■ SOCIETY
New national holiday touted
Minister of the Interior Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) said yesterday that Children’s Day on April 4 would be reinstated as a national holiday in 2011, if a related provision was approved by the legislature. He said government agencies reached a consensus on the matter in November after holding several meetings over the previous months. While Taiwan observes Women and Children’s Day on April 4, it is not a national holiday. Jiang said it was decided at the November meeting to separate Women’s Day from Children’s Day because reinstating Women’s Day as a national holiday required more deliberation, given its potential impact on the economy. Children’s Day and Women’s Day were separate national holidays in Taiwan until 1993, when the government combined the two holidays into Women and Children’s Day on April 4. In 1998, when two-day weekends became the norm in Taiwan, the government said Women and Children’s Day would no longer be a national holiday.
■ ANIMALS
Neutering plan starts soon
Starting on Monday, the Kaohsiung City Government will begin accepting applications for subsidies for neutering cats and dogs, a city government official said yesterday. Chu Chia-te (朱家德), director of Kaohsiung Municipal Institute for Animal Health, said the stipend would be earmarked for 1,000 animals, with NT$1,000 per female and NT$500 per male. Only adults who have household registration in the city are entitled to the subsidy, Chu said, adding that each applicant can apply for a maximum of three pets. Animals receiving subsidized neutering will also have to receive a rabies shot and an ID chip, which will also be covered by the government, Chu said.
■ HEALTH
DOH monitors doctor-drain
The Department of Health (DOC) said yesterday it would closely monitor whether medical manpower in Taiwan will be affected by a decision to allow health personnel to practice in China. Shih Chung-liang (石崇良), director-general of the department’s Bureau of Medical Affairs, said qualified Taiwanese pharmacists and nurses will soon be permitted to practice in China without an additional license. The department will have to evaluate whether this measure will have an adverse impact on Taiwan’s supply of such personnel, he said. At present, medical doctors and dentists are allowed to practice in China once they obtain a certificate of good standing issued by the department to prove they have not violated healthcare laws, Shih said. To date, about 100 people have applied for the certificates, he said. Taiwan has 40,000 doctors and 120,000 nurses, while China has 40,000 doctors and 50,000 nurses to serve its population of about 1.3 billion.
■ OBITUARY
Hung Yi-feng dies at 82
Well-known local crooner Hung Yi-feng (洪一峰) passed away yesterday at Taipei Medical University Hospital, aged 82. In December, Hung, who was known for his Taiwanese songs and considered a national treasure, contracted a fever that developed into pneumonia and breathing difficulties. After being sent to hospital, Hung was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. With Hung in a coma, his family remained at his side day and night, constantly playing the song Love Always Joyful (愛常常喜樂). Hung wrote the song to the text of a prayer he often read when he was hospitalized two years ago after suffering a bad fall.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a "tsunami watch" alert after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia earlier in the morning. The quake struck off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula at 7:25am (Taiwan time) at a depth of about 19km, the CWA said, citing figures from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The CWA's Seismological Center said preliminary assessments indicate that a tsunami could reach Taiwan's coastal areas by 1:18pm today. The CWA urged residents along the coast to stay alert and take necessary precautions as waves as high as 1m could hit the southeastern
The National Museum of Taiwan Literature is next month to hold an exhibition in Osaka, Japan, showcasing the rich and unique history of Taiwanese folklore and literature. The exhibition, which is to run from Aug. 10 to Aug. 20 at the city’s Central Public Hall, is part of the “We Taiwan” at Expo 2025 series, highlighting Taiwan’s cultural ties with the international community, National Museum of Taiwan Literature director Chen Ying-fang (陳瑩芳) said. Folklore and literature, among Taiwan’s richest cultural heritages, naturally deserve a central place in the global dialogue, Chen said. Taiwan’s folklore would be immediately apparent at the entrance of the
Speeding and badly maintained roads were the main causes of a school bus accident on a rainy day in Taipei last year that severely injured two people and left 22 with minor injuries, the Taiwan Transportation and Safety Board said. On March 11 last year, a Kang Chiao International School bus overturned inside the Wenshan Tunnel (文山隧道) on the northbound lane of the Xinyi Expressway. The tour bus, owned by Long Lai Co, exceeded the speed limit after entering the tunnel, the board’s investigation found. Sensing that the rear of the vehicle was swaying, the driver attempted to use the service and exhaust
Central and southern Taiwan are to see increasingly heavy rainfall from last night through Friday due to the effects of a low-pressure system and southwesterly winds, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕) said Tropical Storm Co-May had weakened into a low-pressure system on Saturday, but that it strengthened again into a tropical depression (TD 11) near the seas around Japan's Ryukyu Islands due to favorable environmental conditions. The tropical depression is expected to persist for two to three days, moving west-northwest by this afternoon and reaching China's Zhejiang through the East China Sea tomorrow,
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