■ Society
DJ appeals deportation
The Taipei High Administra-tive Court opened an investigation yesterday into a request by former ICRT DJ Charles Mack that his deportation order be lifted. The Taipei Municipal Police Department ordered Mack, better known by his nickname "Chocolate," be deported by today, because of allegations that he had intentionally spread syphilis and sexually assaulted two male college students. Mack responded by issuing an open statement that said he was discriminated against because of his skin color and sexual orientation. He also filed a suit with the court to have the deportation order lifted so that he can continue living in Taiwan. The police department said that it has acted according to the Immigration Law (入出國及移民法), which states that foreigners who are a danger to public health or social order must be deported. Mack submitted hospital documents to show that he has been cured of syphilis and that he poses no danger of infecting others with the disease.
■ Diplomacy
Palau officials to visit
Two Palau ministers will visit Taipei next week to attend a party marking the relocation of the island nation's embassy to a foreign mission complex in Tienmou, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday. Officials said that Minister of State Temmy Shmull and Minister of Finance Elbuchel Sadang will preside over the tea party scheduled for Monday. The officials noted that since Taiwan and Palau established relations in December 1999, they have maintained close and friendly ties. Taiwan has donated medical equipment to prevent the spread of dengue fever and set up agricultural missions offering training classes and field demonstrations, as well as providing guidance to Palau farmers. Taiwanese tourists also made 28,000 visits to Palau last year, making the country the largest source of tourists for the West Pacific island, they added.
■ Politics
DPP caucus holds handover
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) held a legislative caucus leadership turnover ceremony yesterday. Legislator Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯) took over the position of director-general from Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁)while Lee Chun-yee (李俊毅) took over as secretary-general from Chiu Chui-chen (邱垂貞). Legislator Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) is staying on as convener for a third straight term. The three were elected to those positions by the 87-member caucus on Jan 12. The one-year tenure of DPP caucus leaders is longer than their counterparts in the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and People First Party (PFP), who vote on new whips each legislative session.
■ Crime
Pair indicted for murder
A motorcycle technician and his assistant were indicted yesterday for the rape and murder of a female insurance agent. According to the Taichung prosecutors' indictment, 39-year-old Chen Chin-huo (陳金火) attacked 28-year-old Shih Chin-chi (施金池) while she was making a business call and beat her unconscious. Chen's assistant, 20-year-old Kwang Teh-chiang (廣德強), then allegedly raped Shih at Chen's request. The prosecutors say Chen later chopped off Shih's arms and the legs and then dumped the body into the water tank of his home. Prosecutors have requested Chen's case be tried as a capital case, meaning he could face the death penalty. He has not confessed to the crimes. Prosecutors have asked for a 23-and-a-half-years sentence for Kwang.
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