■Computers
Virus poised to strike
At least 15 computer viruses are expected to strike today, Friday the 13th, Trend Micro Inc warned yesterday. The computer viruses set to strike include Atom.E, Atom.G.De, Thus.C, Thus.F, Thus.Q, Thus.001, Datacrime, Cascade, Got you, Tedious, Badboy.A, Phardera.A, Paycheck, and Friday 13th, the company, which produces anti-virus software, said. Many viruses are set to strike in December, it said. Except for the Happy Time virus, which already struck at the beginning of this month, most other viruses will strike after mid-December. "And more than 15 viruses are expected to strike tomorrow, which is popularly known as Black Friday," said a Trend Micro anti-virus expert. Among others, he said, "Friday the 13th" virus tends to strike on the 13th day of every month. "This virus has many variations. If the light on your A disk drive continues to remain on tomorrow, it means your personal computer has been infected with the virus," he explained. He urged computer users to refrain from opening suspicious files or e-mail today, to avoid infection.
■ Politics
KMT whip sues mayor
The KMT's legislative whip filed a libel suit yesterday against Kaohsiung Mayor Frank Hsieh (謝長廷). Lee Chuan-chiao (李全教) was accompanied by his lawyer when he filed the suit with the Taipei District Prosecutors' Office and requested civil compensation of NT$100 million (US$2.94 million). Hsieh has accused Lee of passing counterfeit checks and of involvement in a third party's family dispute. Lee also sued other top officials of the Kaohsiung City Council. During the mayoral election campaign, Lee produced a copy of an NT$4.5 million check given to Hsieh in 1994 -- when Hsieh was a legislator -- by Su Hui-chen (蘇惠珍), a major shareholder in Kaohsiung's Zanadau Development Corp. But Hsieh said the check was the repayment of a loan he made to Yu Chen Yue-ying (余陳月瑛), a former Kaohsiung county magistrate. Lee alleged that the money was in fact a political donation from Su, channelled to Hsieh through Yu Chen.
■ Rescue
Eight fishermen saved
All eight crew members aboard a Taipei County fishing boat, which became stranded in stormy weather because of mechanical failure, were safely rescued by the coast guard early yesterday morning, police reported. Crew of the mullet-fishing boat Hung Fa No. 6 sent out an SOS signal at around 3am yesterday after the vessel ran aground several miles off Pahli, Taipei County. The Taipei County Fire Department called for help from the Coast Guard Administration, which dispatched a helicopter to the scene. Braving strong winds and huge waves brought on by a cold front from the north, the helicopter managed to save all the crew members, including two Taiwanese and six Chinese, by lifting them from the boat one by one.
■ Health
Cancer center opens
A cancer medical care center offering both conventional therapy as well as complementary and alternative medicine was set up in Taipei yesterday to provide cancer patients with alternative healing practices. A spokesman of the center said that the therapy is used either together with conventional medicine or in place of conventional medicine. Over the past few years, clinical reports have shown that this kind of therapy can help reduce patients' discomfort following surgery, radiation therapy or chemotherapy.
RSS