CRIME
Media personality indicted
Prosecutors yesterday indicted media personality Lucifer Chu (朱學恒) on charges of indecent assault following a probe into claims he groped and forcibly kissed Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei City Councilor Chung Pei-chun (鍾沛君) at a restaurant on Aug. 6 last year. Chu could face between six months and five years in prison if found guilty, the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said in a statement. In a social media post on June 8, Chung wrote that a few days after the incident, she, accompanied by her lawyer, had demanded that Chu write and sign a letter of apology and to promise to stay away from her. However, Chu’s letter made no mention of the “indecent assault,” Chung said. She later filed a complaint with prosecutors against Chu, who she said had shown “no remorse for his behavior.”
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
EDUCATION
Mandarin immersion offered
National Sun Yat-sen University (NSYSU) yesterday said that a Mandarin immersion school at its Kaohsiung campus operated by the Vermont-based Middlebury College is to begin enrolling US college students in spring next year. Students at the Middlebury School in Taiwan are to take classes in culture, politics, media, translation, geography, history, religion, environment, economics and literature taught entirely in Chinese, NSYSU said in a statement. The school, which was established following a visit by Middlebury College’s dean of international programs Carlos Velez-Blasini to the university earlier this year, requires students to sign a “language pledge” promising to speak the local language for the duration of their stay in Kaohsiung, the statement added. Enrollment is open to US students who have studied Mandarin in college for at least two years, NSYSU president Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) said.
POLITICS
Presidential debates coming
The first televised policy presentation for candidates contesting the Jan. 13 presidential election is to be held on Dec. 20, the Central Election Commission (CEC) said yesterday. The candidates will be able to present their policies in three televised sessions: Dec. 20, 7pm; Dec. 26, 2pm; and Dec. 28, 7pm, the CEC said in a statement. A similar session is scheduled for vice presidential candidates at 7pm on Dec. 22. The presentations are not the same as debates where candidates can quickly respond to the claims of rivals. Instead, there will be three rounds, with each candidate given 10 minutes to present their views in each round. However, they can respond to comments another candidate made in those 10 minutes.
TRAVEL
Cathay cancels Israel flights
Cathay Pacific Airways yesterday said it has suspended all flights on its Hong Kong-Tel Aviv route until the end of the year, effective immediately, due to the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. Passengers already on their way to the airport who have yet to receive a notification about the suspension should check their flight’s status using the booking management service on Cathay’s Web site, the Hong Kong-based carrier said in a statement. Passengers who have yet to travel can apply for a full refund, with Taiwan-based ticket holders advised to contact Cathay’s local customer service line at (02) 7752-4883. For those who have booked tickets to depart for Israel after Dec. 31 and wish to change their travel plans, the airline said it offers ticket-exemption measures to provide flexible options.
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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