Briefs, December 21, 2012

Taiwan's ex-president Chen Shui-bian - already serving an 18-1/2-year prison term for corruption and money-laundering - was yesterday convicted and sentenced to another 10 years for taking bribes from a local financial group, the island's Supreme Court said. Under Taiwanese law, an individual may serve a maximum of 20 years in jail unless a life sentence is imposed, but prosecutor Chen Hung-ta said the conviction would allow Taipei to seek the return of US$13 million deposited by the Chen family in a Swiss bank. AFP

Food-safety authorities have closed for tests two chicken farms in Shandong, including one that supplied KFC and McDonald's, after a report by state television that some suppliers in the province were using chemical-laced feed to accelerate growth, the official Shanghai Daily said. The Shanghai Food and Drug Administration was also conducting tests on poultry supplied to a Yum Brands logistics centre. Reuters