ECONOMY
Fuel prices to rise
State-run oil refiner CPC Corp will raise gasoline and diesel prices by NT$0.3 (US$0.01) a liter from tomorrow to reflect its cost as international crude oil prices continued to rise, the company said yesterday. With the latest price adjustment, CPC is offering 92, 95 and 98-grade gasoline at NT$31.2, NT$31.9 and NT$33.4 a liter respectively, and super diesel at NT$29.2 a liter. The company has raised prices of gasoline and diesel products for three consecutive weeks as international crude oil prices continued to rise.
CRIME
Hospital officials post bail
Two detained hospital superintendents were released on bail yesterday after they were charged with bribery over equipment purchases. The two, Chest Hospital superintendent Chung Wei-sheng (鐘威昇) and National Yang Ming University Hospital superintendent Tang Kao-chun (唐高駿), were detained over purchases of CT scanners and digital image processing systems. The Taoyuan District Prosecutors’ Office turned the two over to the court after indicting them on Friday. Prosecutors said both Chung and Tang are ranking officials, but they received bribes from medical equipment suppliers. They are seeking steep punishments for the two and a retrieval of their ill-gotten gains. The Taoyuan District Court, after a screening of their case, ruled early yesterday that Chung and Tang should be released on NT$8 million (US$275,864) and NT$4 million bail, respectively.
POLITICS
KMT elects CSC members
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday elected 32 Central Standing Committee (CSC) members, with 23 of 24 incumbents re-elected. CSC member Yao Jiang-lin (姚江臨), director of the labor union of Taipower, topped the list by winning 1,104 votes, followed by former KMT legislator Hong Yuh-chin (洪玉欽) and TV mogul Chiu Fu-sheng (邱復生). KMT Legislator Liao Kuo-tung (廖國棟) failed to win re-election, becoming the only incumbent who did not obtain a seat. Nine members who were elected for the first time included Federation of Aviation Employees director-general Jesse Lee (李昭平) and Nantou Mayor Hsu Shu-hua (許淑華).
HEALTH
Man dies of dengue fever
The Department of Health in Greater -Kaohsiung on Friday confirmed the nation’s first death this year from locally acquired dengue hemorrhagic fever and urged residents to take precautions against the disease. There had been 85 reported cases of locally acquired dengue fever, in addition to the fatality caused by the illness in the city as of Thursday, according to the department. The victim, a 60-year-old male, who lived in the city’s Lingya District (苓雅), was taken to a hospital emergency room on Wednesday suffering from a lack of appetite, bleeding gums and septic shock. He died the same day as a result of multiple organ failure. A postmortem examination confirmed that the man had been infected with dengue hemorrhagic fever, the department said. According to the department, statistics show that older people with chronic disease are more likely to die of the illness, which has a 9.6 percent mortality rate. The department urged residents to see a doctor if they experience muscle or joint pain, fever, headache, fatigue or internal bleeding, which are common dengue fever symptoms.
Several Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) officials including Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) are to be summoned for questioning and then transferred to prosecutors for holding an illegal assembly in Taipei last night, the Taipei Police said today. Chu and two others hosted an illegal assembly and are to be requested to explain their actions, the Taipei City Police Department's Zhongzheng (中正) First Precinct said, referring to a protest held after Huang Lu Chin-ju (黃呂錦茹), KMT Taipei's chapter director, and several other KMT staffers were questioned for alleged signature forgery in recall petitions against Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators. Taipei prosecutors had filed
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
President William Lai (賴清德) has appointed former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) to attend the late Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican City on Saturday on his behalf, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today. The Holy See announced Francis’ funeral would take place on Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square. The ministry expressed condolences over Francis’ passing and said that Chen would represent Taiwan at the funeral and offer condolences in person. Taiwan and the Vatican have a long-standing and close diplomatic relationship, the ministry said. Both sides agreed to have Chen represent Taiwan at the funeral, given his Catholic identity and
Lawmakers from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday established a friendship group with their counterparts in Ukraine to promote parliamentary exchanges between the two countries. A ceremony in Taipei for the Taiwan-Ukraine Parliamentary Friendship Association, initiated by DPP Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷), was attended by lawmakers and officials, including Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) and European Economic and Trade Office in Taiwan Director Lutz Gullner. The increasingly dire situation in Ukraine is a global concern, and Taiwan cannot turn its back when the latter is in need of help, as the two countries share many common values and interests,
RSS