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.
CARGO LOSS: About 50 containers at the stern of the ‘Ever Lunar’ cargo ship went overboard, prompting the temporary closure of the port and disrupting operations Evergreen Marine Corp, Taiwan’s largest container shipper, yesterday said that all crew members aboard the Ever Lunar (長月) were safe after dozens of containers fell overboard off the coast of Peru the previous day. The incident occurred at 9:40am on Friday as the Ever Lunar was anchored and waiting to enter the Port of Callao when it suddenly experienced severe rolling, Evergreen said in a statement. The rolling, which caused the containers to fall, might have been caused by factors including a tsunami triggered by an earthquake in Russia, poor winter sea conditions in South America or a sudden influx of waves,
The Ministry of Culture yesterday officially launched the “We TAIWAN” cultural program on Osaka’s Nakanoshima sandbank, with the program’s mascot receiving overwhelming popularity. The cultural program, which runs from Aug. 2 to 20, was designed to partner with and capitalize on the 2025 World Expo that is being held in Osaka, Japan, from April 13 to Oct. 13, the ministry said. On the first day of the cultural program, its mascot, a green creature named “a-We,” proved to be extremely popular, as its merch was immediately in high demand. Long lines formed yesterday for the opening
The Taipei Summer Festival is to begin tomorrow at Dadaocheng Wharf (大稻埕), featuring four themed firework shows and five live music performances throughout the month, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said today. The festival in the city’s Datong District (大同) is to run until Aug. 30, holding firework displays on Wednesdays and the final Saturday of the event. The first show is scheduled for tomorrow, followed by Aug. 13, 20 and 30. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Disney Pixar's movie Toy Story, the festival has partnered with Walt Disney Co (Taiwan) to host a special themed area on
BE CAREFUL: The virus rarely causes severe illness or death, but newborns, older people and those with medical conditions are at risk of more severe illness As more than 7,000 cases of chikungunya fever have been reported in China’s Guangdong Province this year, including 2,892 new cases last week, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday said it is monitoring the situation and considering raising the travel notice level, which might be announced today. The CDC issued a level 1 travel notice, or “watch,” for Guangdong Province on July 22, citing an outbreak in Foshan, a manufacturing hub in the south of the province, that was reported early last month. Between July 27 and Saturday, the province reported 2,892 new cases of chikungunya, reaching a total of 7,716
RSS