■ EMTERTAINMENT
Film wins at India festival
A politically charged Taiwanese film set in the 1950s won the top prize at India's international film festival on Monday, stealing the limelight from a Pakistani film about Muslims in a post-Sept. 11, 2001, world. The Wall, directed by Lin Chih-ju (林志儒), beat 13 films to win the Golden Peacock award for best film at the closing ceremony of the 38th International Film Festival of India in Goa. The story of a Japanese socialist hiding from Taiwanese authorities appealed to the jury for its depiction of ordinary people coping in politically challenging times. "As an audience, we were able to relate to something as abstract as politics through the real emotions of human beings," said jury member Robert Sarkies, a filmmaker from New Zealand. "Other films that touch upon political issues get lost in complexity." The film festival had screened 176 films from 46 countries by the time it wrapped up on Monday.
■ EDUCATION
Students top science test
Taiwanese students ranked first in science and fourth in mathematics in an international assessment program sponsored by the OECD, the Ministry of Education said yesterday while lauding the success of domestic educational reforms. A total of 8,815 15-year olds from 240 schools across the country participated in the Program for International Student Assessment, which was administered last year and involved about 400,000 students in 57 countries. Taiwan took 16th place in reading. The National Teachers' Association, however, said the rankings were meaningless because they did not reflect the ability of students but only that the local curriculum resembled those in the West. The association also said that the results could not be used as a benchmark to measure the progress of educational reform because it was the first time Taiwan participated in the test.
■ DIPLOMACY
China upset over US transit
China yesterday expressed "grave concern" over a US aircraft carrier's transit through the Taiwan Strait after Beijing denied it permission to make a port call in Hong Kong. "China has expressed grave concern to the US and requested that it take prudent moves in this highly sensitive area," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang (秦剛) told reporters. The US expressed anger after China abruptly canceled a long-planned Hong Kong port call on Nov. 21 to Nov. 24 by the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk and its battle group, sparking one of the sharpest diplomatic rows in years. The ship subsequently made for Japan, passing through the Taiwan Strait in what is believed to be the first such transit by a US aircraft carrier since 2002. US officials have said the route was chosen to avoid a storm further out to sea. But some analysts have said the carrier's passage through the strait was intended as a signal of US displeasure with China over the port call denial, as well as Beijing's ongoing military build-up aimed at Taiwan.
■ DIPLOMACY
Gambian president arrives
Gambian President Yahya Jammeh arrived in Taiwan yesterday for a five-day visit, Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials said. This is Jammeh's seventh visit to Taiwan as head of state, the officials said. During his visit, Jammeh will meet President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and visit Asustek Computer Inc, Motech Industries Inc, Sun Ten Pharmaceutical Co and the Fisheries Research Institute, they said.
Hong Kong-based American singer-songwriter Khalil Fong (方大同) has passed away at the age of 41, Fong’s record label confirmed yesterday. “With unwavering optimism in the face of a relentless illness for five years, Khalil Fong gently and gracefully bid farewell to this world on the morning of February 21, 2025, stepping into the next realm of existence to carry forward his purpose and dreams,” Fu Music wrote on the company’s official Facebook page. “The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to his luminous spirit, a timeless treasure for generations to come,” it said. Although Fong’s
China’s military buildup in the southern portion of the first island chain poses a serious threat to Taiwan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply, a defense analyst warned. Writing in a bulletin on the National Defense and Security Research’s Web site on Thursday, Huang Tsung-ting (黃宗鼎) said that China might choke off Taiwan’s energy supply without it. Beginning last year, China entrenched its position in the southern region of the first island chain, often with Russia’s active support, he said. In May of the same year, a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) force consisting of a Type 054A destroyer, Type 055 destroyer,
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was questioned by prosecutors for allegedly orchestrating an attack on a taxi driver after he was allegedly driven on a longer than necessary route in a car he disliked. The questioning at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office was ongoing as of press time last night. Police have recommended charges of attempted murder. The legally embattled actor — known for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代) — is under a separate investigation for allegedly using fake medical documents to evade mandatory military service. According to local media reports, police said Wang earlier last year ordered a
Taiwan is planning to expand the use of artificial intelligence (AI)-based X-ray imaging to customs clearance points over the next four years to curb the smuggling of contraband, a Customs Administration official said. The official on condition of anonymity said the plan would cover meat products, e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, large bundles of banknotes and certain agricultural produce. Taiwan began using AI image recognition systems in July 2021. This year, generative AI — a subset of AI which uses generative models to produce data — would be used to train AI models to produce realistic X-ray images of contraband, the official
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