HEALTH
Acupuncture aids rehab
Acupuncture stimulation could help blood circulation in patients who have suffered strokes, a recent study conducted by a team of local doctors showed. The study, published in last month’s edition of Microvascular Research, documented the therapeutic effects of acupuncture on 18 patients who had suffered strokes, Taipei City Hospital said. The patients, all in the rehabilitation stage, received acupuncture in certain areas associated with improved blood flow and were later tested for changes, said Chen Chao-tsung (陳朝宗), director of traditional medicine at the hospital. The results showed that acupuncture can decrease blood flow resistance and increase microcirculatory blood flow, a situation that is deemed helpful for the recovery of stroke patients, he said. “The main contribution made by this research was its evaluation of acupuncture therapy in a scientific way,” Chen said. The next step would be to come up with more scientific evidence to explain how acupuncture stimulation can be used to supplement Western treatments for strokes, he said.
POLITICS
DPP couple marries
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chiu Yi-ying (邱議瑩) yesterday married her long-time boyfriend, Greater Kaohsiung Deputy Mayor Lee Yung-te (李永得), in a long-expected and low-profile civil ceremony. Chiu, 39, met Lee, 55, when the two served as vice minister and minister, respectively, at the Council for Hakka Affairs. “Lee wanted us to marry while I am still in my 30s,” Chiu told reporters. Lee added he would “do my best to have at least three children,” although Chiu said that she would first focus on her re-election campaign. The ceremony, held at a public office in Greater Kaohsiung, was attended by Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊), while DPP lawmakers in the legislature wished the couple all the best.
DIPLOMACY
Wang delivers donation
Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) handed over a disaster relief donation of ￥1 billion (US$12 million) to Japan yesterday in Tokyo on behalf of Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Wang said Japan had made a great contribution to the relief work in Taiwan after a deadly earthquake in 1999 and again after Typhoon Morakot in 2009. Taiwan will never forget Japan’s kindness, said Wang, who is leading a delegation on a visit to Japan. Adding that Japan’s tourism industry has been affected by the nuclear crisis that developed there after a devastating earthquake and tsunami on March 11, Wang said he would lead another delegation to Hokkaido to show his support for the country. Taiwan held a TV fundraiser on March 18, raising ￥2.1 billion within four hours. To date, Taiwan has donated a total of ￥14.4 billion to the disaster relief efforts in Japan.
CROSS-STRAIT TIES
Hu offers Lien delegates
Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) will send delegates to a memorial service for former vice president Lien Chan’s (連戰) mother, Chao Lan-kun (趙蘭坤), who passed away on Sunday at the age of 103, Lien’s spokesman Ting Yuan-chao (丁遠超) said. Ting said that upon learning of Chao’s death, Hu extended condolences to Lien and offered to send a delegation to Taiwan, an offer Lien politely declined. However, Hu said he wanted to express his sympathy by sending “one or two non-official delegates” to the funeral on Thursday next week, so Lien agreed, Ting said. The memorial service for Chao will be held at the Taipei Wesley Methodist Church, Ting added.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
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