Coming up for clean air
‘Up to Xi’ how to handle Taiwan, but Venezuela no precedent: TrumpUS President Donald Trump said "it’s up to" Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) what China does on Taiwan, but that he would be "very unhappy" with a change in the "status quo," the New York Times said in an interview published yesterday. Xi "considers it to be a part of China, and that’s up to him what he’s going to be doing," Trump told the newspaper on Wednesday. "But I’ve expressed to him that I would be very unhappy if he did that, and I don’t think he’ll do that," he added. "I hope he doesn’t do that." Trump made the comments in
Source:Taipei Times
January 12, 2026 17:14 UTC
Pay for migrant workers increased last year: survey
Pay for migrant workers increased last year: surveyStaff writer, with CNAPay for migrant workers and caregivers increased last year, while language barriers remained a top challenge facing employers, the results of a survey released yesterday by the Ministry of Labor showed. Photo: Taipei TimesFor migrant workers employed by Taiwanese businesses, regular monthly pay averaged NT$29,800 in June last year, with overtime pay averaging NT$5,100, bringing total pay to NT$34,900, up 4.7 percent from NT$33,300 in June 2024, the survey showed. The report showed caregivers’ regular pay averaged NT$21,300 in June last year, with overtime pay averaging NT$2,800, for a total of about NT$24,200, up 1.8 percent from NT$23,800 a year earlier. Migrant caregivers averaged 10.1 hours per day in June last year, little changed from 10.3 hours in June 2024, the report showed. For migrant workers employed by businesses, total working hours averaged 196.5 hours in June last year, up nearly 10 percent from 179.1 hours a year earlier, as regular hours rose to 168.2 and overtime increased to 28.3 hours, the ministry said.
Source:Taipei Times
January 12, 2026 17:14 UTC
Education minister not afraid of China’s threats
Education minister not afraid of China’s threatsBy Rachel Lin / Staff reporterMinister of Education Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) yesterday said he is an “elegant Taiwanese,” adding that he is not afraid of being labeled by China as a “diehard Taiwan independence advocate,” after Beijing targeted him last week. Minister of Education Cheng Ying-yao poses for a photograph in Taipei yesterday. While some people’s ancestors came from China, they are ROC citizens, Cheng said. These distinctions should be clearly explained to children through historical and international perspectives, rather than being conflated,” he said. “What we aim for is a democratic and law-governed society, and education should help children develop a clear, stable and noncontradictory understanding.”
Source:Taipei Times
January 12, 2026 17:14 UTC
Jay Chou to make Australian Open debut in ‘1 Point Slam’
Jay Chou to make Australian Open debut in ‘1 Point Slam’Staff writer, with CNATaiwanese singer Jay Chou (周杰倫) is set to grace the courts of the Australian Open for the first time as a competitor in the high-stakes 1 Point Slam. A poster featuring Taiwanese singer Jay Chou is pictured in an undated photograph. Photo: Screengrab from the Australian Open’s InstagramChou shared the announcement on his own Instagram story, saying: “I’m going to compete in the Australian Open. I will donate it all if I win the championship and the AUD$1 million (US$670,970) prize money.”“Remember to watch the Australian Open on Jan. 14. Inaugurated by Tennis Australia in 2025, the 1 Point Slam is a cornerstone of the Grand Slam’s “Opening Week” entertainment festival.
Source:Taipei Times
January 12, 2026 17:14 UTC
EVA Airways to launch new flights to US capital
EVA Airways to launch new flights to US capitalBy Tsai Yun-jun and Shelley Shan / Staff Reporters, with CNAEVA Airways (長榮航空) yesterday announced that it plans to launch a new flight service to Washington in July, making it the first Taiwanese carrier to provide direct flights to the US capital. The airline plans to provide four flights to Washington in the initial stage using Boeing 787-9s, EVA Airways president Clay Sun (孫嘉明) told reporters in Taipei. EVA Airways Corp aircraft are pictured at Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) in an undated photograph. Once flights to Washington are launched, the airline would have passenger services to 10 destinations in North America, with 98 weekly flights to the region, he said. Services to Incheon, South Korea, would be expanded from 14 to 18 weekly flights through April 12.
Source:Taipei Times
January 12, 2026 17:14 UTC
Signals detected from missing jet’s black box
Signals detected from missing jet’s black boxStaff writer, with CNAThe military has been detecting intermittent signals from the flight data recorder of an F-16V jet that disappeared last week, but the search teams have not yet pinned down the location of the recorder, also known as the black box, Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said yesterday. The air force subsequently set up an emergency response center, and launched a search-and-rescue operation, but has not yet been able to find Hsin or the aircraft. The military has detected some intermittent signals believed to be from the jet’s black box, but has not yet pinned down the location, he added. Ground crews were busy inspecting and preparing F-16V jets for their return to flight operations. This was followed by a total of four batches, with 12 F-16V aircraft conducting return-to-flight test missions.
Source:Taipei Times
January 12, 2026 17:14 UTC
The patriotic entertainer
‘Up to Xi’ how to handle Taiwan, but Venezuela no precedent: TrumpUS President Donald Trump said "it’s up to" Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) what China does on Taiwan, but that he would be "very unhappy" with a change in the "status quo," the New York Times said in an interview published yesterday. Xi "considers it to be a part of China, and that’s up to him what he’s going to be doing," Trump told the newspaper on Wednesday. "But I’ve expressed to him that I would be very unhappy if he did that, and I don’t think he’ll do that," he added. "I hope he doesn’t do that." Trump made the comments in
Source:Taipei Times
January 12, 2026 17:14 UTC
Tainan captured more than 26,000 iguanas last year
Tainan captured more than 26,000 iguanas last yearBy Tsai Wen-chu / Staff reporterMore than 26,000 green iguanas were captured in Tainan last year, with more than 300 being caught on some days, the city’s Agriculture Bureau said. Tainan City Councilor Tseng Pei-ya (曾培雅) said she received reports from residents about green iguanas in Barclay Memorial Park in East District (東區). A green iguana is pictured in Tainan in an undated photograph. Photo courtesy of Hsieh Chi-liangAlthough green iguanas, native to Central and South America, typically do not attack humans, they damage crops and upset the local ecology. Sexually mature male green iguanas can develop yellow or orange coloration, he said.
Source:Taipei Times
January 12, 2026 17:14 UTC
Wind farms create ‘marine ranches’: research team
Wind farms create ‘marine ranches’: research teamBy Yu Chao-fu, Rachel Lin and Esme Yeh / Staff reporters, with staff writerThe underwater structures of offshore wind farms along the Taiwan Strait have become “marine ranches,” creating highly diversified reef ecosystems, a research team from National Taiwan Ocean University’s Institute of Marine Biology found. Although offshore wind power construction used to be considered harmful to marine ecosystems, the team yesterday said it found that the submerged parts of wind turbines attract fish dwelling in different ocean layers. Young snappers and pennant coralfish swim around an offshore wind power structure in an undated photograph. Photo: CNAAlthough offshore wind farms were not built for conservation, they maintain biodiversity, the research team said, adding that more comprehensive fishery management rules should be established to promote offshore wind farms’ role in energy transition and marine conservation. The research team developed a small, energy-efficient and highly stable muon sensor system that is suitable for extended use in the field, he said.
Source:Taipei Times
January 12, 2026 17:14 UTC
KMT’s budget review plan is unconstitutional: DPP
KMT’s budget review plan is unconstitutional: DPP‘DESPOT EMPERORS’: The KMT is treating budget items as a ‘self-serve cafeteria,’ approving only some items as it pleases, Chung Chia-pin saidBy Lin Che-yuan and Jason Pan / Staff reportersThe Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) move to divide this year’s fiscal budget into multiple packages for review and block the military spending items is unconstitutional, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators said yesterday. The KMT plans to approve funds earmarked for the T-Pass frequent rider program, flood management-related construction projects, newborn assistance programs and other plans affecting people’s daily lives, while stalling large portions of the budget, DPP caucus chief executive Chung Chia-pin (鍾佳濱) said. Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus chief executive Chung Chia-pin, right, speaks as DPP caucus secretary-general Chen Pei-yu holds a placard at a news conference in Taipei yesterday. “They would only review the budget when people make noise, demanding the use of state funds to improve their livelihood.”“The KMT’s plan is unconstitutional. It also contravenes the Budget Act [預算法], which stipulates that the Cabinet compiles the year’s general fiscal budget and presents it to the Legislative Yuan for deliberation and review.
Source:Taipei Times
January 12, 2026 17:14 UTC
Future account plan could deplete resources: minister
Future account plan could deplete resources: ministerLIMITATIONS: T aiwan in 2017 launched an education account program, and the legislature should discuss how to improve that policy, Shih Chung-liang saidBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterThe opposition parties’ suggestion of setting up a government-funded “Taiwan Future Account” for all children could deplete resources available for underprivileged groups, Minister of Health and Welfare Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said yesterday. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) on Dec. 25 announced their draft future account plan, which suggests that the government set up a universal special investment account for children aged 12 or younger that can only be claimed after they turn 18 years old. Minister of Health and Welfare Shih Chung-liang, left, listens to an official at a joint committee meeting at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday. “However, every policy is a choice, and [government] resources are limited, so policies can have a crowding-out effect on each other,” he said. “Of course, we can discuss how to improve the [current] policy,” Shih said.
Source:Taipei Times
January 12, 2026 17:14 UTC
Taiwan, US set to coproduce 155mm shells
Lin was responding to questions about Taiwan’s partnership with allies in producing munitions at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee. Given the intense demand for 155mm artillery shells in Ukraine’s defense against the Russian invasion, and in light of Taiwan’s own defensive needs, Taipei and Washington plan to jointly produce 155mm shells, said Lin, head of the bureau responsible for arms procurement and weapons development. 155mm artillery shells are pictured during the manufacturing process at the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant in Scranton, Pennsylvania, on Feb. 16, 2023. Taiwan and its closest arms provider, the US, have been in talks to coproduce munitions and weapons systems for several years. “Appropriate coproduction or similar opportunities should focus on less technically complex capabilities for which Taiwan has existing workforce and production infrastructure,” he said during the meeting on Nov. 6.
Source:Taipei Times
January 12, 2026 17:14 UTC
Taipei to launch ‘smoke-free city’ plan, mayor says
Taipei to launch ‘smoke-free city’ plan, mayor saysStaff writer, with CNAThe Taipei City Government is looking at options to limit smoking in public places, with one version of the policy likely to be implemented this year, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said yesterday. A “Taipei smoke-free city” plan is expected to be launched by the end of this year, Chiang said. City officials would study the “very successful” establishment of designated smoking areas in Tokyo, which has cut down secondhand smoke and cigarette litter in the Japanese capital, he said. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an speaks to reporters in Taipei yesterday. Chiang said that since taking office, he has promoted smoke-free public housing and smoke-free Lunar New Year market streets, and implemented comprehensive smoking bans around large event venues.
Source:Taipei Times
January 12, 2026 17:14 UTC
Trump says Iran wants to talk, as death toll hits 544
Trump says Iran wants to talk, as death toll hits 544AP, DUBAI, United Arab EmiratesUS President Donald Trump said Iran wants to negotiate with Washington after his threat to strike the Islamic republic over its bloody crackdown on protesters, as activists yesterday said the death toll in the nationwide demonstrations rose to at least 544. Iran had no direct reaction to Trump’s comments, which came after the foreign minister of Oman — long an interlocutor between Washington and Tehran — traveled to Iran over the weekend. “Iran wants to negotiate.”“The meeting is being set up, but we may have to act because of what’s happening before the meeting. With the Internet down in Iran and phone lines cut off, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. State TV aired images of such demonstrations around the country, trying to signal it had overcome the protests.
Source:Taipei Times
January 12, 2026 17:14 UTC
Revision of Anti-infiltration Act urgent, MAC says
Revision of Anti-infiltration Act urgent, MAC saysCHINA THREAT: Of the 127 people indicted since the act’s passage in 2020, only five have been convicted, with the sentences averaging three to six months, MAC saidBy Chen Yu-fu and Shelley Shan / Staff reportersThe Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday urged lawmakers to approve proposed amendments to the Anti-Infiltration Act (反滲透法) given the light punishments meted out to offenders under current regulations. DPP Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) said that the act stipulates a maximum sentence, but sets no minimum. “Prosecutors have encountered great difficulties in investigating national security cases that could cause tremendous damage to the country. “There should be a minimum criminal sentence in the act for those who help hostile nations infiltrate Taiwan. This would raise infiltration costs for regimes that threaten our national security,” he said.
Source:Taipei Times
January 12, 2026 17:14 UTC