The only H7N9 patient so far in Taiwan was carrying two strains of the same virus, with one being drug resistant and the other not, making it tricky to treat to him, doctors said yesterday.

lice confirmed that a Philippine worker was attacked by four Taiwanese and beaten with iron sticks and baseball bats in Tainan City on May 16 following the recent heated dispute between Taiwan and the Philippines.

The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said yesterday that three additional large vessels have been dispatched since May 10 to waters south of Taiwan to increase the protection of Taiwanese fishermen in the wake of the fatal shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman operating in the area.

Days away from marking his fifth anniversary as Taiwan's head of state, there should be little fanfare for President Ma Ying-jeou and his administration, according to the opposition.

An alleged fraud group of 12 was arrested by the Yunlin police yesterday, after they were accused of scamming over NT$30 million by disguising themselves as government prosecutors.

Taiwan's Wu Ching-kuo confirmed yesterday that he has submitted official documents to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), becoming the third candidate aiming for the top position in the world's most influential sports organization.

Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) yesterday warned that further sanctions may be imposed against the Philippines.

Manila said it had “gone the extra mile” to appease Taipei and expressed concern that its special envoy sent to the island had been rebuffed.

The Executive Yuan rolled out economic sanctions against the Philippines, which Economic Affairs Minister Chang Chia-juch (張家祝) said will not affect Taiwan's economy in the short term, though the nation's imports and exports will take a hit in the long run.

Tourists scheduled to visit the Philippines could suffer huge losses if they canceled their trips based on a high-level travel alert issued by the Taiwan government, local travel agents said Thursday, indicating that the sanctions against the Southeast Asian country might hurt Taiwan's travel sector.