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fb777.ph A man arranges toy propellers to display the phrase: “Without evidence, release him,” referring to Taiwan People’s Party Chairman Ko Wen-je, in front of the Taipei District Court in Zhongzheng District yesterday.Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times ‘BRIBERY, CORRUPTION’:Prosecutors accused the former Taipei mayor of unlawfully helping a corporation, as well as accumulating about NT$93.71 million illegally By Jason Pan / Staff reporter 請繼續往下閱讀... Prosecutors yesterday indicted Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) on charges of corruption, embezzlement, breach of trust and other alleged offenses, requesting a combined 28-year, six-month prison term for the former Taipei mayor. Ten other defendants were also indicted by the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office, mainly for alleged bribery and abuse of public office for private benefit, while some face money laundering, forgery, fraudulent accounting and other similar charges. Investigators have gathered sufficient evidence and testimony from witnesses in four separate cases from when Ko served as Taipei mayor from 2018 to 2022, and during his campaign leading up to the presidential election in January, Deputy Chief Prosecutor Kao I-shu (高一書) told a news conference in Taipei. The four cases relate to the former city administration’s dealings with the Core Pacific City (京華城購物中心) redevelopment project, use of political donations, use of a foundation and alleged bribery, prosecutors said. Officials have accused Ko and other defendants of granting unlawful financial benefits in the Core Pacific City case, embezzlement of political donations, breach of trust by illegally transferring funds from a foundation to pay presidential campaign expenses and false declarations of assets relating to political donations. When Ko was mayor, he allegedly helped Core Pacific Group (威京集團) and its subsidiary gain unlawful financial benefits of more than NT$12.105 billion (US$370.23 million), prosecutors said. Meanwhile, accounts controlled by Ko have accumulated about NT$93.71 million in alleged unlawful gains, Kao said. Ko has been accused of receiving NT$17.1 million in kickbacks and embezzling NT$68.35 million from his presidential campaign, Kao said. Ko allegedly arranged illegal transfers from his public affairs foundation totaling NT$8.27 million to pay for expenses and wages during his presidential campaign, prosecutors said. “Ko violated the declaration he made when he was sworn in as Taipei mayor that he would obey the nation’s laws not to take bribes or engage in corruption while serving in public office,” Kao said, reading from the indictment. Prosecutors obtained written instructions for other suspects to swiftly leave Taiwan and notes to check on the financial accounts of Muko Public Relations Co (木可公關), Kao said. Muko PR was contracted by the TPP to manage its presidential campaign funds. Investigators found shredded documents with the instructions, as well as torn notes at Ko’s office, indicating that he had tried to destroy evidence, Kao said. Moreover, his attitude was hostile during the investigation, he said. Based on the evidence and the other factors, prosecutors pressed charges and requested the nearly 30-year sentence, he said. They also requested Ko be deprived of his civil rights for 10 years and fined NT$50 million according to stipulations of the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例), he said. Prominent figures among the other defendants include Sheen Ching-jing (沈慶京), chairman of Core Pacific Group; Pong Cheng-sheng (彭振聲), a former Taipei deputy mayor; Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei City Councilor Angela Ying (應曉薇); Wu Shun-min (吳順民), Ying’s office assistant; Lee Wen-chung (李文宗), who was in charge of Ko’s presidential campaign finances; and Tuanmu Cheng (端木正), an accountant. Other defendants are Chu Yea-hu (朱亞虎), former head of Dingyue Development Corp (鼎越開發), a subsidiary of Core Pacific Group; Taipei Urban Planning Commission Executive Secretary Shao Hsiu-pei (邵琇珮); Huang Ching-mao (黃景茂), a former head of the Taipei Urban Development Department; and Chang Chih-cheng (張志澄), a Core Pacific Group supervisor. In the indictment, prosecutors requested that Sheen be handed a 12-year prison term and fined NT$30 million for charges of illegally obtaining financial benefits, and five years and NT$3 million for bribery. Ying received NT$52.5 million in bribes from Sheen to use her position as a councilor to shield the Core Pacific City project amid evaluations by Taipei regulatory and urban planning agencies, the indictment said. She pressed agencies to approve a higher floor area ratio through verbal abuse and scorn during meetings and telephone calls, putting mental and other stresses on city employees, the indictment said. Ying was accused of contravening her public duty by taking bribes to push for financial gains for a corporation and laundering the money abroad. She allegedly attempted to evade prosecution by fleeing to Hong Kong, but was stopped at the airport, prosecutors said, adding that she refused to cooperate during questioning. They sought a 13-year sentence and a fine of NT$30 million on bribery charges for Ying, while the money laundering charges and those related to her alleged receipt of NT$52.5 million in bribes warrant a three-and-a-half year sentence and a fine of NT$20 million, prosecutors said. 新聞來源: TAIPEI TIMES Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office Deputy Chief Prosecutor Kao I-shu speaks at a news conference in Taipei yesterday.Photo: CNA A Taipei District Court representative, right, yesterday draws lots to determine judges for trials related to corruption and bribery cases involving Taiwan People’s Party Chairman Ko Wen-je.Photo: CNA Media workers photograph documents at the Taipei District Court yesterday from an investigations involving Taiwan People’s Party Chairman Ko Wen-je.Photo: CNA 不用抽 不用搶 現在用APP看新聞 保證天天中獎 點我下載APP 按我看活動辦法

National “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” Enforcement Campaign Continues in HesperiaThe biggest myth about Manmohan Singh was that he wasn’t a politician. No one can survive the complex maze that is the Indian political system as a lateral entrant from academia to the upper echelons of the bureaucracy, embed oneself in ministries such as commerce and finance, lead institutions such as the Reserve Bank of India and Planning Commission, work with multiple prime ministers from Indira Gandhi to Rajiv Gandhi to Chandra Shekhar to PV Narasimha Rao, navigate the world of international economic policymaking, make the transition from being a bureaucrat to a minister, become the leader of the opposition, and then serve as the prime minister of a country as large, messy, and complex as India for 10 years, as the head of a coalition government with the real power centre being elsewhere, without having a strong political sense. Manmohan Singh did all that. And it was his political sense that helped Singh in cultivating relationships with those who exercise power, grabbing each opportunity that came his way, pushing when possible and retreating when he smelt danger, knowing the big picture always, offering that as a rationalisation while making compromises, and using the combination of understated manner, quiet humility, non-threatening persona, and sheer brilliance to be one of India’s most important post-Independence leaders. The rise to corridors of power To be sure, Singh lost the only Lok Sabha election he fought, from South Delhi, ironically among the geographical hubs that benefited most from his post-1991 economic reforms. This lack of electoral success, or broader mass appeal, was widely considered his biggest weakness but it was also his biggest strength. His experience and credibility as a reformer, his track record as a man of integrity, his personal story from a village in what is now Pakistan through Punjab to Oxbridge to the Delhi School of Economics to North Block may have all been factors in Sonia Gandhi’s decision to pick him as the PM in 2004 — but, arguably, the biggest factor was that Singh did not have a mass base and he wasn’t an operator in the corridors of power and this allowed the family to trust him. Singh ran with the opportunity Gandhi provided in his first term. He politically reinvented himself from being the man who ushered in the reforms to the man who now spoke of reforms with a human face. He knew that Gandhi’s heart lay in social welfare, and perhaps resisting his own impulses, Singh presided over the passage of rights-based legislations even as he ensured robust growth rates. Strategic reset with the West Singh decided that like he would stake it all for reforms in 1991, he would stake it all for the civil nuclear deal with the US — for he saw it as not just a nuclear deal but the beginning of India’s strategic reset with the West in general and US in particular which, in turn, would help India build capabilities in a variety of domains. Singh dared the Left to withdraw support, dared Gandhi to either remove him or come on board, flirted with political operators who opened channels with Samajwadi Party, and eventually had his way, saving both the deal and the government -- a remarkable political feat. It was a combination of his past economic record, growth, inclusive social policies, tactical compromises, foreign policy projection, electoral gambits (including the farm loan waiver), the politics of “secularism” which ensured substantial Muslim consolidation that saw Singh lead Congress to its best ever performance in 2009 elections since 1984. Incidentally, the party hasn’t since improved his record. But that is when the story shifted. A challenging second term The challenges inherent in having two centres of power — 10 Janpath and what was then 7 Race Course Road; Sonia Gandhi and PM Singh — became more apparent in the second term. Suddenly, Singh began looking weak and a man who was holding the office but not exercising power. The baggage of the first term — in terms of arbitrary allocation of resources in exchange for possible benefits from cronies by members of alliance partners — came to public light. Singh began looking compromised, with his biggest asset of integrity under question. The contradictions within his own government — between the two most senior ministers; between Congress and allies; within allies — became a subject of everyday debate. And the man who was feted for having no ambition came across as someone who would tolerate anything for the sake of power, taking away his moral authority. The dip in the economy and spike in prices took away his other USP, of a credible economic manager, with the wider electorate while his government’s decision to impose policies such as retrospective taxation eroded Singh’s appeal with international capital. Singh’s inability to recognise that new forms of media, including social media, were changing how politics was conducted left his government way behind in the public sphere. His inability to manage new forms of mass mobilisation exemplified by the anti-corruption movement led by Arvind Kejriwal eroded both the government’s authority and political legitimacy. His inability to address the increasing grievances of corporate India, which had, for all of the party’s rhetoric, been a part of the Congress coalition, left him without powerful backers. And his inability to stand up to Rahul Gandhi — who tore an ordinance agreed upon by the cabinet in a direct affront to prime ministerial authority — left Singh, at the very end of his political life, appear like an almost forlorn figure. The end of a political journey All of this coincided with the rise of Narendra Modi and his political genius in combining the idea of development, the projection of strength, the subtext of Hindutva, the promise of a clean government to offer an alternative. Building that alternative involved discrediting Singh and his record entirely for the competitiveness of Indian elections leaves no space for nuance. The Bharatiya Janata Party carried out the political demolition job on Singh effectively, destroying the Congress electorally, and reshaping India by coming to power in 2014. But it won’t be a surprise if Modi himself recognises that he has built on the legacy left behind by Singh. Be it the need to deregulate sectors, reduce the overwhelming role of the State in private enterprise, and encourage and embrace the private sector or build a digital identity that could overcome the perennial challenge of welfare delivery; be it the strategic embrace of the West and the recognition that deeper ties with Washington are critical for India to develop and deal with its geopolitical challenges or the realisation that connectivity in the wider subcontinent and improvement of border infrastructure are key for security, India’s current PM and last PM have more in common that their supporters would like to admit. And in that itself lies Manmohan Singh’s finest political legacy. His 1991 reforms trusted Indian citizens over the Indian State, liberated mind sets and created unprecedented opportunities. His prime ministerial stint was a part of the post-1991 continuum where, despite their differences, all governments have sought to champion a mix of economic reforms and welfare internally and closer ties with the West while retaining strategic autonomy externally. Manmohan Singh, along with his old boss PV Narasimha Rao, his predecessor Atal Bihari Vajpayee and his successor Narendra Modi can be safely described as a part of the quartet who have shaped the India of today in more critical ways than anyone else in the last five decades. For a Sikh boy who saw the ravages of Partition and rose from nothing to lead the world’s largest democracy, it was a life lived well, lived fully, lived with dignity, and lived with tremendous public impact.ECH: Bullish Chile Ahead Of Its 2025 Presidential Election

Drop in Boxing Day footfall ‘signals return to declining pre-pandemic levels’

Children with Spina Bifida can live a long and happy life if diagnosed and access treatment in time, health experts have said. Spina bifida (with exact cause unknown) is a congenital defect by which a baby is born with a ‘swelling’ or ‘wound’ on the back, leading to improper development of the spinal cord. The health condition affects approximately between one and three out of 1,000 newborns globally, according to experts, adding that it is a life-long situation but persons born with it are capable of living long and healthy if properly managed. Deputy Director, Nursing Services, Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, Ojei Sarat Onyebuka, explained this condition at a one-day media workshop organised by the Festus Fajemilo Foundation (FFF) in Lagos recently. FFF, which was founded in 2006, is a pioneer NGO in Nigeria advocating the well-being of people with spina bifida and hydrocephalus. According to Onyebuka, surgery is usually required on babies born with spina bifida, which is to remove the bulge from the back or threaten the wound if the bulge is already burst before delivery. She noted that the condition is generally problematic, especially when considering the severe type, as the persons living with it may be unable to walk for life on their own or control their urine or faeces. “Some may even suffer erectile dysfunction to the extent that they may not be able to procreate naturally on their own,” she added. “And that is why children with spinal bifida need multi-care services from diverse health experts and social workers, and the earlier the better for a good result. “They will need to use a catheter (a tube) and change it frequently, so likewise do bowel washouts so as not to mess up their body with urine or faeces. Onyebuka declared that it’s far better to prevent the condition as caring for children with bifida is quite demanding, requiring both parents to join hands for these roles while society, on its part, accepts and gives support to children with the condition. She noted that because of the challenges, some parents may hide their children at home or throw them away, especially because of stigma or when they find it difficult to cope, rather than enrol them in school for learning. But upon the whole, she pointed out, spina bifida is not a death sentence, as children with the condition have the potential to study and learn skills and become responsible citizens, urging the government to take the condition with more seriousness. In her own presentation, a social worker and FFF volunteer, Lara Fernandez, highlighted the importance of growing up youths who are yet to marry to take good care of their health and avoid premarital relationships. According to her, it is better to avoid the risk of giving birth to children with deformities, as such health conditions usually come with multiple challenges. “So, I will advise ladies who are yet to marry and those who have married to be taking folic acid daily to boost their immune system and lower the risk of having babies with deformity,” she stated. Highlighting the impact of FFF in advocacy and care for persons affected by spina bifida and hydrocephalus over 18 years of establishment, the co-founder of the group, Mr Afolabi Fajemilo, said the foundation has built a community of families, providing support in the areas of surgeries, post-surgery rehabilitation, education, psychosocial, and vocational training, among others. He noted that the foundation has handled no fewer than 240 children and youths directly, while some parents don’t bother to return with their children after their first visit. He stated that the lack of dedicated continence care and management clinics for this type of health condition within Nigeria’s health system inspired the formation of the foundation, even as he emphasised the need for improved resources and support for individuals with spina bifida in the country. Fajemilo explained that the foundation is in collaboration with the Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus Information Networking Equality (Shine) UK to be able to give support alongside eight public health facilities in the country, including the University College Hospital, Ibadan: LUTH, Idi-Araba, and so forth. He mentioned that through the project, the foundation has trained 89 healthcare providers across five out of the six geopolitical zones of the country while partnering with eight public hospitals where individuals with spina bifida receive treatment, medications, and do regular check-ups as the condition requires lifelong management. “So, we already have 240 cases out of 250 we projected to meet by 2025 for the free healthcare services, and we’re likely to surpass the target because of the improved public awareness and enlightenment that people with spina bifida are normal human beings and not spirits,” he stressed. One of the beneficiaries of the foundation’s care, Gbemisola Awodipe, a 20-year-old student of Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH), told Tribune Online that she has gone over the stigma often associated with persons living with disabilities, as she is now making more friends than before. She also noted that through the care from the foundation, she can now take proper care of herself, knowing when to go to the toilet and doing so by herself. Gbemisola says she wants to become a professional photographer and believes she will achieve her dream. READ MORE FROM: NIGERIAN TRIBUNEMaha Kumbh UP State Pavilion to be set up across 5 acresHouse rejects Democratic efforts to force release of Matt Gaetz ethics report

Chi-Chi’s is making a comeback 20 years after its last restaurant closedThreat to artificially propped up economy will persist: Imran

Honda Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Co. are exploring a potential merger, according to people familiar with the matter, which would create a singular rival to Toyota Motor Corp. in Japan and better position the combined company to face competitive challenges around the world. The two carmakers have been holding preliminary talks about a combination, the people said Tuesday, asking not to be identified because discussions are private. One option being considered is the creation of a new holding company under which the combined businesses would operate, one of the people said. The transaction could also be expanded to include Mitsubishi Motors Corp., the person said. Discussions are early stage and may not lead to an agreement, the people said. While Honda and Nissan stopped short of confirming the merger talks, both automakers issued statements that reiterated their previous pledges for further future cooperation. “We will inform our stakeholders of any updates at an appropriate time,” Honda said in its statement. Such a deal would effectively consolidate the Japanese auto industry into two main camps: One controlled by Honda, Nissan and Mitsubishi and another consisting of Toyota group companies. It would also provide them with more resources to compete with larger peers globally after downsizing long-held partnerships with other carmakers. Nissan has loosened ties with France’s Renault SA and Honda has backed away from General Motors Co. The move toward a merger would follow a decision by the two companies earlier this year to work together on electric vehicle batteries and software. At that time, Honda Chief Executive Officer Toshihiro Mibe floated the possibility of a capital tie-up with Nissan. The two Japanese carmakers plan to sign a memorandum of understanding to discuss shared equity stakes in a new holding company, the Nikkei reported earlier in the day. The merger would help the manufacturers compete against rivals in electric vehicles such as Tesla Inc. and Chinese automakers, it said. American depositary receipts of Honda and Nissan shares climbed on the report. Nissan ADRs rose 12% and Honda’s gained 0.9% in late New York trading. In some ways, it could be seen as a defensive merger among Japan’s weaker players. Honda, Nissan and Mitsubishi combined sold about 4 million vehicles globally in the first six months of the year, well shy of the 5.2 million that Toyota sold on its own. Combining forces would allow the two companies to fend off Toyota, the world’s largest automaker, at home and abroad. Toyota has taken stakes in Subaru Corp., Suzuki Motor Corp. and Mazda Motor Corp., creating a powerhouse of brands backed by its top-notch credit rating. Honda’s valuation stood at 6.8 trillion yen ($44.4 billion) as of the close of trading in Tokyo on Tuesday, well above Nissan’s 1.3 trillion yen market capitalization. But even their combined value is dwarfed by Toyota’s 42.2 trillion yen. Honda has long struggled to keep up with bigger capitalized rivals when it comes to investments in new technologies. It recently has shifted gears to boost hybrid gas-electric vehicles even as it spends billions of dollars on all-electric production. At the same time, Honda’s arms-length partnership with GM has been weakened, most recently earlier this month when their self-driving car partnership ended. GM has strengthened its ties with South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Co. Nissan is in need of a partner to put it back on a stronger financial footing as it steps up restructuring efforts to cope with stalled revenue growth and lower profits. It faces pressure from an activist shareholder and a daunting debt load that has led to speculation in credit markets about its investment grade rating. The Yokohama-based company has partially unwound its complex 25-year strategic partnership with Renault, a fixation of former Chair Carlos Ghosn. Rivalries and mutual suspicion mounted over the years and came to a head when Ghosn openly contemplated a merger, contributing to his downfall. The former chairman and CEO, who has filed a suit against his former company for ousting him in 2018, warned of a “disguised takeover” of Nissan by Honda in an August interview with Automotive News. The merger talks come after the Financial Times said last month that Nissan was looking for an anchor investor to replace part of Renault’s equity holding and that it hadn’t ruled out having Honda buy some of its shares.ECH: Bullish Chile Ahead Of Its 2025 Presidential Election

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WATCH: JLP Heavyweights to bow outWhen Supreme Court justices debated Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care yesterday, they kept calling the science “evolving” and “uncertain. ” Last year, Tennessee made it illegal for doctors to provide gender-affirming care to trans teens. Their reason? The state claims it needs to make sure young people don’t become “disdainful of their sex” — that’s the actual language in the law. That’s not how medicine works, doctors say. “When we ban care or slow down care, we’re affecting an entire age cohort and putting them at risk for worse mental health,” says Dr. Carl Streed Jr., who leads the World Professional Association for Transgender Health’s U.S. chapter and runs research at Boston Medical Center’s GenderCare Center, told USA Today . The state’s case leans heavily on claims about medical uncertainty. But Dr. Joshua Safer, who heads Mount Sinai’s transgender medicine center in New York, also told USA Today the approach for treating trans youth is already “conservative” and carefully individualized. “We try to be thoughtful and conservative when we support parents and kids,” he said. What Tennessee’s law actually does is block doctors from using the same medications for trans kids that they can freely prescribe to other youth for different conditions. It’s this bizarre contradiction that’s now before the Supreme Court. Major medical organizations filed receipts with the Court in the form of amicus briefs. The American Academy of Pediatrics brought the data : Studies show that access to puberty blockers and hormone therapy, when prescribed according to established guidelines, significantly reduces mental health crises for trans youth who need them. But Tennessee’s case relies heavily on six doctors—and that’s where things get sketchy. A recent investigation by Accountable.US found that courts have repeatedly called out four of these experts for: These are the basic facts that got buried in court: While Justice Roberts called this an “evolving situation,” medical groups say the basic science is solid. What’s actually evolving is the political fight—25 states have passed similar bans despite major medical associations opposing them. The American Medical Association’s position is clear: “Trans and non-binary gender identities are normal variations of human identity and expression.” They warn that blocking care access can have “tragic health consequences.” The Court will rule by June. At stake isn’t just Tennessee’s law— similar bans in 25 other states could be affected. For trans teens and their doctors caught in the middle, the wait continues.

Fastest-moving stars in the galaxy may be piloted by intelligent aliens, report claims( MENAFN - EIN Presswire) Narconon graduate Event Attendees Bobby Newman Delivering Drug Education Prominent treatment center celebrates the holidays by providing a drug-free future for those suffering from addiction and their families Media Relations Narconon Arrowhead +1 323-775-9292 email us here Visit us on social media: Facebook X LinkedIn Legal Disclaimer: EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above. MENAFN26122024003118003196ID1109033535 Legal Disclaimer: MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.