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LOOK INWARD: Beijing should listen to its people and accelerate reforms, as that would better serve its development, instead of discrediting Taiwanese democracy, the MAC said

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday said societies that cannot choose their own leaders still hope to have direct elections one day, and that China has no say on Taiwanese sovereignty.

The statements were made in response to China’s Taiwan Affairs Office spokesman Chen Binhu’s (陳斌華) remarks on Saturday that “Taiwan’s so-called ‘sovereignty’ is non-existent as it is part of China, and has never been and will never become a country.”

“No matter how the Taiwan area holds elections or who is elected, it does not change its status as part of China,” he said, adding that President William Lai (賴清德) cannot change the fundamental structure of cross-strait relations, nor stop China from achieving unification.

The ministry condemned the remark, calling it an attempt to “deliberately distort the truth and mislead the international community.”

Through continuous efforts to advance democratization, Taiwan on Jan. 13, 2024, completed its eighth presidential election, marking yet another historic milestone in its democratic development.

Taiwan’s democratic achievements have been highly praised by executive branches and parliaments in more than 50 countries, including the US, Japan, France, the UK, Germany and Australia, it said.

“We believe that many people in societies that do not yet have the opportunity to be their own masters or elect their head of state through democratic procedures also greatly look forward to one day directly electing their own president, and determining the future of their country and society,” the ministry said.

“The Republic of China, Taiwan and the People’s Republic of China are not subordinate to each other, and the Chinese Communist Party regime has never ruled Taiwan, which is the current ‘status quo’ in the Taiwan Strait,” it added.

Distorting the narrative regarding Taiwanese sovereignty cannot change the internationally recognized cross-Strait “status quo,” the ministry said, adding that the nation’s future can only be decided by the 23.5 million Taiwanese.

The ministry also called upon Beijing to engage in dialogue with Taiwan’s democratically elected and legitimate government, address issues practically, and maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait together with a responsible and mature attitude.

The Mainland Affairs Council said “the Chinese Communist Party’s denial of the significance of Taiwan’s democratic elections not only disregards the mainstream will of the Taiwanese people, but also exposes its fear of universal democratic values.”

Rather than discrediting Taiwanese democracy, Beijing should heed the demands of its people and accelerate political reform so that the public could truly exercise sovereignty, it said, adding that doing so would better serve China’s long-term development and help improve cross-strait relations.

Additional reporting by Chung Li-hua

title: MOFA blasts ‘no sovereignty’ remark


title: Large-scale air activities near Taiwan restart

people: 顧立雄 習近平

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The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives.

China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis.

Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather.

A map shows the sighting of a Chinese balloon near Taiwan in the 24 hours that ended at 6am yesterday. Photo courtesy of the Ministry of National Defense

The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours.

It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat readiness patrol.”

From Feb. 27, Taiwan did not spot any Chinese military aircraft until March 7, when it said it saw two aircraft near Taiwan’s far southwest.

There have been only sporadic, small-scale incidents since then.

China has provided no explanation for its actions and did not respond to requests for a comment yesterday.

Officials and experts have said the disappearance of aircraft could be because Beijing is trying to recalibrate its pressure campaign ahead of US President Donald Trump’s planned visit to China from March 31 or Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) ongoing purge of senior Chinese generals.

Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said that while the aircraft had left, there are still Chinese warships around the nation and the threat posed by Beijing remains.


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Cabinet’s defense budget proposal could generate billions and create jobs: official

CABINET’S VERSION: Its bill focuses on building a ‘T-Dome,’ using AI for a quick and precise kill chain, and speeding up domestic defense industries’ development

The Cabinet’s version of the NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.16 billion) special defense budget is expected to trigger massive growth in the defense industry if passed, an Executive Yuan official said on Saturday.

The Cabinet’s proposal is expected to generate more than NT$400 billion in defense industry output and create more than 90,000 jobs, bolstering national security while boosting economic growth, said the official, who declined to be named.

Although Taiwan had struggled to enter the sector, it now has the capability to deepen its development, they said.

The Cabinet’s version of the defense budget bill centers on three core areas: building a “T-Dome” multilayered defense system; incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to establish a fast and precise kill chain; and accelerating the development of domestic defense-related industries, they said.

Cabinet data showed that the defense sector last year generated NT$230.8 billion in production value, including NT$12.9 billion from drones, NT$69.6 billion from shipbuilding and NT$148.3 billion from aerospace.

In the drone sector, the Cabinet last year approved plans to invest NT$44.2 billion into the domestic production of uncrewed aerial vehicles.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs has also promoted the Taiwan Excellence Drone International Business Opportunities Alliance.

As of December last year, more than 260 drone manufacturers have joined the initiative, with eight memorandums of understanding signed and more than 35 international partnership projects launched.

Exports of complete drone units surged 21-fold, rising from NT$140 million in 2024 to NT$2.95 billion last year.

The top three export destinations were the Czech Republic, Poland and the US.

In aerospace, Taiwan has completed the key capabilities required for a F-16 maintenance center and launched its first large-scale constant-temperature forging production line for engines in April last year.

Taiwan’s fighter jet developer Aerospace Industrial Development Corp has outsourced production to local firms, helping 217 domestic suppliers pass certification and signing manufacturing contracts with 136 companies worth a total of NT$11.17 billion.

In shipbuilding, the Ministry of National Defense and the Coast Guard Administration have proposed the construction of 198 vessels, all to be built by domestic shipbuilders.

As of December last year, 145 vessels had been delivered, with all ships expected to be completed by the end of 2031.

The coast guard commissioned 1,000-tonne and 4,000-tonne patrol vessels in September and November last year respectively, improving maritime law enforcement capabilities.

The defense sector is one of the 13 strategic industries designated by the Executive Yuan as pillars for future national development.

Other designated sectors include semiconductors, AI, silicon photonics and quantum technology, AI robotics, security and surveillance, next-generation communications, critical minerals, biotechnology and medical services, an Asian asset management center, public infrastructure and urban renewal, cultural and creative industries, and a trillion-dollar tourism sector.


title: SkyGuardian drone deliveries still on schedule: source

content_text:
A Taiwanese defense official yesterday said two of the four SkyGuardian drones Taipei purchased from the US are to be delivered in the second half of the year, in accordance with the original schedule.

The ground control stations needed to remotely pilot the advanced drones are being built, the Ministry of National Defense official said on condition of anonymity.

The air force and Taiwan’s defense mission in Washington have also been in close contact with the US to ensure the timely delivery, the official added.

An MQ-9B drone is pictured in an undated photograph. Photo: Screen grab from General Atomics’ Web site

The comments come after a news report last week said that the delivery of the first two MQ-9B drones had been delayed due to the war in the Middle East.

Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) questioned the credibility of the report, saying: “I don’t know where that news came from.”

No weapons deliveries have been affected by the conflict in the Middle East so far, he added.

Taiwan has ordered four MQ-9B drones from the US, two of which would be delivered this year, while the other two would arrive next year.

The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency in a 2020 announcement of the sale said the MQ-9Bs would provide Taiwan with “intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, target acquisition, and counter-land, counter-sea and anti-submarine strike capabilities.”

Institute for National Defense and Security Research assistant research fellow Hsieh Pei-shiue (謝沛學) said the drone is capable of linking with satellite communications shared among US allies.

This means Taiwan and its US counterparts could instantly share battlefield intelligence, providing opportunities for cooperation during a conflict.

For instance, should a cross-strait conflict break out, Washington could take advantage of anti-ship missile systems deployed along the first island chain to prevent Chinese People’s Liberation Army vessels from sailing into waters east of Taiwan to blockade the nation, he said.


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When Paraguayan opposition lawmaker Leidy Galeano returned from an all-expenses-paid tour of six Chinese cities late last year, she was convinced Paraguay risked missing out on major economic gains by sticking with longtime ally Taipei over Beijing — a message that participants on the trip heard repeatedly from Chinese officials.

“Everything I saw there, I wanted for my country,” said Galeano, a member of the newly-formed Yo Creo party whose senior figures have spoken favorably about China.

This trip and others like it — which people familiar with the visits said were at the invitation of the Chinese consulate in Sao Paulo — offered lavish banquets, stays at luxury hotels and tours of the Great Wall.

Taiwanese and Paraguayan flags flutter outside the building housing Taiwan’s embassy in Asuncion on Feb. 25. Photo: Reuters

It is part of what Paraguayan lawmakers said they saw as a coordinated effort to draw the country away from democratically governed Taiwan.

With about 6.4 million people, landlocked Paraguay is a tiny player on the world stage, but it is Taiwan’s last diplomatic ally in South America.

A switch by Paraguay, one of 12 countries in the world that still recognize Taiwan, would give Beijing a symbolic win in its campaign to isolate Taipei.

Its efforts are also a sign of China’s intent to cement its influence in Latin America, where US President Donald Trump is determined to be the pre-eminent superpower.

With more than two years left in his term, Paraguayan President Santiago Pena’s government has little incentive to shift a Taiwan policy that has long anchored its foreign relations.

Beyond that, analysts said the outlook is less clear, with succession battles potentially splintering the ruling Colorado Party or pushing them into alliances with opposition groups historically more open to recognizing Beijing.

Pena has publicly reaffirmed support for Taipei.

“All the Latin American countries that switched from Taiwan to China and fell into the arms of the promise of the Chinese dream — every single one of them is worse off than Paraguay,” he said.

The Paraguayan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the country’s relations with Taiwan “are founded on principles and values of freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law.”

China’s growing engagement is colliding with stepped-up efforts by Taipei and Washington to hold the line.

Paraguay signed a defense pact with the US in January, joined Trump’s “Board of Peace” and participated in a White House critical minerals summit earlier this year. Washington also lifted sanctions on former Paraguayan president Horacio Cartes, who was previously targeted over alleged corruption and is a mentor to Pena.

Interviews with half a dozen participants — including three lawmakers and three journalists who joined the trips — and a review of travel itineraries showed the charm offensive by China in Paraguay has picked up in the past year.

At least 19 Paraguayan lawmakers, five journalists and a rising opposition presidential contender have visited China since late 2023, with a sharp acceleration last year and more trips planned for this month, Reuters said.

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said “siding with Taiwan authorities holds no future,” and that a growing number of Paraguayans across different sectors believe establishing diplomatic ties with Beijing would serve the “fundamental and long-term interests” of both countries.

It denied any lobbying effort, saying people-to-people exchanges were a “two-way effort” that “do not require anyone to lobby for them.”

Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Beijing was attempting to “poach” its allies and that it was “actively working to maintain ties with all of Taiwan’s diplomatic partners.”

A spokesperson for the US embassy in Asuncion said Washington hoped Paraguayans on official Chinese-guided tours “understand the degree of information manipulation” inherent in them.

Beijing’s outreach to Paraguay follows a pattern seen across the region. Panama, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Honduras all switched recognition after sustained Chinese lobbying, and promises of trade and infrastructure.

Paraguayan opposition lawmaker Roya Torres said Chinese officials used her trip in October last year to showcase advanced healthcare services and technology, taking her through treatment centers and high-speed rail stations while hinting that trade and investment could flow faster if Asuncion switched recognition to Beijing.

The contrast with home deepened her fear that Paraguay was “running out of time” — a message Chinese officials delivered to her repeatedly — and risked being left behind in cutting-edge medical equipment and access to China’s market if it maintained ties with Taipei, she said.

Liberal Party Deputy Billy Vaesken, who spent 15 days in China in late 2024 alongside two ruling Colorado Party lawmakers, said he is advocating deeper ties with Beijing.

“We must not miss our chance,” he said, pointing to potential Chinese investment in local infrastructure.

Reuters requested interviews with at least half a dozen Colorado Party members, all of whom declined to comment on trips they made to China.

Several other prominent opposition members who participated in visits also declined to discuss them.

In Paraguay, the debate is increasingly economic. Its main exports are soy and beef, but it cannot sell directly to China, because Beijing refuses to trade with countries that recognize Taipei. Instead, shipments move through Argentina and Brazil, cutting into profits. At the same time, Chinese goods are pouring into Paraguay, with imports topping US$6 billion last year — a record, data showed.

Taipei has helped fund projects including the parliament building and a new university campus under construction, but a report by local research center CADEP found that Paraguay’s ties with Taiwan have delivered only modest economic gains.

Public sentiment might also be shifting: A recent poll by consultancy Metro showed rising support for establishing relations with China.

Metro declined to comment on who commissioned the survey.

Officials at Taiwan’s embassy in Asuncion said they, too, are lobbying to counter China through TV appearances and inviting lawmakers from the ruling Colorado Party to Taiwan.

Still, Beijing’s approach appears to be gaining traction with some.

“More people in parliament are already looking toward mainland China,” said Vaesken, who plans to return to China this year. “Before long, Taiwan will end up like Hong Kong — it will become part of China, be annexed and Paraguayans will be left with nothing.”

title: INSIGHT: China wooing Paraguayan political class from Taipei


people: 蕭美琴 賴清德 蔡英文

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Former Polish president, ex-Fijian PM to speak at Yushan Forum

Former Polish President Lech Walesa and former Fijian prime minister Mahendra Chaudhry are among the foreign guests set to attend an annual international forum in Taipei, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) announced yesterday.

Other prominent figures set to take part in the MOFA- funded Yushan Forum include Keiji Furuya, head of the Japan-ROC Diet Members’ Consultative Council, which promotes Taiwan-Japan parliamentary-level exchanges; Gustavo Villate, Paraguay’s minister of information and communication technologies; and Lee Jun-seok, leader of South Korea’s Reform Party, MOFA said in a press release.

Also attending the conference, which will be held from today to tomorrow, are Jonathan T. Fried, Canada’s former ambassador to the WTO; Christoph Heusgen, former chair of the Munich Security Conference; Liam Fox, the former UK secretary of state for international trade; and Leni Robredo, mayor of Naga City, who served as vice president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022.

An image featuring theme of this year’s Yushan Forum is pictured in an undated photograph. Photo: Screen grab from Yushan Forum’s Web site

President William Lai (賴清德) and Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) will both speak at the forum on Monday, MOFA added.

This year’s forum will be held under the theme “Indo- Pacific Partnership Prospects: Taiwan’s Values, Technology, and Resilience,” aimed at promoting regional collaboration through solutions “based on Taiwan’s values and incorporating technology and resilience,” according to the forum’s website.

The Yushan Forum, launched in 2017, aims to strengthen Taiwan’s exchanges with partners under the New Southbound Policy, which was introduced by then-president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) in 2016 to boost trade, investment and people-to-people ties with 18 countries in ASEAN, South Asia, Australia and New Zealand.


content_text: Changhua County Commissioner Wang Hui-mei, left, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Hsieh Yi-feng, second left, and other guests plant seven species of drought-tolerant native Taiwanese trees at Fenglun Park in Changhua County yesterday during an event organized by the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency’s Nantou Branch and the Changhua County Government to mark tree planting month.

title: Tree-mendous


content_text:
DAMAGE REPORT: Global central banks are assessing war-driven inflation risks as the law of unintended consequences careens around the world, spiking oil prices

Central banks from Washington to London and from Jakarta to Taipei are about to make their first assessments of economic damage after more than two weeks of conflict between the US and Iran.

Decisions this week encompassing every member of the G7 and eight of the world’s 10 most-traded currency jurisdictions are likely to confirm to investors that the specter of a new inflation shock is already worrying enough to prompt heightened caution.

The US Federal Reserve is widely expected to do exactly what everyone anticipated weeks ahead of its March 17-18 policy gathering: hold rates steady.

The US Federal Reserve Board building in Washington is pictured on Sept. 17 last year. Photo: Reuters

The narrative surrounding that hold — that it might comfortably endure for months — has been smashed by renewed tremors in the labor market and a war in the Middle East that has sent oil prices surging. The combination puts the Fed’s dual mandates in conflict, clouding the outlook for rates, at least for the near-term.

Officials at the European Central Bank (ECB) are widely anticipated to keep the deposit rate unchanged on Thursday. However, the Middle East crisis has all but dislodged the central bank’s policy from the “good place” that ECB President Christine Lagarde and colleagues claimed to inhabit.

The spike in energy prices, which has spurred bets on rate hikes, puts the onus on the Governing Council to explain how inflation risks have shifted, along with clues on how close they are to meeting those market expectations.

The Bank of Japan (BOJ) is widely expected to hold its benchmark rate steady on Thursday, while assuring markets that it remains on the path toward policy normalization. BOJ Governor Kazuo Ueda is likely to emphasize the need to closely monitor developments given the country’s heavy reliance on oil imports from the Middle East. Traders would parse the BOJ’s statement and Ueda’s remarks for clues.

In London, a decision that appeared just last month to be tilted “50-50” toward a cut, Bank of England (BOE) Governor Andrew Bailey said, is highly likely to favor unchanged rates on Thursday as inflation risks are forcing BOE officials to pivot toward vigilance about consumer prices, despite signs of sputtering growth even before the energy shock.

For the Swiss National Bank (SNB), the central bank’s resolve to cap gains that pushed the franc to decade highs against the euro would draw close scrutiny at its first quarterly decision of the year on Thursday, after policymakers broke their usual silence to reveal increased willingness for intervention.

While any change in language on foreign exchange would be notable, economists are unanimous in saying the rate would stay at zero, meaning that they judge present circumstances do not warrant the more drastic and economically harmful option of a return to negative borrowing costs.

Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) policymakers on Tuesday are due to set the cash rate, currently 3.85 percent, with markets pricing a solid chance of a second consecutive increase.

The RBA last month became the first major developed-market central bank this year to lift borrowing costs, citing stubborn price pressures and excess demand in a supply-constrained economy. Since then, data have reinforced the picture of resilience, while the Iran war has heightened concerns about domestic price pressures.

The central bank in Jakarta is widely expected to keep its rate steady at 4.75 percent on Tuesday, a decision that would force Bank Indonesia officials to balance rupiah stability against renewed worries about consumer prices.

While fuel subsidies would probably cushion faster inflation, such measures risk bloating the deficit amid heightened fiscal concerns. That could spur more capital outflows and undermine officials’ efforts to maintain a stable currency.

As for Taiwan, the country’s economy has been buoyed by strong global demand for its technology products that support artificial intelligence development. However, its central bank is unlikely to raise rates on Thursday after recent inflation stayed well below 2 percent. Instead, the central bank is expected to revise up its GDP and inflation forecasts, DBS Bank Ltd said.

While it remains premature to expect rate hikes this year, the growth-inflation dynamics indicate that the next policy move could be a rate hike rather than a rate cut, DBS added.

title: Trump’s war jolts global central banks


content_text:
About 1,000 participants, including more than 200 venture capitalists, joined the Taiwan Demo Day in Silicon Valley on Saturday, the largest iteration to date of the event held ahead of Nvidia Corp’s annual GPU Technology Conference which runs from today to Thursday.

Taiwan Demo Day, co-organized by the Taiwan Next Foundation and the Startup Island Taiwan Silicon Valley Hub, took place at the Computer History Museum in California, showcasing 12 teams focused on physical artificial intelligence (AI) and agentic AI technologies.

Katie Hsieh (謝凱婷), founder of the Taiwan Next Foundation, said the event highlighted the strength of the Taiwan-US start-up ecosystem, with six Taiwan-based teams selected by StarFab Accelerator joining others from the US to showcase their innovations.

Representatives of some Taiwanese tech start-ups and members of the Taiwan Next Foundation as well as Startup Island Taiwan pose for a photograph at the Taiwan Demo Day in Silicon Valley on Saturday. Photo: CNA

StarFab, founded in 2016 and regarded as Taiwan’s largest industry accelerator, is dedicated to fostering collaboration between start-ups and enterprises to accelerate

innovation and growth, according to its official Web site.

Hsieh said that about half of attendees came from the international start-up community, expressing hope that the event would foster new connections for Taiwan-led companies.

Startup Island Taiwan Silicon Valley Hub deputy director Uly Su (蘇祐立) said there was strong interest from local and US corporate investment divisions in Taiwan’s hardware technology, with this year’s attendance about double last year’s.

Joe Tolzmann, founder of Canadian software start-up RocketPlan Technologies Inc, said that his company was seeking opportunities to integrate Taiwan’s leading hardware technologies into its operations.

StarFab chairwoman Amanda Liu (劉晏蓉) led the group of six Taiwanese start-ups, which were selected in partnership with Nvidia and focus on manufacturing, healthcare and robotics.

Liu said she believes collaboration between large corporations and start-ups drives the best innovation, adding that these areas play to Taiwan’s industrial strengths and could enhance the global AI start-up sector.

Among the participants, Red Pill Lab Ltd cofounder RH Shih (石千泓) said his team uses Nvidia’s Isaac Lab framework to advance AI motion capture technologies that could be applied to home factories, emergency rescue operations and remotely controlled lunar robotics missions.

title: Taiwan start-up event welcomes hundreds


title: Convenience stores scratching into ‘cat economy’

content_text:
WHISKERY BUSINESS: Businesses are aiming to capture the growing percentage of feline fanatics as cat ownership across the country grows rapidly

Sales of cat-related products at major convenience stores have surged over the past few years, as rising cat ownership fuels what retailers call the emerging “cat economy.”

Cat food and related products sales at stores such as 7-Eleven, Hi-Life and OK Mart have grown by about 30 percent, outpacing dog food, industry data showed.

Cat food now accounts for more than 60 percent of the shelf space for pet food in many stores.

A FamilyMart convenience store decorating its window with a large cat decal to attract cat enthusiasts is pictured in Taipei’s Wanhua District in an undated photograph. Photo courtesy of Taiwan FamilyMart Co

The trend reflects a broader shift in pet ownership.

In 2023, the estimated number of pet cats nationwide reached 1,311,449, a 50 percent increase from 870,801 in 2021, the Ministry of Agriculture said.

The ministry has yet to release more recent data.

However, by the end of last year, the number of registered cats surpassed that of dogs for the first time, the ministry said, adding that the total registered cats and dogs exceeded 3.4 million, and a majority were felines.

The combined figure has also surpassed the number of children younger than 14, which stands at about 2.8 million, highlighting the country’s declining birthrate and the growing role of pets in households.

7-Eleven chain operator President Chain Store Corp (統一超商) said it began observing strong growth in cat food sales in 2023, with the category posting double-digit gains. The chain has since expanded its offerings, introducing “OPEN!PETS” sections in more than 3,700 stores nationwide, carrying between 110 and 250 items.

FamilyMart chain operator Taiwan FamilyMart Co (全家便利商店) capitalized on the trend through a Feb. 22 “Cat Day” campaign that went viral on Threads.

Cat-themed merchandise and promotions boosted related sales by more than 40 percent, the company said.

OK Mart chain operator OK Mart Co (來來超商) said the share of cat products among its pet offerings has risen from about 60 percent to roughly 70 percent over the past two years, with small packs of wet cat food and single-meal portions proving especially popular.


content_text:
US, Chinese officials meet in Paris ahead of Beijing visit

Representatives from Beijing and Washington began their economic and trade talks in Paris yesterday, paving the way for US President Donald Trump’s state visit to Beijing to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in about two weeks.

The delegations, led by US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng (何立峰), convened in Paris in the morning, China’s official news agency Xinhua reported. The White House has said that Trump would travel to China from March 31 to April 2, although Beijing has not officially confirmed it.

Bessent said on Thursday that his team would continue to deliver results that put US farmers, workers and businesses first. The US Department of the Treasury said Bessent would meet He yesterday and today.

US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, left, shakes hands with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, right, during a bilateral meeting between the United States and China, in Switzerland, on May 10, 2025. Photo: AP

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce said on Friday that the two sides are set to discuss “trade and economic issues of mutual concern.”

Trump’s visit to China would be the first for a US president since he visited during his first term in 2017. It comes five months after the two leaders met in the South Korean city of Busan and agreed to a one-year truce in a trade war that temporarily saw tit-for-tat tariffs soar to triple digits before the two sides backed down.

Trade remains a source of tensions. The Chinese commerce ministry on Friday hit back against the Trump administration’s new trade investigation into 16 trading partners, including China. The investigation — which came after a US Supreme Court ruling struck down Trump’s sweeping global tariffs that were imposed last year — could pave the way for new tariffs.

Another issue that might come up is the Iran war, which is spiking oil prices. Trump said on Saturday that he hopes China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK and others would send warships to keep the Strait of Hormuz “open and safe.”


title: Perplexing promotion

content_text: Models and a robot pose for photos at a promotion event for sofas in Beijing yesterday.


title: EDITORIAL: AI warfare targets baseball fans

content_text:
After thousands of Taiwanese fans poured into the Tokyo Dome to cheer for Taiwan’s national team in the World Baseball Classic’s (WBC) Pool C games, an image of food and drink waste left at the stadium said to have been left by Taiwanese fans began spreading on social media. The image sparked wide debate, only later to be revealed as an artificially generated image.

The image caption claimed that “Taiwanese left trash everywhere after watching the game in Tokyo Dome,” and said that one of the “three bad habits” of Taiwanese is littering. However, a reporter from a Japanese media outlet who had visited the site observed several inconsistencies with the image.

The reporter said that the seats at the Tokyo Dome are tip-up seats that automatically fold up when not in use, unlike the seats in the image, which were fixed. The reporter also pointed out that a left field foul pole was missing from the image, and that the lettering on the signage was also different.

Many Taiwanese fans at the Tokyo Dome that day also said that the image was not consistent with what they had seen, and Japanese users posted clips of fans, who they said were Taiwanese, picking up trash as they left the stadium.

The Taiwan FactCheck Center said that the controversy stemmed from a post which criticized Taiwanese fans’ poor manners at the Tokyo Dome.

The story was picked up by media outlets, including one which generated an image using artificial intelligence (AI) and posted it on social media. Although originally marked as “AI-generated,” the label was later intentionally removed and spread across multiple social media platforms, including by an account which had been listed by Taiwan’s Investigation Bureau as a foreign user who previously spread malicious rumors about Taiwan.

Democratic Progressive Party legislator Michelle Lin (林楚茵) called the controversy a classic example of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) cognitive warfare, and said that some of the online media accounts which spread the image were revealed to be content farms hosting local Facebook groups — “I am a XX resident” (我是XX人, with “XX” being counties or towns in Taiwan) — often reposting news from pro-China media or sharing unsubstantiated AI-generated content.

Lin has speculated that the Tokyo Dome case might also be part of the CPP’s cyberoperations aimed at sullying Taiwan’s international image and driving a wedge between Taiwanese and Japanese.

The speculations are based on cybersecurity reports from recent years which have shown that China has been operating a massive network of cybergroups to conduct intelligence gathering, surveillance and cyberwarfare around the world.

Taiwanese officials and international researchers have consistently warned about CCP cognitive warfare aimed at undermining Taiwan’s democracy and eroding public trust in the government.

A report published by OpenAI last month showed multiple covert influence operations and malicious cyberactivities linked to China using ChatGPT targeting the US, Japan and their allies. Vanderbilt University’s Institute of National Security last year released a report that showed a Chinese state-affiliated AI company was conducting AI-driven propaganda campaigns in Hong Kong and Taiwan, with the aim of shaping public opinion during election campaigns.

Taiwanese Facebook users have reported several cases of AI-generated content which were posted online through the “I am a XX resident” groups. The content was allegedly posted by CPP cybergroups, with the posts containing AI prompts which were used to make the content, such as “remove sensitive wording, enhance Taiwan local colloquial nuance,” or “re-edit for Taiwanese users, using Traditional Chinese characters.” The posters had reportedly forgotten to remove the AI prompts from the post.

Even if the Tokyo Dome image was evidence of CCP cyberwarfare tactics, due to swift cross-border fact-checking debunking the disinformation, it did not succeed in triggering widespread anger among Taiwanese and Japanese, but prompted them to unite in raising caution against a common threat.

The case serves as a warning to Taiwan of how AI has changed the speed, scale and impact of information manipulation and propaganda operations, allowing disinformation to be created and spread at a very low cost.

As well as implementing stronger regulatory responses to combat AI-generated disinformation, the government should promote updated media literacy from an early age, now crucial for building societal resilience in a new AI era.


content_text:
Richard D. Fisher, Jr. On Taiwan: Iran-Venezuela Lessons For Taiwan

On March 22, 2023, at the close of their meeting in Moscow, media microphones were allowed to record Chinese Communist Party (CCP) dictator Xi Jinping (習近平) telling Russia’s dictator Vladimir Putin, “Right now there are changes — the likes of which we haven’t seen for 100 years — and we are the ones driving these changes together.”

Widely read as Xi’s oath to create a China-Russia-dominated world order, it can be considered a high point for the China-Russia-Iran-North Korea (CRINK) informal alliance, which also included the dictatorships of Venezuela and Cuba.

China enables and assists Russia’s war against Ukraine and North Korea’s nuclear buildup; it enables Pakistan’s September 2025 nuclear alliance with Saudi Arabia, and enabled and assisted Iran’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs, while Iran and North Korea assist Russia’s war, respectively, with drones and troops.

But in their hubris, Xi and Putin likely did not expect the re-election of President Donald J. Trump, and most likely did not expect that two years later, in March 2026, their ally Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro would be cooling in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York; their ally Iranian dictator Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his nuclear weapons program would be dust; and their ally Cuba would be on the verge of collapse and begging for negotiations with Trump.

This is the counter Communist hegemony momentum that Trump will bring to his April 2026 summit with Xi, whose Party-military-intelligence apparatus must be furiously generating lessons to be drawn from Trump’s capture of Maduro and the United States-Israel war against Iran.

But there are also lessons for Taiwan as the government of President William Lai Ching-te (賴清德) seeks to prepare Taiwan to deter an invasion by China, and struggles with the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) to advance a desperately needed US$42 billion military budget.

DECAPITATION IS NOT THE END

Maduro and his wife get to live and Venezuela gets to start a new era, but Khamenei and 50+ of Iran’s top leaders, not so much. But the Islamic terror regime has survived two weeks of US and Israeli bombing, demonstrating to Taiwan the advantages of distributed government authority, a well-armed police and the requirement for a very large armed militia.

The CCP and its People’s Liberation Army (PLA) are also deeply focused on decapitating the elected/legitimate government of Taiwan, and since 2014 they’ve used a full-scale reproduction of the Taipei presidential compound to practice their own decapitation operations.

But the main Iran lesson for Beijing is that airpower and decapitation will not produce victory if the Taiwan government survives. Taipei likewise should have no illusions — a PLA victory requires an invasion — with or without invitation.

As such, Taipei has long had warning to prepare for securing the President and Vice President while under surprise attack, and to prepare for extensive continuity of government as a means of defense.

This should include a new challenge to the CCP’s “One China Principle” by convincing friendly governments that still bow to China’s dictat but oppose a PLA invasion; to tell China upon a PLA attack they are prepared to formally recognize Taiwan and, if necessary, host Taiwan government-in-exile representatives.

And at long last, Taiwan must begin the training and arming of a militia force in the millions equipped with sniper rifles and cheap anti-air/armor weapons to give Taiwan’s defense far greater depth.

But as the CCP/PLA plans to assassinate/capture Taiwan’s legitimate elected leaders, it makes sense, as a deterrent, for Taiwan to build or purchase its own “decapitation” capabilities such as boosted deep-penetrating hypersonic warhead-armed missiles to attack the CCP’s new massive “global hegemony command center” being built near Beijing.

NECESSITY OF OFFENSIVE CHEAP MASS

The first week of Iran’s missile-terror campaign that started on February 28 saw ballistic missile launches fall from 350 to 35 by March 6, while Iran’s barrage cheap one-way loitering drone strikes started at 800, falling to an average of 186 for March 3-6 — but had the effect of taking the war to 12 countries and increasing political pressures against Israel and the US.

China spent decades helping Iran to design its drone fleet and has supplied critical guidance and engine systems components while also — according to unofficial sources — integrating the PLA’s space surveillance and navigation satellite architecture to guide Iran’s ballistic missile and drone strikes.

For its own part, the PLA has perhaps the world’s largest drone and unmanned weapons development sector, and the PLA is close to, if not ready, to deploy joint air, sea, and ground unmanned formations to precede and assist manned invasion forces.

So it’s imperative that Taiwan follow through on initiatives to begin co-production of cheap, autonomously guided, and long range loitering munitions like the US Anduril 500km range Baracuda-500, and to consider coproduction of the long-range Anduril Copperhead autonomously guided torpedo.

A very large number must be built as quickly as possible so enough survive the initial PLA air-missile assault and remain able to sink the PLA invasion fleet, be it hundreds of PLA Navy (PLAN) militia roll-on-roll-off barges or 10,000 PLAN militia fishing ships.

With enough long-range loitering attack drones, Taiwan can also plaster PLA invasion forces gathering along the coasts of Fujian and Guangdong provinces. But the KMT’s latest defense budget initiative announced on March 5 delays the funding of such “private sector” sourced weapons.

URGENCY OF ANTI-DRONES

As long demonstrated by the brutal Russia-Ukraine drone war, the Iran War affirms the urgent requirement for defenses against waves of long-range cheap loitering munitions — which China has helped Iran accumulate, and of which China is capable of amassing hundreds of thousands before a Taiwan War.

Ukraine markets cheap US$2,000 fast drone interceptors capable of taking out US$20,000 Shahed strike drones, and Taiwan’s agile drone sector is capable of becoming a regional source of similar drone interceptors.

In addition, Washington should consider the transfer of new “unlimited magazine” laser and high power microwave anti-drone systems — especially to protect Taiwan’s retaliatory missile forces.

NECESSITY OF INTEGRATING WITH ALLIES

Iran’s regime is now close to collapse because its Chinese and Russian partners were willing to watch it die without offering sufficient overt support. In Venezuela, extensive Cuban military-political support was unable to prevent Maduro’s capture in the face of US electro-cyber superiority.

Most US-led military actions since World War II have succeeded largely because of allied assent and cooperation; in Iran this is specifically due to cooperation with Israel.

The Trump administration’s enthusiasm for promoting deeper joint military cooperation between Japan, South Korea, the Philippines and Australia should also include encouragement of their cooperation with Taiwan — especially banking on Japan’s increasing cooperation with the Philippines and newfound vocal support for Taiwan.

In addition, the US should promote Taiwan’s strategic cooperation with Israel, a leader in anti-missile and unmanned technology, electronic warfare, the weaponizing of the enemy’s electronic infrastructure, and the placement of special operators who can wreak havoc in the enemy’s back yard.

NECESSITY OF THEATER NUCLEAR WEAPONS

The Iran war is being fought in large part to finally end Iran’s China-enabled nuclear weapons program. China’s longstanding nuclear and missile assistance to North Korea has not made Pyongyang safe, but does raise the cost for Washington to conduct kinetic counter-proliferation.

Furthermore, the theater nuclear forces of China, Russia and North Korea are now vastly superior to Washington’s, which deploys only some new W76 small warheads on Trident submarine-launched ballistic missiles.

Open murmurs in South Korea and Japan for their own nuclear weapons are to be expected, and if China and Russia sustain their opposition to real nuclear arms control, may also have to be encouraged.

It is long overdue for Washington to develop a variety of theater nuclear weapons, from already planned nuclear Tomahawk cruise missiles to new nuclear armed intermediate and medium range ballistic missiles. And a revival of tactical nuclear artillery; as in the late 1950s, a few score of nuclear artillery shells in Taiwan would suspend CCP invasion plans.

For over a decade American presidents, including Trump, and other western leaders have likely endured escalating lectures from Xi about why they must support/not oppose Taiwan’s “unification” with China.

Xi likely never describes China’s desire for “unification” as his intent to commit the horrific bloody death of a democracy, which will then be used by the CCP to justify war against any other democracy that opposes the CCP’s battle for global hegemony — starting with Japan and the Philippines.

Instead of just enduring Xi’s Taiwan lecture in order to get to the next topic, perhaps it is important to begin a new phase of Taiwan discussions by explaining to Xi how living in peace with a free Taiwan is in the CCP’s best interest.

If China invades and subjugates Taiwan, the CCP will be seen as an immediate threat to all other democracies. They will have no choice but to combine in an anti-CCP alliance which could lead the CCP’s leadership to suffer the same fate as either Maduro or Khamenei.

Richard D. Fisher, Jr. is a senior fellow with the International Assessment and Strategy Center.

people: 習近平 賴清德


title: Keeping Taiwan’s technology edge alive

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The global semiconductor industry has sent a clear signal to the international trading system, with the World Semiconductor Council (WSC) calling on the WTO to make a moratorium on customs duties on electronic transmissions permanent, which would ensure that cross-border digital data flows remain tariff-free.

Since its implementation in 1998, the moratorium has been regarded as a cornerstone of global digital trade. However, whether it would be renewed at the 14th WTO Ministerial Conference at the end of this month is uncertain. The WSC says that if countries start imposing such tariffs, it would have a profound impact on the global semiconductor supply chain.

Under the moratorium, countries commit to not imposing customs duties on digital content transmitted across borders. That not only includes audiovisual content and software, but also design blueprints, chip research and development data, manufacturing technical documents, and cloud-based data.

For the semiconductor industry, design and manufacturing rely heavily on cross-border collaboration. For example, chip design might be completed in the US, while manufacturing is carried out in Taiwan or South Korea, with packaging and testing distributed across other countries. If data transmissions are treated as import-export goods and taxed, the costs across the industrial chain would soar.

As global digitalization accelerates, the importance of electronic transmissions continues to grow. Semiconductor design companies need to send large design files in real time, while manufacturing plants must constantly receive updated data. If each transmission involved tariffs or complicated customs procedures, it would not only slow the pace of research and development, but could also influence companies’ strategic planning and investment decisions. For this reason, the WSC says that when the conference reconvenes, the moratorium should be institutionalized as a permanent rule.

Naturally, the moratorium is of particular significance to Taiwan. It sits at the core of the global semiconductor supply chain, with chip design, wafer fabrication, and packaging and testing all heavily dependent on international division of labor. If electronic transmissions were taxed, Taiwanese companies would face higher costs and administrative burdens. Maintaining an open digital trade environment is not only vital to corporate competitiveness, but also closely tied to the overall development of the industry.

Although not a formal member of the WTO, Taiwan could voice its position on the tariffs through industry groups and trade-friendly countries. The government should also strengthen research on digital trade policy to get a full reading on the positions of countries on cross-border data flows and digital levies. That would enable it to respond early to potential changes.

In addition, Taiwan should promote digital trade agreements and data-flow frameworks in parallel. For example, it could sign digital economy partnership agreements with major trading partners to prevent arbitrary restrictions. As global rules for the digital economy gradually take shape, getting in early on the institutional design process is crucial for Taiwan to maintain its industrial advantages.

Global tech competition is becoming increasingly intense, and digital trade rules are emerging as a new arena. Albeit a technical provision, the tariff-free treatment of electronic transmissions affects the speed of innovation, the efficiency of supply chains and patterns of international cooperation. For Taiwan, ensuring the stability and continuity of this system is crucial in maintaining global competitiveness.

Roger Lo is a freelancer.

Translated by Gilda Knox Streader


content_text:
The conflict in the Middle East has been disrupting financial markets, raising concerns about rising inflationary pressures and global economic growth. One market that some investors are particularly worried about has not been heavily covered in the news: the private credit market. Even before the joint US-Israeli attacks on Iran on Feb. 28, global capital markets had faced growing structural pressure — the deteriorating funding conditions in the private credit market.The private credit market is where companies borrow funds directly from nonbank financial institutions such as asset management companies, insurance companies and private lending platforms. Its popularity has risen since

An article published in the Dec. 12, 1949, edition of the Central Daily News (中央日報) bore a headline with the intimidating phrase: “You Cannot Escape.” The article was about the execution of seven “communist spies,” some say on the basis of forced confessions, at the end of the 713 Penghu Incident.Those were different times, born of political paranoia shortly after the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) relocated to Taiwan following defeat in China by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The phrase was a warning by the KMT regime to the local populace not to challenge its power or threaten national unity.The

title: EDITORIAL CARTOON


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Middle powers must unite to survive a changing world order in which US reliability is weakened and China and Russia work to dominate world organizations

The US’ allies no longer view it as a champion of collective security, free trade and the rule of law. At the same time, China’s growing economic power and political influence concerns many whose prosperity has become increasingly dependent on maintaining constructive relations with the People’s Republic of China. In this fraught new environment — with the US and China dominating the international system, and with Russia committed to upending it — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney warned in January that “the middle powers must act together.”

What does this mean, exactly? Can “middle powers” bolster existing multinational institutions like the UN? Can they cooperate where their interests align to safeguard shared goods? There is plenty of reason for skepticism, but if they cannot find ways to assert themselves, they would suffer in a future of US-Chinese domination.

Fortunately, the geopolitical landscape does offer opportunities for middle powers. Coalitions of willing parties like the EU, India, Japan, Brazil, Canada and others could work together to boost financial and political support for institutions like the UN, the World Bank, the IMF and the WTO.

It would be easier to shore up existing institutions than to build new ones: The US and China could undermine anything that other powers try to construct, and the US, China, and Russia still have considerable power to resist deeper reforms at the UN Security Council. However, that is why the goal would be to preserve the institutions that are most vulnerable to US abandonment and Chinese domination.

On security, the US and China’s material and military advantages still leave most middle powers dependent on a basic alignment with the US for troop coordination, weapons development and intelligence-sharing — but exceptions are emerging. Owing to Russia’s war on Ukraine, there has been greater defense coordination within Europe, though this process would still take considerable time, money and political will to see through.

Similarly, India has forged closer security and trade ties with Europe, owing to its longstanding rivalry with China, the poor quality of Russian defense products and doubts about the US’ long-term reliability. Europe and Canada have deepened their defense cooperation, reflecting shared fears about the US’ trajectory; and Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia and Turkey could all potentially develop their own nuclear deterrents.

On economics, middle-power hedging would be somewhat easier, as the US and China are less dominant in trade, investment, standards-setting and development finance than they are in the security domain. There has already been real progress here: The recent EU trade agreements with India and Mercosur (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay) were historic in scale and scope, and Canada’s bid to broker a deal between the EU with the Asia-centered Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership could yield profound benefits (though it would be extraordinarily complex).

Meanwhile, Brazil, with its abundance of the rare-earth minerals that China has threatened to weaponize, has been diversifying its supply chains beyond the US, most recently to India. Surely, other middle powers blessed with critical minerals can do the same.

Finally, middle powers that find themselves vulnerable to US and Chinese leverage can form collective economic-security deals. Such agreements would commit willing members to coordinate responses to unilateral tariff pressures or violations of existing trade agreements or WTO rules in ways similar to the NATO mutual-defense provision. However, to accomplish this, middle-power governments must overcome considerable domestic resistance to the concessions needed to forge new trade agreements.

On technology, middle powers face an even more complex environment. On one hand, the US-China rivalry allows them to pivot opportunistically between two dominant players. On the other hand, there are no multilateral institutions making rules to bring predictability to technological innovation and use.

This is especially the case for AI, where the overwhelming dominance of US and Chinese firms leaves middle powers without much bargaining leverage or a common development strategy. Perhaps companies in Europe, Canada or India could collaborate to build their own champion and develop an open, powerful AI “stack” that is available at little or no cost. However, that effort would be expensive and time-consuming, and many governments are already confronting economic and geopolitical stresses.

More broadly, the biggest challenge for middle powers lies in finding common interests across such a diverse group. While non-US Western leaders generally agree that the rules-based international order is worth protecting, many in the Global South are quick to point out that Western values are not universal. Any middle-power strategy and architecture that treats non-Western powers as rule-takers rather than partners in rulemaking is doomed to produce empty alliances and weak institutions. The only way is to address the issues most urgent for Global South governments: development investment, debt management, climate finance and technology access.

Despite these many challenges, middle powers know that opportunities to defend their interests from US and Chinese dominance would not remain open forever. If they fail to act, the world’s two biggest powers would lock in bilateral arrangements — in infrastructure, digital systems and security — across the developing world. Once those deals are made and the relationships consolidated, it would be much harder for others to check US or Chinese dominance.

Carney’s warning — “if we’re not at the table, we’re on the menu” — resonated powerfully with many governments. The question is whether and how effectively they thwart the cooks.

Ian Bremmer, founder and president of Eurasia Group and GZERO Media, is a member of the Executive Committee of the UN High-level Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence.

Copyright: Project Syndicate

title: The middle-power moment


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A UN human rights panel has called for an urgent investigation into the bombing of an all-girls primary school in Iran which killed 168

The killing of a reported 168 people, primarily schoolgirls, in the bombing of the Shajareh Tayyebeh school in Minab, Iran, has shaken to its very core the conscience of the world.

The attack, carried out nearly two weeks ago when classes were under way, reduced the school building to rubble. Parents who had sent their daughters to school discovered minutes later that classrooms had become mass graves.

One mother, whose daughter, Zeinab, had memorized the Koran and was due to compete in a national recitation contest, wept as she said: “My dream died with her.” A UN human rights panel has already demanded that the killings must be “urgently, independently and effectively investigated, with accountability for any violations.”

Which country is responsible for the massacre has been disputed. Over the weekend, US President Donald Trump disclaimed any culpability on the part of the US. “We think it was done by Iran, because they’re very inaccurate with their munitions,” he said on Air Force One.

However, on Monday, an investigation produced evidence of multiple US Tomahawk missiles fired and landing in the vicinity of the school, hitting, they believe, the school itself, as well as a medical clinic reportedly belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The investigation found no evidence of a separate Iranian-fired missile landing at the site.

Despite this, Trump doubled down, saying, “Numerous other nations have Tomahawks. They buy them from us.” However, according to provisional and as yet unofficial reports on Wednesday, US Central Command might have created target coordinates for the strike from outdated information.

On whoever the blame finally lies, the school massacre is no isolated event. Reportedly, on the same day, the bombing of another school, the Hedayat high school in the Narmak district in Tehran, left two students dead.

No child should ever become collateral damage in a conflict. Yet we know that more than 200 children have been killed by Iranian security forces in their recent crackdown. Not only have 740,000 Palestinian students been denied their right to education in Gaza and the West Bank, a University of Cambridge study has said that 90 percent of Gaza’s schools have also been razed to the ground or damaged, and at least 18,069 students and 780 teachers have lost their lives. The UN Children’s Fund has reported that since March 2, at least another 83 children have been killed in Lebanon.

The school bombing exposes how thin the protective international legal framework becomes when tested by great power rivalries and terrorist acts. Schools, which should be safe havens, are increasingly being drawn into war, with pupils and teachers becoming easy targets who cannot fight back. The Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack has said that more than 10,000 students and educators were reportedly killed or otherwise harmed by attacks on education in 2022 and 2023. The increased tendency to fight wars in built-up areas means that it has become almost as dangerous to be a child on the streets or at school as a soldier on the front.

The Geneva Conventions and international humanitarian law, and the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child, unequivocally prohibit assaults on children and schools. Attacks on educational buildings are war crimes listed in Article 8 of the Rome Statute, which constituted the International Criminal Court (ICC). Arrest and prosecution should face leaders who order, authorize, or knowingly permit such attacks. Precedent for this comes in the ICC warrant issued against Joseph Kony, leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army, which cited his attacks on schools in Uganda.

While schools are, like hospitals (until recent violations), accepted to be protected places, in practice, they are treated more as part of the civilian infrastructure. This has undermined what should be a simple principle: that schools exist for learning and must never become theaters of war or staging grounds for military operations. No child should die trying to learn, and those who attack innocent girls and boys should be subject to the same degree of judicial accountability as those who commit other crimes against humanity. Equally, when armies occupy classrooms, store ammunition in gymnasiums, or launch rockets from playgrounds, they erase the distinction between combatant and civilian at the heart of humanitarian law and should be prosecuted.

We cannot afford to stand by as another established international law governing the conduct of war is broken, apparently with impunity. It is time for every combatant to be warned in no uncertain terms that schools deserve the same moral status as hospitals — protected places — and the same protection under international law.

It is also right to expose those countries that use two get-out clauses to claim impunity: First, to deny an attack was “intentional” or “deliberate” and second, to claim that the school they attacked was being used for military purposes. It is these waivers that have allowed so many perpetrators of attacks on children to claim a defense that is still recognized in international law. However, on any plausible interpretation of humanitarian law, those who attack a school are manifestly failing to act on their legal responsibility to avoid all known risks to children and to shelter and protect them as innocent civilians.

Improving our protection of children starts with all countries implementing the 2005 UN Security Council Resolution 1612, which established the monitoring and reporting mechanism for children caught up in armed conflict. This followed the landmark work of Graca Machel, who helped to identify six “grave violations” of children’s rights that include not only the forced recruitment of child soldiers and the abduction of girls, but also attacks on schools.

The Lucens guidelines and the safe schools declaration, which built on these principles, warned that countries should keep military forces away from education facilities. Yet, the world would now need stronger mechanisms to ensure accountability. One option that would emphasize the seriousness of the crimes would be the creation of a dedicated international criminal court for crimes against children. Such a body would complement the jurisdiction of the ICC, focusing its attention on the bombing of schools, abductions of pupils and militias that enslave boys and girls. A parallel track could run through the European court of human rights and other judicial systems, which could adopt special protocols for prosecuting attacks on education facilities, and it would make sense to enunciate a special protocol consolidating the various threads of criminal and humanitarian law protecting children.

Keeping schools open and safe during war means something more than the hours children spend in a classroom; it is the promise of something beyond the rubble. For children, classrooms mean stability; for parents, they signal that life, however fragile, would go on. Even in a conflict’s darkest hours, to continue the education of children is to maintain hope amid devastation. And when a school manages to reopen after an attack, it becomes a visible act of defiance against those who would allow war-torn communities to descend into endless despair.

Whatever else we do, we must send an unequivocal message: Regardless of where they operate or under whose orders they act, there is no hiding place for those leaders who permit attacks on children.

Gordon Brown is the UN’s special envoy for global education and was British prime minister from 2007 to 2010.


title: France win Six Nations once again

content_text:
A BREATHLESS BATTLE: France clinched the championship in a vicious back-and-forth match with England, denying Ireland the title by just a few points

France won back-to-back Six Nations titles after beating England 48-46 on a last-second penalty-kick by Thomas Ramos in a thriller for the ages on Saturday.

England scored their seventh try in the 77th minute and converted for 46-45. If the score held for a few more minutes, Ireland would have been crowned the champion.

But France pressed yet again with 14 men, lost possession, regained it, and earned two simultaneous penalties after the fulltime siren. Captain Antoine Dupont debated with referee Nika Amashukeli where the penalty spots were. Ramos, who did not miss a goal-kick all night, finally lined up his seventh shot from more than 40 meters out.

French scrum-half Antoine Dupont is tackled by England’s hooker Jamie George during the Six Nations Rugby Tournament near of Paris on Saturday. Photo: AFP

The fullback sent it straight down the middle in the 83rd and leaped into the arms of teammates, celebrating as back-to-back champions for the first time in 19 years.

“It’s in my top three, and not just third. I love moments like that,” Ramos said. “This title rewards our very strong start to the tournament. I’m very happy. It would have been so tough, when you think about the scenario, to lose it at home in the 76th minute.”

In a bewildering and breathless match including 13 tries and six lead changes, Ramos was the difference as France scored only six tries, four of them by winger Louis Bielle-Biarrey.

England put up their highest ever score against France on French soil on the 120th anniversary of Le Crunch but suffered a fourth loss in a single championship for the first time in 50 years.

“We are disappointed to lose but we showed the spirit of this team,” England captain Maro Itoje said. “You don’t want to go through what we have in the last four games but I truly believe we are going places and will be better for it. We knew we had to attack the game more, our conversion of territory into points had to get better and it paid dividends.”

Ireland beat Scotland 43-21 to move to the top of the standings earlier on Saturday, leaving the championship closer at the Stade de France as the title decider.

England came into the game under fire for their kick-heavy approach, but ran hard at France and was constantly rewarded.

Bielle-Biarrey connected with grubber kicks by Ramos and Matthieu Jalibert to get France away to 14-5. England drew level on 17 after tries by their wingers, Tom Roebuck and Cadan Murley, and Chessum’s first of the match.

England then led after an Alex Coles try, converted with a drop-kick by Fin Smith with players charging after the ball fell off the tee.

England scored four tries in the first half but suffered a major turning point right on halftime while leading 27-17.

Prop Ellis Genge was sin-binned for collapsing a maul — England’s eighth yellow card in the tournament — and France were awarded a penalty try. While Genge was off the field, France rallied from 27-17 down to lead 38-27.

England came back with tries by standout lock Ollie Chessum from an intercept and replacement back Marcus Smith for 39-38.

Then Bielle-Biarrey scored his fourth try of the match, his ninth in the tournament, breaking his own record of eight last year. They extended his own record try-scoring streak in the championship to 10 matches.

While leading 45-39, France prop Demba Bamba was sin-binned and the defense cracked when center Tommy Freeman finished a counterattack from a goalline dropout. Marcus Smith converted for 46-45 after replacing Fin Smith, who slotted only three of his six goalkicks.

Just over two minutes were left and France did not hold back, just as they did not at the start.


title: Venezuela defeat Japan 8-5 to advance to semis

content_text:
Wilyer Abreu watched the ball leave the park and tossed his bat high in the air. His Venezuela teammates streamed out of the dugout in celebration. The comeback was on and the win over the reigning World Baseball Classic (WBC) champion Japan was within reach.

Japan, their 11-game WBC winning streak on the line, held a 5-4 lead in the sixth inning of Saturday’s thrilling quarter-final matchup when Abreu put his team ahead with the biggest swing of the game: a three-run shot off Hiromi Itoh that sent the loanDepot Park crowd into a passionate roar and helped seize Venezuela’s 8-5 win and first WBC semi-final appearance in 17 years.

“That was an exciting moment,” Abreu said in a postgame television interview. “I tried to at least tie the game with a sac fly. He gave me a really good pitch to hit. I made good contact. I’m very excited for this win. Now in the semifinals I hope I can do the same thing I did today.”

Venezuela left fielder Wilyer Abreu celebrates with teammates after hitting a three-run home run against Japan during a quarterfinal game of the World Baseball Classic. Photo: Imagn Images

Venezuela fell behind 5-2 when Maikel Garcia sparked a comeback with a two-run homer in the fifth. Abreu followed with his first homer of the tournament, a 409-foot drive to right that put his team ahead for good.

Abreu, a two-time Gold Glove-winning right fielder for the Boston Red Sox, is hitting .294 with six RBIs in five WBC games. He described Saturday’s moment as one of the best in his career — but he is no stranger to epic performances.

Abreu hit a grand slam and inside-the-park home run in the same game against the Cincinnati Reds last year, becoming the sixth player in major league history and the second Red Sox player since 1939 to accomplish that. The inside-the-park home run was the first by a Boston player in Fenway Park since Jacoby Ellsbury in 2011.

On Saturday, in a game with much higher stakes, Abreu said the team fed off the energy of the Venezuelan fans. They stood on their feet most of the game, cheering and banging drums after each play.

“I think that the crowd today and every game that we have played in this WBC, the fans have been great, incredible,” Abreu said. “You can feel the vibes. You can feel the support from the stands and from all the Venezuelans at home watching the game on TV.”

Abreu and his teammates know they are not done. Venezuela faces Italy in the semifinals but with this win, clinched a spot in the six-nation field for the 2028 Olympic baseball tournament, along with the US and the Dominican Republic.

“I believe that this means a lot to us Venezuelans for the country,” Abreu said. “Venezuela has participated in the Olympics in other categories and other sports, but we are trying to write our own history.”

“Our team is well-prepared,” he added. “The job is not completed. We have more to do.”


content_text:
Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching (詹 皓晴) teamed up with Japan’s Miyu Kato to win the women’s doubles title at the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) 125 Austin tournament, defeating Isabelle Haverlag of the Netherlands and Sabrina Santamaria of the United States 6-2, 6-3 in the final on Saturday (U.S. time).

The victory marked Chan’s first title of the season and ended a title drought of more than a year.

Chan and Kato, the U.S. tournament’s No. 2 seeds, reached the final after winning two earlier matches.

Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching, right, teams up with Japan’s Miyu Kato to win the women’s doubles title at the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) 125 Austin tournament on March 14. Photo courtesy of Chan Hao-ching

The first set began as a tight contest, but Chan and Kato gained momentum after breaking their opponents’ serve in the sixth game and went on to take the opening set 6-2.

Both duos also held serve in the early stages of the second set, but the Taiwan-Japan pair broke serve again in the eighth game.

Although their opponents saved two championship points, Chan and Kato remained composed and secured the title with a 6-3 win in the second set -- their first championship together as a pairing.

title: Taiwan-Japan pair win women’s doubles title at WTA 125 event


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Ruthless Japan crushed the Philippines 7-0 yesterday to book a Women’s Asian Cup semi-final with South Korea and close in on a third continental title.

The dominant victory at Stadium Australia in Sydney ensures their presence at a 10th consecutive World Cup in Brazil next year.

Japan are the only Asian country to have won the World Cup, in 2011. They were runners-up four years later.

China’s Wang Shuang receives a yellow card after a tackle on Taiwanese goalkeeper Cheng Ssu-yu in Perth on Saturday. Photo: AFP

Currently ranked no. 8, the highest at the Asian Cup, they were a class above with two goals in three minutes late in the first half opening the floodgates. Tottenham defender Toko Koga collected a brace with Mina Tanaka, Remina Chiba, Manaka Matsukubo, Momoko Tanikawa and Riko Ueki scoring as well.

Japan have blasted a tournament-high 24 goals and conceded none.

“They didn’t really challenge our defenders and we were in complete control,” Japan coach Greenlander Nils Nielsen said. “It’s always nice to score a lot of goals and for the players to show what they can do.”

It set up a last-four clash in Sydney on Wednesday against an equally ominous-looking South Korea, who crushed Uzbekistan 6-0 to progress.

“So 24 goals, I wasn’t even aware of that, but I knew we had scored a lot, and that’s nice,” Nielsen added. “We will be ready to play South Korea. We have good relations with them, so it’s an interesting, fun match for the players.”

Japan were unrelenting, launching waves of first-half attacks without being able to penetrate a solid Philippines defence and the safe hands of young goalkeeper Nina Meollo.

They had to wait until the 45th minute to open their account when Tanaka headed in from close range after a goalmouth scramble.

With the Philippines rattled, Koga added the second deep in stoppage time, rising above the defence to connect with Honoka Hayashi’s corner.

The next half was played almost exclusively in Philippines territory.

The third goal arrived when Eintracht Frankfurt striker Chiba rifled into the left corner before Matsukubo showed deft touch to skip past two defenders and score two minutes later.

Koga added the fifth with her head and Tanikawa and Ueki piled on the misery late on.

Despite the defeat not all is lost for the Philippines, who move to a play-off game against Uzbekistan and qualify for Brazil should they win. Taiwan takes on North Korea in the second play-off.

China says ‘no fear’

Australia face defending champions China in the other semi-final in Perth tomorrow.

China coach Ante Milicic declared his team has no fear of facing hosts Australia in front of a big crowd in their Women’s Asian Cup semi-final, calling them “resilient and patriotic.”

The defending champions meet Sam Kerr’s Matildas at the 60,000-capacity Perth Stadium after needing extra-time to edge Taiwan 2-0 in their last eight clash on Saturday despite being raging favorites.

Australia booked their spot in the final four a day earlier with a testing 2-1 win over North Korea.

Facing the hosts in front of their home fans might be nerve-wracking, but Milicic — who is Australian — said he was confident in his players’ mentality.

“These players are unfazed playing in front of opposing crowds — their mentality as a nation is incredibly strong,” said the 51-year-old, who coached the Matildas at the 2019 Women’s World Cup.

“They are not afraid of anyone and in fact that could even work to our advantage,” Milicic said. “These players are resilient and patriotic and I see it every day. I would back these girls against any opponent.”

China are bidding for a record-extending 10th continental title and have to get past Australia without star player Wang Shuang.

She picked up a yellow card for the second straight match against Taiwan and has been ruled out.

“Even without Wang Shuang, it doesn’t bother us,” Milicic said of the former Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham striker.

“Wang Shuang has been excellent for us throughout this tournament. “I’ve been head coach for two years and of course losing her is a blow but at the same time, this tournament is about 26 players and it’s an opportunity for someone else to showcase their talent against Australia.”

title: Japan smash Philippines in Asian Cup quarter-final


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Kimi Antonelli became Formula 1’s second-youngest race winner with a composed drive to victory for Mercedes in an eventful Chinese Grand Prix yesterday.

The 19-year-old Italian was the youngest pole position starter and briefly lost the lead to Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari at the start, but retook it soon after and was in control after that.

“We did it! We did it!” Antonelli shouted to his team on the radio amid laughs and whoops.

Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy steers his car during the Chinese Formula One Grand Prix race at the Shanghai International Circuit yesterday. Photo: AP

It was another 1-2 finish for Mercedes to start the season as Antonelli’s teammate George Russell came through a battle with both Ferraris to finish second. Lewis Hamilton was third for his long-awaited first Grand Prix podium finish for Ferrari.

The only driver younger than Antonelli to win a Grand Prix was Max Verstappen, who was 18 when he took his first victory in 2016.

The new regulations again produced a dramatic fight for position between Mercedes and fast-starting Ferrari as Russell fought his way past Leclerc and Hamilton in a multi-lap battle with numerous changes of position. That allowed Antonelli to build his lead at the front.

Even after Russell had pulled away to secure second place, teammates Leclerc and Hamilton kept up their own fight for third.

“This is quite a fun battle,” Leclerc said on the radio.

Leclerc was fourth with Oliver Bearman fifth for Haas, Pierre Gasly sixth for Alpine and Liam Lawson seventh for Racing Bulls. Isack Hadjar recovered from an early spin to place eighth for Red Bull, ahead of Carlos Sainz, Jr. in ninth for Williams, while Franco Colapinto was 10th for Alpine to score his first point since 2024.

Max Verstappen was running sixth when his car lost power and he had to limp back to the pits in another blow for the four-time champion who has been a leading critic of F1’s new cars.

Formula 1 champion Lando Norris and his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri were both unable to start after hitting technical problems minutes before the race began.

Piastri was due to start fifth and Norris sixth for yesterday’s race. Norris was in his car in the pits but did not leave for the grid, before Piastri was then withdrawn from the grid following a radio message indicating electrical issue.

“Unfortunately we identified separate issues on both cars which prevented them from starting the Chinese GP, with Oscar’s being removed from the grid shortly before the formation lap. We will now work to identify each issue,” the McLaren team said.

It is the second time Piastri has failed to start this year after he crashed before the start of last week’s race in Australia.

F1 announced next month’s races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia are canceled because of the war in the Middle East.

title: Antonelli and Mercedes win big in Shanghai


title: US regulator threatens broadcasters

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FAKE NEWS? ‘When the government demands the press become a state mouthpiece under the threat of punishment, something has gone very wrong,’ a civic group said

The top US broadcast regulator on Saturday threatened media outlets over negative coverage of the Middle East war, after US President Donald Trump slammed critical headlines from the “Fake News Media.”

The US president since his first term has derided mainstream media as “fake news” and has sued major outlets over what he sees as unfair coverage.

Brendan Carr, head of the US Federal Communications Commission — which oversees the nation’s radio, television and Internet media — said broadcasters risked losing their licenses over news coverage.

US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Commissioner Brendan Carr participates in an FCC meeting in Washington on Feb. 18. Photo: Getty Images via AFP

“The law is clear. Broadcasters must operate in the public interest, and they will lose their licenses if they do not,” Carr said in a post on social media. “Broadcasters that are running hoaxes and news distortions — also known as the fake news — have a chance now to correct course before their license renewals come up.”

Carr’s statement did not single out any news outlet, but it included a Trump social media post in which the US president called out “an intentionally misleading headline by the Fake News Media” on five tanker planes hit by Iran strikes in Saudi Arabia.

The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, a US-based free speech advocacy organization, slammed Carr’s “authoritarian” warning as “outrageous.”

“When the government demands the press become a state mouthpiece under the threat of punishment, something has gone very wrong,” it said on social media.

Since Israel and the US first launched strikes on Iran on Feb. 28, both Trump and US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth have regularly swatted down critical stories as “fake news.”

On Friday, the Pentagon and White House called out broadcaster CNN after it ran a story suggesting Washington had underestimated Iran’s ability to disrupt global oil traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.

“This story is 100% FAKE NEWS,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a social media post.

Carr last year threatened the broadcast license of ABC following comments made by late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel on the assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk. ABC briefly pulled Kimmel’s show after the threats, leading to widespread outcry before it returned to air.


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Voters in Vietnam yesterday cast their ballots for members of the National Assembly, the country’s top legislative body that serves mainly to ratify decisions by the ruling Vietnamese Communist Party.

The Southeast Asian nation of 100 million is both an economic success story, boasting 8 percent growth last year, and a repressive one-party state that often jails its critics. Out of 864 candidates for the 500-seat parliament, only 65 are not members of the Vietnamese Communist Party — down from 74 in the last vote five years ago.

Patriotic red-and-yellow banners fluttered from lampposts and traffic lights in Hanoi where well-dressed senior citizens were some of the first to vote.

People queue to cast their ballots at a voting station in Hanoi yesterday. Photo: AFP

“I do expect top leaders after this election will make major changes to make our country better,” Nguyen Thi Kim, 73, said at a polling station set up in a community room of a high-rise residential block in Hanoi.

However, in a country where major policies and projects are decided by senior cadres, many citizens feel lukewarm about elections.

“I don’t think who wins will have any impact on my life,” said a woman who gave her name as Huyen in Hanoi. State media said 40 percent of 79 million eligible voters had cast their ballots by yesterday morning.

Most polling stations were scheduled to close at 7pm, with results not expected for at least a week.

Among the new parliament’s first tasks when it sits next month would be to confirm top leaders already selected by the party at its twice-a-decade congress in January.

Vietnamese Communist Party General-Secretary To Lam is widely expected to become president as well — a post that requires approval by lawmakers.

“As more or less a window-dressing institution, there won’t be any big surprises at the vote,” said Nguyen Khac Giang of the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore.

“However, top personnel selections — particularly the prime minister and the president — will carry significant implications for the ongoing reform process,” he added.

Lam has implemented dramatic changes in nearly two years at the helm, slashing bureaucratic red tape and pushing major infrastructure investments as he aims to boost economic growth. The party rallied around his bold vision at the January congress, electing several of Lam’s allies to its highest decisionmaking body.

However, aside from his reappointment as general-secretary, the party did not announce the other main “pillars” of Vietnam’s collective leadership structure.

The president, prime minister and head of the national assembly would all be confirmed by lawmakers’ votes.

title: One-party Vietnam holds elections for National Assembly


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INFLUTENTIAL THEORIST:  Habermas was particularly critical of the ‘limited interest’ shown by German politicians in ‘shaping a politically effective Europe

Jurgen Habermas, whose work on communication, rationality and sociology made him one of the world’s most influential philosophers and a key intellectual figure in his native Germany, has died. He was 96.

Habermas’ publisher, Suhrkamp, said he died on Saturday in Starnberg, near Munich.

Habermas frequently weighed in on political matters over several decades. His extensive writing crossed the boundaries of academic and philosophical disciplines, providing a vision of modern society and social interaction. His best-known works included the two-volume Theory of Communicative Action.

Habermas, who was 15 at the time of Nazi Germany’s defeat, later recalled the dawn of a new era in 1945 and his coming to terms with the reality of Nazi crimes as something without which he would not have found his way into philosophy and social theory. He said that “you saw suddenly that it was a politically criminal system in which you had lived.”

He had an ambivalent relationship with the left-wing student movement of the late 1960s in Germany and beyond, engaging with it, but also warning at the time against the danger of what he called “left-wing fascism” — a reaction to a firebrand speech by a student leader that he later said was “slightly out of place.”

He would later recognize the movement as having driven a “fundamental liberalization” of German society.

In the 1980s, Habermas was a prominent figure in the so-called Historians’ Dispute, in which Berlin historian Ernst Nolte and others called for a new perspective on the Third Reich and German identity. They tended to compare what happened under Adolf Hitler to atrocities carried out by other governments, such as the deaths of millions in the Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin. Habermas and other opponents contended that the conservative historians were trying to lessen the magnitude of Nazi crimes through such comparisons.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that “Germany and Europe have lost one of the most significant thinkers of our time.”

Germany’s center-right leader said that “his sociological and philosophical work had an impact on generations of researchers and thinkers.”

Merz praised “Habermas’ intellectual forcefulness and his liberality” and said in a statement that “his voice will be missed.”

Habermas supported the rise to power of center-left former German chancellor Gerhard Schroder in 1998. He was critical of the “technocratic” approach and perceived lack of political vision of Schroder’s conservative successor, Angela Merkel, complaining in 2016 of the paralyzing effects on public opinion of “the foam blanket of Merkel’s policy of sending people to sleep.”

He was particularly critical of the “limited interest” shown by German politicians, business leaders and media in “shaping a politically effective Europe.”

In 2017, he praised newly elected French President Emmanuel Macron for laying out of plans for European reform, saying that “the way he speaks about Europe makes a difference.”

title: German philosopher Jurgen Habermas dies


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Protesters angry over Cuba’s persistent blackouts and food shortages vandalized a provincial office of the Cuban Communist Party overnight Friday into Saturday, state-run media said.

The rare outburst in the town of Moron showed the depth of Cubans’ discontent as they endure economic hardship made worse by a US oil blockade and other pressure from US President Donald Trump, who has stated he would like to see regime change in Havana.

The unrest was part of a new trend of protests in which people bang pots and pans at night in the street or at home to vent frustration over shortages of food, medicine and other basics as well as frequent rolling power blackouts that can last almost all day.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel speaks at a news conference in Havana on Friday. Photo: The Cuban Presidential Office via EPA

The state-run newspaper Invasor said five people were arrested in what it called an incident of vandalism in Moron, a town of about 70,000 people 500km east of Havana. The paper published a brief article on the unrest, in which it said people threw rocks at the local Cuban Communist Party office and ignited a fire in the street with furniture from the building.

“What began peacefully, after an exchange with the authorities in the area, degenerated into vandalism against the headquarters of municipal committee of the Communist Party,” the newspaper said.

Video circulating on social media shows a small group of protesters breaking into and ransacking the party office, removing documents, computers and furniture and burning it in the street.

In some footage people are heard banging pots or shouting “libertad,” or freedom.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel acknowledged in a social media post “the discontent our people feel because of the prolonged blackouts.”

“What will never be comprehensible, justified or admitted is violence,” he said.

title: Protesters ransack Cuban Communist Party office


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The environment, another casualty of Middle East war

From the jet fuel used in bombing raids to acrid smoke from burning oil depots, the conflict in the Middle East is inflicting a significant toll on nature and the climate.

US and Israeli aircraft use a considerable amount of fuel reaching the Gulf and flying sorties over Iran, Queen Mary University of London academic Benjamin Neimark said.

Deploying stealth bombers and fighter jets around the clock adds a significant amount of planet-warming greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions into the atmosphere.

Fire and plumes of smoke rise from an oil facility in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, on Saturday. Photo: AP

“The US Navy also has a significant fleet which will be operating remotely for some time,” Neimark said. “That is a significant number of US troops that need to be fed, housed and working around the clock. These floating cities all need energy.”

This is provided in part by polluting diesel generators, even if most larger aircraft carriers are nuclear powered, an energy source that produces far less emissions than fossil fuels.

However, many experts take into account everything from the manufacture of weapons and explosives to post-war reconstruction efforts when estimating the total environmental impact of conflict.

The Gaza conflict generated about 33 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent — an amount comparable to 7.6 million gasoline-powered cars, or the annual emissions of a small country such as Jordan, a study published in the peer-reviewed journal One Earth said.

By one estimate, the war in Ukraine has caused more than 300 million tonnes of additional emissions — equivalent to France’s annual output. This estimate, by the Initiative on GHG Accounting of War, takes into account military operations and reconstruction efforts, forest fires and longer flight routes.

This conflict is playing out on the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial artery for the passage of oil and gas supplies to global markets dependent on energy from the Gulf.

Ships transporting these highly flammable fuels through the narrow waterway — along with the region’s oil and gas refineries, and storage facilities — were “all a target” in this war, Neimark said.

“Clearly this conflict is different,” he said. “We have already seen a significant amount of refineries targeted. These toxic flames are deadly and have a severe climate cost.”

The oil wells set ablaze in Kuwait in the 1990s during the first Gulf War took months to extinguish and released an estimated 130 million to 400 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.

Since erupting on Feb. 28, the conflict has sent oil prices soaring and focused fresh attention on the global transition to cleaner, more climate-friendly forms of energy.

The economic knock-on effects of the war had put policy makers “under pressure to reduce the burden on prices over climate action,” Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations’ Andreas Rudinger said.

Brussels has faced pressure to relax its emissions trading rules in response to surging energy prices, while other governments have taken steps to help motorists fill up at the pump.

However, there is also a “glass half-full perspective”, Rudinger said.

“From a purely economic standpoint ... rising fossil fuel prices make decarbonization and electrification solutions more attractive,” he said.

He pointed to the rise in popularity of heat pumps in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which caused energy prices in Europe to rise sharply.

In general, the increase in energy costs stemming from the war in the Middle East should temper demand in what economists call price elasticity.

Apart from climate concerns, strikes on energy infrastructure, oil tankers and military targets pollute the surrounding air and water, and spread highly toxic chemicals far and wide, experts say.

In Tehran, attacks on fuel depots last weekend plunged the capital into darkness as poisonous black clouds rose from burning oil facilities.

Targeting nuclear, military and energy sites had “extremely polluting” consequences for air, water and soil, Institute for International and Strategic Relations research fellow Mathilde Jourde said.

“We’re just scratching the surface, but can already see that there are hundreds of damaged facilities in Iran and neighboring countries that pose pollution risks to people and the environment,” Conflict and Environment Observatory director Doug Weir said. “We have particular concerns around damaged oil infrastructure, military facilities and the sensitive marine environment of the Persian Gulf.”


title: Razzies crown ‘War of the Worlds’ 2025’s worst film

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War of the Worlds, last year’s science fiction film inspired by H.G. Wells’ 1898 novel, on Saturday dominated the 46th annual Razzie Awards, taking home worst picture, worst screenplay, worst remake, worst actor and worst director.

The Razzies said the film “utterly destroyed H.G. Wells’ classic novel.”

“Director Rich Lee (maybe inspired by Ed Wood) chose a goofy gimmick, hack dialogue and a particularly hilarious performance by its lead, Ice Cube, to seize 2025’s biggest number of statues,” the parody awards show said.

Rachel Zegler is pictured in a scene from Snow White. Photo: Disney via AP

The Razzies, Hollywood’s long-running spoof of the Oscars, spotlight the most critically panned performances of each year.

This year’s other major target was Snow White, a live-action remake of Disney’s 1937 animated classic. The film earned worst supporting actor — for all seven CGI dwarves — and worst screen combo.

“It cost a fortune and lost a fortune, perhaps cursed by Walt himself for having ignored his dying wish for it never to be remade,” the Razzies quipped in their announcement.

Rebel Wilson picked up worst actress for the action comedy Bride Hard, and Scarlet Rose Stallone won worst supporting actress for her role in the Western action film Gunslingers.

The Razzie Redeemer Award — given to a past nominee who has “gone on to better things” — was awarded to Kate Hudson for her widely praised performance as Cartwright-Sardina, one half of a Neil Diamond husband-wife cover band in Song Sung Blue, which she stars in opposite Hugh Jackman.

Hudson’s role has earned her strong critical acclaim and best actress nominations from the Golden Globes, Actor Awards and BAFTA Awards. She is also nominated for an Academy Award.

The honor brings Hudson full circle after she previously received several Razzie nods, including worst actress for her role in the 2021 film Music, directed by Australian pop singer Sia.

More than 1,100 Razzie voters across the US and about two dozen other countries decide the annual winners, the organization’s Web site says.


title: Palestinian actor cannot attend Oscars

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Palestinian actor Motaz Malhees said a travel ban imposed by US President Donald Trump’s administration is preventing him from attending the Academy Awards, whose nominees include a movie in which he has a starring role.

The Voice of Hind Rajab, a film about a five-year-old Palestinian girl killed by Israeli forces in Gaza in 2024, has been Oscar-nominated for best international feature film.

Malhees, who plays the role of a call center operator attempting to help her, said he cannot attend the Academy Awards show, known as the Oscars, because he has been barred from entering the US.

From left, actors Nesbat Serhan, Motaz Malhees, Saja Kilani and Clara Khoury are pictured in a scene from the film “The Voice of Hind Rajab.” Photo: CineCANIBAL via AP

“I am not allowed to enter the United States because of my Palestinian citizenship,” Malhees said on Instagram, adding “it hurts” he would not attend the Oscars.

In a December proclamation restricting entry of foreign nationals, Trump said he had “determined to fully restrict and limit the entry of individuals using travel documents issued or endorsed by the Palestinian Authority.”

The proclamation restricting entry of people from some countries cited security reasons and went into effect on Jan. 1, the US Department of State’s Web site says.

The department did not respond to a request for comment.

The movie was spurred by an incident in which five of Rajab’s family members and two ambulance workers who went to save her were also killed by Israeli fire.

Israel said the incident is under review.

Malhees said the film’s other Palestinian cast members have citizenship that allows US travel, but he only holds a Palestinian passport.

On Friday last week, an immigration judge ordered the release of Leqaa Kordia, who lost more than 170 family members in Gaza and has been detained for a year.