■ Health
Cancer diagnosis saves life
A Taiwanese prostitute's "professional knowledge" helped save the life of a client after she suspected him of having testicular cancer and told him to see a doctor, a local paper reported yesterday. A 20-year-old university student, who was visiting a brothel for the first time, "was skeptical but went to the hospital anyway" and was indeed diagnosed with that particular form of cancer, the symptoms of which include the enlargement of -- or a swelling in -- a testicle. Luckily for the man, the cancer was in its first phase. His doctor removed his left testicle and said the operation would not affect the man's fertility or sex life.
■ Foreign Affairs
US eyeing Chinese remarks
The US is looking at remarks made by a Beijing official to mark the 10th anniversary of former Chinese President Jiang Zemin's (江澤民) Eight-Point proposal on unification with Taiwan, US State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said Friday. Boucher was referring to a speech delivered by People's Political Consultative Conference Chairman Jia Qinglin (賈慶林) in which Jia reiterated Beijing's insistence on the "one China" principle and claimed that Beijing remains open to cross-strait negotiations. Jia also criticized Taiwan's planned constitutional reforms, describing them as an attempt to realize de jure independen-ce for the country. "We'll look at [Jia's speech] very carefully," Boucher said. He also reiterated the US' interest in a peaceful resolution of cross-strait differences and its support for the idea of cross-strait dialogue, which he said is the best way for the two sides to resolve their differences.
■ Development
Investment projects touted
The Industrial Development Bureau under the Ministry of Economic Affairs is doing its utmost to achieve its goal of attracting major investment projects totalling NT$849 billion (US$26.69 billion) for this year, Chen Chao-yih (陳昭義), the bureau director, said yesterday. The ministry defines a major investment project as one with a total investment of over NT$200 million, Chen said. To contribute to the nation's sustainable economic development, the bureau will continue to promote what it calls the "two-trillion, two-star" industries -- semiconductors, optoelectronics, digital content and biotechnology, he said. Furthermore, the bureau plans to promote new industries, including those related to home care, digital homes, and liquid crystal display (LCD) products, as part of the government's efforts to transform the nation into a "green silicon island," he said.
■ Transportation
Televisions come to buses
The Kaohsiung City Government inaugurated buses and ferries offering "DiMo TV" yesterday, according to Chang Chun-yen (張俊彥), secretary-general of the southern port city's government. Dimo TV will play commercial-free digital programs offered by the Public Television Service Foundation (PTSF), which will do its utmost to uphold the program quality, PTSF chairman Hu Yuan-hui (胡元輝) said. The inaugura-tion ceremony, held at the square by the mouth of the Love River, was presided over by Chang and Hu. On Jan. 24, the city inaugurated the country's first digitized services on the city's bus routes, including 130 bus stop signs offering digital information, TV monitors on 448 buses that play real-time programming, and a hotline offering bus information, Chang said.
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
HEAVY WEATHER: Typhoon Jangmi is due to crash straight into the Ryukyus as airlines look to shift flights to larger aircraft or cancel flights to Okinawa entirely Taiwan’s international air carriers announced flight adjustments over the weekend as Typhoon Jangmi is forecast to hit the Ryukyu Islands today and tomorrow. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) upgraded Jangmi from a tropical storm to a typhoon at 8am yesterday, with the eye located 580km south of Naha city. It was moving north at 19kph. Today, China Airlines’ CI-120, CI-121, CI-122 and CI-123 flights between Taoyuan and Naha, Okinawa, have been canceled as well as CI-132 and CI-133 between Kaohsiung and Naha. EVA Air’s BR-112, BR-113, BR-186 and BR-185 flights between Taoyuan and Naha are also canceled. Low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan canceled IT-230,
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday briefed her party’s Central Standing Committee regarding her scheduled visit to the US between Monday next week and June 16, saying that her purpose would be to persuade the US that the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution was a “one China” constitution that would foster stable and peaceful cross-strait relations. The ROC Constitution is the most important defense for all Taiwanese citizens, as it upholds our democracy and has contributed to our robust economy, which aligns with international and US interests, she said. “We would not be troublemakers and drag the US under,”
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