Staff writer, with CNA
HEALTH
Vaccine compensations
A woman has received NT$400,000 (US$12,742) in compensation after she developed peripheral nerve disorders following a COVID- 19 vaccine shot, the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) said. The VICP held a meeting on June 29 to discuss cases of reported health problems from vaccines and whether the patients should be compensated. The meeting discussed 170 cases, with 13 cases eligible for compensation ranging from NT$5,000 to NT$400,000. Centers for Disease Control Deputy Director General Tseng Shu-huai (???) said on Friday the highest compensation of NT$400,000 was given to a Kaohsiung woman in her 40s. The woman felt weakness in her limbs after receiving an AstraZeneca shot and was later diagnosed with polyneuropathy, Tseng said.
BUSINESS
Union condemns layoffs
The Taoyuan Confederation of Trade Unions on Friday condemned a decision by Chemours, a Taoyuan-based US chemical company, to close its plant in Guanyin District (??) on Tuesday and lay off over 250 employees. In a Facebook post, the trade union expressed its frustration that the announcement of the plant closure was made public just four days before it takes effect. The condemnation came after the Taoyuan City Government’s Department of Labor released a statement earlier on Friday confirming it had received a proposal from Chemours regarding the closure of its Guanyin factory and laying off 259 workers from Sept. 30.
CINEMA
Love in Taipei to premiere
Love in Taipei, a coming-of-age film based on the best-selling novel Loveboat, Taipei, is to premiere on a subscription-based streaming platform in the US and Canada in August. Directed by Taiwanese-American Arvin Chen (???), the movie stars Ashley Liao (???), Ross Butler and Taiwan-based TV personality Janet Hsieh (???). A 142-second trailer released online by Paramount+ earlier this week shows several of the city’s landmarks including the Taipei 101 building, the Grand Hotel and bustling night markets. The film is to premiere on Aug. 10 exclusively on Paramount+ in the US and Canada, on Aug. 11 in the UK and Australia, and on Aug. 25 in Latin America, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and France. The premiere dates for South Korea and additional territories are to be announced later, the streaming service said.
CRIME
Arrests over deer theft
Two men were arrested yesterday for stealing three Formosan sika deer in Pingtung County in the early hours of Thursday morning and killing one of them, the county’s police bureau said. Another man who is believed to have bought two of the animals was also arrested, it added. The arrested duo, surnamed Pan (?) and Chen (?), confessed to the police that they stole a buck and two fawns from a privately run animal park called “Paradise of Deer,” the police said. The two men told the police that they could not load the buck onto their truck, so they tied its legs tightly and left it outside the park on a stormy night, the police said. Park personnel found the tied-up buck, which had broken two of its legs, on Thursday morning. The adult deer is still undergoing emergency care, the park said. The suspects face charges under the Criminal Code and Animal Protection Act (?????).
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