■Maritime
Filipinos injured in boat fire
Five Filipino sailors were injured in a fire aboard a Philippine cargo ship off Kaohsiung, harbor authorities said yesterday. The Kaohsiung Harbor Bureau received a distress call from the local shipping agent of the Golden Eagle at around 2am saying the freight had caught fire. The bureau immediately sent ferry boats to help rescue the ship's crew members and assist in putting out the fire, harbor officials said, adding that the five injured crewmen were then rushed to a nearby hospital for medical treatment. Only one crewman was seriously injured, doctors said, adding that he may lose his eyesight. The other four crewmen received only minor injuries. The harbor officials said the fire has been extinguished, adding that they will investigate the cause of theaccident.
■ Government
Legislature amends tax laws
The legislature yesterday amended tax rules that empower local governments to levy new taxes to ease their cash-strapped coffers. In addition, the body allowed local governments to adjust upward various fees under their jurisdiction, as long as they can gain approval from respective councils for the hikes. Under the new tax revisions, city, county and township governments may impose special taxes and transitional taxes that last four years or two years to enhance their finances. Also, local administrators may add an extra amount to taxes already implemented by the central government, according to the revised legislation. However, it bars local governments from levying taxes on trades and goods that span or flow across the borders of two local jurisdictions.
■ Foreign workers
Taoyuan tops table
There are more foreign workers living in Taoyuan County than in any other county or city, the police said yesterday. Quoting government statistics, the Taoyuan Police Bureau said the nation had 307,567 legal foreign workers at the end of October. Of these, 73,270, or 23.8 percent of the total, were in Taoyuan, the bureau said. Among the foreign workers in Taoyuan, 34,667 were Thais, 18,634 were Filipinos, 10,001 were Indonesian and 5,710 were Vietnamese. More than 57,000 were employed in the manufacturing sector, with the others serving as caretakers, construction workers or maids. Police said the number of criminal cases involving foreign laborers has increased steadily since 2000, with burglary, robbery and sex offenses the most common.
■ Fast food
Chains issue nutrition facts
Fast food outlets in Taipei have started providing information about the nutritional value of the food they serve up as part of the city's drive to slim down and get healthy. McDonald's, Burger King, Mos Burger, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Yoshinoya started providing details on Monday of the calories, protein, fat and sugar contained in their food, Taipei City health director Chiu Shu-ti (邱淑媞) said. Some 181 outlets, including 91 from McDonald's, 29 from Mos Burger, 28 from Yoshinoya, 19 from Kentucky and 14 from Burger King, have started giving out the information. The Taipei City Government has been urging residents, especially children, to follow a healthy diet. It has also launched a 15-month campaign to encourage the city's more than 2.5 million residents to lose a combined 100 tonnes of weight between March 1 this year and June 30 next year.
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