Sub conducts shallow-water submerged tests
Sub conducts shallow-water submerged tests‘MILESTONE’: President William Lai said that the trials demonstrated that Taiwan is among the few countries in the world that can build their own submarinesBy Su Yung-yao and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe Hai Kun (海鯤) prototype submarine on Friday conducted “shallow-water submerged tests” following its first submerged test a day earlier, which CSBC Corp, Taiwan, the primary contractor of the indigenous defense program, said was successful. “The successful submerged sea trials of the Hai Kun are an important milestone in the navy’s history of autonomous shipbuilding,” President William Lai (賴清德) wrote on social media on Friday. The prototype submarine Hai Kun undergoes a submerged test in Kaohsiung on Friday. The Hai Kun was originally scheduled to complete sea trials by November last year, but the schedule was pushed back as it underwent final adjustments ahead of the submergence tests. With the Hai Kun undergoing submergence tests, a major component of Taiwan’s defense infrastructure is nearing completion.
Source:Taipei Times
January 31, 2026 17:14 UTC
Two children’s deaths in Taichung being investigated
Two children’s deaths in Taichung being investigatedStaff writer, with CNAAn investigation has been launched into the deaths of two children in Taichung who are suspected to have died from ingesting unidentified drugs, police said yesterday. Authorities said they received a report early yesterday morning, saying the two children had no heartbeat or signs of breathing. The Taichung District Prosecutors’ Office is pictured in an undated photograph. The Taichung Social Affairs Bureau said social workers have been assigned to the children’s family to provide them withassistance, while some family members have been put in a safe place. Police said they have reported the case to the Taichung District Prosecutors’ Office, which would join the investigations and conduct autopsies to underpin the cause of death and how they happened.
Source:Taipei Times
January 31, 2026 17:14 UTC
Yang Ming captain arrested for drug trafficking
The captain surnamed Yu (尤) was detained for questioning after customs officials discovered a large cache of heroin during a shipboard inspection of the Yang Ming Horizon operated by Yang Ming Marine, Taiwan’s second-largest shipping line, when it arrived in Kaohsiung on Thursday, sources said. The Yang Ming Horizon departed from Hai Phong Port, Vietnam, early on Sunday last week. Its itinerary listed a stop in Hong Kong before sailing to Kaohsiung, sources said. The Yang Ming Horizon is pictured at Kaohsiung Harbor on Thurday. Cases implicating a globallyrecognized shipping company such as Yang Ming Marine are extremely rare, they said, adding that authorities will continue to investigate whether internal management lapses within the shipping company were involved and to determine whether other personnel or a larger transnational drug trafficking network might be connected to the case.
Source:Taipei Times
January 31, 2026 17:14 UTC
Lai urges unity against external and hostile forces
Lai urges unity against external and hostile forcesBy Chen Cheng-yu / Staff reporterPresident William Lai (賴清德) yesterday urged unity in the face of what he called external hostile forces. President William Lai, right, presents a posthumous presidential citation to a relative of former Formosa Political Prisoners Association chairman Liu Chin-shih during a memorial service in Taipei yesterday. Born in Yilan County’s Suao Township (蘇澳), Liu was only 12 years old when he and his father witnessed then-Taiwan governor Chen Yi’s (陳儀) troops shooting civilians, Lai said. Having seen the horrors of the 228 Massacre, the conviction that Taiwan must be independent was planted in Liu’s heart at that moment, Lai said. After Liu was released from prison, he and fellow survivors established the FPPA, Taiwan’s first association of political prisoners for supporting the families of the persecuted, which was a deeply moving effort, Lai said.
Source:Taipei Times
January 31, 2026 17:14 UTC
Executive Yuan vows to seek legal remedies to bills
Executive Yuan vows to seek legal remedies to bills‘TAILORED’: The amendments to the ill-gotten assets act turn state property into the private holdings of specific political groups, a Cabinet spokesperson saidStaff writer, with CNAThe Cabinet said it would “seek lawful and constitutional remedies” over amendments to three laws passed by the Legislative Yuan on Friday. Executive Yuan spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) and the Cabinet plans to take legal and constitutional measures to seek redress as she criticized the legislature for failing to review the central government’s annual budget, but “passed bills that undermine press freedom and violate democratic constitutional principles.”The name of the Executive Yuan is pictured in Taipei in an undated photograph. Photo: Chung Li-hua, Taipei TimesThe amendment to the Satellite Broadcasting Act “is clearly tailored to a specific case, with political agendas interfering in independent agencies,” she said. Regarding the asset act, Lee said that since its enactment in 2016, the act has passed constitutional review by the Judicial Yuan, including the recognition of KMT-affiliated organizations such as the CYC. As for the amendments to the Organic Act of the Legislative Yuan, Lee criticized the passage as rushed, saying that the amendment process bypassed proper democratic procedures and lacked meaningful debate.
Source:Taipei Times
January 31, 2026 17:14 UTC
Cold air mass to bring temperatures down nationwide
Cold air mass to bring temperatures down nationwideStaff writer, with CNAWith a cold air mass approaching, temperatures in the northern half of Taiwan could dip as low as a wintery 12°C from early this morning, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The green line represents the south, the brown line represents central Taiwan, the blue line represents Hualien and Taitung and the red line represents northern Taiwan and Yilan. Photo provide by the Central Weather AdministrationIn southern Taiwan, daytime temperatures reached 23°C to 26°C yesterday, it said. The CWA said the cold air mass is expected to bring in moisture to Taiwan and that mountains 3,000m or higher in northern Taiwan, including Yilan County, were likely to see snow last night. Snowfall is expected to continue tomorrow as the cold air mass keeps affecting the country, it said.
Source:Taipei Times
January 31, 2026 17:14 UTC
Taiwan ‘very important’ to Japan: academic
Taiwan ‘very important’ to Japan: academicStaff writer, with CNATaiwan is “very important” to Japan for three strategic reasons, a Japanese academic said on Friday while discussing scenarios under which the Japan Self-Defense Forces could be mobilized. Photo:ReutersAny contingency involving Taiwan would heighten Japan’s sense of insecurity, he said, adding that Taiwan lies only about 111km from Yonaguni Island, Japan’s westernmost point. Japan is increasingly dependent on semiconductors imported from Taiwan, which accounts about two-thirds of global semiconductor output, Kiridori said. What Takaichi said is if there is a naval blockade of Taiwan and if force is used, Japan could consider the situation a threat to its survival, he said. “We don’t want confrontation between the United States and China, and we don’t want a destabilized Taiwan Strait,” he added.
Source:Taipei Times
January 31, 2026 17:14 UTC
Fines for licenseless driving rise
Fines for licenseless driving riseBy Chung Li-hua, Tsai Chung-jung and Jake Chung / Staff reporters, with staff writerIncreased fines for driving without a license took effect yesterday, with the Ministry of Transportation and Communications saying that the changes would hopefully deter illegal road use. The fine for riding a small motorcycle without a license rose to NT$36,000, and increased to NT$60,000 for cars. Photo: CNAThe vehicle would be impounded immediately and illegal drivers would have to pay to attend a traffic safety course, the ministry said. Previous efforts to curb licenseless driving included mandatory traffic safety courses, but the rules had no noticeable effect, as incidents have continued to rise, it said. Cases of minors driving without a license totaled 20,000, last year, while cases involving adults totaled 260,000, ministry data showed.
Source:Taipei Times
January 31, 2026 17:14 UTC
US approves major new arms sales to Israel, Saudi Arabia
US approves major new arms sales to Israel, Saudi ArabiaAP, WASHINGTONThe administration of US President Donald Trump has approved a massive new series of arms sales to Israel and Saudi Arabia totaling US$6.67 billion and US$9 billion respectively. The US Department of State announced the sales late on Friday, as tensions rise in the region over the possibility of US military strikes on Iran. They were made public after the department notified the US Congress of its approval of the sales earlier the same day. The sales to Israel are split into four separate packages, with one for 30 Apache attack helicopters, and related equipment and weapons, and another for 3,250 light tactical vehicles. “The United States is committed to the security of Israel, and it is vital to U.S. national interests to assist Israel to develop and maintain a strong and ready self-defense capability,” it added.
Source:Taipei Times
January 31, 2026 17:14 UTC
CDC warns of increased hantavirus risk in spring
The person who died was a man in his 70s, a resident of Daan District (大安), the CDC said. Photo courtesy of the Taipei Department of HealthAgency data showed that as of yesterday, there had been 44 hantavirus cases since 2017, CDC Deputy Director-General Lin Min-cheng (林明誠) said. Hantavirus infection is highly correlated to exposure at workplaces, Lin said. For example, many of the people diagnosed with the disease worked at traditional markets or in related businesses, which increases the chances of being exposed to rodents, Lin said. Vector control measures and personal protection are important to prevent hantavirus infection, he said.
Source:Taipei Times
January 31, 2026 17:14 UTC
Cabinet to change conscripts’ service
Cabinet to change conscripts’ serviceMORE RESPONSIBILITY: Draftees would be expected to fight alongside professional soldiers, likely requiring the transformation of some training brigades into combat unitsBy Fang Wei-li and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writer and CNAThe armed forces are to start incorporating new conscripts into combined arms brigades this year to enhance combat readiness, the Executive Yuan’s latest policy report said. The new policy would affect Taiwanese men entering the military for their compulsory service, which was extended to one year under reforms by then-president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) in 2022. Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei TimesAfter basic training, conscripts would be sorted into infantry battalions that would take part in the Lien Yung (聯勇) exercises, with a focus on “bind and strike” tactics, it said. The training regime outlined by the document for the infantry battalion implies that conscripts would no longer be deployed exclusively in static defense, and are instead expected to fight alongside professional soldiers in mixed formations. This means that some of the army’s new combined arms brigades would be able to utilize an infantry battalion of conscripts as a fixing force, while professional soldiers attack the enemy with tanks and armored infantry teams.
Source:Taipei Times
January 31, 2026 17:14 UTC
UK, Japan to deepen defense and security ties
UK, Japan to deepen defense and security tiesAFP, TOKYOThe UK and Japan agreed to deepen defense and economic ties, visiting British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said yesterday. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, left, and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi shake hands after their meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office in Tokyo yesterday. Trump said it was “very dangerous” for its close ally to be dealing with China, although Starmer brushed off those comments. Tokyo’s ties with Beijing have deteriorated since Takaichi suggested in November that Japan could intervene militarily during a potential attack on Taiwan. The UK, Japan and Italy are also developing a new fighter jet after Tokyo relied for decades on the US for military hardware.
Source:Taipei Times
January 31, 2026 17:14 UTC
Gold rally pushes Italian jewelers to make leaner designs
Gold rally pushes Italian jewelers to make leaner designsSmall jewelers are facing the most acute challenges, while wedding rings highlight price sensitivityBy Alessandro Parodi / ReutersIn Italy’s storied gold-making hubs, jewelers are reworking their designs to trim gold content as they race to blunt the effect of record prices and appeal to shoppers watching their budgets. Gold prices hit a record high on Thursday, surging near US$5,600 an ounce, more than double a year ago as geopolitical concerns and jitters over trade pushed investors toward the safe-haven asset. People look at gold jewelry at a store at the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, Turkey, on Monday. However, demand for gold jewelry is expected to endure as consumers continue to look at the metal as a store of value. “In the end, they pay for gold because they want it to be gold,” the producer said.
Source:Taipei Times
January 31, 2026 17:13 UTC
Nvidia halts plan to invest US$100bn in OpenAI: ‘WSJ’
Nvidia halts plan to invest US$100bn in OpenAI: ‘WSJ’By Nick Turner / BloombergNvidia Corp’s negotiations to invest as much as US$100 billion in OpenAI have broken down, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported, exposing a potential rift between two of the most powerful companies in the artificial intelligence (AI) industry. The discussions stalled after some inside Nvidia expressed concerns about the transaction, the WSJ reported, citing unidentified people familiar with the deliberations. OpenAI makes the popular chatbot ChatGPT, while Nvidia dominates the market for AI processors that help develop such software. The US$100 billion was meant to support new data centers and other AI infrastructure, built with Nvidia components. OpenAI has been seeking to raise as much as US$100 billion in that round.
Source:Taipei Times
January 31, 2026 17:13 UTC
Flagg breaks NBA teen record with 49-point game
Flagg breaks NBA teen record with 49-point gameAFP, LOS ANGELESCooper Flagg scored 49 points — the most-ever by a teenager in a single NBA game — but it was not enough to save the Dallas Mavericks from a 123-121 loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday. However, in the game’s dying seconds, Flagg committed a turnover, and immediately raced up the court and fouled fellow rookie star Kon Knueppel, who converted two free throws. Still, with his 49-point haul, Flagg blasted past a record set almost half a century ago by Cliff Robinson, who scored 45 points as a 19-year-old way back in 1980. Charlotte’s own star rookie Knueppel — a college roommate and teammate of Flagg — also managed a career-high night, with 34 points. Dillon Brooks scored a career-best 40 points in a 114-96 victory for the Phoenix Suns over the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons.
Source:Taipei Times
January 31, 2026 03:43 UTC