EARTHQUAKE
Injured tourist still critical
A Malaysian who was severely injured during Thursday’s magnitude 6.1 earthquake in Hualien County has regained consciousness, but remains in critical condition, Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital said yesterday. Choo Yip Chean, 40, was struck by falling rocks on a hiking trail at the Taroko National Park. Rescued and airlifted to hospital, Choo was diagnosed with rib fractures, a collapsed lung and a blood clot in his pleural cavity, Tzu Chi Hospital deputy superintendent Chen Peir-rong (陳培榕) said, adding that Choo’s condition remained critical, but was “heading in an optimistic direction.” Meanwhile, a 54-year-old Taiwanese woman, surnamed Ma (馬), who was also injured on the same trail, had no life-threatening conditions, the hospital said. A total of 17 people were reported injured in the quake, the Central Emergency Operations Center said.
WEATHER
Sunset to align in Taipei
The sunset is to align with two streets in Taipei from late this month to early next month, the Central Weather Bureau said yesterday in a news release detailing its second forecast of sun alignments across the nation this year. The first round of sunsets are to be visible from Friday next week to April 30 facing west down Emei Street. On the first day, it is to be visible from 5:58pm to 6:18pm, while each day thereafter is to become earlier by three minutes. The next alignments are to occur from April 29 to May 3 down Zhongxiao E and W roads, from 5:59pm to 6:09pm on the first day. The best time to take a photograph, weather permitting, is in the middle of the 10-minute period, the bureau added. People hoping to photograph the moment should wear dark glasses to protect their eyes, it said. The next alignment is to take place in Taichung’s Dajia District (大甲) in about the middle of next month, it said.
EDUCATION
Singapore cuts med schools
A plan by the Singaporean government to reduce the number of overseas medical schools it recognizes starting in January next year would leave National Taiwan University’s (NTU) College of Medicine as the only Taiwanese school on the list. At present, medical graduates of NTU and Chang Gung University are qualified to practice medicine in Singapore, along with degrees from 158 other medical schools around the world. The Singaporean Ministry of Health on Thursday announced that the “number of overseas medical schools with registrable basic medical qualifications will be reduced from 160 to 103,” effective from Jan. 1 next year. Chang Gung University vice president Chen Jan-kan (陳君侃) yesterday said his school was likely removed from the list because few of its graduates have gone to Singapore to practice medicine.
CHARITY
Notre Dame donations urged
The French Office in Taipei urged Taiwanese to help restore the historic Notre Dame Cathedral, which was partly destroyed by fire on Monday, by sharing links to four French government-designated institutions or foundations that accept donations. The four are: Centre des Monuments Nationaux, la Fondation Notre-Dame, la Fondation du Patrimoine and la Fondation de France. “We thank all the Taiwanese who expressed their emotion and support in the wake of the fire that devastated parts of Notre Dame in Paris,” the office said in a Facebook post. It added that the French government designated the four institutions so that people who wish to help can donate in a transparent and secure manner.
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
The long-awaited Taichung aquarium is expected to open next year after more than a decade of development. The building in Cingshui District (清水) is to feature a large ocean aquarium on the first floor, coral display area on the second floor, a jellyfish tank and Dajia River (大甲溪) basin display on the third, a river estuary display and restaurant on the fourth, and a cafe and garden on the fifth. As it is near Wuci Fishing Port (梧棲漁港), many are expecting the opening of the aquarium to bring more tourism to the harbor. Speaking at the city council on Monday, Taichung City Councilor
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
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