At least 14 people killed in spate of attacks in Pakistan
At least 14 people killed in spate of attacks in PakistanAFP, PESHAWAR, PakistanTwo bomb attacks and a gunfight between police and militants in northwest Pakistan killed at least 11 security personnel and three civilians, including a child, a security official said. The separate incidents on Monday in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, which left at least 25 others wounded, come as Pakistan’s security forces battle intensifying insurgencies in southern and northern provinces that border Afghanistan. Relatives accompany an injured blast victim inside a hospital in the city of Bannu in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province on Monday. “As a result, eight police and Frontier Corps personnel present inside the seminary were martyred and 10 others injured,” he said. Elsewhere, three police personnel and three militants were also killed during a search operation in Shangla District.
Source:Taipei Times
February 17, 2026 17:29 UTC
Goldman to remove DEI rules for board members
Goldman to remove DEI rules for board membersBloombergGoldman Sachs Group Inc is planning to remove diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) criteria from factors considered in identifying potential board candidates, the **Wall Street Journal reported. The Goldman Sachs logo is displayed on a screen on Dec. 1 last year. Photo: ReutersPrevious proxy statements had set out factors considered in nominating directors, including race, gender identity and sexual orientation. Goldman’s board — which currently includes five women and nine men — is expected to approve changes this month, the **WSJ reported. On Feb. 6, a federal appeals court rejected a challenge to a move by Trump’s administration to ban DEI programs at federal agencies and businesses with government contracts.
Source:Taipei Times
February 17, 2026 17:15 UTC
Doctors, tourism, cigars: US pressure assails Cuba
Doctors, tourism, cigars: US pressure assails CubaAFP, HAVANACuba’s already shattered economy is being assailed on various fronts as US President Donald Trump has vowed to bring the communist island to its knees. A blockade of oil deliveries to Cuba has forced emergency rationing, kneecapping the country’s critical tourism and tobacco sectors even as remittances are under threat and income earned from sending doctors abroad has been all but cut off. Sending medical missions abroad has long been a key source of foreign currency for Cuba, totaling around US$7 billion last year, according to official figures. The oil dearth also threatens to deal a fatal blow to tourism, the island’s second source of foreign income after doctors. Cuba is known as a producer of high-quality tobacco and cigars, with sales totaling US$827 million in 2024.
Source:Taipei Times
February 17, 2026 17:15 UTC
Horticultural highlight
Tesla not planning to cut pricesNEW IMPORTS: Car dealer PG Union Corp said it would consider introducing US-made models such as the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Stellantis’ RAM 1500 to Taiwan Tesla Taiwan yesterday said that it does not plan to cut its car prices in the wake of Washington and Taipei signing the Agreement on Reciprocal Trade on Thursday to eliminate tariffs on US-made cars. On the other hand, Mercedes-Benz Taiwan said it is planning to lower the price of its five models imported from the US after the zero tariff comes into effect. Tesla in a statement said it has no plan to adjust the prices of the US-made Model 3, Model S and Model X as tariffs are not the only factor the automaker uses to determine pricing policies.
Source:Taipei Times
February 17, 2026 17:15 UTC
US tariffs punish South African winemakers
US tariffs punish South African winemakersBloombergTariffs imposed on South African agricultural products by the US are spiking the price of South African wine in the world’s biggest market, making it less competitive and reducing export volumes. South African wine and fruit producers are feeling the impact of US duties of as much as 30 percent on some agricultural goods. The US is South Africa’s second-biggest trading partner by country after China. South Africa is the US’ largest trading partner on the African continent with more than 500 US businesses and 30,000 US citizens based in the country. Brent Bozell, 70, needs to present his credentials to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa before officially taking up his post.
Source:Taipei Times
February 17, 2026 17:15 UTC
Hedge fund bets and AI jitters rock luxury stocks
Hedge fund bets and AI jitters rock luxury stocksReuters, PARIS and LONDONAs luxury companies like LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE and Gucci owner Kering SA struggle to recover from a two-year slowdown, they are navigating increasingly sharp share price swings stoked by hedge fund bets and investor nerves over artificial intelligence (AI)-rattled markets. In addition, recent broader AI-related selloffs on the US stock market risk dampening the spending power of high-end consumers, while hedge funds’ wagers on luxury stocks are exacerbating price moves. Luxury stocks and the wider consumer discretionary sector were among the most shorted going into this results season, according to hedge fund data provider Hazeltree. “Two factors are driving the volatility in luxury stocks like Kering,” said Michael Oliver Weinberg, a hedge fund investor and special adviser to the Tokyo University of Science Endowment. Kering CEO De Meo has said the stock market is a barometer for Americans’ luxury spending and flagged an AI market correction as a risk for European luxury groups.
Source:Taipei Times
February 17, 2026 17:15 UTC
‘Buy European’ push divides opinions
‘Buy European’ push divides opinionsDEBATE: While leaders agree on the need to counter Chinese subsidies, new rules face a backlash over supply chain stability and trade retaliationAFP, BRUSSELS, BelgiumEveryone in Europe agrees the EU needs to rescue its industry, but the bloc is split over how far it should push a “Buy European” approach to do so. However, other EU countries, which are proponents of free trade, oppose the plans. “We do not want to protect European businesses that are basically not competitive,” Kristersson told the Financial Times last week. It will affect: a limited number of critical components, a limited number of strategic sectors and only when public funding is involved. Sejourne’s office insisted companies producing in the EU would be considered European and there will be “reciprocal commitments” with trusted partners.
Source:Taipei Times
February 17, 2026 17:15 UTC
Strong dollar hits gold demand in thin trading
Strong dollar hits gold demand in thin tradingHOLIDAY LULL: With markets in Taiwan, China, HK, Singapore, South Korea and the US closed, thin liquidity and a surging dollar dragged bullion to a weekly lowReutersGold dropped more than 2 percent yesterday, as holidays in major markets hit liquidity, while a stronger US dollar and easing geopolitical tensions added to the pressure. Spot gold dropped 1.5 percent to US$4,917.90 per ounce by 8am GMT, after hitting US$4,862 per ounce, its lowest level in more than a week. US gold futures for April delivery lost 2.2 percent to US$4,936.6 per ounce. A gold bar is displayed at a jewelry shop at the Al Moez Street gold market in Old Cairo on Feb. 5. The US dollar index rose 0.3 percent against a basket of currencies, making greenback-priced bullion more expensive for holders of other currencies.
Source:Taipei Times
February 17, 2026 17:15 UTC
Grok faces probe from Irish regulator over dodgy images
Grok faces probe from Irish regulator over dodgy imagesAP, LONDONElon Musk’s social media platform X faces a EU privacy investigation after its Grok artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot was found to be producing nonconsensual deepfake images, Ireland’s data privacy regulator said yesterday. Grok sparked a global backlash last month after it started granting requests from X users to undress people with its AI image generation and editing capabilities, including putting females in transparent bikinis or revealing clothing. The watchdog said the investigation will seek to determine whether X complied with the EU data privacy rules known as the General Data Protection Regulation. Under the rules, the Irish regulator takes the lead on enforcing the bloc’s privacy rules because X’s European headquarters is based in Dublin. Meanwhile, the data privacy and media regulators in Britain, which has left the EU, have opened their own investigations into X.
Source:Taipei Times
February 17, 2026 17:15 UTC
Chimei Museum and British Museum present ‘Kings of Egypt: Pharaohs’ Exhibition
Chimei Museum and British Museum present ‘Kings of Egypt: Pharaohs’ ExhibitionStaff writer, with CNASome 280 artifacts from the days of Egypt’s pharaohs are now on display in Tainan, courtesy of the prestigious British Museum, in what has been hailed as the biggest Egyptology exhibition to ever be held in Taiwan. The show at Chimei Museum, which runs until January 2027, is the Tainan museum’s fourth collaboration with the British Museum and presents artifacts from Egypt’s more than 30 dynasties spanning around 3,000 years -- from about 3,400 BC to 30 BC. A poster promoting an exhibition titled “Kings of Egypt: Pharaohs” is pictured in an undated photograph. Photo: Screen grab from Chimei Museum’s Web siteThe relics range from a gold piece as small as 2 centimeters to statues as heavy as 2 metric tons. Visitors arriving from outside Tainan will be able to buy Taiwan high speed rail tickets at 15 percent off when purchasing a ticket to the Pharaoh exhibition.
Source:Taipei Times
February 17, 2026 17:13 UTC
Avoid stomach cancer by not sharing utensils: HPA
Avoid stomach cancer by not sharing utensils: HPABy Chiu Chih-jou, Huang Hsu-lei and Fion Khan / Staff reporters, with staff writerThe public is advised to use serving utensils during holiday banquets to reduce the risk of Helicobacter pylori infection, which is a common cause of stomach cancer, the Health Promotion Administration (HPA) said yesterday. The bacteria are primarily transmitted via oral contact and the common practice of sharing dishes and cups during holiday gatherings could potentially increase the risk of stomach cancer, HPA cancer prevention division director Hsu Tsui-hsia (徐翠霞) said. About 80 to 90 percent of stomach cancer cases in the nation are linked to H pylori infection, making it the primary risk factor, the data showed. Detection of stomach cancer relies heavily on screening and regular health checkups, the HPA said. The government on Jan. 1 started offering free lifetime stomach cancer screening for people aged 45 to 74 to help lower incidence rates, it said.
Source:Taipei Times
February 17, 2026 17:13 UTC
Holiday rush
Lunar eclipse to coincide with the Lantern FestivalA total lunar eclipse coinciding with the Lantern Festival on March 3 would be Taiwan’s most notable celestial event this year, the Taipei Astronomical Museum said, urging skywatchers not to miss it. There would be four eclipses worldwide this year — two solar eclipses and two lunar eclipses — the museum’s Web site says. Taiwan would be able to observe one of the lunar eclipses in its entirety on March 3. The eclipse would be visible as the moon rises at 5:50pm, already partly shaded by the Earth’s shadow, the museum said. It would peak at about 7:30pm, when the moon would
Source:Taipei Times
February 17, 2026 17:13 UTC
Penghu County head hospitalized after fall
Penghu County head hospitalized after fallBy Liu Yu-ching and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writerPenghu County Commissioner Chen Kuang-fu (陳光復) was hospitalized yesterday after falling down a flight of stairs while attending a Lunar New Year event at the Penghu County Performance Hall in Magong City. He struck his head in the fall and lost consciousness before being rushed to Tri-Service General Hospital’s Penghu Branch for emergency treatment, local media reports said. Penghu County Commissioner Chen Kuang-fu hands out Lunar New Year red envelopes to children in Magong City earlier yesterday. Photo courtesy of the Penghu County GovernmentAccording to an initial diagnosis, he suffered a severe head injury and intracranial bleeding, the reports said. Chen, 70, has secured the DPP’s nomination to seek re-election as Penghu County commissioner in the nine-in-one elections to be held later this year.
Source:Taipei Times
February 17, 2026 17:13 UTC
Trump to decide ‘soon’ on arms sales
Trump to decide ‘soon’ on arms salesAFP, ABOARD AIR FORCE ONEUS President Donald Trump on Monday said that he would decide soon on whether to send more weapons to Taiwan, after Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) warned him not to do so. We had a good conversation, and we’ll make a determination pretty soon,” Trump said, adding that he has a “good relationship” with Xi. In a phone call with Trump on Feb. 4, Xi called for “mutual respect” in relations with the US, while warning Washington about arms sales to Taiwan. The US must handle arms sales to Taiwan with caution,” Xi said, according to China’s state broadcaster. In December last year, the US approved US$11 billion worth of arms to Taiwan.
Source:Taipei Times
February 17, 2026 17:13 UTC
Lai calls on legislature to pass defense budgets
Lai calls on legislature to pass defense budgetsCONSENSUS? President William Lai, center, gives a speech during a visit to Longshan Temple in Taipei yesterday. The special defense budget has to be approved as well, as the nation would not be safe without national defense despite economic growth, he added. The NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.7 billion) special defense budget was proposed by the Executive Yuan late last year for this year through 2033 to bolster the nation’s defense resilience and asymmetric capabilities. Lai yesterday expressed hope that ruling and opposition parties would put the nation and the public first, and swiftly pass both the defense and general budgets after the legislature opens its new session.
Source:Taipei Times
February 17, 2026 17:13 UTC