■ JUSTICE
Court annuls election win
The Yunlin District Court yesterday annulled the election victory of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chang Sho-wen (張碩文) in the first trial of the case. The verdict is not final. The case began when Chang’s rival, Democratic Progressive Party legislative candidate Liu Chien-kuo (劉建國), filed a lawsuit in January to annul Chang’s victory on bribery allegations. Chang sent reporters text messages later yesterday saying that he respected the court’s decision, but that he would appeal. Chang went on to say that he would continue to focus most of his energy on serving the people in his electoral district, supervising the government and protecting the rights of the people.
■ EDUCATION
NTU won’t strip Lee’s status
National Taiwan University (NTU) secretary-general Liao Hsien-hao (廖咸浩) denied yesterday that the school was considering stripping renowned constitutional expert Lee Hung-hsi’s (李鴻禧) honorary professor status over Lee’s remarks during a rally in support of former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁). At a rally on Saturday last week, Lee said: “I want to curse the whole families of those judges and prosecutors who acted recklessly [in the investigation into corruption allegations against Chen.]” Liao told reporters that the school had received many angry phone calls as a result of Lee’s remarks and that it had held meetings to discuss the matter. “NTU felt shocked and regretted Professor Lee’s remarks, but since Lee is retired, he should take full responsibility for his comments,” Liao said. “We hope Professor Lee will not make controversial remarks as an NTU honorary professor again.”
■ SPORTS
Tai chi competition to open
An international Tai chi boxing competition is scheduled to open in Kaohsiung City today with practitioners from 13 countries taking part. A total of 127 practitioners from Hong Kong, South Africa, Japan, Uruguay, Bangladesh, Nepal, Peru, Germany, Spain, Italy, Malaysia, the US and Taiwan will compete in three categories over a period of two days, the Kuoshu Wushu Federation said.
■ EVENTS
Activists plan vigil
As part of a globally coordinated event to commemorate the first official abolition of the death penalty in the Grand Duchy of Tuscany on Nov. 30, 1786, anti-death penalty activists in Taipei will organize a candlelit vigil and a small “Cities for Life” concert tomorrow in front of the Chinan Presbyterian Church on the corner of Jinan Road (濟南路) and Zhongshan S Road (中山南路) in Taipei. From 6pm to 8pm, Aboriginal singers Panay and Nabu will also perform.
An undersea cable to Penghu County has been severed, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said today, with a Chinese-funded ship suspected of being responsible. It comes just a month after a Chinese ship was suspected of severing an undersea cable north of Keelung Harbor. The National Communications and Cyber Security Center received a report at 3:03am today from Chunghwa Telecom that the No. 3 cable from Taiwan to Penghu was severed 14.7km off the coast of Tainan, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) upon receiving a report from Chunghwa Telecom began to monitor the Togolese-flagged Hong Tai (宏泰)
EVA Air is prohibiting the use of portable chargers on board all flights starting from Saturday, while China Airlines is advising passengers not to use them, following the lead of South Korean airlines. Current regulations prohibit portable chargers and lithium batteries from check-in luggage and require them to be properly packed in carry-on baggage, EVA Air said. To improve onboard safety, portable chargers and spare lithium batteries would be prohibited from use on all fights starting on Saturday, it said. Passengers are advised to fully charge electronic devices before boarding and use the AC and USB charging outlets at their seat, it said. South
WAR SIMULATION: The developers of the board game ‘2045’ consulted experts and analysts, and made maps based on real-life Chinese People’s Liberation Army exercises To stop invading Chinese forces seizing Taiwan, board gamer Ruth Zhong chooses the nuclear option: Dropping an atomic bomb on Taipei to secure the nation’s freedom and her victory. The Taiwanese board game 2045 is a zero-sum contest of military strategy and individual self-interest that puts players on the front lines of a simulated Chinese attack. Their battlefield game tactics would determine the theoretical future of Taiwan, which in the real world faces the constant threat of a Chinese invasion. “The most interesting part of this game is that you have to make continuous decisions based on the evolving situation,
Actor Lee Wei (李威) was released on bail on Monday after being named as a suspect in the death of a woman whose body was found in the meeting place of a Buddhist group in Taipei’s Daan District (大安) last year, prosecutors said. Lee, 44, was released on NT$300,000 (US$9,148) bail, while his wife, surnamed Chien (簡), was released on NT$150,000 bail after both were summoned to give statements regarding the woman’s death. The home of Lee, who has retreated from the entertainment business in the past few years, was also searched by prosecutors and police earlier on Monday. Lee was questioned three
RSS