two-day siege during which dozens of people were killed. In August 2024, militants blew up bridges, stormed hotels and targeted security installations in assaults across the province that killed dozens.
Source:Taipei Times
February 01, 2026 18:12 UTC
Exiled Tibetans vote to choose leadership
Exiled Tibetans vote to choose leadershipAFP, DEHRADUN, IndiaExiled Tibetans began a unique global election yesterday for a government representing a homeland many have never seen, as part of a democratic exercise voters say carries great weight. Photo: AIt is an electoral system unlike any other, a vote for a parliament without a state. Yesterday’s vote was to select candidates ahead of a final round on April 26, with results due May 13. “The stakes are too high to risk choosing ineffective leadership,” said Kunga Choekey, 24, a voter based in Dehradun, India. Australia-based lawmaker Doring Tenzin Phuntsok, 40, campaigning for re-election, wants the vote to send a message to Beijing.
Source:Taipei Times
February 01, 2026 18:12 UTC
Notes from Central Taiwan: Nothing inevitable about Taiwan’s status
In the propaganda of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), the annexation of Taiwan is always presented as an “inevitable” outcome of the tide of history. TAIWAN DEBATETerrible Inspection, a woodblock print depicting the 228 Incident by Chinese artist Huang Rongcan. During that period the destiny of Taiwan was hotly debated in US policy circles and in the press. From the moment American officials arrived in Taiwan in the fall of 1945 it was understood in policy circles that the US did not consider Taiwan to have been turned over to China. Notes from Central Taiwan is a column written by long-term resident Michael Turton, who provides incisive commentary informed by three decades of living in and writing about his adoptive country.
Source:Taipei Times
February 01, 2026 17:15 UTC
Spider-man simulator
Taiwan’s economy in booming mode for first time in a yearIn the wake of strong global demand for AI applications, Taiwan’s export-oriented economy accelerated with the composite index of economic indicators flashing the first “red” light in December for one year, indicating the economy is in booming mode, the National Development Council (NDC) said yesterday. Moreover, the index of leading indicators, which gauges the potential state of the economy over the next six months, also moved higher in December amid growing optimism over the outlook, the NDC said. In December, the index of economic indicators rose one point from a month earlier to 38, at the lower end of the “red” light.
Source:Taipei Times
February 01, 2026 17:15 UTC
Fitch raises banks’ outlook after tariff deal
Fitch raises banks’ outlook after tariff dealSIGNS OF STABILITY: With US tariff risks to GDP subsiding, reliable economic conditions are expected to reinforce the bank operating environment, Fitch saidStaff writer, with CNAFitch Ratings has upgraded the outlook for Taiwan’s banking sector to “neutral” from “deteriorating,” citing a tariff agreement with the US that has reduced uncertainty in Taiwan’s macroeconomic environment and stabilized financial performance. The deal also grants Taiwan-made semiconductors and related products most-favorable-nation treatment under Section 232 of the US Trade Expansion Act. The Fitch Ratings logo at its offices at Canary Wharf in London are pictured on March 3, 2016. Fitch expects the Taiwanese banking sector to maintain an impaired loan ratio below 1 percent, compared with the 1.2 percent it previously forecast, the statement said. Market sentiment is also expected to improve, supporting wealth management fees and the sector’s overall bottom line, Fitch added.
Source:Taipei Times
February 01, 2026 17:15 UTC
CTBC Financial tops board pay list, with TSMC in third
CTBC Financial tops board pay list, with TSMC in thirdStaff writer, with CNACTBC Financial Holding Co (中信金控) paid the highest compensation to its board members among companies listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE) in 2024, with contract chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) ranking third, data released on Friday by the exchange showed. CTBC Financial paid an average of NT$95.73 million (US$3.04 million) in board member compensation in 2024, ahead of multilayer ceramic capacitor maker Yageo Corp (國巨), which paid NT$78.25 million, and TSMC, which paid NT$50.72 million, TWSE data showed. Despite paying the highest board compensation, CTBC Financial posted earnings per share of NT$3.64 in 2024, far below Yageo’s NT$38.13 and TSMC’s NT$45.25. A person uses a laptop computer at the Taiwan Stock Exchange Corp headquarters in Taipei on May 6 last year. Photo: An Rong Xu, BloombergKGI Financial Holding Co (凱基金控) ranked fourth, paying its board members an average of NT$50.23 million in 2024, followed by Yuanta Financial Holding Co (元大金控) at NT$44.33 million.
Source:Taipei Times
February 01, 2026 17:15 UTC
Nvidia’s Huang touts OpenAI investment
They’re one of the most consequential companies of our time.”Huang did not say exactly how much Nvidia might contribute, but described the investment as “huge.”Nvidia Corp CEO Jensen Huang, left, speaks to reporters in Taipei on Saturday. Photo: Lam Yik Fei, Bloomberg“Let Sam announce how much he’s going to raise — it’s for him to decide,” Huang said, referring to OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman. Altman is in the process of closing the round, “but we will definitely participate in the next round of financing because it’s such a good investment,” he added. Nvidia’s massive investment commitment to OpenAI, a key buyer of its advanced AI chips, has stoked concerns about the circular nature of AI deals over the past year. As part of a letter of intent signed in September, Nvidia said it planned to invest as much as US$100 billion in OpenAI to support new data centers and other AI infrastructure.
Source:Taipei Times
February 01, 2026 17:15 UTC
Takaichi talks up weak yen, while trying to curb decline
Takaichi talks up weak yen, while trying to curb declineReuters, TOKYOJapanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has talked up the benefits of a weaker yen in a campaign speech, adopting a tone at odds with her finance ministry, which has refused to rule out any options to counter excessive foreign exchange volatility. “I did not say which is better or worse — a strong yen or a weak yen,” Takaichi said. The government is monitoring financial markets and, as prime minister, she would refrain from commenting specifically on the matter, she added. While the weak yen can lead to higher import prices, impacting people’s lives and businesses, it can also boost domestic investments, exports and overseas income, Takaichi said. The account balance was at about ￥187 trillion (US$1.21 trillion) as of March last year, Japanese Ministry of Finance data showed.
Source:Taipei Times
February 01, 2026 17:15 UTC
Mental health group: loneliness a growing problem
Mental health group: loneliness a growing problemALL AGES WELCOME Affecting both the young and the old, loneliness and its secondary effects are an increasingly big issue in Taiwan societyBy Chiu Chih-jou and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe Mental Health Foundation on Tuesday called for more proactive policies to support mental health, as the top related news events of last year showed that loneliness has become a major issue in Taiwan. A sign bearing the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s name is pictured at its headquarters in Taipei in an undated photograph. It could indicate that society has insufficient mental support for those on society’s periphery, Yang said. Yang said mental health assessments could be part of vocational counseling or part of local and central labor departments, as a way to reach out and support those who need it. Foundation chairman Hu Hai-kuo (胡海國) said the government’s efforts to reinforce the mental health system were a good start, but insufficient.
Source:Taipei Times
January 31, 2026 17:14 UTC
Freeway No. 3 leads roadkill rankings
3 leads roadkill rankingsKINETIC EFFECTS Wildlife over- and underpasses have helped decrease instances of roadkill, but Freeway No. 3 still leads the nation in total numbers, if not impact densityBy Wu Liang-yi / Staff reporterStatistics about animal roadkill on Taiwan’s freeways showed that the Formosa Freeway (Freeway No. 3 and the National Sun Yat-sen Freeway (Freeway No. The Freeway Bureau first began surveying animal roadkill on freeways during a conservation project in 2007 to reduce the roadkill numbers during the mass migration of purple crow butterflies. The freeway roadkill survey is jointly conducted by the bureau’s Engineering Division, road cleaning and maintenance personnel, as well as incident response personnel, who keep records of the roadkill circumstances and species.
Source:Taipei Times
January 31, 2026 17:14 UTC
Legislature passes bill on lawmaker subsidies
Legislature passes bill on lawmaker subsidiesStaff writer, with CNAThe legislature late on Friday passed an amendment stipulating that it must annually budget lawmaker subsidies from public funds, including office operating expenses and the salaries and allowances of publicly funded aides. The Legislative Yuan is pictured in Taipei on Friday. Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei TimesSubsequently, KMT Legislator Niu Hsu-ting (牛煦庭) introduced a separate bill to amend the Organic Act of the Legislative Yuan (立法院組織法). Lawmakers can determine the amount of each aide’s wages, with payments disbursed by the Legislative Yuan on their behalf. Defining aides’ salaries as lawmaker subsidies could create legal ambiguities and shield legislators from liability, they said.
Source:Taipei Times
January 31, 2026 17:14 UTC
Chiayi man has 24 bladder stones removed
Chiayi man has 24 bladder stones removedUNWELCOME GUESTS Bladder stones can result from genetic predisposition, diet, a lack of consistent hydration, age or a number of other conditionsBy Esme Yeh / Staff reporter, with CNAAn elderly man in Chiayi County recently had 24 stones removed from his bladder that a urologist surmised had been there for at least 10 years. Yang Ming Hospital urologist Huang Tsai-pei (黃才倍) yesterday said the man had rarely visited a urologist and did not know he had so many bladder stones. People with bladder stones usually have no notion of them except for experiencing voiding difficulties or blood in the urine, particularly because the bladder has great elasticity to stretch out to hold urine, he said. Stones removed from a man’s bladder are pictured in Chiayi County yesterday. The man had hard bladder stones with smooth surfaces, which could not be shattered via non-invasive method as easily as more loosely accreted stones in other patients, Huang said.
Source:Taipei Times
January 31, 2026 17:14 UTC
CTi TV still shut down: NCC
CTi TV still shut down: NCCNOT RETROACTIVE An amendment railroaded through the Legislative Yuan would not restore the TV channel, which was shut down for repeated violationsStaff writer, with CNAThe National Communications Commission (NCC) on Friday said that amendments to the Satellite Broadcasting Act (衛星廣播電視法) passed by the Legislative Yuan earlier that day, which eases license renewal rules for news channels, would not restore the cable news broadcasting rights of Chung Tien Television (CTi TV). The legislation contains no retroactive provisions and would not affect CTi News, which was offlined in 2020, NCC Secretary-General Huang Wen-che (黃文哲) said. The changes have been dubbed the “CTi TV clause” by critics who say they could open a path for CTi News to regain its license after it was taken off the air on Dec. 12, 2020, when its license expired and was not renewed by the NCC. The broadcasting regulator rejected CTi News’ license renewal application on Nov. 18, 2020, citing “repeated rule violations” and “a failure of its internal discipline and control mechanisms.”CTi TV later entered into an administrative lawsuit with the NCC, which is still ongoing. Cheng said the case over the license renewal for CTi News is under further review by the High Administrative Court, with the legal proceedings ongoing.
Source:Taipei Times
January 31, 2026 17:14 UTC