■Justice
Sex book leads to indictment
A prosecutor has indicted a Japanese man for importing a controversial guidebook for sex-tourists in Taiwan's two biggest cities, officials said yesterday. Prosecutor Chen Hung-ta (陳宏達) from the Taipei District Court told reporters the guidebook was imported by Daisuke Sekine, the former chief of Japan's Kinokuniya bookstore in Taipei. Graphic photos in the book contravened Taiwanese obscenity laws, Chen told reporters. He said Sekine had defended himself by claiming the book simply depicted Taiwan nightlife and was not aware it was illegal. Sekine is since believed to have been transferred by his employers to Sydney and any punishment will be handed out in absentia. Under Taiwanese law, Sekine could be sentenced to up to three years in jail but legal experts said he is likely to be fined or given a probation. The book, which was published by a Japanese publishing house, sparked an outcry here last year. Since then the Japanese publisher has recalled the books after a protest from the Taiwanese government.
■ Globalization
Taiwan slips in ranking
A study by A.T. Kearney and Foreign Policy magazine published yesterday ranks Taiwan as the world's 34th most globalized nation, two positions behind its ranking last year. The study said that the 10 top countries meeting its annual globalization index are, in order: Ireland, Switzerland, Sweden, Singapore, the Netherlands, Denmark, Canada, Austria, the UK and Finland. The US ranked 11th, followed by France, Norway, Portugal, Czech Republic, New Zealand, Germany, Malaysia, Israel and Spain. China ranked 51st. Ireland is the "most global nation" for the second year in a row, thanks to its ability to socially integrate and maintain robust trade and investment with the rest of the world. According to A.T. Kearney, a global management firm, and Foreign Policy magazine, the globalization index measures economic, social, political and technological integration in 62 countries that represent 85 percent of the world's population and are responsible for 95 percent of the world's economic output.
■ Justice
Lo allowed to leave country
The Taipei District Court granted former legislator Lo Fu-chu (羅福助) permission to leave the country conditionally two days ago, despite the fact that the court is still preparing cases accusing him of fraud, breach of trust and other charges. According to a CNA report, Lo's lawyer, Chung Yung-sheng (鐘永盛) was reported as saying yesterday that Lo is traveling to Hong Kong to handle matters related to the extension of a bank loan.
■ Weather
Cold front expected
While rainy weather let up yesterday and temperatures rose, forecasters from the Central Weather Bureau said another cold front is expected to reach Taiwan tomorrow. According to the bureau, Tamsui was the coldest place in Taiwan early yesterday morning at 11.1°C, followed by Chiayi at 12.1°C, Taichung at 12.3°C and Taipei at 13.1°C. In the day-time, temperatures rose to 19°C in northern Taiwan, 23°C in Central Taiwan and 24°C in the southern areas. The bureau forecasts improved conditions for today, but it is expected the cold front will move south tomorrow. The front will not bring as cold weather as the previous front, and the lowest temperatures will probably hover around 12°C. The front, which will bring dry weather, will remain for approximately two days. Another cold front is forecast to arrive on Jan. 15.
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
Taiwan's Gold Apollo Co (金阿波羅通信) said today that the pagers used in detonations in Lebanon the day before were not made by it, but by a company called BAC which has a license to use its brand. At least nine people were killed and nearly 3,000 wounded when pagers used by Hezbollah members detonated simultaneously across Lebanon yesterday. Images of destroyed pagers analyzed by Reuters showed a format and stickers on the back that were consistent with pagers made by Gold Apollo. A senior Lebanese security source told Reuters that Hezbollah had ordered 5,000 pagers from Taiwan-based Gold Apollo. "The product was not
COLD FACTS: ‘Snow skin’ mooncakes, made with a glutinous rice skin and kept at a low temperature, have relatively few calories compared with other mooncakes Traditional mooncakes are a typical treat for many Taiwanese in the lead-up to the Mid-Autumn Festival, but a Taipei-based dietitian has urged people not to eat more than one per day and not to have them every day due to their high fat and calorie content. As mooncakes contain a lot of oil and sugar, they can have negative health effects on older people and those with diabetes, said Lai Yu-han (賴俞含), a dietitian at Taipei Hospital of the Ministry of Health and Welfare. “The maximum you can have is one mooncake a day, and do not eat them every day,” Lai