Pharmally International Holding Co chairman Tony Huang (黃文烈) — who is also known as Huang Wen-lieh — and other businesspeople, were indicted on charges of security fraud, stock manipulation and fraudulent financial reporting in 2020, the ministry said. Pharmally International Holding Co chairman Tony Huang, also known as Huang Wen-lieh, is pictured in an undated photograph. Reports said that Tony Huang traveled from Singapore to the UK, and was detained in Thailand during a transit on his return flight. Huang Tzu-yen and Chen apparently manage subsidiary companies in Singapore, and are also wanted in the Pharmally case, the ministry said. Wang encountered financial difficulties and sought assistance from Tony Huang, who had been investing in real estate in China’s Xiamen since 2003, investigators said.

Meta, Google aiding in removing fake investment adsBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterFrom April 10 to Friday last week, Meta Platforms Inc and Google Taiwan removed a combined 1,363 scam investment advertisements from their platforms, the Financial Supervisory Commission said yesterday, as it warned of the continuing prevalence of fraudulent information. That compares with the 39 scam ads they deleted a month earlier, the commission said. During the period, the commission detected 1,615 ads that were highly likely to be scams to Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, and Meta removed about 83 percent of them, or 1,338 ads, it said. Photo: Tyrone Su, ReutersThe commission found 105 suspicious ads on Google during the same period, with Google deleting 25 ads, or 24 percent of the total, it said. Besides partnering with online platforms, the commission said it is to tighten the Securities Investment Trust and Consulting Act (證券投資信託及顧問法) to curb investment misinformation.

Media need to verify AI content: NCCACCURACY: The NCC ordered SET News and Formosa News to improve their election day coverage after irregularities were discovered in their Nov. 26 vote count reportsBy Shelley Shan / Staff reporterBroadcast media must verify the authenticity of information before airing it, including content created using ChatGPT or other artificial intelligence (AI) generative applications, the National Communications Commission (NCC) said yesterday. “Broadcast media might use images and content generated by AI. Controversies caused by AI generative applications would still be addressed after the commission receives complaints from viewers, she added. The two news channels have been told to address the issues, NCC Vice Chairman and spokesman Wong Po-tsung (翁柏宗) said. “They should report vote counts based on valid sources, and explain how and where they get their voting data before the vote count begins,” Wong said.

YouBike’s plan for hack compensation, cybersecurity dueBy Tsai Ya-hua and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writerYouBike Co was given until today to draw up a plan to improve its cybersecurity and compensate the 40,593 people whose personal data was compromised in last week’s hacks, the Taipei Department of Transportation said on Tuesday. The hackers accessed the cellphone numbers of YouBike users and their passwords used for Web sites and platforms other than YouBike, and changed user e-ticket verification data and ride records, the company said. Photo: CNAThe cellphone numbers of the bike users — obtained via unknown means — were used to log in to the accounts using brute-force attacks, YouBike said. YouBike users need to use the forgotten password function on the official Web site to set new passwords and gain access to their accounts, it said. Fees for using the bicycle-sharing service are paid only at physical service points such as bike meters and customer service centers, it said.

Quality of NTU students decliningBy Chen Chi-nung 陳啟濃The controversial proposals by two candidates running for president and vice president of the student council at National Taiwan University’s (NTU) Economics Department have given society a glimpse of the “character” of NTU students. The proposals should have entailed issues that NTU students wish to address. There are many reasons why there has been a decline in the overall quality of NTU students. The fast-paced digital world might have also contributed to NTU students’ shallow mindsets. Campaign proposals can still be fun and interesting, but issuing crude and sexist proposals should be beneath any college student, let alone an NTU student.

Inflation to top central bank’s agendaMONETARY POLICY: Central bank governor Yang Chin-long said that his biggest concern is core CPI, as a high reading would suggest sticky inflationary pressuresBy Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterCore consumer prices would top the list of concerns when the central bank revisits its monetary policy next month, as headline inflation has held steady while core readings continue to rise, Governor Yang Chin-long (楊金龍) said yesterday. Yang shared his views on inflation and other economic issues while taking questions from lawmakers during a legislative hearing in Taipei, ahead of the central bank’s next board meeting on June 15. Central bank Governor Yang Chin-long speaks during a legislative session in Taipei yesterday. If core CPI climbs higher, the central bank could raise interest rates again to tame inflation, although it would also take the nation’s economic health into consideration, he said. Dining costs, once risen, have little chance of falling before the year-on-year comparison effect fades, Yang said, responding to comments the central bank has failed to rein in inflation.

PRC scammer uses AI to steal millionsDEEPFAKE: Using AI to change their face and voice, a fraudster convinced a businessman that they were his friend and needed 4.3 million yuan for a public tenderAFP, BEIJINGA scammer in China used artificial intelligence (AI) to pose as a businessman’s trusted friend and convince him to hand over millions of yuan, authorities have said. The victim, surnamed Guo, received a video call last month from a person who looked and sounded like a close friend. The scammer was “masquerading as [Guo’s] good friend and perpetrating fraud,” the article said. The potential pitfalls of AI have received heightened attention since OpenAI in November launched ChatGPT, a chatbot that mimics human speech. The potential pitfalls of groundbreaking AI technology have received heightened attention since US-based OpenAI in November last year launched ChatGPT, a chatbot that mimics human speech.

Students accused of using devil’s ivy to poison classmateBy Tsai Shu-yuan and Kayleigh Madjar / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe Taichung City Government has said that it is investigating an alleged poisoning of an elementary-school student by their classmates using sugar water laced with devil’s ivy. A devil’s ivy plant is pictured in an undated photograph. Through online research they decided on either devil’s ivy, Asian taro or oleander, and chose one at random, it said. Asian taro and devil’s ivy are in the Araceae family of plants, which contain calcium oxalate crystals and saponins, Taichung Veterans General Hospital Department of Toxicology doctor Mao Yen-chiao (毛彥喬) said. The crystals can cause redness and mild pain if touched, and can cause mouth sores, throat pain, abdominal pain and diarrhea if ingested, Mao said.

Carlsen, Ding to join new chess league in DubaiReutersReigning world champion Ding Liren and top-ranked Magnus Carlsen are to participate in next month’s inaugural franchise-based Global Chess League (GCL), organizers said yesterday. Carlsen and Ding are to join as two of six “icon” players, along with Indian grandmaster Viswanathan Anand and Poland’s Jan-Krzysztof Duda. Norwegian chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen poses for photographers at the Breakthrough Prize ceremony at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, California, on April 15. Chinese chess grandmaster Ding Liren speaks to reporters during a news conference at the Superbet Chess Classic Romania at the Grand Hotel Bucharest on May 11. Photo: EPA-EFEDubai also staged the 2021 Chess World Championship, when Carlsen won his fifth title.

Chinese public not so keen on unification: pollINVASION UNPOPULAR: Chinese would likely accept their government having a softer stance toward cross-strait relations, one of the coauthors of the article saidBy William Hetherington / Staff writer, with CNAInterest among the Chinese public in the issue of China’s unification with Taiwan is low, researchers said, citing the results of a poll. An article titled “Assessing Public Support for (Non-)Peaceful Unification with Taiwan: Evidence from a Nationwide Survey in China,” published in the Journal of Contemporary China on May 14, showed that only 55 percent of those surveyed in China would support the use of military force to achieve unification with Taiwan. Chinese and Taiwanese flags are pictured in an illustration taken on April 28 last year. “This obviously does not support [Chinese President] Xi Jinping’s (習近平) statement that ‘the whole country is eagerly looking forward to the return of Taiwan,’” she said. Based on research on the level of self-censorship practiced by Chinese when taking polls, the actual percentage of those who support military force might be closer to 25 percent, he said.

Australia lays on rock-star welcome for India PM ModiAFP, SYDNEYAustralia yesterday offered Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi a rock-star welcome, lavishing praise on the Indian leader during a visit heavy on trade and light on criticism. Modi held a campaign-style rally at a 21,000-capacity Sydney arena, with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese playing emcee. Dancers perform ahead of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s arrival to attend an Indian community event at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia, yesterday. Photo: APTo chants of “Modi, Modi, Modi,” Albanese introduced his “dear friend” to a jazzed-up crowd of Indian-Australians, who he praised for making Australia “stronger and more inclusive.”“The last time I saw someone on the stage here was Bruce Springsteen and he didn’t get the welcome that Prime Minister Modi has got,” Albanese said. “Prime Minister Modi is the boss,” he said, breaking into a broad smile and boasting the pair had met six times in the past year.

Uncertainty holding back foreign investors in ChinaAP, BEIJINGForeign companies in China are uncertain about what they are allowed to do following police raids on consulting firms, and want “greater clarity” about how newly expanded national security and other rules would be enforced, a foreign business group said yesterday. British Chamber of Commerce in China chairman Julian MacCormac speaks at a press launch for a position paper on UK business in China at a hotel in Beijing yesterday. Photo: AP“If there is greater clarity and greater certainty, then we believe that companies will commit more to China,” chamber chairman Julian MacCormac told a news conference. Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) government says foreign companies are welcome and is trying to encourage them to invest more. “It raises uncertainty about, what’s the future like for me as a company in China?” he said.

EDITORIAL: Sharing responsibility for peaceAt a news conference marking the seventh anniversary of her presidency at the Presidential Office in Taipei, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Saturday vowed to maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait in the face of China’s political and military intimidation. “The global consensus is clear: The Taiwan Strait issue must be resolved peacefully; war is not an option. “Maintaining the status quo of peace and stability is the consensus for the world and Taiwan,” Tsai said. Peace in the Taiwan Strait has become a top agenda item for the international community. Maintaining the cross-strait “status quo” on the basis of Taiwan’s freedom and sovereignty is also the largest common denominator among Taiwanese.

MOFA vows to do its best to help after NY complaintBy Liu Tzu-hsuan / Staff reporterMinister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) yesterday said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) would do its best to assist overseas Taiwanese in need. The remarks came after a Taiwanese student expressed disappointment at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York after seeking help from there following an attack. He said that the ministry and all foreign embassies and missions would do their utmost to assist overseas Taiwanese. The ministry condemned any violence, including racial discrimination and verbal or physical violence, and said that it would ask offices in the US to keep in touch with overseas Taiwanese to offer help when needed. In case of an emergency that threatens personal safety, people should take measures to protect themselves and immediately contact local law enforcement agencies or the nearest Taiwanese office abroad for assistance, it said.

When the Korean War broke out in June 1950, US forces in Japan significantly contributed as part of the UN armed forces. In the face of tensions between South Korea and North Korea, Washington has increased its military deployment in the Korean Peninsula to counter the CCP. Instead, the US has taken advantage of its relations with South Korea to advance US interests in Northeast Asia. First, if the conflict in the Korean Peninsula intensifies, the US’ presence there would allow it to gain more leverage from the six-party talks (China, Japan, North Korea, Russia, South Korea and the US). Third, the US is trying to exchange benefits with North Korea to curb China, with an aim to obtain a military advantage.