CRIME
Lucifer Chu gets 14 months
The Taipei District Court yesterday sentenced media personality Lucifer Chu (朱學恒) to 14 months in prison for indecent assault of a city councilor. Chu was indicted in October last year after being accused of groping and forcibly kissing Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei City Councilor Chung Pei-chun (鍾沛君) twice at a Taipei restaurant on Aug. 6, 2022. In June last year, Chung went public with the allegations to be “a fighter rather than a victim.” At Chung’s request and with her attorney present, Chu signed a letter a few days later, apologizing to Chung and promising to stay away from her. However, the letter made no mention of the assault, Chung said. She subsequently filed a complaint against Chu, who she said had shown “no remorse for his behavior.” Chu yesterday expressed regret over the ruling. Saying he had not been given a fair trial to uncover the truth, Chu pledged to appeal as he proclaimed his innocence.
TRANSPORTATION
Danhai line plan revised
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications on Thursday approved a revised plan for the second phase of the light rail network in New Taipei City’s Tamsui District (淡水), which is to be submitted to the Executive Yuan for approval, the New Taipei City Department of Rapid Transit Systems said. Construction of the second phase of the Danhai light rail Blue Sea Line is set to be completed within five years of the Cabinet approving the project, the department said. The first phase of the Blue Sea light rail opened in November 2020, and the original plan for the second phase, which is to link Tamsui MRT station with Tamsui Fisherman’s Wharf (淡水漁人碼頭), initially included a section that ran through Tamsui Old Street, department head Lee Cheng-an (李政安) said. However, after taking into account the opinions of residents, the department modified the route and submitted the amended plan to the ministry on Oct. 30, 2020, Lee said, adding that the new plan includes changes to the light rail line to be built alongside the Tamsui River (淡水河). The line is to have six stations once it has been built and extend the operating route of the Danhai light rail to 6.6km, Lee said. It is also expected to link with the proposed Bali light rail line in future, he said.
CRIME
Quincy Davis gets jail time
The Taoyuan District Court on Thursday sentenced US-born Taiwanese basketball player Quincy Davis to 30 days in prison over an altercation with his ex-wife last year. The sentence, which can be commuted to a fine, was imposed because Davis repeatedly denied any wrongdoing during the trial, the court said. Disputes of any kind should be handled rationally, the court said in its ruling, adding that those involved should never resort to physical violence. Davis failed to exercise self-control or respect another person’s physical safety, the ruling said, which can still be appealed. Davis was arrested after an alleged fight with his ex-wife in front of Chingpu Police Station in Taoyuan’s Jhongli District (中壢) in May last year. The arrest came after it was found that his ex-wife had previously obtained a restraining order against him. At the time, the police did not reveal the details of the altercation, but local media reports said the argument between the two had escalated into “pushing and shoving.” Davis was later released on bail of NT$100,000 after questioning, and was ordered to comply with the restraining order against him.
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
RSS