Taipei prosecutors indicted Natio-nal Central University English Professor Josephine Ho (何春蕤) for offences against morality on Friday night after she posted a link on her university Web site to a bestiality portal earlier this year
Ho immediately issued a statement saying that different points of view on the dividing line between pornography and academic research should not be decided or judged by the law.
"Our Constitution protects people's freedom of speech, which includes academic research," Ho said. "I am worried that the case will become an obstacle for many other students or professors when they are processing their academic research in the future because of moral pressure."
In the statement, Ho said that she had explained to prosecutors that intercourse between humans and animals does exist. She said that this was the topic under research and also the reason why she posted the link to the "Beast Love" Web site. She said that it had nothing to do with pornography. Ho added she had removed the link as soon as the story appeared in newspapers earlier this year.
Taipei Prosecutor Yu Hsiu-duan (
Ho posted a link to "Beast Love," an Internet portal detailing intercourse between humans and animals, on the Web site of the university's Center for the Study of Sexuality where Ho has served as director for the past four years.
The site, which features graphic pictures and a manual on how to have sex with animals, sparked discussion on the fine line between pornography and academic research.
On June 23, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Tseng Tsai Mei-tsuo (
Lawyer Hsu Wen-bin (
"From a prosecutors' points of view, they want to take the advantage of the case to remind the public that there should be a big gap between pornography and academic research. However, it is also very difficult to define that," Hsu said.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
RSS