Main festival lantern to feature AlishanBy Fion Khan / Staff writer, with CNAThe Tourism Administration today unveiled the main lantern and handheld lantern designs for this year’s Taiwan Lantern Festival in Chiayi County, featuring a centerpiece inspired by the ancient forests of Alishan (阿里山). Handheld lanterns for this year's Taiwan Lantern Festival in Chiayi County are pictured today at an event in Taipei. The Taiwan Lantern Festival is the largest and most important Lunar New Year event in the nation, Deputy Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Kuo-shian (林國顯) said. Entering its 37th edition this year and returning to Chiayi for the third time, the main lantern design team centered on Alishan, he said. The main lantern conveys strong cultural symbolism and local characteristics, while incorporating artificial intelligence, culture and recycled materials to highlight environmental sustainability, he added.

Opposition again blocks special defense budgetBy Fion Khan / Staff writer, with CNAOpposition legislators today for the sixth time blocked a NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.8 billion) special defense budget bill from proceeding to the committee review stage. During today’s plenary session, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) caucuses voted down the proposal with a 59-50 vote. The Executive Yuan on Nov. 27 approved a special budget to bolster defense resilience and asymmetric capabilities by funding weapons procurement and joint development programs with the US from next year to 2033. As the plenary agenda remained undecided, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus secretary-general Chen Pei-yu (陳培瑜) and other lawmakers yesterday night queued outside the legislative chamber to formally submit their proposal to refer the special defense budget bill to committee review today. The opposition parties again, using their numerical advantage, successfully prevented the special defense act from being sent to committee for review.

Taiwan officially super-aged society: MOIBy Sam Garcia / Staff writer, with CNAWith 20.06 percent of its population now 65 years old or older, Taiwan has officially become a super-aged society, the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) said today. The WHO defines a society as “super-aged” when at least 20 percent of people are 65 or older. Photo courtesy of Lee Women’s HospitalTaiwan’s population fell by 101,088 last year compared with 2024, marking the second consecutive year that the population has declined, the data showed. There were 107,812 babies born last year, compared with 134,856 in 2024, marking the 10th consecutive year that the birthrate has declined, the ministry said. In addition, 200,268 people died last year, a decline in 1,839 deaths compared with 2024, the data showed.

Snow falls on Yushan as cold continuesStaff writer, with CNASnow fell on Yushan (Jade Mountain, 玉山), Taiwan's highest mountain, at about 6am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of about 8am, the CWA's Yushan Weather Station in Nantou County had recorded 1cm of snow, with temperatures at minus-4.1°C and snowfall continuing. The Yushan Weather Station in Nantou County is covered in snow early this morning. Independent meteorologist Wu Der-rong (吳德榮) said another wave of cold air would keep chilly conditions in place over the weekend. From Monday morning through Thursday, sunny skies would prevail during the daytime as the cold air gradually weakens, he said.

‘Up to Xi’ how to handle Taiwan, but Venezuela no precedent: TrumpReuters, WASHINGTONUS 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. He also repeated his belief that Xi would not make a move against Taiwan during his presidency, which ends in 2029. "He may do it after we have a different president, but I don’t think he’s going to do it with me as president," Trump said. “The Taiwan question is purely China's internal affair, and how to resolve it is a matter purely within China’s sovereign rights,” said Liu Pengyu (劉鵬宇), a spokesperson for China’s embassy in Washington. Trump has largely avoided directly saying how he would respond to a rise in tensions over Taiwan.

Free counseling program renewed, open to foreign nationalsBy Sam Garcia / Staff writer, with CNAThe Ministry of Health and Welfare yesterday said it would invest NT$350 million (US$11.06 million) this year to continue its mental health support program, which offers three free psychological counseling sessions to people aged 15 to 45. The program is also available to foreign nationals with a National Health Insurance card. First launched on Aug. 1, 2023, the program aims to support mental health among young people. Photo: Tsai Shu-yuan, Taipei TimesIn its first year, the program helped more than 30,000 people aged 15 to 30, and sponsored more than 80,000 counseling sessions. Foreigners aged 15 to 45 with National Health Insurance are also eligible to participate and receive three free counseling sessions, he added.

Air quality to deteriorate nationwide from tomorrowA strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants wereBy Kayleigh Madjar

Nestle issues preemptive recall of formula powderStaff writer, with CNAThe Food and Drug Administration (FDA) yesterday said that Nestle has preemptively recalled 83,496 cans of formula powder over potential contamination of toxin cereulide, amid a global recall of the global food company's products over the week. Nestle Taiwan yesterday self-reported that two batches of its products sold in Taiwan, the Illuma Infant Growth Formula (啟賦幼兒成長專用配方, batch No. 51690017C1) and the Illuma Toddler Growth Formula (啟賦幼童成長專用配方, batch No. A can of the Nestle Illuma Infant Growth Formula is pictured in an undated photograph. The agency said it has been closely monitoring global recall alerts and on Tuesday confirmed that the affected batches identified by authorities in other countries have not been imported into Taiwan.

Chinese captain convicted of damaging undersea cable deportedStaff writer, with CNAA Chinese fishing boat captain convicted of damaging the Taiwan-Matsu No. 2 undersea cable last year was deported to China yesterday after paying a fine and compensation, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said. A coast guard officer monitors a boat at sea in an undated photograph. The court said that with years of experience as a captain, Wu should have been aware the area was covered by telecommunications cables, but still negligently damaged the cable. 3 undersea cable in February last year and was sentenced to three years in prison, showing Taiwan's judiciary is independent and applies clear sentencing standards.

Cary Elwes in a scene from Dead Man’s Wire. We’re never given many specifics, but at the same time, there’s little doubt in Dead Man’s Wire that Tony’s cause is just. The straightforward, jittery intensity of his performance propels Dead Man’s Wire. But Dead Man’s Wire still works. The tragedy in Dead Man’s Wire is just how elusive “I’m sorry” can be.

Soccer referees, staff left unpaid amid CTFA delayTRANSITION TROUBLES: The association said that its finances had been frozen during the transition to new leadership following the previous chair’s resignationBy Liang Wei-ming and Jason Pan / Staff reportersSoccer referees and staff said they are still owed wages for working a tournament in November last year in another financial dispute embroiling the Chinese Taipei Football Association (CTFA). Players compete in the national U12 soccer championship in Taitung County in November last year. The referees and staff said they decided to turn to local media after failing to get an adequate response from the CTFA officials in charge of the competition. Former CTFA chairman Wang Lin-hsiang (王麟祥) announced his resignation in November last year amid perceived mismanagement, financial scandals and an international losing streak. He later served as head of the Taiwan Junior Soccer Association, founded the online soccer Web site GoGoal.com and was owner of the women’s soccer club Valkyrie FC.

Police receive praise for locating missing personsBy Tang Shih-ming and Jason Pan / Staff reportersPolice detectives and their staff in Changhua County have received praise for their diligence after recording a 90 percent success rate in locating or identifying missing persons in the past five years. Photo courtesy of the Changhua County Police Department“We knew that New Taipei City had started to collect DNA samples for found missing persons in their jurisdiction. “It is my core belief that one must have empathy for the families when working on missing persons cases. After the initial golden period, DNA testing can provide another opportunity to find the missing person, she added. “Afterward, the police officer would ask for consent to post a public ‘missing person’ notice, and permission to have photographs added to the police file,” she said.

Separate surrogacy from reproduction bill: DPP caucusBy Lin Che-yuan and Esme Yeh / Staff reporters, with CNAThe Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus yesterday called for the decoupling of surrogacy issues from the Assisted Reproduction Act (人工生殖法), while opposition party caucuses proposed draft amendments with sections dedicated to surrogacy. The Cabinet’s draft focuses on enhancing the quality of assisted reproduction services, improving the rights and benefits of children born through assisted reproduction — such as the right to blood recognition and status as children born in wedlock — and ensuring the reproductive health of women using assisted reproduction. During the meeting, DPP Legislator Lin Shu-fen (林淑芬) said that surrogacy issues should be addressed through separate legislation, as it remain a contentious issue. Other countries’ attitudes toward surrogacy have significantly changed over the past decade, DPP Legislator Fan Yun (范雲) said. Many European countries have shifted to banning surrogacy, while India has banned commercial surrogacy and legalized only altruistic surrogacy, she said.

Animal welfare largely ignored: groupSHORTCOMINGS: While the livestock industry is increasingly engaged in animal-friendly farming, there has been little support from the food industry, the group saidBy Esme Yeh / Staff reporterOnly two companies in the food industry incorporated animal welfare as a material topic in their sustainability reports last year, the Environmental and Animal Society of Taiwan said yesterday, urging the Financial Supervisory Commission to introduce mandatory regulations. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Jean Kuo, second left, and representatives of the Environmental and Animal Society of Taiwan hold up signs at a news conference in Taipei yesterday. None of the 58 inspected companies has set up concrete policies or departments dedicated to animal welfare, she said. Many global organizations, as well as the WHO, consider animal welfare one of the most important sustainability indicators for the food industry and a key aspect to its global competitiveness, Chen said. The commission would explore whether animal welfare should be specified in the rules to mandate relevant sustainability disclosures for the food industry, it said.

Kaohsiung, Taichung to give free school lunchesEQUALITY NEEDED: It is good that the government is paying attention to school lunches, but it is unfair student welfare varies by location, a federation saidStaff writer, with CNAStudents at public elementary and junior high schools in Kaohsiung and Taichung are to receive free lunches starting from the 2026-2027 school year, the two cities announced yesterday. Democratic Progressive Party councilors said they hoped the quality of school lunches would not be compromised by their “free” status, and that the city should propose concrete funding sources and implementation plans. Taoyuan has been providing free school lunches for elementary and junior high schools since the second semester of the 2022-2023 school year, while Taipei announced the same policy for all elementary and junior high schools on Tuesday. New Taipei City and Tainan provide school lunch subsidies for disadvantaged students in public schools. Yilan, Hualien, Changhua, Nantou, Hsinchu, Lienchiang, Kinmen, Penghu, Miaoli and Taitung counties, as well as Taipei, Keelung, Taoyuan, Taichung, Kaohsiung and Hsinchu City are providing or are to provide free lunches in elementary and junior high schools.