Saturday, November 28, 2009 TAIPEI: The lowest birth rate in the world and a rapidly ageing society could lead to a spate of social problems in Taiwan, a report cited the Taiwanese health minister as saying on Saturday.In a population of 23 million, just 1.07 children are born per woman in Taiwan, even lower than Japan's 1.57, the United Daily News quoted Yaung Chih-liang as saying."This is a tragic society," Yaung said. "There is no war or other major disasters in Taiwan but the birth rate is plummeting so fast. It's unseen in other countries."Taiwan is likely to face more social problems, such as lack of care for the elderly and younger people committing suicides because of economic pressure, he warned."Many people choose to have a pet over having children," Yaung said, adding that a growing number of baby shops have been going out of business in recent years while pet stores are mushrooming.Education officials have warned that more than one in three Taiwanese colleges could be forced to close by 2021 because of a shortage of students.Taiwan's government has been offering various incentives in an unsuccessful bid to boost fertility rates amid growing concerns that a severe manpower shortage will trigger more social and economic woes.Health authorities have said the declining birth rate is because many women are choosing to marry at a later age or to stay single.
Friday, August 14, 2009 MUMBAI: A 26-year-old woman died Thursday of H1N1 swine flu in the southern city of Bangalore, raising India's death toll from the virus to 20, authorities said.The death was the first reported in India's information technology capital, the Press Trust of India reported.Meanwhile in Pune, the worst-affected in India, two more victims of the virus died Thursday, raising the death toll in that western city near Mumbai to 12, the report said. The victims were an 11-month-old boy and a 75-year-old old woman.US media reported movie halls, schools and colleges were ordered closed Thursday for three days to a week in Mumbai, the commercial and financial capital of the country, as fear of the pandemic spread.Prajakata Lavangare, a spokeswoman for the government of Maharashtra state of which Mumbai is the capital, said similar orders were issued in Pune, which is also located in the state.The woman who died in Bangalore was identified only as Roopa, a teacher in
Comments