A statue of the Virgin Mary housed in Taiwan’s oldest Catholic church caught fire today. Fire fighters are investigating whether arson is involved. Firefighters received a report at 4:28pm. By the time firefighters arrived church members and visitors had already put out the fire using fire extinguishers. The clothes and wig were burned in the fire, which firefighters say covered an area of 9 meters square. The area has been cordoned off for a forensics investigation tomorrow. The statue is
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Murder by Chopstick
A 51 year old resident of Yao City, Osaka Prefecture, Japan was arrested Thursday after stabbing his father in the neck with a chopstick Wednesday night. Michikazu Ikeuchi, was trying to prevent his parents arguing when he lost his temper. He had a 30 centimeter chopstick used for cooking in his hand at the time. “He said in his anger he waved the chopstick in front of his father but before he knew it, it got stuck in him,” a
Read moreAsylum Seeker Escapes China in Tiny Toy Inflatable Boat
A man from Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province was caught by patrolmen on Little Jinmen Island in the early hours April 28, after rowing a toy inflatable boat from Xiamen in the middle of the night. The patrolmen spotted the man in the tiny boat about 50 meters from the shore at around 5.15 a.m. When he landed, they arrested the man and took him in for questioning. Mr. Qian, a 43 year old man from Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province, claimed
Read moreDog Takes Care of Monkey Business on University Campus
The Formosan Macaque is a wily beast who brazenly steals food. His behavior can be quite intimidating, and in the south of Taiwan he is the enemy of farmers, who sometimes resort to lethal means in order to protect their crops. At Sun Yat-sen University on the outskirts of Kaohsiung City, the campus is surrounded by forests, and the macaque has learned that a student’s breakfast or lunch can make for easy pickings. Around 5 years ago campus guards befriended
Read moreCyclist Circumnavigates Taiwan on a Ubike (YouBike)
(Correction: UBike is a popular way of spelling the name, but the official name is YouBike) A man cycled around Taiwan in 4 days on one of Taipei’s popular rental bikes – the Ubike. The total rental cost for the round-island journey was more than $7000NTD(USD $214). An expert cyclist, Xu Cheng-yu had previously ridden around the island nine times. However, he wanted to show that you don’t need an expensive or fancy bike to do it, so he decided
Read moreLover’s Quarrel Leads to Freeway Havoc: 1 Dead, 8 Injured
A man arguing with his girlfriend pulled the handbrake while they were traveling at over 90 km/h on the freeway south of Tainan City yesterday. A taxi carrying 6 passengers managed to stop before hitting the first car, but was slammed by a truck traveling behind it. One of the passengers died and 8 people were injured in the accident, including 5 seriously. The 43 year old woman was driving the car and returning to Kaohsiung with her 29 year
Read moreChinese Taipei vs. Taiwan
This is Chinese Taipei: Not far outside the rarefied atmosphere of Taipei City stands the community of Wulai, and villages deeper in the mountains who are struggling to survive, with no electricity, clean drinking water, land or mobile communications. The damage caused by Typhoon Soudelor is only now beginning to be assessed, all over Taiwan. While the media has focused its attention on the metropolitan centers, the real victims of Typhoons in Taiwan are usually the people in the mountains.
Read moreMan Survives 8 Story Fall
A man miraculously survived after jumping off a freeway bridge the equivalent of an 8 story building. The man landed on muddy ground and was conscious when rescuers arrived. When reporters and police asked him why he jumped off the bridge, the man kept mumbling “I saw the buddha….. I harmed the buddha”. The man suffered bone fractures, scratches and bruising. Sources: SETN
Read moreBetel Nut Bandit Spits on Women
Tainan City. From January to April this year a man targeted women walking alone and spat betel nut juice on them. The 34 year old man used a scooter to approach his victims, then make a quick escape. There were a total of 8 victims. The man has been charged with multiple offences, including public insult. Sources: CTi, Apple Daily.
Read moreMan Survives Bridge Fall
A drunk man fell approximately 2 stories into a rocky riverbed after losing his balance in Taichung City. After having a fight with his girlfriend, he got rotten drunk, and while crossing the bridge on foot decided to stop and rest. While sitting on the safety barrier, he lost his balance and fell into the dry river bed below. He suffered multiple fractures in the incident.
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