Taipei to launch ‘smoke-free city’ plan, mayor saysStaff writer, with CNAThe Taipei City Government is looking at options to limit smoking in public places, with one version of the policy likely to be implemented this year, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said yesterday. A “Taipei smoke-free city” plan is expected to be launched by the end of this year, Chiang said. City officials would study the “very successful” establishment of designated smoking areas in Tokyo, which has cut down secondhand smoke and cigarette litter in the Japanese capital, he said. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an speaks to reporters in Taipei yesterday. Chiang said that since taking office, he has promoted smoke-free public housing and smoke-free Lunar New Year market streets, and implemented comprehensive smoking bans around large event venues.

Trump says Iran wants to talk, as death toll hits 544AP, DUBAI, United Arab EmiratesUS President Donald Trump said Iran wants to negotiate with Washington after his threat to strike the Islamic republic over its bloody crackdown on protesters, as activists yesterday said the death toll in the nationwide demonstrations rose to at least 544. Iran had no direct reaction to Trump’s comments, which came after the foreign minister of Oman — long an interlocutor between Washington and Tehran — traveled to Iran over the weekend. “Iran wants to negotiate.”“The meeting is being set up, but we may have to act because of what’s happening before the meeting. With the Internet down in Iran and phone lines cut off, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. State TV aired images of such demonstrations around the country, trying to signal it had overcome the protests.

Revision of Anti-infiltration Act urgent, MAC saysCHINA THREAT: Of the 127 people indicted since the act’s passage in 2020, only five have been convicted, with the sentences averaging three to six months, MAC saidBy Chen Yu-fu and Shelley Shan / Staff reportersThe Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday urged lawmakers to approve proposed amendments to the Anti-Infiltration Act (反滲透法) given the light punishments meted out to offenders under current regulations. DPP Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) said that the act stipulates a maximum sentence, but sets no minimum. “Prosecutors have encountered great difficulties in investigating national security cases that could cause tremendous damage to the country. “There should be a minimum criminal sentence in the act for those who help hostile nations infiltrate Taiwan. This would raise infiltration costs for regimes that threaten our national security,” he said.

Powell warns of ‘intimidation’ after criminal subpoenasAFP, WASHINGTONUS prosecutors have opened an inquiry threatening a “criminal indictment” against the US Federal Reserve, its chairman Jerome Powell said, denouncing new “threats and ongoing pressure” from the administration of US President Donald Trump. He dismissed the subpoenas as “pretexts” after months of bitter conflict with Trump, who has publicly excoriated the Fed for not cutting interest rates aggressively to bolster economic growth. US Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell speaks during a news conference following a Federal Open Market Committee meeting in Washington on Dec. 10. The Fed, which makes independent monetary policy decisions, has a dual mandate to keep prices stable and unemployment low. The Fed’s independence from political influence is considered vital for investors, who worry that outside meddling in monetary policy would threaten a bedrock of the global economy.

The DGBAS said it was the seventh consecutive year inflation recorded by elderly households beat the average CPI growth in Taiwan. Photo: CNALike the US, Japan and Singapore, Taiwan started compiling inflation for its elderly households in 2018, DGBAS Senior Executive Officer Tsao Chih-hung (曹志弘) said last week. What is common in the inflation faced by elderly families in these economies is that they saw higher impact from healthcare and living costs, Tsao added. Food prices was also a critical factor for elderly households, as unstable weather boosted food prices last year, Tsao said. However, the CPI growth for elderly households has shown signs of moderating, it said, citing as an example last month, when inflation for elderly families was 1.27 percent, compared with 1.31 percent for the entire population.

Interview: Trumpf expanding its Taiwan facilitiesSEMICONDUCTORS: The German laser and plasma generator company will expand its local services as its specialized offerings support Taiwan’s semiconductor industries Trumpf SE + Co KG, a global leader in supplying laser technology and plasma generators used in chip production, is expanding its investments in Taiwan in an effort to deeply integrate into the global semiconductor supply chain in the pursuit of growth. The company, headquartered in Ditzingen, Germany, has invested significantly in a newly inaugurated regional technical center for plasma generators in Taoyuan, its latest expansion in Taiwan after being engaged in various industries for more than 25 years. The center, the first of its kind Trumpf built outside Germany, aims to serve customers from Taiwan, Japan, Southeast Asia and South Korea,By Lisa Wang

Formosa Plastics shows losses for 2025By Chen Cheng-hui / Staff reporterThe four major units of Formosa Plastics Group (FPG, 台塑集團), the nation’s largest industrial conglomerate, yesterday reported a combined net loss of NT$1.087 billion (US$34.4 million) for last year, due to a decrease in product prices amid China’s overcapacity and smaller sales volumes given the US tariff hikes. The four units — Formosa Plastics Corp (台灣塑膠), Nan Ya Plastics Corp (南亞塑膠), Formosa Chemicals and Fibre Corp (台灣化學纖維) and Formosa Petrochemical Corp (台塑石化) — had posted a combined net profit of NT$8.458 billion the year before. Facilities at the Formosa Plastics Group naphtha cracker complex in Yunlin County are pictured in an undated photograph. In addition, Formosa Chemicals and Fibre, a producer of aromatics and styrenics, had a net loss of NT$5.488 billion last year, or NT$0.94 in losses per share — its first-ever annual losses — amid falling crude oil prices and poor market conditions, its regulatory filing showed. Formosa Petrochemicals and Formosa Chemicals are also conservative about this quarter, citing the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday’s effect, with Formosa Petrochemicals pointing out the oversupply of global crude oil as a lingering issue from last year to add pressure to oil prices in the first half of this year, the companies said.

Formosa Chang raises prices 3.8% on averageStaff writer, with CNAPrices at Formosa Chang rose today, a day after the Taiwanese restaurant chain — famous for its braised minced pork on rice — announced it would raise prices on 48 menu items due to higher raw material and operating costs. Customers eat inside a Formosa Chang restaurant in an undated photograph. Photo: CNAThe price adjustments average 3.8 percent, including the chain's signature Taiwanese braised pork rice, which rose from NT$66 to NT$71 for a small bowl. According to its Web site, Formosa Chang was founded in 1960 by Chang Yan-chuan (張炎泉) as a street food stall selling traditional Taiwanese snacks at Shuanglian Market (雙連菜市場) on Minsheng W Road in Taipei. Other than Formosa Chang, coffeehouse chain Louisa Coffee also recently raised prices on 90 items, citing the higher cost of ingredients, wages and utilities.

Local governments can fund TPass until June: TaipeiBy Tung Kuan-yi and Sam Garcia / Staff reporter, with staff writer and CNALocal governments in northern Taiwan can provide funds to continue TPass until June, transportation directors from Taipei, New Taipei City, Keelung and Taoyuan said today after meeting to discuss how the stalled central government budget has impacted the program. TPass is a joint policy between central and local governments that benefits the public, Taipei Department of Transportation Commissioner Hsieh Ming-hung (謝銘鴻) said after the meeting. To prioritize public well-being, local government subsidies could be used first to cover the expenses, Hsieh said. People walk past a sign for TPass onto the Taiwan Railway in an undated photograph. Currently about 698,000 people use TPass every month and about 379,000 people use TPass 2.0, Ministry of Transportation and Communications data showed.

Evidence of infiltration difficult, but law still ‘useful’: MACBy Chen Yu-fu and Hollie Younger / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe Mainland Affairs Council today defended the Anti-infiltration Act (反滲透法) as useful despite a low prosecution rate, as lawmakers reviewed proposed amendments that would expand the scope of the law and set minimum penalties. Mainland Affairs Council Deputy Minister Liang Wen-chieh speaks to legislators at a committee meeting at the legislature in Taipei today. Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei TimesDemocratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Su Chiao-hui (蘇巧慧) questioned how useful the law is, having been in place for six years with limited enforcement. Although it proves difficult for judges and prosecutors to present such evidence, the work must still be done, he added. Even before official registration, “prospective candidates” have already begun campaigning, and the law should be amended to regulate this, she added.

Intermittent signals detected from missing F-16VBy Huang Ching-hsuan and Sam Garcia / Staff reporter, with staff writerSome intermittent signals believed to be from the black box of the F-16V aircraft that went missing last week have been detected, but poor sea conditions are preventing vessels from going out to confirm its location, Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said today. Air force Captain Hsin Po-yi (辛柏毅) was piloting the fighter jet when it went missing off the coast of Hualien County during a nighttime training mission on Tuesday last week. The F-16V jet that went missing off the coast of Hualien County on Tuesday last week is pictured in an undated photograph. The military is continuing its search efforts and has dispatched specialized vessels to locate the missing aircraft’s black box, Koo said. They have received intermittent signals that need to be confirmed, but the vessels cannot go out to sea until weather conditions improve, he said.

Lin Yun-ju wins men’s singles title in DohaStaff writer, with CNATaiwanese paddler Lin Yun-ju (林昀儒) yesterday took home the men's singles championship title at the World Table Tennis (WTT) Champions Doha 2026. Taiwanese paddler Lin Yun-ju competes in the World Table Tennis (WTT) Champions Doha 2026 yesterday. 18-ranked men's singles players respectively — swung early in Lin's favor, as he took the first game by a comfortable 11-7 score. Lin's last win at a men's singles tournament was at the WTT Champions Frankfurt in November 2023, although he won gold medals in men's doubles and mixed doubles competitions last year. Yesterday's championship win earned Lin US$40,000 in prize money and 1,000 WTT ranking points.

‘Up to Xi’ how to handle Taiwan, but Venezuela no precedent: TrumpUS President Donald Trump said "it’s up to" Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) what China does on Taiwan, but that he would be "very unhappy" with a change in the "status quo," the New York Times said in an interview published yesterday. Xi "considers it to be a part of China, and that’s up to him what he’s going to be doing," Trump told the newspaper on Wednesday. "But I’ve expressed to him that I would be very unhappy if he did that, and I don’t think he’ll do that," he added. "I hope he doesn’t do that." Trump made the comments in

Gilgeous-Alexander rescues ThunderMOTHER KNOWS BEST: Warriors’ coach Kerr said his 91-year-old mother criticized him for his attitude toward officials that led to his ejection from Monday’s game Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Wednesday rescued the Oklahoma City Thunder with a game-tying buzzer-beater before finishing with 46 points in a 129-125 overtime victory against the Utah Jazz. The reigning NBA champions looked to be heading for a third straight loss after the Jazz inched into a 114-112 lead following Lauri Markkanen’s layup with just three seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. However, NBA Most Valuable Player Gilgeous-Alexander drained a superb 13-foot jump shot to tie it up at 114-114 as the buzzer sounded to send the game into overtime. Gilgeous-Alexander then took over in the extra period with nine points as the Western

European farmers protest EU-Mercosur trade dealDEMONSTRATION: Many European farmers fear their livelihoods would be undercut by a flow of cheaper goods from Latin American countries if the deal passesAFP, ATHLONE, IrelandThousands of farmers in Ireland and France on Saturday protested against the EU’s trade deal with the South American bloc Mercosur, a day after EU states approved the treaty despite opposition from some members. The Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA), Ireland’s main farmers’ lobby group, called the result “very disappointing.”It said it would “renew” focus on securing a majority against the deal in the European Parliament. Farmers on Friday also marched in Poland, and blocked roads in France and Belgium as the EU gave the green light to the trade deal. While the accord has been welcomed by business groups, European farmers have bitterly criticized it. Many European farmers fear their livelihoods would be undercut by a flow of cheaper goods from agricultural giant Brazil and its neighbors.