■ MILITARY
US unveils missile mix-up
The US Defense Department yesterday announced that it had mistakenly shipped non-nuclear ballistic missile components to Taiwan from a US Air Force base in the state of Wyoming. It said the items have been returned to the US. At a Pentagon news conference, Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne said the misshipped items were four nose cone assemblies for ballistic missiles. They were sent instead of helicopter batteries that had been ordered by Taiwan, he said. Wynne said the matter was under investigation.
■ HEALTH
Dengue fever cases emerge
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday confirmed four more cases of dengue fever infections that were contracted overseas. The latest cases involve a three-year-old boy who recently traveled to Indonesia with his family, two businessmen with operations in Indonesia and an Indonesian national working in Taiwan, CDC officials said. The cases brought the number of overseas dengue fever infections to 18 so far this year, compared with 14 cases recorded during the same period last year, the officials said. Of the 18 cases, nine were contracted in Indonesia, three each originated in Vietnam and the Philippines and one each was contracted in India and Malaysia. The origin of the remaining case was uncertain because the patient traveled to two different countries. Last year, Taiwan recorded 179 cases of dengue fever contracted overseas, with 55 originating in Vietnam and 48 in Indonesia, according to the CDC. CDC officials advised travelers to Southeast Asia to wear long-sleeved shirts and use anti-mosquito repellent.
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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