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Bear severely injures child
A three-year-old boy was critically injured yesterday after a caged circus bear nearly ripped off his arm in southern Taiwan, a hospital official said. Doctors performed emergency surgery to reattach the right arm of the boy, who was found lying in a pool of blood by the bear's cage on a farm where a circus from Vietnam was performing, an official from Chi Mei Hospital said. Farm staff said the boy, who went to see the bear perform stunts like riding a bicycle, might have provoked the animal by trying to pat it. The incident occurred while his mother was talking to performers. The performance was suspended after the attack. The boy's parents blamed the farm owners for the attack for failing to put up warning signs in front of the bear's cage, local newspapers said.
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Book on sex slaves launched
Taiwan's first book about "comfort women" who were forced into sexual slavery by Japanese troops in World War II, was launched earlier this week. The book, titled Silent Scars: History of Sexual Slavery by the Japanese Military, includes more than 200 photos featuring the women, the Japanese brothels in which they were imprisoned and articles about the feelings of these women. According to statistics, some 20,000 women were used as sex slaves by the Japanese military during World War II, most of whom came from China, Taiwan, South Korea, the Philippines and other Asian countries. Some 2,000 came from Taiwan. The Japanese government has consistently refused to apologize to the "comfort women."
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Teen hero gets cash award
A courageous 13-year old junior-high school student, surnamed Lee, was awarded NT$20,000 by the Chiayi Police Bureau yesterday in recognition of his bravery in foiling a bank robbery a day earlier. Lee saw the would-be bank robber enter the Talin branch of Chiayi Fourth Credit Cooperative as he was passing by the bank on Monday afternoon. He grabbed the suspect around the neck and then several tellers helped overpowered the man. The robber had been armed with a home-made handgun. Chiayi Mayor Chen Li-chen (陳麗貞) and Police Commissioner Chen Kuo-en (陳國恩) held a citation ceremony for Lee at his school yesterday morning and presented him with the cash award. Lee's classmates expressed admiration for his bravery and quick thinking, calling him a hero. Lee also won praise from his father, although his mother suggested that he should not put his own safety at risk again if faced with a similar situation in the future.
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Doctors celebrate `rebirth'
Doctors at Kaohsiung's Veterans General Hospital joined the family of a man yesterday to celebrate his "rebirth" from a near-fatal traffic accident in which his heart was ruptured and stopped. Over a month ago, Chien Chao-yi (簡朝益) was sent to the emergency unit of the hospital after a serious motorcycle accident. When he reached the hospital, doctors found that his breathing and heart had stopped. The doctors diagnosed a ruptured heart and opened the patient's chest without anaesthetic and without obtaining permission from his family to do the operation. Ye Wen-bin (葉文彬), a surgeon, said he and his colleagues felt they had time to save Chien's life, so they proceeded with the surgery, while Chang Hung-tai (張宏泰), who was one of the surgical team, said the survival rate for similar cases is less than 2 percent.
The Ministry of Finance this afternoon announced the winning numbers for the March-April uniform invoice lottery. The winning number for the NT$10 million (US$318,060) special prize is 19531471, and the winning number for the NT$2 million grand prize is 85941329. Three numbers were drawn for the NT$200,000 first prize: 07225810, 20231230 and 83518781. Those with receipts matching the last seven digits of any of the first-prize numbers will win the NT$40,000 second prize, while those matching the last six digits will win the NT$10,000 third prize. Those whose receipts match the last five digits of the first-prize numbers can claim the NT$4,000 fourth prize,
SIX SUBSIDIES: The monthly allowance for older farmers is to increase to NT$10,000, and NT$5,000 is to be given to homemakers under the national pension system, Lai said The government is to implement major welfare policies for disadvantaged groups, including raising the monthly allowance for older farmers to NT$10,000 and providing homemakers with NT$5,000 per month, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. Lai made the remarks during a visit to Wangling Temple in Chiayi County, saying that the planned increases were being introduced amid economic growth and an increase in tax revenue. Touting a policy, in which the government plans to provide a monthly allowance of NT$5,000 for every child under the age of 18 in a bid to address Taiwan’s low birthrate, Lai said that if received for the
STAY COOL: The HPA recommended that people stay hydrated, use air-conditioning or fans while indoors, wear loose-fitting clothes and walk in the shade while outdoors Employers must implement measures such as installing cooling equipment, and providing drinking water and rest breaks for outdoor workers starting from Monday next week, the Taipei Department of Labor said on Sunday. Employers who fail to comply could face fines of NT$30,000 to NT$300,000 under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法), the department said. Businesses in Taipei employing fewer than 100 workers, as well as registered self-employed workers with labor insurance coverage, could receive on-site assessments and guidance from occupational safety consultants to help them apply for central government subsidies to implement or improve heat-protection measures, it said. Under the Ministry of
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
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