Cold surge warning issued for most of Taiwan
Cold surge warning issued for most of TaiwanStaff writer, with CNAThe Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued cold surge advisories for 18 cities and counties across Taiwan, warning of lows below 10°C through tomorrow night. A "yellow" alert for minimum temperatures below 10°C was issued for the rest of the country, except Hualien and Taitung counties in eastern Taiwan and outlying Penghu and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties. Photo: Taipei Times file photoThe cold weather is due to the arrival of a strong continental cold air mass, combined with radiative cooling, which describes the release of heat from the ground into the atmosphere, the CWA said. Taiwan would remain under the combined influence of the cold air mass and radiative cooling through Thursday, CWA forecaster Cheng Chieh-jen (鄭傑仁) said on Monday. While the cold air is expected to weaken slightly on Friday and Saturday, radiative cooling would continue to keep temperatures low, he said.
Source:Taipei Times
January 06, 2026 05:57 UTC
Starlux receives Taiwan's first Airbus A350-1000
Starlux receives Taiwan's first Airbus A350-1000Staff writer, with CNAStarlux Airlines today became the first airline in Taiwan to take delivery of an Airbus A350-1000 aircraft when the wide-body plane with Starlux livery arrived in Taiwan. The aircraft, registered as B-58551, was yesterday delivered to a team led by Starlux Chairman Chang Kuo-wei (張國煒) at Airbus headquarters in Toulouse, France, the company said in statement late last night. Starlux Airlines’ Airbus A350-1000 aircraft takes off from Toulouse yesterday. With the latest addition, Starlux operates 30 aircraft, which also include 10 A350-900s, six A330neos and 13 A321neos. Though Starlux was the first Taiwanese airline to take delivery of the A350-1000, it is not the only local carrier interested in the plane.
Source:Taipei Times
January 06, 2026 05:09 UTC
Louisa Coffee to raise prices tomorrow
Louisa Coffee to raise prices tomorrowStaff writer, with CNACoffeehouse chain Louisa Coffee (路易莎咖啡) from tomorrow is to raise the prices of about 90 items on its menu by an average of 5 percent, the company's management said today. The price hike was necessitated by the rising cost of ingredients, materials, labor and electricity, Louisa Coffee said in a statement. A Louisa Coffee store is pictured in an undated photograph. Overall, the prices of about 90 items on the menu would rise by an average of 5 percent. Launched in Taipei in 2006, Louisa Coffee has become one of Taiwan's largest coffeehouse chains, offering cheaper prices than its main rival, Starbucks.
Source:Taipei Times
January 06, 2026 04:12 UTC
Australian cricket great Martyn wakes from coma
Australian cricket great Martyn wakes from comaAFP, SYDNEYAustralian Test great Damien Martyn has woken from an induced coma following meningitis, with ex-teammate Adam Gilchrist on Sunday calling it “a miracle.”The 54-year-old Martyn, who played 67 Tests between 1992 and 2006, and 208 one-day internationals, fell seriously ill late last month and was rushed to hospital. The former batsman was diagnosed with meningitis, an inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord. Australian batsman Damien Martyn gestures after scoring 50 against Sri Lanka during their one-day cricket match in Melbourne on Jan. 13, 2006. Known as one of the game’s great strokemakers, Martyn became a key figure in Steve Waugh’s all-powerful Australian side, hitting 13 centuries and averaging 46.37. Martyn retired in 2006 during the Ashes series and had kept a low profile since.
Source:Taipei Times
January 06, 2026 03:42 UTC
Taiwan’s top two male shuttlers to face off in Malaysia
Taiwan’s top two male shuttlers to face off in MalaysiaStaff writer, with CNATaiwan’s two top-ranked badminton players are to compete against each other this afternoon in the opening round of the Malaysia Open men’s singles this week, the first tournament of the new season. The BWF Super 1000 tournament is scheduled to run from today to Sunday at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur. The draw features a high-stakes clash between Taiwanese veteran Chou Tien-chen and rising star Lin Chun-yi, ranked No. The Malaysia Open is the first event on the year, starting just two weeks after the end of the 2025 BWF World Tour Finals. Taiwanese badminton player Chou Tien-chen gestures during the Taipei Open tournament on May 11 last year.
Source:Taipei Times
January 05, 2026 21:42 UTC
Man Utd sack manager Ruben Amorim
Man Utd sack manager Ruben AmorimRIFT: At a news conference after their match against Leeds United on Sunday, an irate Amorim told the scouting department and sporting director ‘to do their job’AFP, LONDONRuben Amorim has been sacked as Manchester United manager 14 months after arriving at Old Trafford, the club announced yesterday. Manchester United coach Ruben Amorim walks on the pitch after their English Premier League match against West Ham United at Old Trafford in Manchester, England, on May 11 last year. Manchester City’s Gianluigi Donnarumma makes a save against Chelsea during their English Premier League match at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England, on Sunday. McFarlane would never forget his first senior match as a manager after frustrating the decorated Guardiola. Ben Davies put Spurs in front, but they were unable to hold out for just a second home league win since the opening weekend of the season.
Source:Taipei Times
January 05, 2026 20:12 UTC
Pilots score rematch win over Black Bears
Pilots score rematch win over Black BearsStaff writer, with CNAThe Taoyuan Pauian Pilots are on the verge of qualifying for the East Asia Super League (EASL) playoffs after defeating the Macau Black Bears 95-83 on Sunday. In Sunday’s rematch game after a contest three weeks earlier, the Pilots secured their fourth consecutive victory of this season. After the game, Pilots head coach Iurgi Caminos said it was a tough win, as the team failed to secure rebounds and allowed the Black Bears too many uncontested shots in the first half. He also said that there were some struggles at the charity stripe, with the Pilots shooting just 11-of-25 (44 percent) from the free-throw line, while the Black Bears shot 14-of-19. Among the five Black Bears players who scored double-digit points, Omari Peek-Green led with 25 points.
Source:Taipei Times
January 05, 2026 20:12 UTC
Fury announces another comeback from retirement
Fury announces another comeback from retirementReutersFormer lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury on Sunday said that he would come out of retirement this year for his first fight since losing to Oleksandr Usyk in December 2024. Fury announced his retirement after losing a rematch with Ukraine’s Usyk, who had won by split decision in their first bout to become the undisputed champion. Usyk is the only boxer to beat Fury in the Briton’s professional career, which includes 34 wins, two losses and one draw. Fury again announced retirement in 2022, only to come back six months later. “If Tyson Fury is as serious as he thinks he is ... step in the ring with me next, if you’re a real bad boy.
Source:Taipei Times
January 05, 2026 20:12 UTC
Bangladesh not to play World Cup matches in India
Bangladesh not to play World Cup matches in IndiaReutersBangladesh will not play their Twenty20 World Cup matches in India after Mustafizur Rahman was released by his Indian Premier League team amid growing tensions between the countries, Bangladesh’s sports adviser Asif Nazrul said on Sunday. Bangladesh are scheduled to play three Twenty20 World Cup matches in Kolkata next month, with the Feb. 7-March 8 tournament being cohosted by India and Sri Lanka. Photo: AFP“Bangladesh will not go to India to play the World Cup. “The board said that where a Bangladesh cricketer can’t play in India despite being contracted, the entire Bangladesh cricket team can’t feel safe to go to the World Cup,” Nazrul had said. “I have also instructed the board to request Bangladesh World Cup games to be held in Sri Lanka.”Last year, the ICC allowed India to play Champions Trophy matches in the United Arab Emirates due to soured relations with hosts Pakistan.
Source:Taipei Times
January 05, 2026 17:12 UTC
Trump renews bid to annex Greenland
Washington’s military intervention in Venezuela has reignited fears for Greenland, which Trump has repeatedly said he wants to annex, given its strategic location in the arctic. While aboard Air Force One en route to Washington, Trump reiterated the goal. Trump rattled European leaders by attacking Caracas and grabbing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who is now being detained in New York. Asked in a telephone interview with The Atlantic about the implications of the Venezuela military operation for mineral-rich Greenland, Trump said it was up to others to decide. Katie Miller was deputy press secretary under Trump at the US Department of Homeland Security during his first term.
Source:Taipei Times
January 05, 2026 16:44 UTC
Hon Hai posts record growth in revenue
Hon Hai Precision Industry Co’s logo is pictured at the company’s headquarters in New Taipei City in an undated photograph. The company in November last year said it remains bullish about this year, driven by strong growth in its cloud and networking products. Last quarter, cloud and networking products — primarily servers — registered a robust year-on-year increase in revenue, in line with the company’s guidance, and electronic components also posted strong sales growth, Hon Hai said. Overall, Hon Hai last year reported robust revenue growth of 18.07 percent year-on-year to NT$8.1 trillion, a record high and better than its earlier forecast, up from NT$6.86 trillion the previous year, the company said. It was the first time the company’s annual revenue increased by more than NT$1 trillion from a year earlier, thanks to strong growth in cloud and networking products, Hon Hai said.
Source:Taipei Times
January 05, 2026 16:44 UTC
Deputy finance minister Juan denies NSF sold shares amid soaring TAIEX
Deputy finance minister Juan denies NSF sold shares amid soaring TAIEXStaff writer, with CNADeputy Minister of Finance Frank Juan (阮清華), who is also executive secretary of the National Stabilization Fund (NSF), yesterday denied speculation that the fund took advantage of soaring stock prices to sell shares for profit. “When the fund will retreat from the market will be decided by its committee,” Juan said. The NT$500 billion (US$15.85 billion) stabilization fund was established in 2000 to cushion the local equity market against unexpected external factors that might disrupt the local bourse. From April 9 to the end of last year, the TAIEX surged 66.54 percent to close at 28,963.6 points. He also attributed the TAIEX’s 755 point rise yesterday to TSMC’s strong gains, which contributed about 670 points of the index’s upturn.
Source:Taipei Times
January 05, 2026 16:44 UTC
Slop, resilience and scams
Slop, resilience and scamsWhat 2025’s AI buzzwords reveal about Taiwan, China and the USBy Nigel P. Daly / Contributing reporterWords of the Year are not just interesting, they are telling. In the state-sanctioned 2025 Chinese Language Review, “resilience” (韌) was selected as the national character and DeepSeek the defining phrase. “Slop” was Merriam-Webster’s word of the year, defined as low-quality digital content produced in quantity by AI. Taiwan also came up with a localized adaptation of “AI slop” as “digital garbage” (電子垃圾) or “AI crap” (AI大便). The key terms highlight breakthroughs and resilience, turning AI into infrastructure of a glorious nation-building project.
Source:Taipei Times
January 05, 2026 16:44 UTC
Minimum wage to be raised again this year, Lai says
Minimum wage to be raised again this year, Lai saysStaff writerPresident William Lai (賴清德) on Sunday announced that the government this year would again raise the minimum wage, with the goal of surpassing NT$30,000 (US$951) for monthly salaries. The last minimum wage adjustment was made on Sept. 26 last year, and was announced on Oct. 21. When attending an event hosted by the Junior Chamber International Taiwan in Hsinchu on Sunday, Lai said that this year the minimum wage would be raised again, with the monthly salary target set to exceed NT$30,000. Increasing the minimum wage is an important measure to ensure the livelihood of workers, he said. When evaluating the minimum wage, the government takes into account factors such as the consumer price index, the GDP growth rate and labor productivity, he added.
Source:Taipei Times
January 05, 2026 16:44 UTC
Taiwan sees Maduro arrest as deterrent
Taiwan sees Maduro arrest as deterrentNOT AN OPENING: Trump’s violation of international law does not affect China’s consideration in attacking Taiwan; Beijing lacks capability, not precedent, an official saidBloombergTaiwanese officials see the US’ capture of the president of Venezuela as a powerful deterrent to Beijing’s aggression and a timely reminder of the US’ ability to defeat militaries equipped with Chinese-made weapons. A person holds a newspaper with an image of ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in Doral, Florida, on Sunday. China considers Taiwan part of its own territory, so international laws do not factor into its calculations, the person said. “The level of sophistication of US equipment, compared with the weapons Venezuela obtained from Russia and China, was fully exposed in this operation,” Deputy Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told lawmakers at the Legislative Yuan yesterday. That Venezuela’s military power was dismantled within hours by US forces would give Beijing plenty to think about, a separate senior national security official in Taiwan said.
Source:Taipei Times
January 05, 2026 16:44 UTC