20120510 9am

9AM Intro

Good morning, it's 9 o'clock. I'm Bill Thissen

9AM TAIWAN NEWS ....

State run generator - Tai-Power - has published planned household electricity rates for the first two phases of a three-phase price hike plan. According to Tai-Power .... electricity rates will be raised 40-per cent of the originally announced rate hikes on June 10-th -- and by the same percentage again on December 10-th. No timetable has been set for the remaining 20-per cent price hike in the third phase -- which depends on Tai-Power's reform of its operations in the following months. ---------- The Ministry of National Defense is being urged to continue upgrading the Air Force's fleet of IDF jet fighters - while at the same time push for the U-S to release advanced F-16C/D fighters. Contending that a plan to upgrade the IDF fighters is facing administrative delays ... defense committee member - Lin Yu-fang - says the military should not shelve the project because it will take years to acquire advanced jet fighters from the U-S. The plan to upgrade 56 IDF fighters based in Taichong is set to be carried out between 2014 and 2017 at a cost of 15.4-billion. Deputy Defense Minister Chao Shi-chang says his office is still considering the purchase of F-16C/D jet fighters. -------- Members of a major Taiwanese investors' group in China have slammed the government over plans to penalize them for serving as members of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference -- Beijing's top political advisory body. Members of the Association of Taiwan Investment Enterprises on the Mainland ... claim the National Security Bureau and the Mainland Affairs Council plan to investigate and penalize them for being members of the Beijing body. Under the Act Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area -- Taiwanese nationals are banned from joining Chinese organizations with any political nature.

samesex

After months of very public fence-sitting, President Barack Obama has announced his backing for same-sex marriage. The APs Mark Smith reports. Marc Solomon, the national campaign director for the group Freedom to Marry, says the president's statement opens the door for others to support gay marriage.

putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin has abruptly canceled plans to attend the G8 summit being hosted by President Obama later this month. The APs Mark Smith reports.

hacking

British police suspected more than 10 years ago that a missing schoolgirl's phone had been hacked by people associated with Rupert Murdoch's now-defunct News of the World tabloid. The AP's Charles de Ledesma reports. Meanwhile ... UK Prime Minister David Cameron's relationship with Rupert Murdoch is under fresh scrutiny as two former News of the World editors prepare to testify before the UK's Leveson inquiry into press ethics. Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson are expected to make embarrassing revelations about how far British politicians would go to woo Rupert Murdoch's UK newspapers

WEATHER AM .....

cloudy skies, rain and possible afternoon thunder showers islandwide highs..... 24 Taipei 28 Taichong 30 in Gaoxiong. Current Temperatures .... Taipei -- 24 Taichung -- 27 Gaoxiong -- 29

9AM Outro

That's the ICRT News at 9. I'm _____