■ SOCIETY
Divorce hurting children
The Hualien branch of a social welfare group said yesterday that society should pay more attention to the impact of the growing divorce rate on children, with children often being raised by single mothers. Chen Ching-hui (陳清輝), director of the Hualien branch of the Chinese Fund for Children and Families, said the number of children in Hualien County receiving monetary subsidies from the organization was increasing at a rate of more than 300 annually. Chen said that a study conducted by the organization showed that most of the newly registered children were from households with divorced single parents, a demographic that was increasing by about 200 per year. The organization has lifted its threshold for applicants seeking economic handouts and is providing monthly monetary aid amounting to NT$5 million (US$164,000) to some 3,000 children from about 1,300 families in Hualien County, Chen said.
■ SCIENCE
NARL decides on new home
The National Science Council’s National Applied Research Laboratories (NARL) said it would build its marine research center in Kaohsiung County. The facility will serve as headquarters for marine technology research and development, long-term observation of the nation’s marine environment and biology, and the training and cultivation of marine technology talent, NARL said. The national research center will also promote cooperation with other countries and organizations in the development of marine technology, push for the sustainable use of marine resources, and conduct marine disaster control and prevention. The headquarters, which will be located at Hsingta Port in Jiading Township (茄萣), will be built on a 6.6 hectare plot of land, while a wharf at the port will be renovated to accommodate four research ships.
■ HEALTH
Chiayi unveils tax exemption
Recreational businesses in Chiayi County that temporarily halted their operations because of the enterovirus outbreak can now apply for entertainment tax exemption. The county government’s Finance and Taxation Bureau said the move was part of efforts to halt the spread of enterovirus. As of Friday, 296 serious enterovirus cases — with 10 fatalities — had been confirmed around the country this year. The bureau said any businesses that decided to interrupt operations over enterovirus concerns could apply for the exemption, which would be granted after their case is examined by bureau officials.
■ CRIME
Fake ID ring busted
Law enforcement officials busted an eight-member forgery ring selling fake identification cards, driver’s licenses and various certificates, the Kaohsiung Public Prosecutors’ Office said on Friday. The office said prosecutors, supported by communications intercepts, raided 13 locations in Kaohsiung, Taoyuan and Taipei on Thursday and arrested the ring leader and his seven accomplices. The group had placed ads in newspapers to attract customers and sold certificates for NT$30,000 to NT$50,000. Police estimated that the ring had sold at least 1,000 fake IDs and certificates, including a fake license to practice medicine. A Chinese woman and her Taiwanese husband were among the accomplices and allowed their names to be used to make fake IDs, driver’s licenses and property ownership certificates. Through its operations, the ring managed to get more than NT$78 million (US$2.57 million) in loans from Taipei Fubon Bank, Shanghai Commercial & Savings Bank and Union Bank of Taiwan.
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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