Actor McConaughey seeks to protect image from AI
Actor McConaughey seeks to protect image from AIAFP, NEW YORKUS actor Matthew McConaughey has filed recordings of his image and voice with US patent authorities to protect them from unauthorized usage by artificial intelligence (AI) platforms, a representative said earlier this week. Many artists are increasingly concerned about the uncontrolled use of their image via generative AI since the rollout of ChatGPT and other AI-powered tools. US actor Matthew McConaughey poses for photographs in the press room during the 96th Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, California, on March 10, 2024. Photo: ReutersMcConaughey’s approach is novel in that he is taking the lead in protecting his image and voice. He has acquired a stake in ElevenLabs Inc, a start-up specializing in AI voice modeling, and the company has created an AI audio version of McConaughey — with his permission.
Source:Taipei Times
January 17, 2026 16:53 UTC
MOFA planning Arizona office: source
MOFA planning Arizona office: sourceOVERSEAS CITIZENS: There is a growing Taiwanese community in Arizona, who have hoped for direct flights to Taiwan and a representative office, the foreign minister saidBy Su Yong-yao / Staff reporterThe Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) is planning to establish a representative office in Phoenix, Arizona, with the goal of opening within this year, a source familiar with the issue said yesterday. The government is preparing to set up a representative office in Phoenix, where Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) and several other Taiwanese investments are located, the source said. Taiwan has representative offices in Washington, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Guam, Honolulu, Houston, Denver, Los Angeles, Miami, San Francisco and Seattle. The Phoenix office would be the first new office established in the US in nearly 40 years. To date, 22 state governments and Guam have set up representative offices in Taiwan.
Source:Taipei Times
January 17, 2026 16:53 UTC
Employers seek work experience in new college hires
Employers seek work experience in new college hiresBACK ON TOP: NTU took back the top spot with the most sought-after graduates as employers seek hires with a history of part-time work and problem solvingStaff writer, with CNAA survey released on Friday by job bank 1111 showed that National Taiwan University (NTU) students are the most sought-after by employers this year. Following NTU, the next nine universities are National Cheng Kung University, National Taipei University of Technology, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU), National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, National Tsing Hua University, National Chengchi University, Tamkang University (TKU), National Central University and Fu Jen Catholic University. Students and their parents crowd outside classrooms at Taipei Municipal Neihu Senior High School yesterday, the first day of the College Entrance Subject Tests. The latest survey also found that as many as 53 percent of companies prefer to hire fresh graduates with part-time experience, reflecting employers’ growing emphasis on new hires’ workplace readiness and emotional maturity. Conducted from Aug. 28 to Oct. 15 last year, the survey collected 2,153 responses from employers, with a margin of error of 2.97 percentage points.
Source:Taipei Times
January 17, 2026 16:53 UTC
Ending death penalty is a just path
Ending death penalty is a just pathBy Chien Chien-Jung 錢建榮Ten years ago, respected judge Chen Chin-Hsien (陳欽賢) delivered a keynote address at the first Asian Regional Congress on the Death Penalty in Kuala Lumpur. A younger colleague once confided in me that he too opposed the death penalty, but lacked the courage to speak out. Never underestimate your power — and never use the death penalty as a tool to ‘scare’ defendants.”I have long believed that abolition of the death penalty must ultimately be decided by leaders. In Taiwan, neither major political camp truly seeks to abolish the death penalty, yet both embrace its replacement. Abolishing the death penalty would do the same — demonstrating that Taiwan chooses human rights over repression, dignity over fear and conscience over killing.
Source:Taipei Times
January 17, 2026 16:53 UTC
Trump threatens tariffs if Greenland control rejected
Trump threatens tariffs if Greenland control rejectedAP, COPENHAGENUS President Donald Trump on Friday suggested that he might punish countries with tariffs if they do not back US control of Greenland, a message that came as a bipartisan US Congress delegation sought to lower tensions in the Danish capital. Photo: Ritzau Scanpix via AP“I may do that for Greenland too,” Trump said. “I may put a tariff on countries if they don’t go along with Greenland, because we need Greenland for national security. Earlier this week, the foreign ministers of Denmark and Greenland met in Washington with US Vice President J.D. Trump has sought to justify his calls for a US takeover by repeatedly claiming that China and Russia have their own designs on Greenland.
Source:Taipei Times
January 17, 2026 16:53 UTC
Legislature to publish an animal evacuation guide
Legislature to publish an animal evacuation guideStaff writer, with CNADemocratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶), in collaboration with the Taiwan Veterinary Medical Association and civic group Watchout, on Friday presented the animal edition of the National Public Safety Guide, which aims to help the public prepare for evacuating animals during disasters. The Legislative Yuan’s All-Out Defense Network is publishing the Animal Companion Disaster Preparedness and Evacuation Handbook to provide the public with knowledge about how to prepare for animal evacuations, she said. Democratic Progressive Party lawmakers and civic group representatives hold copies of the Animal Companion Disaster Preparedness and Evacuation Handbook at a press conference in Taipei on Friday. Department of Animal Welfare Director Chiang Wen-chuan (江文全) said plans to publish a pet disaster preparedness handbook and a disaster response manual for livestock farms are also underway. The publication of the Animal Companion Disaster Preparedness and Evacuation Handbook is welcome, as it would help everyone be prepared and know how to respond when incidents occur, Chiang said.
Source:Taipei Times
January 17, 2026 16:53 UTC
Frigid fortunes
Protests erupt as ICE killing fuels furyICE DISPUTE: The Trump administration has sought to paint Good as a ‘domestic terrorist,’ insisting that the agent who fatally shot her was acting in self-defense Thousands of demonstrators chanting the name of the woman killed by a US federal agent in Minneapolis, Minnesota, took to the city’s streets on Saturday, amid widespread anger at use of force in the immigration crackdown of US President Donald Trump. Organizers said more than 1,000 events were planned across the US under the slogan “ICE, Out for Good” — referring to the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which is drawing growing opposition over its execution of Trump’s effort at mass deportations. The slogan is also a reference to Renee Good, the 37-year-old mother shot dead on Wednesday in her
Source:Taipei Times
January 17, 2026 16:53 UTC
Donovan’s Deep Dives: The wave no one saw coming
Donovan’s Deep Dives: The wave no one saw comingThe virtually unknown Han Kuo-yu managed to win the Kaohsiung mayoral election in 2018, reversing the electoral fortunes of the KMT. By Courtney Donovan Smith (石東文) / Staff ColumnistThe 2018 nine-in-one local elections were a wild ride that no one saw coming. Entering that year, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) was demoralized and in disarray — and fearing an existential crisis. It is hard to see how, and who that candidate would be, but then at this point in 2018, no one saw the Han Wave coming either. Donovan’s Deep Dives is a regular column by Courtney Donovan Smith (石東文) who writes in-depth analysis on everything about Taiwan’s political scene and geopolitics.
Source:Taipei Times
January 16, 2026 17:16 UTC
NBA’s Magic defeat Grizzlies in Berlin
The Grizzlies did their best to spoil the return of Orlando’s Wagner brothers, Franz and Moritz, to their home country in the showcase game in Berlin. The Memphis Grizzlies’ Jaren Jackson Jr and Franz Wagner of the Orlando Magic vie for the ball during their NBA game at Uber Arena in Berlin on Thursday. Wagner called it “super-special” to have a chance to show his Magic teammates around Berlin, the city where he grew up. The San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama warms up before their NBA game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas, on Thursday. San Antonio forward Keldon Johnson deserves some credit for the change in fortunes, as well as Wembanyama’s new style.
Source:Taipei Times
January 16, 2026 17:14 UTC
New Oceania soccer era to start tomorrow
New Oceania soccer era to start tomorrowAPA new era in international soccer is to begin tomorrow when Vanuatu United meet Bula of Fiji in Auckland, New Zealand, in the first game of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) Pro League. The league would also determine which team represents Oceania at the next FIFA Club World Cup in 2029, where they can earn substantial financial rewards. Playing regular soccer would also help raise standards across Oceania and provide more professional pathways for young players. “Technically, the boys [in New Zealand] are very gifted,” said Rob Sherman, head coach of South Island United, a New Zealand-based OFC Pro League team. “In countries where it is hard to sustain a professional football league, the cross-border option should always be one to explore,” Larman said.
Source:Taipei Times
January 16, 2026 17:14 UTC
Hadjar targets win with Red Bull this year
Hadjar targets win with Red Bull this yearReuters and AFP, DETROIT, MichiganIsack Hadjar is dreaming big after landing the ultimate Formula One promotion to the Red Bull team, saying on Thursday that his goal for this year is to win at least one race after replacing Yuki Tsunoda as Max Verstappen’s teammate. The 21-year-old Frenchman, who impressed with sister team Racing Bulls last season, said the reality had still not fully sunk in as he teams up with his idol who he watched win four F1 championships with Red Bull. I saw [Sebastian]] Vettel winning all those titles and now I’m finally in the big team,” Hadjar said as Red Bull revealed their car livery in Detroit. Red Bull drivers Max Verstappen, left, and Isack Hadjar take a selfie at the Formula One team’s season launch at Michigan Central Station in Detroit on Thursday. “The Red Bull family have been in it for a couple of years now since I signed up in the program as a kid.
Source:Taipei Times
January 16, 2026 17:14 UTC
Woman not to be indicted over death of British husband
Woman not to be indicted over death of British husbandStaff writer, with CNAProsecutors on Thursday said that a Taiwanese woman would not be indicted over the death of her British husband due to insufficient evidence of foul play, but they are seeking a sentence of no less than eight years in a separate case for the attempted rat poison murder of an Australian student. The woman, surnamed Yang (楊), was married to a British national who fell ill in December 2022 with what doctors later diagnosed as a urinary tract infection, the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said. The husband moved to Taiwan with Yang several years earlier and did not keep in touch with his family in the UK. Yang met Shorey the same month her husband died and quickly grew fond of him, prosecutors said. Prosecutors said Yang allegedly spiked his food and drink with rat poison to keep him in Taiwan, leaving him in intensive care.
Source:Taipei Times
January 16, 2026 17:13 UTC
Quiet Taiwan-US cooperation not always bad: expert
Quiet Taiwan-US cooperation not always bad: expertStaff writer, with CNAThe absence of any major escalation in Taiwan-US military cooperation this year should not necessarily be viewed as a negative, as it could indicate that the regional security environment has stabilized, a former Pentagon official said on Thursday. According to Hu, these changes reflect Washington’s adjustments to its military engagement with Taiwan in response to perceived threats from the Chinese Communist Party. Panelists and the audience are pictured at a seminar hosted by the Institute for National Policy Research in Taipei on Thursday. Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Times“If people are hoping for a major breakthrough, we would need Xi Jinping to give it a push,” he said. Kuo predicted that Xi would conduct another wave of purges in the Chinese People’s Liberation Army before the upcoming Lunar New Year.
Source:Taipei Times
January 16, 2026 17:12 UTC
Ministry, Miaoli ink MOU on resource circulation
Ministry, Miaoli ink MOU on resource circulationGREEN CORRIDOR: The ministry is also jointly initiating an environmental improvement project for the Douzihpu River with the Hsinchu County GovernmentBy Esme Yeh / Staff reporterThe Ministry of Environment yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Miaoli County Government to promote resource circulation developments via collaborations between the local and central governments. The MOU was signed by Minister of Environment Peng Chi-ming (彭啟明) and Miaoli County Commissioner Chung Tung-chin (鍾東錦), with the goal of building a climate technology circulation park in the county’s Jhunan Township (竹南). Peng said resource circulation is the key to the development of the circular economy, which has an annual output value of about NT$168.8 billion (US$5.35 billion) at a growth rate of 10 percent. Photo: CNAThe county is the first entity to sign an MOU with the ministry to promote resource circulation, he said, adding that the ministry would plan the construction of the park jointly with the county government to establish a resilient resource processing mechanism. The county government would utilize 25 hectares of land at the Jhunan landfill to set up the park, Chung said.
Source:Taipei Times
January 16, 2026 17:12 UTC
Cooperation needed for balance: expert
Economic security makes sure that a nation has the capabilities to counteract the coercion from other countries via economic means, Suzuki said. Economic security avoids such economic coercion by reducing the dependence on other countries and building supply chains within a country or among like-minded countries, Suzuki said. China is also diversifying its supply chain and export destinations to reduce its dependence on the US market, Suzuki said. The US relies so heavily on China in industries such as rare earth minerals and shipbuilding that it is conceding by allowing Nvidia Corp’s H200 chip to be exported to China, Suzuki said. That is one of the consequences of the fight, he said, adding that the US is more vulnerable to China while China is more autonomous.
Source:Taipei Times
January 16, 2026 17:12 UTC