India and EU ink free-trade agreement
India and EU ink free-trade agreement‘MOTHER OF ALL DEALS’: Nations are willing to ‘bury the hatchet’ given the ‘atmosphere of uncertainty’ around the policies of US President Donald Trump, a researcher saidBloombergIndia and the EU have agreed on a free-trade agreement, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said yesterday, capping nearly two decades of negotiations. “This free-trade agreement will strengthen confidence of investors, business in India,” Modi said in remarks at an energy event. The pact would boost trade and global supply chains, while improving India’s manufacturing and services sectors, he said. Modi’s announcement comes weeks after India signed trade deals with New Zealand and Oman. Modi is also trying to find new markets for a country Trump once dubbed the “tariff king.”Yesterday’s agreement marked Modi’s fourth trade deal since May last year, also including an agreement with the UK.
Source:Taipei Times
January 27, 2026 17:14 UTC
Free ‘H pylori’ tests offered to prevent stomach cancer
Photo: Hou Chia-yu, Taipei TimesH pylori infection is the greatest known risk factor for gastric cancer, said Lee Yi-chia (李宜家), a professor of internal medicine at National Taiwan University Hospital. Sharing his personal experience, Chuang said he was diagnosed with gastric ulcer and H. pylori infection after paying for a gastroscopy in 2014. Seven years later, he was diagnosed with gastric cancer, Chuang added. H pylori can neutralize gastric acid and damage the stomach tissue, leading to gastritis, or inflammation of the stomach lining, he said. If left untreated, it could lead to peptic ulcers, or even progress to precancerous lesions and gastric cancer, he said.
Source:Taipei Times
January 27, 2026 17:12 UTC
HIMARS joins first exercises this year
HIMARS joins first exercises this yearDEEP-STRIKE CAPABILITY: The scenario simulated a PLA drill that turned into an assault on Taiwan’s critical infrastructure, with the launchers providing fire supportBy Fang Wei-li and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerTaiwan yesterday conducted this year’s first military exercises at Longsiang Base in Taichung, demonstrating the newly acquired High Mobility Artillery Rocket System’s (HIMARS) ability to provide fire support and deep-strike capabilities. The HIMARS are supposed to “fire and leave,” which would significantly increase personnel and equipment survivability, a military official said. Soldiers pose for a photograph with the Taiwanese flag during a drill at a military facility in Taichung yesterday. A HIMARS maneuvers inside a military base during a combat-readiness drill in Taichung yesterday. Soldiers pose for a photograph during a drill at a military facility in Taichung yesterday.
Source:Taipei Times
January 27, 2026 17:12 UTC
Trump threatens tariff hike to 25% on S Korean goods
Trump threatens tariff hike to 25% on S Korean goodsBloombergUS President Donald Trump on Monday threatened to hike tariffs on goods imported from South Korea to 25 percent, citing what he said was the failure of the country’s legislature to codify the trade deal the two nations reached last year. Trump in a social media post said the new rate would apply to vehicles, lumber, pharmaceutical products and “all other Reciprocal TARIFFS.”Under the existing agreement, the US president set a 15 percent levy on South Korean exports. Vehicles for export are parked at a port in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, yesterday. Photo: AP“South Korea’s Legislature is not living up to its Deal with the United States,” Trump wrote. South Korean Minister of Finance Koo Yun-cheol subsequently said the government was not intentionally delaying the investment, but was still in the process of selecting projects and completing required procedures.
Source:Taipei Times
January 27, 2026 17:12 UTC
Over 90% of foreign firms upbeat on Taiwan: AmCham survey
Over 90% of foreign firms upbeat on Taiwan: AmCham surveyBy Meryl Kao / Staff reporter, with ReutersAbout 92 percent of foreign companies said they plan to maintain or increase investment in Taiwan this year, with the majority saying they remain confident about the local market despite ongoing geopolitical uncertainties and tariff-related risks, the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) in Taiwan said in a survey released yesterday. Photo: Ben Blanchard, ReutersMore foreign firms in Taiwan are preparing emergency plans as security concerns rise, but actual disruption from tensions with China is very low, the survey showed. AmCham Taiwan said that 206 of its 411 eligible members responded to the survey conducted shortly before China’s most recent war games. The group serves as an important conduit between the foreign, especially US, business community in Taiwan and policymakers in Taipei and Washington. AmCham Taiwan president Carl Wegner said that from speaking to people in Washington, this year looked like a “good year with positive potential” for that deal to be approved.
Source:Taipei Times
January 27, 2026 17:12 UTC
Don’t mess with the Wu Sha clan
Wu Ding-guo at Wu Sha residence. Artist rendering of the Wu Sha compound in the 19th century displayed at the Wu Sha Historic Residence. The Wu Sha foundation’s research however indicates the nephew was an imposter, stating “he was not a member of the Wu Sha clan” and describing him as “a political pawn of the then-Qing government.”“Our family has suffered three persecutions,” Wu said, referring to various land seizures during the past 200 years. Wu Ding-guo began pouring resources into this historical research after establishing the Yilan Wu Sha Cultural Foundation in 2013. From that day forward, the Wu Sha clan adopted its creed, “the family best stay out of government.”When I asked Wu Ding-guo about this, he chuckled, “That’s no longer necessarily the case.
Source:Taipei Times
January 27, 2026 16:05 UTC
Cool off on divisive divorce law
Cool off on divisive divorce lawBy Sandy Chou 周宜勳The Legislative Yuan’s Legal Affairs Bureau has introduced a 30-day cooling-off period for couples contemplating divorce, a concept already adopted by South Korea and China. In April 2009, the legislature amended the law, recognizing that judges can settle divorce proceedings without mediation focused on reconciliation. My doctoral dissertation, published in 2008, was the first large-scale attitudinal survey of Taiwanese and judges on divorce mediation, research that is relevant to the current legislative debate. American feminist academics have argued that mandatory divorce mediation — regardless of whether it aims for reconciliation — is disadvantageous to women. In the US, mandatory pretrial mediation is by no means a tradition, and the aim of divorce mediation has never been reconciliation.
Source:Taipei Times
January 27, 2026 16:05 UTC
Macronix unveils plans to ease ‘severe shortages’
Macronix president Lu Chih-yuan poses for a photograph at the company’s headquarters in Hsinchu in August last year. “Samsung announced its plans to stop producing and supplying eMMC [NAND flash memory chips]. To fully support the capacity expansion, Macronix plans to delay its development of 3D NOR flash memory chips for about two years, he said. In addition to NAND flash memory chips, the company also saw strong demand for 2D NOR flash memory chips used in AI servers and high-performance-computing devices, he said. Macronix expects its factory utilization rate to rise to about 100 percent this year to satisfy customer demand, Lu said.
Source:Taipei Times
January 27, 2026 16:05 UTC
Benefits of Israel’s pivot in Africa
Benefits of Israel’s pivot in AfricaBy Michele MarescaAt the end of last year, a diplomatic development with consequences reaching well beyond the regional level emerged. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared Israel’s recognition of Somaliland as a sovereign state, paving the way for political, economic and strategic cooperation with the African nation. The diplomatic breakthrough yields, above all, substantial and tangible benefits for the two countries, enhancing Somaliland’s international posture, with a state prepared to champion its bid for broader legitimacy. The new partnership could also generate benefits beyond its immediate scope, particularly for countries that maintain solid relations with both Israel and Somaliland. From the new alliance between Somaliland and Israel, Taiwan could gain significant advantages across multiple sectors.
Source:Taipei Times
January 27, 2026 16:05 UTC
EDITORIAL: Soft power with Somaliland
EDITORIAL: Soft power with SomalilandThere is a modern roadway stretching from central Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland in the Horn of Africa, to the partially recognized state’s Egal International Airport. Both Somaliland and Taiwan are self-governing states struggling to secure international recognition. Soft power works slowly, sometimes imperceptibly, but over time lays the foundations for the evolution of circumstances by forming recognition of desired narratives. It is helped when the application of the soft power is implemented in good faith and for mutual benefit. Hopefully the application of soft power will continue to aid Taiwan’s.
Source:Taipei Times
January 27, 2026 16:05 UTC
Japan-US alliance would collapse if Tokyo ignored Taiwan crisis: Takaichi
Japan-US alliance would collapse if Tokyo ignored Taiwan crisis: TakaichiReuters, TOKYO and BEIJINGJapan’s strategic alliance with the US would collapse if Tokyo were to turn away from a conflict in Taiwan, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said yesterday, but distanced herself from previous comments that suggested a possible military response in such an event. Ties between Japan and China have sunk to the worst level in years after Takaichi said in November that a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could bring about a Japanese military response. “If something serious happens there, we would have to go to rescue the Japanese and American citizens in Taiwan. “And if the US forces, acting jointly with us, come under attack and Japan does nothing and simply runs away, the Japan-US alliance would collapse. With an eye on the electorate, Takaichi has stopped short of retracting the remarks from November, saying her stance was consistent with Japan’s long-standing policy.
Source:Taipei Times
January 27, 2026 16:05 UTC
Amendments aim to boost investment
In addition, new amendments to the statute are expected to boost angel investment to about NT$2.2 billion on local start-ups this year, while raising corporate equipment investment tax credits to more than NT$170 billion this year, Industrial Development Administration Deputy Director-General Tsou Yu-hsin (鄒宇新) told a news conference in Taipei. Amendments to Article 23-1 introduce a “pass-through taxation” mechanism for limited partnership venture capital funds investing in start-ups, and under the revised rules, such funds would no longer be subject to corporate income tax, Tsou said. The ministry extended investor’s locking period to three years from two years, but halved the minimum investment threshold to NT$500,000 from NT$1 million, he said. To minimize investment risks, the ministry relaxed the definition of a start-up, he said. A company can be considered a start-up within five years of its launch, compared with two years before, he said.
Source:Taipei Times
January 27, 2026 16:05 UTC
Sabalenka beats heat and Jovic
1 Sabalenka tamed 18-year-old Iva Jovic of the US 6-3, 6-0 in 38°C temperatures, while last year’s runner-up Zverev sent down a barrage of 24 aces to crush another young US player, Learner Tien, in four sets. That match was played under the Rod Laver Arena roof as temperatures peaked at 43°C outside. Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus returns to Iva Jovic of the US in their Australian Open women’s singles quarter-final in Melbourne yesterday. The decision came after the tournament hit its maximum “heat stress” rating of five for the second time in four days. Defeat brought an end to a breakthrough tournament for Jovic, the youngest player in the women’s top 100 and seeded 29.
Source:Taipei Times
January 27, 2026 16:05 UTC
Troubled Napoli staring at elimination against Blues
Troubled Napoli staring at elimination against BluesAFP, MILAN, ItalySSC Napoli are on the brink of being eliminated from the UEFA Champions League as the troubled Italian club face Chelsea today racked by a deep injury crisis and a faltering Serie A title defense. Sat just inside the elimination zone on only eight points from seven matches after last week’s miserable 1-1 draw at Copenhagen, Napoli must beat Chelsea to scrape a place in next month’s playoffs. That will be no easy task with the Blues, Antonio Conte’s former club, needing a win to stay in the top eight and bag direct qualification for the last 16. SSC Napoli head coach Antonio Conte gestures during his side’s Serie A match against Juventus in Turin, Italy, on Sunday. It started with Romelu Lukaku suffering a hamstring injury which kept him out of action until the 79th minute of Sunday’s loss.
Source:Taipei Times
January 27, 2026 16:05 UTC
Doncic sparks Lakers over the Bulls in Chicago
Doncic sparks Lakers over the Bulls in ChicagoAFP, LOS ANGELESLuka Doncic on Monday produced a 46-point masterpiece as the Los Angeles Lakers snapped the Chicago Bulls’ four-game winning streak with a 129-118 victory on the road. Doncic rattled in eight three-pointers on 15-of-25 shooting from the field, finishing with seven rebounds and 11 assists to lead an impressive Lakers effort at the United Center. Luka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers, right, shoots over Kevin Huerter of the Chicago Bulls in their NBA game in Chicago, Illinois, on Monday. Coby White led the scoring for Chicago with 23 points, while Ayo Dosunmu had 20 off the bench. McCollum came off the bench to produce 23 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and three steals to spark the Hawks.
Source:Taipei Times
January 27, 2026 16:05 UTC