■ 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.
WANG RELEASED: A police investigation showed that an organized crime group allegedly taught their clients how to pretend to be sick during medical exams Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) and 11 others were released on bail yesterday, after being questioned for allegedly dodging compulsory military service or forging documents to help others avoid serving. Wang, 33, was catapulted into stardom for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代). Lately, he has been focusing on developing his entertainment career in China. The New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office last month began investigating an organized crime group that is allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified documents. Police in New Taipei City Yonghe Precinct at the end of last month arrested the main suspect,
A cat named Mikan (蜜柑) has brought in revenue of more than NT$10 million (US$305,390) for the Kaohsiung MRT last year. Mikan, born on April 4, 2020, was a stray cat before being adopted by personnel of Kaohsiung MRT’s Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station. Mikan was named after a Japanese term for mandarin orange due to his color and because he looks like an orange when curled up. He was named “station master” of Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station in September 2020, and has since become famous. With Kaohsiung MRT’s branding, along with the release of a set of cultural and creative products, station master Mikan
Eleven people, including actor Darren Wang (王大陸), were taken into custody today for questioning regarding the evasion of compulsory military service and document forgery, the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said. Eight of the people, including Wang, are suspected of evading military service, while three are suspected of forging medical documents to assist them, the report said. They are all being questioned by police and would later be transferred to the prosecutors’ office for further investigation. Three men surnamed Lee (李), Chang (張) and Lin (林) are suspected of improperly assisting conscripts in changing their military classification from “stand-by
LITTORAL REGIMENTS: The US Marine Corps is transitioning to an ‘island hopping’ strategy to counterattack Beijing’s area denial strategy The US Marine Corps (USMC) has introduced new anti-drone systems to bolster air defense in the Pacific island chain amid growing Chinese military influence in the region, The Telegraph reported on Sunday. The new Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS) Mk 1 is being developed to counter “the growing menace of unmanned aerial systems,” it cited the Marine Corps as saying. China has constructed a powerful defense mechanism in the Pacific Ocean west of the first island chain by deploying weapons such as rockets, submarines and anti-ship missiles — which is part of its anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) strategy against adversaries — the
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