The Tai-Ex opened up 34-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 30,845
on turnover of $8-billion N-T.

The market lost ground on Thursday as investors awaited the outcome of Taiwan
Semiconductor Manufacturing's investor conference - which began after the
trading day ended.

Events are slated to take place to mark the completion of the Danjiang Bridge
in the lead-up to its officially opening on May 12.

Both the New Taipei City Government and the Highway Bureau will be hosting
events from between April 25 and May 9.

The bridge will be open to the public to walk across on April 25 and the
Highway Bureau will be holding a parade on the bridge the following day
featuring performances by musical groups.

A concert will also be taking place in May 2 and the bridge will be open for
a public picnic day on May 3.

Construction of the 920-meter-long bridge is due to be completed in April and
when completed, the Danjiang Bridge will become the longest
asymmetric (不對稱的) single-tower cable-stayed bridge in the world.

Officials say the bridge will cut the travel time between Tamsui and Bali by
about 25-minutes.

second ICE shooting

US president Donald Trump has threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act to
deploy troops to Minnesota in response to rising tensions between protesters
and federal agents.

His warning came just hours after a man was shot and wounded (受傷的) by an
immigration officer who had been attacked with a shovel and broom handle in
Minneapolis.

Kate fisher reports from Washington


.

Wealth

The United Nations chief is lashing out at countries that violate
international law and calling the concentration of power and wealth by the
world’s richest 1% “morally indefensible.”

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres spoke to the U.N. General Assembly on
Thursday at the start of his final year at the helm (領導地位) of the United
Nations.

He said the U.N.'s 193 member nations are facing “a world marked by
self-defeating geopolitical divides, brazen violations of international law,
and wholesale cuts in development and humanitarian aid.”

He said all these forces are shaking the foundations of global cooperation at
a time when it is needed most.

Guterres warned of the dangers of a concentration of power and wealth in the
world's richest 1%, who hold 43% of global financial assets.

He also criticized countries that don’t pay their U.N. dues on time —
another jab at the Trump administration, which did not pay its mandatory dues
to the U.N.’s budgets in 2025.

Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia written by volunteers, is embracing
artificial intelligence to mark its 25th anniversary.

The site has signed up new AI partners, including Meta and Microsoft,
alongside existing ones with companies like Google.

These companies are paying to access Wikipedia content, supporting its
nonprofit mission.

Founder Jimmy Wales welcomes AI training on Wikipedia data, emphasizing
(強調) its human-curated nature.

The Wikimedia Foundation urges AI developers to pay for access, as bots
heavily tax (使負重擔) its servers.

The Tai-Ex opened down 194-points this morning from yesterday's close, at
30,746 on turnover of 11.3-billion N-T.

The market gained ground again on Wednesday as buying rotated to select tech
stocks that had been lagging behind semiconductor shares in recent sessions.

Lawmakers have begin public hearings to discuss impeaching President Lai
Ching-te.

The first hearing took place yesterday and a second hearing is scheduled for
today as part of the legislature's impeachment review process.

The Committee of the Whole Yuan will then hold formal (正式的) review
meetings on January 21 and 22.

The lead sponsors will use those meetings to explain the grounds for
impeachment and Lai will be invited to give a 15-minute statement followed by
questioning by lawmakers.

A second review meeting is scheduled for May, after which the impeachment
case will be put to a vote in the Legislative Yuan on May 19.

The impeachment needs a two-thirds majority of lawmakers for it to pass.

Taiwan's passport has risen three place in the latest Henley Passport Index
to move up to 33rd spot.

The rise means it returned to the same place it was in the rankings in
January of last year.

The index rank passports by the number of destinations its holder can travel
to without a visa.

The latest survey shows that Taiwan passport holders can travel to 139
countries and territories without a visa.

The Singaporean passport was ranked (排名) the most powerful with visa-free
access to 192 destinations out of a total of 227.

The Trump Administration says it will indefinitely halt visa processing for
immigrants from 75 countries, including Brazil, Russia and Iran.

The State Department says this latest restriction - which kicks in next week
- is aimed at people trying to quote .. "extract (強索) wealth from the
American people."

Toni Waterman has more from DC

Canada’s Pacific coast province of British Columbia is ending its three-year
experiment in decriminalizing possession (擁有) of small amounts of drugs.

British Columbia's health minister says the province is not seeking an
extension (延伸) of its agreement with Canada’s federal health agency that
allowed the decriminalization of small amounts of drugs for personal
possession.

The three-year pilot project, slated to end Jan. 31st, initially allowed
adults to possess up to 2.5 grams cumulatively of opioids, crack and powdered
cocaine, methamphetamine and MDMA.

But in 2024, the exemption was amended to restrict such possession to private
homes and places where homeless people are legally sheltering, as well as
designated health-care clinics and overdose prevention, drug checking and
supervised consumption sites.

The minister says the goal was to make it easier for people o come forward
and seek help, but it "hasn't delivered teh results" officials hoped for.

The Tai-Ex opened up 35-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 30,742
on turnover of 7.5-billion N-T.

The market closed at yet another new high on Tuesday as Taiwan Semiconductor
Manufacturing extended its momentum from a session earlier amid optimism over
global demand for A-I applications.

The Cabinet is refusing to comment on reports that Taiwan and the U-S are
close to completing a trade deal.

Reports have been suggesting the deal will reduce the U-S tariff rate on
Taiwan products will from 20 to 15-per cent, and commit Taiwan Semiconductor
Manufacturing to invest significantly more in the U-S.

Cabinet spokeswoman Michelle Lee says Taiwan and the U-S have already reached
"broad consensus (共識)" on related issues, and are currently discussing the
timing of a wrap-up meeting.

And according to Lee, any confirmed arrangements will be announced publicly.

T-S-M-C has not commented on the report, but is expected to address the issue
at its investor conference tomorrow.

Former Legislative Speaker Su Jia-chyuan has been appointed as chairman of
the Straits Exchange Foundation.

Su had long been widely tipped for the post after his predecessor, Frank Wu,
announced his resignation on December 18.

According to Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo, President Lai
Ching-te invited Su to take the post, citing his "extensive (全面的)
political experience and successful track record in international exchanges."

Kuo says Lai is expressing his hope that Su will strengthen the Straits
Exchange Foundation's operations and help promote "positive and healthy"
cross-strait exchanges.

Su most recently served as chairman of the Taiwan-Japan Relations Association
for more than three years.

Activists say the death toll from nationwide protests in Iran has surpassed
2,000 people.

The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate
(準確的) in previous unrest in recent years, gave the latest toll.

It says most of the dead over more than two weeks of protests were protesters
and 135 were government-affiliated.

With the internet down in Iran, gauging the demonstrations from abroad is
difficult.

The demonstrations began a little over two weeks ago in anger over Iran’s
ailing economy and theocracy, particularly the country's Supreme Leader
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The Human Rights Activists News Agency warns that the death toll will rise.

Investigation

From the US....

Justice Department prosecutors are resigning amid turmoil (動盪) over
Minnesota ICE shooting investigation

AP correspondent Ed Donahue reports.

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen has returned to court to appeal an
embezzlement (挪用公款) conviction that risks affecting her 2027 presidential
ambitions.

She denies any wrongdoing.

She was found guilty in March of misusing European Parliament funds and
sentenced to a five-year ban from holding office, among other penalties.

The appeal trial involving Le Pen and 10 others opened on Tuesday and is set
to last five weeks.

The verdict is expected possibly before summer.

Le Pen argues the funds were used appropriately (適當地).

The case weighs heavily on her political future, as she has worked to bring
the far right into France’s mainstream politics.

The Tai-Ex opened up 63-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 30,630
on turnover of 8.2-billion N-T.

The market closed higher yesterday as buying was sparked by gains posted on
Wall Street at the end of last week.

However, the main board declined from the day's high of 30,681 after
profit-taking set-in late in the session, as investors turned cautious ahead
of the anticipated U-S Supreme Court ruling later this week on Donald Trump's
sweeping tariffs.

The Air Force says its fleet of F-16s jet fighters have now resumed regular
training operations following safety checks.

The fleet was grounded in response to the disappearance of an F-16V and its
pilot going missing in waters off the east coast last Tuesday.

According to the Air Force, all of its F-16s passed inspections, with pilots
and ground crews completing simulation (模擬) and maintenance training,
respectively.

The Air Force also released photos of a group of four F-16Vs making
preparations for takeoff, with one piloted by Maj. Gen. Hu Chung-hua -- the
chief of the Air Force's 5th Tactical Mixed Wing based in eastern Hualien
County.

Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an says his administration is looking at various
options to limit smoking in public places and some version of the policy is
likely to be implemented this year.

According to Chiang, a "Taipei smoke-free city" plan is expected to be
launched by the end of this year.

Chiang says city officials are studying the establishment of designated
(指定的) smoking areas in Tokyo, which has cut down on secondhand smoke and
cigarette litter in the Japanese capital.

The Taipei mayor also said that it's very possible the city will make
reference to examples abroad, such as using designated smoking areas or
booths to improve the quality of public spaces.

Hundreds more federal agents are being deployed (部署) to Minneapolis by the
Trump administration.

It comes amid protests after a woman was shot and killed by an Immigration
and Customs Enforcement officer in the city.

Kate Fisher reports from Washington

Activists say the death toll from Iran’s nationwide protests has reached at
least 646 people with the number expected to rise further.

The toll as of Tuesday comes from the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News
Agency, which has been accurate (準確) throughout multiple years of
demonstrations.

According to the Associated Press, the agency relies on a network of
activists inside Iran that confirms all reported fatalities.

According Iran’s government has not provided casualty figures for the
demonstrations, as all communications remain blocked in the country.

Pope Leo XIV has met with Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado
at the Vatican.

During Monday's meeting, which was not previously announced, the Venezuelan
leader asked the pope to intercede (調解) for the release of hundreds of
political prisoners held in Venezuela and for a swift transition to
democracy.

Machado is touring Europe and the United States after escaping Venezuela in
early 2025.

The pope called for Venezuela to remain independent and urges the protection
of human rights following the capture (捕拿) of former President Nicolas
Maduro by U.S. forces.