■ SOCIETY
Pets on the job OK
Nearly half of Taiwanese companies allow their employees to bring pets to work, according to a survey published yesterday. The 1111 Job Bank, a career consultancy, posted a questionnaire on the Internet asking people if they were allowed to bring pets to work. Among the 900 respondents to the questionnaire, 42 percent said they were allowed to do so. However, some bosses request that pets be locked up, especially when there are visitors in the office, while other bosses allow pets at the work place only on "Pet Day," the survey said. The survey found that taking pets to the workplace can stimulate conversation for employees and ease work pressure. Some people dislike the practice but put up with the noise and smell of pets to avoid hurting colleagues' feelings.
■ SOCIETY
City committee meets
Eighty members of a Kaohsiung committee met yesterday in an attempt to chart a future development course for the city. Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊) chaired the meeting, whose members represented government agencies and a wide spectrum of the business and academic communities. Chen urged the committee members to brainstorm concrete, workable strategies to benefit Kaohsiung's economy. She said a new development course was needed for the city to adapt to a new era and soften the impact of globalization. Proposals discussed at the meeting included providing incentives to encourage companies to set up production bases in three industrial parks in the areas of software, logistics and aviation.
■ TRANSPORTATION
Expats can get Swiss license
Taiwanese expatriates in Switzerland with a valid Taiwanese driving license can now obtain a Swiss license without taking any tests, Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials said yesterday. Liu Yi-min (劉宜民), director-general of the Department of European Affairs, said the government established an agreement with the Swiss government on the reciprocal recognition of driver's licenses late last month after more than two years of consultations. Liu said the reciprocal recognition of driver's licenses in the absence of diplomatic relations between Taiwan and Switzerland has improved the substantial relations between the two countries. Ministry officials said the Taiwan-Switzerland agreement is different from another one forged recently between Taiwan and Japan that targets tourists. Under the Taiwan-Switzerland agreement, Republic of China nationals residing in Switzerland who are aged 18 or over and who have a Taiwanese license can obtain a Swiss license, the officials said.
■ CRIME
Shun fake goods, NPA says
The National Policy Agency (NPA) urged consumers yesterday not to buy counterfeit products. An agency spokesman made the call after a recent police crack down to tackle counterfeiting. Despite this police have been unable to root out the problem, the spokesman said, calling for "consumers' self-discipline." Earlier this month the agency launched a national anti-pirate operation to halt the manufacture, sale and smuggling of counterfeit goods, conducting raids of night markets, shopping centers, factories and warehouses. The agency said 402 suspects had been arrested and products worth more than NT$400 million (US$12.12 million) seized.
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
MEDICAL: The bills would also upgrade the status of the Ethical Guidelines Governing the Research of Human Embryos and Embryonic Stem Cell Research to law The Executive Yuan yesterday approved two bills to govern regenerative medicine that aim to boost development of the field. Taiwan would reach an important milestone in regenerative medicine development with passage of the regenerative medicine act and the regenerative medicine preparations ordinance, which would allow studies to proceed and treatments to be developed, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) told reporters at a news conference after a Cabinet meeting. Regenerative treatments have been used for several conditions, including cancer — by regenerating blood cells — and restoring joint function in soft tissue, Wang said. The draft legislation requires regenerative treatments
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese