■ 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.
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday said it had deployed patrol vessels to expel a China Coast Guard ship and a Chinese fishing boat near Pratas Island (Dongsha Island, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea. The China Coast Guard vessel was 28 nautical miles (52km) northeast of Pratas at 6:15am on Thursday, approaching the island’s restricted waters, which extend 24 nautical miles from its shoreline, the CGA’s Dongsha-Nansha Branch said in a statement. The Tainan, a 2,000-tonne cutter, was deployed by the CGA to shadow the Chinese ship, which left the area at 2:39pm on Friday, the statement said. At 6:31pm on Friday,
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, would pose a steep challenge to Taiwan’s ability to defend itself against a full-scale invasion, a defense expert said yesterday. Institute of National Defense and Security Research analyst Chieh Chung (揭仲) made the comment hours after the PLAN confirmed the carrier recently passed through the Taiwan Strait to conduct “scientific research tests and training missions” in the South China Sea. China has two carriers in operation — the Liaoning and the Shandong — with the Fujian undergoing sea trials. Although the PLAN needs time to train the Fujian’s air wing and
Taiwanese celebrities Hank Chen (陳漢典) and Lulu Huang (黃路梓茵) announced yesterday that they are planning to marry. Huang announced and posted photos of their engagement to her social media pages yesterday morning, joking that the pair were not just doing marketing for a new show, but “really getting married.” “We’ve decided to spend all of our future happy and hilarious moments together,” she wrote. The announcement, which was later confirmed by the talent agency they share, appeared to come as a surprise even to those around them, with veteran TV host Jacky Wu (吳宗憲) saying he was “totally taken aback” by the news. Huang,
The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) put Taiwan in danger, Ma Ying-jeou Foundation director Hsiao Hsu-tsen (蕭旭岑) said yesterday, hours after the de facto US embassy said that Beijing had misinterpreted World War II-era documents to isolate Taiwan. The AIT’s comments harmed the Republic of China’s (ROC) national interests and contradicted a part of the “six assurances” stipulating that the US would not change its official position on Taiwan’s sovereignty, Hsiao said. The “six assurances,” which were given by then-US president Ronald Reagan to Taiwan in 1982, say that Washington would not set a date for ending arm sales to Taiwan, consult
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