Taipei  - Taiwan police have arrested a funeral parlour worker who stole cash and jewelry from a dead American, a newspaper said Tuesday.

Chen Chien-feng was arrested Monday for stealing 3,700 Taiwan dollars (100 US dollars) and jewelry from the home of Sandy Richard Puckett, a 60-year-old teacher at the Taipei American School, while removing Puckett's body Monday morning, the China Times said.

Taipei  - Taiwan has congratulated Mauricio Funes on his victory in El Salvador's presidential election and vowed to strengthen diplomatic ties with the Central American country, the Central News Agency (CNA) said Tuesday.

CNA said that after Funes, the left-wing candidate, had won the Sunday's election, Taiwan's ambassador to El Salvador Liao Shih-chieh went to Funes' campaign headquarters to deliver the message of congratulation from President Ma Ying-jeou.

Taipei  - Taiwan said Sunday that its diplomatic ties with Paraguay and the Dominican Republic are firm, despite calls for the governments of the two countries to recognize China.

Foreign Minister Francisco made the remark to the Central News Agency (CNA), after visiting Paraguay and the Dominican Republic to consolidate ties. The two nations are among the 23 mostly small countries that recognize Taiwan.

Taipei  - A Taiwanese handbag thief who tried to withdraw cash from his victim's bank account was caught in the act by the victim's daughter, who happened to work at the bank branch.

Taipei police said Chang Shih-chun, 55, broke into the house of a retired teacher Tuesday and stole her handbag containing some cash, a bank book and an ink seal used by the victim to stamp her signature when withdrawing money.

Taipei  - Women's world number two golfer Yani Tseng is mulling playing for a foreign country because she is unhappy about the neglect of the sport in her native Taiwan.

Tseng's father Tseng Mao-hsin on Wednesday confirmed a news report from the United Daily News that lack of respect for the sport in her home country, and not money, has prompted the move.

Taipei  - An elderly man in the southern Taiwan city of Kaohsiung has fallen prey to fraudulent lottery scams 11 times in two years, police said Wednesday.

The 66-year-old man, identified by his family name Chang, believed it was true every time he received notification that he had won a big lottery prize, police said.

"He has been cheated 11 times and swindled out of 3.45 million Taiwan dollars (100,000 US) in the past two years," said Chang Chin-lan, spokeswoman of the police anti-fraud hotline.