🎂 Happy Birthday @skynews 🎂

35 years old today

(Which feels like a good time to plug that you can watch us for free on Sky channel 501 or Freeview 233)

Delighted to have played my small part in Sky’s Royal Television Society nomination for our coverage of the war in Myanmar.

Alongside the ever brilliant Stuart Ramsay Dominique van Heerden Cordelia Lynch and all the wonderful crews/ fixers.

rts.org.uk/article/nomina… via @RTS_Media rts.org.uk/article/nomina…

🇹🇼 In the wake of Taiwan’s election, it has lost another diplomatic ally, Pacific island Nauru will cut official ties.

Taiwan only has 12 official diplomatic alliances remaining.

China has welcomed the news

It is absolutely evident that democracy is cherished in Taiwan, and any sense it might be under threat is a clear and consistent motivator, writes Sky's Helen-Ann Smith 👇 trib.al/NYiMQGo

Scenes of total elation in Taipei as thousands of Lai Ching-te supporters gather to celebrate his victory.

Speaking to people, the same words kept coming up: freedom, democracy and the fact people are proud to be Taiwanese.

#TaiwanElection

Taiwan’s next President Lai Ching-te has arrived at his victory party and is giving his victory speech.

He begins by thanking Taiwan’s people and says that in choice between “democracy and authoritarianism, we stand on the side of democracy”.

#Taiwanelection

Taiwan’s next President Lai Ching-te has arrived at his victory party and is giving his victory speech.

He begins by thanking Taiwan’s people and crediting Taiwans “cherished” democracy

#Taiwanelection

Expecting a victory declaration from Lai Ching-te any moment now.

BREAK: It seems we have a winner in Taiwan's election.

KMT candidate Hou Yu-ih is giving a concession speech.

This means Lai Ching-te has won and will be Taiwan's next leader.

Local media in Taiwan now reporting that Lai is very likely to win.

According to the Central Election Commission (which has released fewer results than the network TV channels), over 70% of the votes have now been counted.

They have Lai at around 44%, Hou on 33% and Ko on 23%

It's nearly an hour and a half since polls closed in Taiwan and at the moment trend is roughly what was predicted.

with roughly 30% of the votes counted, Lai is ahead with around 42% of the vote.

A result is expected within the next 2 hours.

The polls have now closed in Taiwan’s election and even now, a good few hours before we get the results, thousands have gathered in central Taipei for Lai Ching-te’s watch party .

He is the most likely to win and at this early stage is ahead in the count.

'The man most likely to win is called Lai Ching-te. He is representing the DPP party... He has framed his whole campaign around this issue of democracy versus autocracy.'

Asia correspondent Helen-Ann Smith has the latest on Taiwan's election

trib.al/GwGhQun

📺Sky 501

I take a look at Taiwan’s election with two days to go and the huge impact it could have. Along side Mark Stone and Sam Coates Sky talking 🇺🇸 and 🇬🇧 votes later in the year . Hosted by the ever brilliant Niall Paterson , join us !

I asked Hou Yu-ih, KMT candidate if he believes the Taiwan status quo can last forever:

“The status quo under DPP is already shifting, we are on the brink of war!”

“Unless this is dealt with who knows what will happen”

“My status quo is that we can be a facilitator of peace”

In Taiwan, opposition KMT presidential candidate Hou Yu-ih is talking to international media.

He says “everyone knows the DPP has a Taiwan independence platform” and “this is something that would lead us to war”

Very much framing this election as a choice between war and peace

Taiwan’s election is in 4 days and this alert has just been pushed to our phones.

It alerts to a “missile” flying over Taiwan airspace. Alerts like this are highly unusual here.

Ministry of National Defense has now confirmed it referred to a Chinese satellite launch.

'It wasn't just the tremors, it was a fire that took hold.'

Sky's Helen-Ann Smith has this update from the city of Wajima, following earthquakes in Japan.

trib.al/Rx0iR33

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