■Crime
Prosecutors call for execution
The Nantou District Prosecutors' Office indicted serial killer Chen Jui-chin (陳瑞欽) and suggested the death penalty late on Thursday night. According to Nantou Prosecutor Hsieh Wei-cheng's (謝謂城) indictment, Chen was charged of raping and murdering his girlfriend Chen Yi-ling (陳怡伶), whose body had been found on May 12 in the Shanlinshi resort area, on May 11. The indictment said that Chen Jui-chin discovered that Chen Yi-ling was wealthy so he decided to murder her and steal her assets to solve his own financial problems. Chen Jui-chin tried to choke Chen Yi-ling to death. When Chen Yi-ling was unconscious, he then raped her. Afterwards, Chen Jui-chin hit Chen Yi-ling to death with a rock. He then dumped her body after he made sure that she had stopped breathing. In addition to the rape and murder, Chen Jui-chin also confessed that he had murdered his first, second and thrird sons to benefit from their life insurance policies. Currently, this part of the crimes was still being investigated by the Chiayi District Prosecutors' Office.
■ Travel
Cycling family nears finish
The four-member Taiwanese family is nearing the finish line of their round-the-world adventure. Huang Chin-pao (黃進寶), a welder, along with his wife and two teenaged sons, plan to take several days of rest in Spokane, Washington, before heading on to Seattle on Tuesday on the last leg of their 25,000km global trek that began in July last year. The family is scheduled to fly from Seattle to San Francisco on July 30 for a stay of several days before returning to Taiwan on Aug. 3. If everything goes smoothly, the family is expected to complete the 7,000km cross-America ride -- that so far has taken them from New York State, through Cleveland, Chicago, Minneapolis, Minot, Shelby, and on to Spokane -- and the 13-month globe-trotting journey about a month earlier than scheduled.
■ Environment
Quake jolts eastern Taiwan
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.4 on the open-ended Richter scale jolted eastern Taiwan at 10:41am yesterday, the Central Weather Bureau reported. The epicenter of the quake was located about 2km southwest of a seismograph station in Suao, Ilan County, at a depth of 72.6km, seismologists reported. The quake was felt almost everywhere in eastern, northern and central Taiwan. It had an intensity of 3.0 in Taipei County and in Ilan City and Ilan County. The quake registered an intensity of 2 in Taipei City, Keelung City, Taoyuan County and Miaoli County, Hualien County and Taichung, Nantou, Changhua and Yunlin counties.
■ Politics
Hualien poll numbers drawn
Polling numbers were drawn yesterday for the Hualien Country commissioner by-election where five candidates are in the race for the post left vacant by the death of the KMT's Chang Fu-hsiung (張福興) in May. The result of draw determines a candidate's placement on the ballot. Independent candidate Wu Kuo-tung (吳國棟) -- a KMT renegade -- drew the No. 1 spot while KMT-PFP alliance candidate Hsieh Shen-shan (謝深山) drew the No. 4 spot. DPP candidate You Ying-lung (游盈隆) will be listed third and Green Party candidate Chi Shu-ing (齊淑英) will be second. Independent Hsu Chia-chen (許家琛), who had abstained his right to draw, got No. 5 after an official from the election committee drew on his behalf. The election will be held Aug. 2.
FUKUOKA SITUATION: Japanese media reported that the pathogen is expected to be identified by the summer, while the CDC downplayed the idea that it was hMPV A “mysterious cold-like illness” reported in Japan’s Fukuoka Prefecture does not seem to be a new disease, but Japanese authorities have been asked about the situation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. The Fukuoka Prefectural Medical Association on Wednesday told a news conference that a “mystery cold” that has become a hot topic on social media is “highly likely to be caused by some kind of viral infection,” Japan’s KBC News reported. “Many people are experiencing symptoms starting with a sore throat, followed by a runny nose, phlegm and a severe cough,” KBC News reported, citing association officials. Health authorities are
Nvidia Corp CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) arrived in Taiwan yesterday ahead of upcoming AI and technology events, saying he plans to meet with clients and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) during his visit. After landing at Taipei Songshan Airport, Huang posed for photos with fans and handed out Yakult drinks to reporters and supporters waiting at the scene, saying he has “a lot to do” during the trip. Asked about reports that Nvidia’s planned headquarters site in Taipei’s Beitou Shilin Technology Park could break ground on May 27, Huang said that if the company holds an event, he would
The Ministry of Finance this afternoon announced the winning numbers for the March-April uniform invoice lottery. The winning number for the NT$10 million (US$318,060) special prize is 19531471, and the winning number for the NT$2 million grand prize is 85941329. Three numbers were drawn for the NT$200,000 first prize: 07225810, 20231230 and 83518781. Those with receipts matching the last seven digits of any of the first-prize numbers will win the NT$40,000 second prize, while those matching the last six digits will win the NT$10,000 third prize. Those whose receipts match the last five digits of the first-prize numbers can claim the NT$4,000 fourth prize,
Taiwan Travelogue (臺灣漫遊錄), which earlier this week became the first Taiwanese novel to win the International Booker Prize, is to be adapted into a television series through a Taiwan-Japan coproduction, producer Chang Chen-yu (張辰漁) said yesterday. Chang, a producer at World Softest Production Film Co, wrote on Facebook that the company had been searching for projects with international appeal that retain a strong Taiwanese identity after colleagues and Japanese partners strongly recommended the novel. After reading the book, Chang said he immediately decided to pursue the screen rights. “A great story has the power to transcend time and borders, and connect countless people,”
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