Peter Chou (周永明), chief executive officer of Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC Corp (宏達電), has been named as one of the torchbearers for the London Olympic Games, the company announced yesterday.
Chou will be among the 8,000 people who will carry the Olympic flame on a 70-day tour of the UK, starting on May 19. He will run with the torch in London on July 6, three weeks before the opening ceremony on July 27.
“I’m honored to be named as one of the torchbearers of the London 2012 Olympic Games,” Chou said. “I hope I can shine on behalf of Taiwan.”
Each runner will carry a gold-colored triangular torch.
Chou said the honor also means a lot to HTC, as the company started in Europe and began its brand road map in London in 2006. This deeply demonstrates the company’s long-term commitment to consumers in Europe, he said.
The Olympic Flame stands for peace, unity and friendship. It will be lit in Greece and will arrive in the UK on May 18, where it will be carried through 1,019 communities.

Mercuries Life Insurance Co (三商美邦人壽) shares surged to a seven-month high this week after local media reported that E.Sun Financial Holding Co (玉山金控) had outbid CTBC Financial Holding Co (中信金控) in the financially strained insurer’s ongoing sale process. Shares of the mid-sized life insurer climbed 5.8 percent this week to NT$6.72, extending a nearly 18 percent rally over the past month, as investors bet on the likelihood of an impending takeover. The final round of bidding closed on Thursday, marking a critical step in the 32-year-old insurer’s search for a buyer after years of struggling to meet capital adequacy requirements. Local media reports

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The DBS Foundation yesterday announced the launch of two flagship programs, “Silver Motion” and “Happier Caregiver, Healthier Seniors,” in partnership with CCILU Ltd, Hondao Senior Citizens’ Welfare Foundation and the Garden of Hope Foundation to help Taiwan face the challenges of a rapidly aging population. The foundation said it would invest S$4.91 million (US$3.8 million) over three years to foster inclusion and resilience in an aging society. “Aging may bring challenges, but it also brings opportunities. With many Asian markets rapidly becoming super-aged, the DBS Foundation is working with a regional ecosystem of like-minded partners across the private, public and people sectors

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