Group announces complaint over Cup ticket pricesAPSoccer fans on Tuesday launched a formal complaint with the European Commission against FIFA over World Cup ticket prices. Football Supporters Europe (FSE) said it joined with consumer group Euroconsumers to allege that soccer’s world governing body had abused its position to impose excessive prices. The FIFA World Cup trophy is displayed at the LA Live entertainment center in Los Angeles on Tuesday. Following a backlash from fans in December, FIFA slashed some ticket prices to US$60 for every round through to the final, which teams could distribute to their most loyal fans. It said that as a not-for-profit organization, revenue from the World Cup was reinvested to grow soccer.

Liverpool star Mohamed Salah to leave club earlyAPLiverpool star Mohamed Salah on Tuesday said that he would leave the English club at the end of the Premier League season, marking an earlier-than-planned departure for one of the club’s greatest-ever scorers and soccer’s biggest names. Salah signed a two-year extension to his contract at Liverpool at the end of last season, tying him to the club until next year. Salah is out with a muscle injury sustained against Galatasaray in the Champions League last week. Liverpool’s final Premier League game of the season is against Brentford at Anfield on May 24. The Champions League final is the following weekend, with Liverpool to play Paris Saint-Germain in the quarter-finals.

Xu Chunying indictment raises infiltration concernsBy Liu Yung-yun, Chen Cheng-yu, Chen Yu-fu, Chen Chih-cheng a / Staff reporters, with staff writerAlleged contact between Xu Chunying (徐春鶯) — a resident of Taiwan by marriage since 1998 and director of the Taiwan New Immigrant Development Association — and Chinese officials have raised fresh concerns about Beijing’s attempts to influence Taiwan’s politics. Democratic Progressive Party spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) said that the case raised serious concerns about the TPP’s ties to Xu and Li, accusing the party of undermining Taiwan’s legal framework and autonomy. Xu claimed to have been a Chinese state official and described herself as “pro-China,” indicating alignment with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Wu said. National Cheng Kung University professor of political science Wang Hung-jen (王宏仁) said that the law might be insufficient to counter such infiltration. The party must clarify its position to address public concerns about possible links with China, Chang said.

Tainan eyes long-term mango export to JapanStaff writer, with CNAThe Tainan City government yesterday said it aims to secure long-term orders from Japan, after it successfully shipped 7,000kg of diced frozen Irwin mangoes to the country. That marked the first time diced, frozen Irwin mangoes — the most popular mango variety in Taiwan — were exported to Japan, the Tainan Agriculture Bureau said. A bag of frozen mangoes produced in Tainan is pictured yesterday. The frozen mangoes would be promoted at a Taiwan-themed event in Tokyo on Saturday next week to gauge the Japanese market’s response and boost brand visibility, he said. The Japanese market is highly competitive, and products must pass the dual test of distribution channels and consumer acceptance, he added.

NT$39 FamilyMart receipt wins invoice lottery’s NT$10 million prizeStaff Write, with CNAA NT$39 receipt for two bottles of tea at a FamilyMart was among the NT$10 million (US $312,771) special prize winners in Taiwan’s January- February uniform invoice lottery. FamilyMart said two NT$10 million-winning receipts were issued at its stores, as well as two NT$2 million grand prize winners and three NT$200,000 first-prize winners. It also recorded three NT$2 million winners in Taoyuan, Tainan and Kaohsiung. The retailer also reported one NT$2 million prize winner in Taipei. According to the Ministry of Finance, the winning number for the NT$10 million special prize was 87510041, while the NT$2 million grand prize number was 32220522.

No renaming of Taiwan office: VilniusDENIAL: Lithuania’s president refuted comments that he agreed to change the office’s name to ‘Taipei,’ saying changes would have to be agreed upon by both governmentsBy Jonathan Chin / Staff writerLithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda on Tuesday said Vilnius would not revisit its decision to allow the Taiwan representative office to operate under its current name — a public break from Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene’s statements. “We must understand that the issue of the name of the Taiwanese Representative Office was resolved several years ago,” Lithuanian National Radio and Television (LNT) quoted Nauseda as saying. “One can call it a mistake or something else, but it was an achievement for Taiwan in its relations with other countries. However, Lithuania has not fully capitalized on its economic cooperation with Taiwan and the government “could have achieved more than we have,” he added. Nauseda said he has ordered Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Kestutis Budrys to work toward unlocking the potential of bilateral economic collaboration with Taiwan.

KMT’s defense bill ‘highly unfeasible’: Ex-KMT lawmakerStaff Writer, with CNAA NT$380 billion (US$11.89 billion) spending cap on weapons systems approved by Washington for sale to Taiwan proposed by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is “highly unfeasible” and should be raised to at least NT$800 billion, former KMT lawmaker Jason Hsu (許 毓仁) said yesterday. The KMT’s defense bill, currently under review at the Legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, would fund eight systems announced by the United States in December, with a follow-on budget proposed by the Ministry of National Defense in the event of new U.S. arms sale packages. Former Chinese Nationalist Party legislator Jason Hsu attends a meeting in the legislature in Taipei in this undated photograph. Later in the day, President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) also noted the omission of drones and AI-assisted command and control systems in the KMT’s and the TPP’s bills. Excluding these critical systems shows the opposition’s lack of understanding of modern warfare, Lai said at the Democratic Progressive Party’s Central Standing Committee meeting in Taipei, calling on nonpartisan support for the Cabinet’s “comprehensive” special defense budget bill.

Taiwan wary of China exploiting US’ Iran warBy Ben Blanchard and Yimou Lee / Taipei, ReutersTaiwan is concerned that China could exploit the US’ war in the Middle East, with state media citing examples from the conflict to cast doubt on the efficiency of US weapons Taiwan would use to repel an invasion. The longer the war lasts, the more lessons it offers for China regarding US military thinking and response scenarios for a possible Chinese move on Taiwan, he added. US allies in Asia have also warned that the Iran war could sap defenses against China. ‘COGNITIVE WARFARE’Taipei is wary of Beijing using the Middle East war in its “cognitive warfare” propaganda, such as artificial intelligence-generated videos circulating online saying that Taiwan is facing a “devastating” energy supply crisis, the government said in an internal memo. Chinese state media view the Iran war as having implications for conflict with Taiwan, as the nation’s weapons are mainly supplied by the US, despite a lack of formal diplomatic ties.

War affects agriculture: lawmakersBy Jason Pan / Staff reporter, with CNASeveral Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers yesterday urged the government to take measures to stabilize the cost of packaging materials made of petrochemical products and prevent hoarding, saying that the war in the Middle East has impacted Taiwanese farmers negatively. Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei TimesThe price volatility of petrochemical materials triggered by the war in the Middle East caused shortages and price hikes of plastic bags, containers and other materials used in packaging of farm produce, Tsai said. Lai called on the Ministry of Agriculture to coordinate with major wholesale centers to develop alternating packaging such as cardboard boxes for some fruits and vegetables. The government must ensure that the supply of petrochemical materials is stable, and inspect distributors and retailers to fight hoarding, she said. The MOEA has established a dedicated hotline at 02-2701-1669, extension lines from 105 to 107, for reporting hoarding and unfair pricing hikes, he added.

Civic groups urge amendments to children’s rights actBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterMembers of youth rights and welfare groups and high-school students yesterday protested outside the Legislative Yuan in Taipei, urging the Ministry of Health and Welfare to amend what they called the “outdated” Child and Juvenile Welfare and Rights Protection Act (兒童及少年福利與權益保障法). Since the act was enacted 15 years ago, no major amendment has been passed. The legislature’s Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee yesterday held a meeting to discuss amendments proposed by several legislators. The act is outdated in some aspects including mental health support and the protection of youth participation rights, he said. The groups yesterday handed a symbolic petition envelope to Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators Lin Yue-chin (林月琴), committee convenor, and Fan Yun (范雲), as the lawmakers pledged to keep pushing for amendments to address the act’s shortcomings.

Czech business delegation plans to visit TaiwanBy Hollie Younger / Staff writer, with CNACzech Senate President Milos Vystrcil plans to lead a large business delegation to Taiwan in the early summer, although his visit could be complicated by Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis’ planned visit to China around the same time, Czech media outlet Respekt reported on Tuesday. Czech Republic Senate President Milos Vystrcil speaks at a special government meeting in Prague on March 10. Following the trip, Taiwan invested US$33 million in research, innovation and advanced technology in the Czech Republic. His speech also inspired other Western lawmakers to visit Taiwan, and he has since received multiple invitations to return to Taipei, the report said said. Vystrcil said he plans to lead a large business delegation, possibly in early June, to deepen cooperation between the two nations’ universities and research institutions.

Supreme Court upholds sentence for woman in infant drug smoke caseStaff Writer, with CNAThe Supreme Court has upheld a 14-month prison sentence for a woman who repeatedly used drugs beside her newborn, exposing the infant to toxic smoke that impaired her development. According to the ruling, Yeh lived with her newborn daughter, surnamed Lo (羅), in Kaohsiung and regularly used heroin, methamphetamine and ketamine. The Supreme Court in Taipei is pictured at this photograph on Thursday last week. After discovering the situation, Kaohsiung police notified social services, and the infant was removed from the home and placed in protective care. In an initial ruling, the Kaohsiung District Court sentenced Yeh to eight months in prison.

Arms delivery to Taiwan a priority for the US: ministerBy Ben Blanchard / Taipei, ReutersThe US has “quite a high” sense of urgency in helping Taiwan bolster its military capabilities and is working on speeding up delayed weapons deliveries, Minister of Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said yesterday. Taiwan has complained of repeated delays in weapons ordered from the US, the nation’s top international backer and arms supplier. Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo speaks to reporters before attending a legislative session in Taipei yesterday. US Defense Security Cooperation Agency director Michael Miller last week said he had signed a directive in 2023 to prioritize Taiwan above other buyers, and that security cooperation and assistance for Taiwan was a top priority. Arms sales are a constant source of friction between Washington and Beijing, which has demanded that they stop.

Plastics suppliers asked to prioritize medical sectorDISRUPTION: Most of the medical devices can be made domestically, so as long as the supply of raw materials is maintained, people do not have to worry, an official saidBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterMinister of Health and Welfare Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) yesterday said that the ministry is working with the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) to ask local plastic material suppliers to prioritize healthcare-related manufacturers to avoid a shortage. Minister of Health and Welfare Shih Chung-liang speaks at the legislature’s Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee in Taipei yesterday. “We have asked key [local] suppliers of plastic raw materials and plastic microbeads to prioritize supplying them to medical device manufacturers and healthcare sectors to ensure continuity of supply,” Shih said. Most of the medical devices can be made domestically, so as long as the supply of raw materials is stably maintained, people do not have to worry, he said. The NT$20 billion was originally for addressing the possible negative impact caused by the US’ “reciprocal tariffs,” but it has not been used, he said, adding that if the war drives up the prices of drugs and medical devices, the ministry would use this money to respond.

NCC, telecoms working on anti-fraud alertEFFECTIVE: Since the trial of the system, which alerts users in Chinese and Taiwanese that the incoming call is from a hidden number, the number of fraud cases has fallenBy Hollie Younger / Staff writer, with CNAThe National Communications Commission (NCC) has been working with mobile telecoms on an alert system for incoming calls from hidden numbers, as part of efforts to combat fraud. Chunghwa Telecom has been testing the system with its mobile users since March 2. Photo: CNAAs the National Police Agency found that mobile users are at higher risk of fraud, the NCC is to roll out the system for landlines in June as well, he said. The new system would play an alert in Chinese and Taiwanese warning that the incoming call is from a hidden number. However, the NCC would convene meetings with telecoms to review and improve safeguards, he said, adding that they would talk to Line about improving landline user verification mechanisms.