CRIME
Six detained for spying
The High Court on Tuesday night granted prosecutors’ request to detain six retired and active military personnel and a Chinese man indicted for leaking military secrets to China. The ruling can be appealed. A summary of the ruling read by a court spokesperson said the seven individuals were indicted on charges related to contraventions of the National Security Act (國家安全法), which carry a minimum prison sentence of five years. The court decided that given the seriousness of their alleged crimes and the potential flight risk, they were ordered to be detained for three months, the maximum allowed for defendants during a trial. One of the defendants, Yang Chien-hui (楊千慧), admitted to all the charges and was deemed unlikely to collude, so she would not be held incommunicado, while the remaining six suspects would be detained incommunicado. Earlier on Tuesday, the High Court Prosecutors’ Office indicted the seven for contravening the National Security Act, the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法) and the Criminal Code of the Armed Forces (陸海空軍刑法). The defendants include a Chinese man named Ding Xiaohu (丁小琥), or Ting Siu Fu in Cantonese, who holds a Hong Kong passport, as well as six military personnel, identified as Wang Wen-hao (王文豪), Tan Chun-ming (譚俊明), Lu Fang-chi (呂芳契), Chiu Han-lin (邱翰林), Yang Chien-hui and Yang Po-chih (楊博智).
HEALTH
More flu cases expected
Taiwan could see a rise in influenza cases starting next month, with infections likely to peak at the Lunar New Year, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said on Tuesday. CDC spokesperson Tseng Shu-hui (曾淑慧) said that 93,247 people sought outpatient or emergency treatment for flu-like illnesses last week, a 9.1 percent drop from the previous week. However, 42 severe flu cases were reported last week, 10 of which were fatal, she said. Meanwhile, CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Deputy Director Lee Chia-lin (李佳琳) warned that neighboring nations, including China, South Korea and Japan, were also reporting rising numbers of flu cases. She highlighted Japan in particular, which logged nearly 1.5 times more cases last week than the week before. She urged travelers to get vaccinated before visiting Japan. Since last month, Taiwan has recorded 300 severe flu cases, resulting in 35 deaths, CDC data showed.
SPORTS
Penghu touts road race
The Penghu County Government on Monday announced an upcoming road race with a novel promotional gimmick — offering a 1kg grouper to each runner who crosses the finish line. The “Run in Penghu” race is to be held on Jan. 18 next year, with the goal of boosting winter tourism in the county, Penghu County Commissioner Chen Kuang-fu (陳光復) said. According to an announcement by the county government, participants would be able to sign up for a full 11km race or a more leisurely 5km route for adults or children. Registration, which opened on Tuesday, is limited to 500 spots for Penghu residents and 600 spots for nonresidents, at a cost of NT$200, the county government said. Each competitor who finishes their race would be given a prize of a 1kg grouper, although nonresident competitors would also be able to opt for a NT$500 voucher, Chen said. The 11k race is to begin in front of the Penghu County Government Building in Magong (馬公) and end at the Caiyuan (菜園) Soil and Water Conservation Classroom.
Considering that most countries issue more than five denominations of banknotes, the central bank has decided to redesign all five denominations, the bank said as it prepares for the first major overhaul of the banknotes in more than 24 years. Central bank Governor Yang Chin-lung (楊金龍) is expected to report to the Legislative Yuan today on the bank’s operations and the redesign’s progress. The bank in a report sent to the legislature ahead of today’s meeting said it had commissioned a survey on the public’s preferences. Survey results showed that NT$100 and NT$1,000 banknotes are the most commonly used, while NT$200 and NT$2,000
A NT$39 receipt for two bottles of tea at a FamilyMart was among the NT$10 million (US $312,969) special prize winners in the January-February uniform invoice lottery. FamilyMart said that two NT$10 million-winning receipts were issued at its stores, as well as two NT$2 million grand prizes and three NT$200,000 first prizes. The two NT$10 million receipts were issued at stores in Pingtung County and Yilan County’s Dongshan Township (冬山). One winner spent just NT$39 on two bottles of tea, while another spent NT$80 on water, tea and coffee, the company said. Meanwhile, 7-Eleven reported three NT$10 million winners — in New Taipei
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reported the first case of a new COVID-19 subvariant — BA.3.2 — in a 10-year-old Singaporean girl who had a fever upon arrival in Taiwan and tested positive for the disease. The girl left Taiwan on March 20 and the case did not have a direct impact on the local community, it said. The WHO added the BA.3.2 strain to its list of Variants Under Monitoring in December last year, but this was the first imported case of the COVID-19 variant in Taiwan, CDC Deputy Director-General Lin Ming-cheng (林明誠) said. The girl arrived in Taiwan on
ANNUAL EVENT: Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in Daan Park, with an event zone operating from 10am to 6pm This year’s Taipei Floral Picnic is to be held at Daan Park today and tomorrow, featuring an exclusive Pokemon Go event, a themed food market, a coffee rave picnic area and stage performances, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said yesterday. Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in the park as attractions, with an exclusive event zone operating from 10am to 6pm, it said. Participants who complete designated tasks on-site would have a chance to receive limited-edition souvenirs, it added. People could also try the newly launched game Pokemon Pokopia in the trial area, the department said. Three PokeStops are
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