U.S. President Donald Trump says he has held a long phone call with Chinese
President Xi Jinping, with topics including trade, military matters, Taiwan,
and a planned visit to China.

Trump wrote on his social media platform that the call was "very good" and
covered many issues, but he did not give details on what was said about
Taiwan.

China's state news agency Xinhua reported that Xi told Trump the Taiwan issue
is the most important issue in U.S.-China relations, and urged the U.S. to
handle arms sales to Taiwan with great care.

Xinhua also reported that Trump said he takes China's concerns on Taiwan
seriously and would work to keep U.S.-China ties stable (穩定) during his
term.

After the call, a White House official, speaking on background, said that
U.S. policy toward Taiwan has not changed.

Trump mentioned plans to visit China in April, and also listed the
Russia-Ukraine war and the current situation in Iran.

He said China may buy more U.S. oil and natural gas, and increase soybean
purchases (購買黃豆) this season to 20 million tons.

Trump said relations between the two countries, and his personal relationship
with Xi, remain very good, and he is looking forward to the April trip.

(PB)

The Central Weather Administration says a tropical depression (熱帶性低氣壓)
east of the Philippines has strengthened into a tropoical storm (輕度颱風).

The system became a storm last night and is this year's No. 2 storm, named
Penha.

Forecasters say it is expected to move generally westward, and will NOT have
a direct impact on Taiwan.

As of last night, the storm was moving west-southwest at about 24 kilometers
per hour.

(PB)

In world news...

The US is proposing a preferential trade bloc (關鍵礦產商業聯盟) with price
floors (價格下限機制) for critical minerals (重要礦物) - aimed at displacing
(替換) China as the global leader in mining and processing.

Vice President JD Vance made the announcement in front of delegates from more
than 50 countries - who are in Washington for the White House's inaugural
Critical Minerals Ministerial summit (關鍵礦產部長級會議).

Toni Waterman has more.

Ukrainian and Russian officials held a first day of new U.S.-brokered talks
in Abu Dhabi, and Kyiv's lead negotiator called it productive (有建設性).

A U.S. official also described the meetings as productive, and said talks
will continue on Thursday.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the talks must lead to real
peace and not give Russia more time to keep fighting.

Zelenskiy said Ukraine expects the talks to lead to a new prisoner exchange
(囚犯交換) soon.

As the talks began, Donetsk regional Governor said a Russian strike hit a
crowded market in eastern Ukraine, killing at least 7 people.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said it is significant that technical
military teams from both sides are meeting with U.S. experts involved.

The sides remain far apart, with Russia demanding Ukraine give up more land,
while Ukraine wants the war frozen along current front lines (前線).

U.S. and Iranian officials say they will hold talks in Muscat, Oman, on
Friday.

The two sides remain split on what the talks should cover (包括).

Washington says negotiations must include Iran's missile program and other
issues, not only nuclear matters.

Iran says it will discuss only its nuclear programs, and calls its missile
program off the table.

President Donald Trump said Iran's Supreme Leader "should be very worried,"
and said Iran is negotiating.

The talks come as the U.S. builds up forces in the Middle East, raising
concern about a wider conflict.

25 years

The Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington says a female Asian elephant
calf (亞洲象寶寶) has been born, the first there in almost 25 years.

The zoo says the calf was born on Monday to 12-year-old mother Nhi Linh and
44-year-old father Spike.

A neonatal exam (新生兒檢查) found the calf looked healthy, and weighed about
140 kilograms.

Zoo officials say the calf will help genetic diversity (基因多樣化) because
the parents' genes are not well represented in zoos.

The calf will spend up to a month bonding with her mother (依附媽媽象), the
herd (象群) and keepers before going on public view.

The zoo says the public will choose the calf's name in a poll of 4 options,
ending on February 13.

The Ministry of Education says tuition and miscellaneous fees (雜費) will not
rise for the 2025 to 2027 academic years.

The ministry says the policy follows an Executive Yuan special budget to
support public and private colleges and universities.

Officials estimate the freeze will benefit about 910-thousand students each
year.

The ministry says it is also continuing broader measures to reduce education
costs, including fee reductions, grants, loans, and scholarships.

It says private college students can get up to $35-thousand NT a year in fee
cuts, and disadvantaged students can receive up to $55-thousand NT.

The ministry also says students from families earning under $1.2 million NT a
year can get student loans with zero interest while enrolled (有註冊).

It adds that there's a pilot scholarship for 8-thousand low-income top
students in 2025, paying $8-thousand or $10-thousand NT a month for nine
months.

(PB)

Weather expert Wu Der-Rong (吳德榮) says Taiwan will stay sunny and stable
through Friday, with big temperature swings between day and night
(日夜溫差大).

He says daytime highs may top 25 degrees, but nights and early mornings will
feel chilly.

Wu says a front is expected to arrive around midnight on Friday, bringing
cold weather to the north again.

Over the weekend and into Monday, he says cold air may reach cold-wave
strength (可能到寒流), bringing wet and chilly weather to central and
northern Taiwan.

Model forecasts suggest Taipei could drop below 10 degrees, and lows on the
main island plains could fall to about 6 degrees.

The Central Weather Administration says today's lowest early-morning
temperature was 10.6 degrees in Fenglin, Hualien.

(PB)

In world news....

The man convicted (已被定罪) of killing former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo
Abe in 2022 has appealed (上訴) his life sentence.

Japanese media say Tetsuya Yamagami filed the appeal on Wednesday in Nara.

A court there sentenced him to life in prison last month.

Prosecutors had sought a life term.

The Nara District Court rejected a defense argument that Yamagami's "tragic"
upbringing (悲劇性的成長) should reduce his punishment.

Abe was fatally shot during a campaign event in 2022.

The appeal means the case will now move to a higher court for review.

The United States says it shot down an Iranian drone that 'aggressively'
approached an aircraft carrier.

AP's Lisa Dwyer reports on heightened tensions between the U.S. and Iran.

French police raided the X office in Paris on Tuesday as prosecutors widened
an investigation into the platform.

French prosecutors say the probe started in January last year over suspected
algorithm abuse and fraudulent data extraction.

Prosecutors say the case now also covers alleged distribution of child sexual
abuse images and sexually explicit deepfakes (深偽) linked to the Grok
chatbot.

Billionaire Elon Musk and former CEO Linda Yaccarino were summoned for a
hearing (召喚去法庭聽證會) on April 20, according to the prosecutor's office.

In United Kingdom, the privacy watchdog Information Commissioner's Office
opened a formal probe into Grok over personal data and harmful sexualized
images.

The KMT's New Taipei party chief Huang Chih-hsiung (黃志雄) says the party
plans to settle its mayoral nominee by Feb. 15th.

Speaking in an interview, he says the main prospects are Taipei Deputy Mayor
Lee Szu-chuan (李四川) and New Taipei Deputy Mayor Liu Ho-ran (劉和然).

Huang adds that talks are underway, and the party wants a decision before the
Lunar New Year holiday.

He says the KMT prefers coordination instead of a primary because both men
are serving as deputy mayors...

...and that if talks fail, the party could still hold a primary (初選).

Huang says the party plans to nominate 36 council candidates and aims to win
34 seats.

The New Taipei City Council says the 2026 election will have 68 seats, up
from 66 in 2022, so a majority will be 35.

(PB)

Nvidia's Jensen Huang is confirming that he will return to Taiwan in June to
attend Computex (電腦展).

He said before departing Taiwan on Monday that the company would plan to make
several new announcements and to deliver a keynote address (主題演講).

Huang said that the purpose of his latest weekend visit to Taiwan was to
celebrate the Lunar New Year and to thank Nvidia's partners for their
support.

He added that he would try to attend any related ceremonies or large events
for the signing for Nvidia's new Taiwan headquarters in Taipei later this
month.

LINE Pay Money says it has updated its registration system after users
flagged a problem with the nationality field (國籍方面).

The service launched in December, and some users said the sign-up process
(註冊) did not fit people verifying identity with a residence permit
(居留證).

Under Taiwan's Nationality Act, some residence permit holders are ROC
nationals without household registration, not foreign nationals.

Users said the system originally offered only foreign nationalities, leaving
those ROC nationals without a valid option to complete sign-up.

One user later found a new choice listed as "Taiwan, Province of China" and
called it inaccurate under Taiwan's legal classifications.

LINE Pay Money told reporters it overlooked (忽略了) the need for a local
nationality option when using residence-permit verification.

The company says it has now added an option shown as "Taiwan, R.O.C." to
address the issue.

(PB)

Qatar says United Nations peacekeepers in Congo will send a first team in the
coming days to monitor a ceasefire with the AFC/M23 rebel group (叛軍).

Qatar says the team will deploy to (派駐到) Uvira, a strategic city in the
east.

AFC/M23 fighters captured Uvira in December, and government forces and allied
militias re-entered it last month after the rebels said they would withdraw
(撤軍).

Qatar says direct talks in Doha produced detailed rules for the ceasefire
monitoring mechanism (停火監督機制) agreed in October, and renewed
commitments under a broader framework signed in November.

The push comes as fighting continues in eastern Congo.

Congolese authorities say explosive-laden drones targeted the airport serving
Kisangani over the weekend.

Reports say the United States is also hosting separate talks between Congo
and Rwanda, which is accused of backing (支持) AFC/M23, an allegation Kigali
denies.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that the United States and India
have agreed on a new trade deal.

Trump said U.S. tariffs on Indian goods would drop to 18-percent from
50-percent if India stops buying Russian oil and lowers trade barriers
(降低貿易障礙).

A White House official said the U.S. would also remove a separate 25-percent
duty tied to India’s Russian oil purchases.

Trump said the plan includes India buying more U.S. energy and other American
goods, including about $500 billion US dollars in purchases.

Reuters reports key details are still unclear, and the White House had not
yet issued the notices needed to make the changes official.

Indian stocks listed in the U.S. rose after the announcement, while some U.S.
business groups welcomed progress and others criticized higher tariffs.

The Executive Yuan had released a new report detailing steps to improve
conscription training (義務兵役訓練) for the military.

The report says the 8-week basic program now includes machine guns, drones,
anti-armor rockets (反裝甲火箭), and Stinger missiles (刺針飛彈).

It says conscripts will get role-based training after unit assignments
(下部隊後根據軍種受訓), plus larger combat drills and more live-fire
exercises (實彈演練).

The Ministry of National Defense plans infantry battalions (步兵營) of
one-year conscripts to train with combined-arms brigades (聯合旅) in
live-fire drills.

The Cabinet says it is also trying to retain volunteers (留住志願役軍人) by
easing some enlistment rules and improving welfare, pay, and benefits.

It says the military is building tools and mechanisms to respond to gray-zone
pressure, cyberattacks, and cognitive warfare linked to China.

(PB)

The Taipei Zoo says its 12-year-old giant panda Yuanzai passed a full medical
exam.

The zoo says the biennial check on Friday was led by its veterinarians with
help from National Taiwan University and National Taiwan University Hospital
specialists.

The tests included blood work, X-rays, ultrasounds, a CT scan (電腦斷層掃描),
and eye and dental exams.

The zoo says Yuanzai's organ functions and blood values were within ideal
ranges.

Veterinarians found normal tooth wear (牙齒磨損) and no signs of dental
disease, crediting keepers' daily care.

Imaging showed minor spinal bone spurs (脊髓骨刺), described as a common
age-related change, and they will be monitored.

The zoo says Yuanzai recovered smoothly and has returned to her normal
routine in Taipei.

(PB)

Meteorologist Wu Derong says those in the north are experiencing rather cold
weather today as a continental cold air mass strengthens a little.

The Central Weather Administration says the lowest temperature in the plains
earlier today was 12.5 degrees in Xinzhu Hukou.

But temperatures are expected to rise steadily starting tomorrow with skies
clearing up as the cold air mass weakens.

Wu says Wednesday through Friday will turn drier and colder at night, with
big day-night swings (日夜溫差大) and some plains areas near 10 degrees or
lower due to radiative cooling effects.

And then a frontal system should arrive late Friday, bringing rain and
cooling in northern Taiwan, with wet and cold weather on Saturday from
central Taiwan northward.

Low temperatures can drop to some 8 degrees in the low-land and coastal
areas, but forecasts are still being adjusted.

(PB)

In world news...

Iran warned on Sunday that a U.S. attack could trigger a regional conflict,
as tensions rise with the United States.

In a retaliatory move, Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said
Iran will designate European Union armies as "terrorist groups," and may
consider expelling EU military attaches.

The move follows an EU decision last week to list Islamic Revolutionary Guard
Corps as a terrorist organization.

U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly warned of intervention, and the
U.S. has increased its naval presence in the Middle East.

Both sides have also signaled possible talks, with Turkiye and other regional
players urging de-escalation (降低.

An Iranian official denied reports of planned live-fire exercises in the
Strait of Hormuz, saying the media reports were wrong.

Iranian top leader Ali Khamenei said Iran does not seek conflict, but would
respond strongly if attacked.

Britain's former Prince Andrew can't escape Epstein's shadow as new documents
reveal details about their friendship.

King Charles III stripped (剝奪) his brother Andrew's titles as prince and
Duke of York came into effect in November last year.

AP correspondent Julie Walker reports.