The Tai-Ex opened marginally higher this morning from yesterday's close, at
33,086 on turnover of 12.1-billion N-T.

The market ended at a high of just over 33,000 points on Tuesday as Taiwan
Semiconductor Manufacturing registered strong gains after its American
depositary receipts closed at a record price overnight.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs has set aside 30-billion N-T to support
Taiwan's automobile industry as it prepares for changes to tariffs under a
Taiwan-US trade agreement,

According to Economics Minister Kung Ming-hsin, initial assessments indicate
that the impact on domestic industrial output could exceed (超過) 1-per cent
but will remain "manageable."

Kung says the funding will help the automobile and auto parts industry absorb
(吸收)shocks, advance transformation and upgrading, and strengthen
independent research and development and exports.

Kung also says any tariff arrangements will apply only to US-made vehicles
and such vehicles will be defined only if they meet country of origin and
value-added content requirements consistent with existing international
standards.

The Ministry of the Interior says the island's population fell for a 25th
consecutive month in January -- with the number of live births falling by 304
from December of 2025.

According to the latest data, as of the end of January, the population
totaled 23,289,045, down 10,087 from December.

A total of 8,723 babies were born in January, 304 fewer than in December and
772 fewer than a year earlier.

The interior ministry says that translates to roughly one birth every 5.1
minutes and an annual crude birth rate (粗出生率) of 4.41 per 1,000 people.

Deaths totaled 17,529 in January, or about one every 2.5 minutes and the
crude death rate was 8.86 per 1,000 people

The White House has defended US President Donald Trump's threat to block the
opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge connecting Ontario with
Michigan.

Trump has told Canada his administration needs to be "fully compensated for
everything", despite (儘管) both countries co-owning the bridge.

Nick Harper reports from Washington on the White House press secretary
Karoline Leavitt's comments.

Chile has launched the first open-source AI language model trained on Latin
American culture.

Called Latam-GPT, the two-year effort is led by Chile's National Center of
Artificial Intelligence and supported by over 30 institutions.

It aims to reflect regional realities in AI.

Chilean President Gabriel Boric emphasized the importance of Latin America's
role in the AI revolution.

Latam-GPT, announced at the February 2025 Artificial Intelligence Action
Summit in Paris, addresses linguistic biases (語言的偏誤) in models trained
mainly on English data.

It uses Latin American data and will initially operate in Spanish and
Portuguese, with plans to include Indigenous languages later.

Tai-Ex opens higher on Wall Street rally

The Tai-Ex opened up 35 points this morning from yesterday's close, at 32,440
on turnover (成交額) of $5.9 billion NT.

Shares in Taiwan closed more than 600 points higher Monday, as a strong rally
(大漲) in the United States late last week prompted investors to buy
large-cap (大型股) electronics stocks.

Contract chipmaker TSMC failed to hold onto all of its earlier gains, with
analysts saying investors turned cautious ahead of the Lunar New Year
holiday, amid concerns over possible negative developments overseas.

Old-economy stocks (傳產股) were largely overshadowed by the technology
sector, although some industries tied to AI development attracted interest.

The union at TaiDoc Technology protested Monday outside the Ministry of Labor.

It's accusing the medical device maker of undermining (破壞) its operations,
including illegally dismissing its chair, Filipino worker Elizabeth Basas.

Notices posted around the workplace allegedly humiliated her and warned other
employees against joining the union.

Union director Lennon Wang said the group, formed six months ago with about
30 Filipino members, has faced ongoing pressure from management and claimed
the company forced employees to join the union, announcing over 100 new
members unilaterally (單方面地).

TaiDoc's chair has denied the accusations, calling Wang an "outsider"
illegally interfering (非法干預) and questioning the legitimacy (合法性) of a
recent strike vote.

The Ministry of Labor said it has received a request to investigate the
allegations and urged employers to respect union independence (工會自主權)
and avoid improper interference (不當干預).

Taiwan's top hurdler Zhang Bo-ya (張博雅) secured gold in the women’s
60-meter hurdles at the 2026 Asian Indoor Athletics Championships in Tianjin,
setting a new national record of 8.12 seconds.

The 22-year-old star broke her own national record twice in a single day.

After an initial record-breaking run in the heats, Zhang surged past her
Japanese competitors in the final to take Taiwan’s first gold of the meet.

Her victory capped off a successful weekend for the national team, which
earned one gold and three silver medals.

Notable performances included Chen Wen-pu (陳玟溥), who smashed a 38-year-old
national record in the men’s 60-meter sprint, alongside silvers from long
jumper Lin Yu-tang (林昱堂) and sprinter Liao Yan-jun (廖晏均).

Coach Wang Kuo-hui (王國慧) said the result confirms Zhang’s peak condition
as she prepares for the upcoming outdoor season and Asian Games qualifiers
(亞運資格賽).

In international news,

Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted sex trafficker for Jeffrey Epstein, has
refused to answer US lawmakers' questions at a closed-door hearing, asserting
her Fifth Amendment right (保持緘默權).

She used the session to ask for clemency (寬赦), saying she would "speak
fully" if pardoned (特赦) by US president Donald Trump.

Nick Harper reports from Washington.

Cuban aviation officials have warned airlines of a fuel shortage (燃料短缺)
for refueling on the island.

This is part of energy rationing (能源配給) as the Trump administration cuts
Cuba off from its fuel sources.

The shortage stems from U.S. political pressure severing Cuba’s access to
oil from Venezuela and Mexico.

Shorter flights may not be affected, but long-haul routes face challenges.

The energy crisis has led to reduced bank hours, suspended cultural events
and halted public transport.

U.S. sanctions (制裁) have long impacted Cuba, but recent measures have
intensified the situation.

The Tai-Ex opened up 173-points this morning from yesterday's close, at
31,956 on turnover of $10.4-billion N-T.

A 33-year-old Taiwanese fugitive has been arrested in Metro Manila following
a joint operation between Philippine and Taiwanese authorities.

The suspect, surnamed Chien (簡), had been on the run since August 2023, when
an arrest warrant was issued by the Miaoli (苗栗) District Prosecutors Office
on theft charges.

Philippine immigration officials say Chien was also classified as an
“undesirable (不受歡迎的) alien” after overstaying his temporary visitor
visa.

He is currently being held at a detention facility pending deportation.

Since the start of 2025, officials have successfully tracked down and
arrested 22 wanted Taiwanese fugitives in the Philippines through
intelligence sharing and other forms of cooperation.

Taoyuan Airport MRT is adding an early morning express train service from
Taipei Main Station to handle (應付) increased outbound travel over the Lunar
New Year holiday.

According to the operator, the train will run from February 12th to the 22nd
... and depart at 5 AM … reaching Taoyuan International Airport Terminal 2
Station within 41 minutes.

On the way, it will call at A3 New Taipei Industrial Park, A8 Chang Gung
Memorial Hospital, and A12 Airport Terminal 1 stations — as usual for the
express train.

To support the service, Taipei Main and New Taipei Industrial Park stations
will open earlier — at 4:30 AM.

In-town check-in at Taipei Main will also be available at that time.

While the other stations it stops at will open at 5 AM.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s governing party has secured a
two-thirds supermajority in a parliamentary election.

Takaichi told public broadcaster NHK later that she is ready to pursue (實行)
policies to make Japan strong and prosperous.

TV networks cited preliminary results from Sunday's vote in reporting that
Takaichi’s Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner won 352 seats
in the 465-seat lower house.

The huge jump from the previous parliament could allow Takaichi to make
progress on a right-wing agenda that aims to boost Japan’s economy and
military capabilities as tensions grow with China and she tries to nurture
ties with Washington.

powerful men, files show

From the US....

Files show the FBI concluded Jeffrey Epstein wasn’t running a sex
trafficking ring for powerful men.

AP correspondent Julie Walker reports

Venezuela’s government has released (釋放) several prominent opposition
members from prison, including one of the closest allies of Nobel Peace Prize
laureate Maria Corina Machado.
These releases come as acting President Delcy Rodriguez faces pressure to
free those detained for political reasons.

The move follows a visit from representatives of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Human Rights.

On Sunday, Foro Penal confirmed the release of at least 30 people.

Machado’s ally Juan Pablo Guanipa, a former governor, and her attorney,
Perkins Rocha, were among the released.

The ruling party-controlled National Assembly is debating an amnesty bill
that could lead to more releases.