■ 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.
A tropical depression east of the Philippines became a tropical storm early yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, less than a week after a typhoon barreled across the nation. The agency issued an advisory at 3:30am stating that the 22nd tropical storm, named Yinxing, of the Pacific typhoon season formed at 2am. As of 8am, the storm was 1,730km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, with a 100km radius. It was moving west-northwest at 32kph, with maximum sustained winds of 83kph and gusts of up to 108kph. Based on its current path, the storm is not expected to hit Taiwan, CWA
Residents have called on the Taipei City Government to reconsider its plan to demolish a four-decades-old pedestrian overpass near Daan Forest Park. The 42-year-old concrete and steel structure that serves as an elevated walkway over the intersection of Heping and Xinsheng roads is to be closed on Tuesday in preparation for demolition slated for completion by the end of the month. However, in recent days some local residents have been protesting the planned destruction of the intersection overpass that is rendered more poetically as “sky bridge” in Chinese. “This bridge carries the community’s collective memory,” said a man surnamed Chuang
A tropical depression east of the Philippines became a tropical storm earlier today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The 22nd tropical storm, named Yinxing, in this year's Pacific typhoon season formed at 2am, the CWA said. As of 8am, the storm was 1,730km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻) with a 100km radius, it said. It was moving west-northwest at 32kph, with maximum sustained winds of 83kph and gusts of up to 108kph. Based on its current path, the storm is not expected to hit Taiwan, CWA meteorologist Huang En-hung (黃恩宏) said. However, a more accurate forecast would be made on Wednesday, when Yinxing is
NEW DESTINATIONS: Marketing campaigns to attract foreign travelers have to change from the usual promotions about Alishan and Taroko Gorge, the transport minister said The number of international tourists visiting Taiwan is estimated to top 8 million by the end of this year, Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shi-kai (陳世凱) said yesterday, adding that the ministry has not changed its goal of attracting 10 million foreign travelers this year. Chen made the remarks at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee to brief lawmakers about the ministry’s plan to boost foreign visitor arrivals. Last month, Chen told the committee that the nation might attract only 7.5 million tourists from overseas this year and that when the ministry sets next year’s goal, it would not include
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