Ex-president held in corruption probe

A Taiwanese court ordered former President Chen Shui-bian held on corruption charges today, an ignominious decision for a man who won acclaim for standing up to China with pro-independence policies.

The ruling came at the end of a marathon 21-hour court hearing that began with lengthy interrogation Tuesday but was interrupted by a trip to the hospital and didn’t conclude until dawn today.

Chen, who has denied any wrongdoing, was ordered detained under an order that does not constitute an indictment. He can be held for four months before being formally charged.

As prosecutors prepare their case, he is expected to be held in the same jail in suburban Taipei where, as a dissident leader 21 years ago, he served eight months for defaming an official of the ruling Nationalist Party during the waning days of Taiwan’s infamous martial law regime.

Jerusalem

Businessman wins race for mayor

Secular businessman Nir Barkat appeared headed toward victory early today over an ultra-Orthodox Jewish leader in Jerusalem’s mayoral race, a contest that again exposed the deep divide between religious and secular Israelis.

With nearly all of the results in, Israel’s Channel 2 TV reported that just over 52 percent of the city’s voters had supported Barkat over Meir Porush. That tally was matched by the country’s two other main television stations and the Web sites of all three major newspapers.

Barkat claimed victory before dawn and promised to be “everybody’s mayor.”