■ Society
Li Ao has prostate surgery
TV talk-show star, author and former New Party presidential candidate Li Ao (李敖) underwent successful surgery for prostate cancer yesterday, his physician said. Dr. Chang Shu-jen (張澍人) told reporters that a can-cerous tumor was removed in a 90-minute surgery. The tumor was large but had not spread to other organs, he said. Clad in a blue bathrobe and his trademark sun-glasses after checking into the hospital on Monday, the 68-year-old Li told reporters, "For the sake of my big head, my little head will have to suffer."
■ Health
More dysentery reported
The Center for Disease Control announced yester-day that 17 more cases of dysentery had been con-firmed among a group of Taiwanese who returned from Bali. The new cases raised the total to 42 from the 25 reported on Sunday. "Of the 1,294 travelers who returned from Bali on the [weekend], 24 displayed symptoms," said center deputy director Shih Wen-yi (施文儀). He said 47 people were waiting for lab results to see if they had contracted the disease. "If we are still unable to bring the situation under control, we will ask the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to issue a travel advisory against Bali," he said.
■ Culture
Conference starts Friday
The 2003 City-to-City Cul-tural Exchange Conference will begin Friday in Taipei, the Performing Art Alliance announced yesterday. About 50 policymakers, advocates and academics from Hong Kong, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Taipei will discuss relations between cultural business and tourism, a city's renovation and a city's image. The conference moves to Taichung for Sunday and Monday.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) departed for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark. Tsai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday night, but did not speak to reporters before departing. Tsai wrote on social media later that the purpose of the trip was to reaffirm the commitment of Taiwanese to working with democratic allies to promote regional security and stability, upholding freedom and democracy, and defending their homeland. She also expressed hope that through joint efforts, Taiwan and Europe would continue to be partners building up economic resilience on the global stage. The former president was to first
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
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