■ Crime
Sex party bust nets drugs
Taipei police busted 27 men at a sex party on Saturday, finding a variety of drugs. Late Saturday night, the Taipei Police Headquarters' Chungshan Precinct broke into an apartment on Chienkuo North Road and forcibly halted the sex and drug party. The naked arrestees asked the police to show a search warrant and accused the officers of trampling their human rights, as they noted the media were waiting outside the apartment. The police officers said they found drugs including ecstasy and the latest 5Meo-peace from Japan. Twenty-seven men were sent to the police station for interrogation and examination. Two men were found to be HIV-positive. They said condoms were used during sexual intercourse. Police officials said that "others had not seemed to concern themselves with the news of HIV-positive party partners."
■ Politics
Chirac's words `regretful'
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs regrets that French President Jacques Chirac felt it necessary to criticize Taiwan for what he called moves to upset the status quo across the Taiwan Strait, ministry spokesman Michel Lu (呂慶隆) said yesterday. Referring to the warning made by Chirac to Taiwan's leadership in a meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Hu Jintao (胡錦濤), in Beijing the day before, Lu said that it is Taiwan's desire and the direction of its policies to settle peacefully cross-Taiwan Strait issues. It is regrettable that Chirac made the comment regarding Taiwan in an "unacceptable manner," particularly when President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) expressed goodwill toward Beijing in his National Day address, Lu noted.
■ Diplomacy
Embassies host parties
Embassies and representative offices abroad held a variety of activities on Saturday to celebrate Double Ten National Day, according to Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials. The embassy in the Dominican Republic organized a charity activity at a stadium because the Caribbean country is still suffering from damage caused by a recent hurricane. The embassy staff made pizzas and hot dogs for 625 orphans gathered at the stadium, where Dominican Republic First Lady Margarita Cedeno de Fernandez was in attendance. Donations of US$62,267 were collected from Taiwanese expatriates and the government. Taiwanese expatriates living around the world, including southern California, New Jersey, Texas, Spain and Thailand also held a series of activities to celebrate the nation's birthday.
■ Diplomacy
Chen, Lu meet VIP guests
President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) received foreign dignitaries yesterday at the Presidential Office for the Double Ten National Day celebrations. Chen and Lu expressed their gratitude to those who had arrived from overseas, including Swaziland Prime Minister Absalom Dlamini, Chad Minister of Foreign Affairs Nagoum Yamassoum, Malawi National Assembly Speaker Rodwell Munyenyembe and Palau Grand Judge Arthur Ngiraklsong. Also present were American Institute in Taiwan Director Douglas Paal, Japanese Interchange Association in Taipei Director Masaji Takahashi, and Burkina Faso Ambassador Jacques Sawadogo. Chen and Lu also received legislative delegations from Nicaragua, Saudi Arabia, the US, Japan, South Korea, Iceland, Latvia, Poland and Russia, as well as 34 journalists from around the world.
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck off the coast of Hualien County in eastern Taiwan at 7pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter of the temblor was at sea, about 69.9km south of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 30.9km, it said. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake’s intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County’s Changbin Township (長濱), where it measured 5 on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 4 in Hualien, Nantou, Chiayi, Yunlin, Changhua and Miaoli counties, as well as
Taiwan is to have nine extended holidays next year, led by a nine-day Lunar New Year break, the Cabinet announced yesterday. The nine-day Lunar New Year holiday next year matches the length of this year’s holiday, which featured six extended holidays. The increase in extended holidays is due to the Act on the Implementation of Commemorative and Festival Holidays (紀念日及節日實施條例), which was passed early last month with support from the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party. Under the new act, the day before Lunar New Year’s Eve is also a national holiday, and Labor Day would no longer be limited
COMMITMENTS: The company had a relatively low renewable ratio at 56 percent and did not have any goal to achieve 100 percent renewable energy, the report said Pegatron Corp ranked the lowest among five major final assembly suppliers in progressing toward Apple Inc’s commitment to be 100 percent carbon neutral by 2030, a Greenpeace East Asia report said yesterday. While Apple has set the goal of using 100 percent renewable energy across its entire business, supply chain and product lifecycle by 2030, carbon emissions from electronics manufacturing are rising globally due to increased energy consumption, it said. Given that carbon emissions from its supply chain accounted for more than half of its total emissions last year, Greenpeace East Asia evaluated the green transition performance of Apple’s five largest final
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
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