WEATHER
Taipei warns of mudslides
The Taipei Disaster Prevention and Rescue Office yesterday urged people to avoid mountainous areas and areas near bodies of water over the weekend. After heavy rains in the past week, the soil on Yangmingshan (陽明山) is saturated, which could cause mudslides, the office said, adding that two small mudslides had been recorded in Nangang District’s (南港) Jioujhuang (舊庄) area. The office said that Tropical Depression 26 is forecast to cross the Bashi Channel, potentially affecting the weather in Taipei today and tomorrow. The office said Taipei City Government workers are inspecting disaster prevention facilities.
POLITICS
Probe of candidate urged
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators yesterday filed a request with the Control Yuan to investigate a personal assets declaration submitted by independent Miaoli County commissioner candidate Chung Tung-chin (鍾東錦). Chung, who is Miaoli County Council speaker, had his membership in the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) revoked after registering independently last month. The request, filed by DPP lawmakers Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) and Shen Fa-hui (沈發惠), says that Chung might have concealed some of his investments and falsified information in contravention of the Act on Property Declaration by Public Servants (公職人員財產申報法). “Chung holds many properties... How much more has he kept in the dark?” Hung said. DPP officials have presented documents that they say show that Chung owns 159 properties.
POLITICS
Plagiarism claims dismissed
Chung Hua University on Thursday dismissed a plagiarism allegation against Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Hsinchu mayoral candidate Lin Ken-jeng (林耕仁). A review committee concluded that Lin did not plagiarize his 2005 master’s thesis, but found “flaws” in the thesis, the university said in a statement. Lin was last month accused by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers of copying the work of a man surnamed Tai (戴), who submitted his thesis at the university in 2004. The committee crossed-checked the two theses, concluding that the “allegation was not substantiated,” it said. However, it found that some subtitles in Lin’s thesis were identical to those in Tai’s thesis, it said. These were “flaws” that could have been avoided if Lin had had a serious attitude toward his academic work, it added. Lin was also accused of plagiarizing his second master’s thesis from National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University. The university established a committee to review the 2011 thesis early last month and said a result was expected within 120 days.
DIPLOMACY
German delegation to arrive
Members of the German Bundestag’s Committee on Human Rights and Humanitarian Aid are to visit Taiwan from tomorrow to Wednesday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday. The six-member delegation led by German lawmaker Peter Heidt would be the second group of Bundestag members to visit Taiwan this month, it said. They are scheduled to meet with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) and ministers without portfolio Lo Ping-cheng (羅秉成) and Huang Chih-ta (黃致達), it said. They would also meet with National Human Rights Commission Chairwoman Chen Chu (陳菊) and visit the National Human Rights Museum, it said.
EVA Airways today confirmed the death of a flight attendant on Saturday upon their return to Taiwan and said an internal investigation has been launched, as criticism mounted over a social media post accusing the airline of failing to offer sufficient employee protections. According to the post, the flight attendant complained of feeling sick on board a flight, but was unable to take sick leave or access medical care. The crew member allegedly did not receive assistance from the chief purser, who failed to heed their requests for medical attention or call an ambulance once the flight landed, the post said. As sick
A drunk woman was sexually assaulted inside a crowded concourse of Taipei Railway Station on Thursday last week before a foreign tourist notified police, leading to calls for better education on bystander intervention and review of security infrastructure. The man, surnamed Chiu (邱), was taken into custody on charges of sexual assault, taking advantage of the woman’s condition and public indecency. Police discovered that Chiu was a fugitive with prior convictions for vehicle theft. He has been taken into custody and is to complete his unserved six-month sentence, police said. On Thursday last week, Chiu was seen wearing a white
EVA Airways, one of the leading international carriers in Taiwan, yesterday said that it was investigating reports that a cabin crew manager had ignored the condition of a sick flight attendant, who died on Saturday. The airline made the statement in response to a post circulating on social media that said that the flight attendant on an outbound flight was feeling sick and notified the cabin crew manager. Although the flight attendant grew increasingly ill on the return flight, the manager did not contact Medlink — a system that connects the aircraft to doctors on the ground for treatment advice during medical
The Taichung District Court yesterday confirmed its final ruling that the marriage between teenage heir Lai (賴) and a man surnamed Hsia (夏) was legally invalid, preventing Hsia from inheriting Lai’s NT$500 million (US$16.37 million) estate. The court confirmed that Hsia chose not to appeal the civil judgement after the court handed down its ruling in June, making the decision final. In the June ruling, the court said that Lai, 18, and Hsia, 26, showed “no mutual admiration before the marriage” and that their interactions were “distant and unfamiliar.” The judge concluded that the couple lacked the “true intention of
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