Gas price hike

　　GAS prices in Shenzhen will be raised an average of 8 percent starting today due to soaring oil prices on the world market, yesterday’s Daily Sunshine reported.

　　Gas prices for households will be raised from 9.6 yuan (US$1.15) per cubic meter to 10.37 yuan per cubic meter and the gas price for commercial use will be raised from 12.48 yuan to 13.48 yuan.

　　Friction between the United States and Iraq has driven the CIF price for imported gas from about US$250 a ton before May to US$335 a ton in the second half of this year, a surge of more than 30 percent, officials with the Shenzhen Energy Group told the Daily Sunshine.

　　Color change for taxis

　　A TOTAL of 350 new-look taxis were put into operation in Shenzhen Sunday.

　　These taxis are the fourth-generation Santana, painted red with a gray top. The taxi signs are in blue and white stripes and the drivers wear blue uniforms.

　　Compared with old ones, the new taxis have more room and are quieter. There is no protective cage which has proved popular with most drivers who believe the taxis are now more passenger friendly. Shenzhen’s taxis previously had steel barriers around drivers’ seats to deter robberies.

　　Man attacks nurses

　　A JAPANESE man attacked two nurses in Nanshan People’s Hospital Sunday morning, yesterday’s Daily Sunshine reported.

　　The man brought a woman in her 20s to the hospital for treatment, claiming she was showing signs of a miscarriage.

　　He hit two nurses while waiting for doctors, claiming his wife could not wait for long.

　　When the police arrived, the man offered to pay some money for his actions without an apology, which the nurses refused.

　　He finally agreed to pay compensation to the hospital and apologized to the nurses after the police took him to the police station.