Taipei, May 29 (CNA) Barring any cases of swine flu spread within the country, Taiwan is set to lower its flu alert from the third level of yellow to the second level Saturday after withstanding a mild rise in the number of imported cases in the past 10 days. Shih Wen-yi, a spokesman for the [...]

Cars lined up for about 20km near the southbound lanes of Hsuehshan Tunnel yesterday as the nation entered the second day of the four-day Dragon Boat Festival holiday. The Taiwan Area National Freeway Bureau said that traffic started to form inside the Hsuehshan Tunnel at about 7:30am, which in turn slowed down traffic outside the [...]

Three Taiwanese climbers who scaled Mount Everest last week returned home from Bangkok yesterday, with all three ready for their next challenge. Chiang Hsiu-chen (江秀真) and her fellow mountaineers received a hero’s welcome at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport. Their success made Chiang the first Taiwanese woman to conquer the highest peaks on seven continents. It [...]

The company that won the contract to operate a self-service bicycle rental system in Kaohsiung City complained yesterday it has been in deficit since the system was launched about three months ago by the city government. When the service was introduced in March, there were 1,500 bikes available for rent at 20 locations throughout the [...]

Taiwan’s Kinmen Island was once in the cross fire of hostilities between both sides of the Taiwan Strait. But with warming ties, plans are now underway to make the island more tourist-friendly. The shores of Kinmen Island were carpeted with mines during the peak of hostilities, following the civil war of 1949. A rise in [...]

Taipei, May 30 (CNA) The government should raise its health surcharge on cigarettes to discourage smoking, as many local smokers will not consider quitting unless cigarette prices surge past NT$100 (US$3.06) per pack, an anti-smoking foundation said Saturday. The non-profit John Tung Foundation, which is dedicated to promoting public health and a smoke-free society, made [...]

Taipei, May 30 (CNA) The Cabinet-level Department of Health (DOH) ordered an importer Saturday to recall an energy drink imported from Austria after discovering trace amounts of cocaine in the product, and said people should not drink the beverage. According to a statement from the department, the DOH decided to test the imported Red Bull [...]

Guatemala City, May 29 (CNA) Republic of China President Ma Ying-jeou arrived in Guatemala Friday from Belize on the second leg of his 10-day, three-country diplomatic visit to Central America. Shortly after his arrival in Guatemala City, Ma held bilateral talks with Guatemala President Alvaro Colom Caballeros on matters of mutual concern. The two leaders [...]

San Salvador, El Salvador, May 29 (CNA) A spokeswoman for the World Vision El Salvador chapter said Friday that her chapter will express gratitude to Republic of China first lady Chow Mei-ching for her support when she visits the charity during her June 1-2 trip to El Salvador. “The visit has special meaning, ” said [...]

Taipei, May 30 (CNA) Hundreds of victims of spinal injuries demonstrated their enormous perseverance and shared their stories of overcoming adversity at a charity carnival Saturday. The event, titled “Navigating Life — Wheelchair Experience and Charity Carnival, ” was held for the 10th consecutive year by the Taoyuan County-based non-profit Potential Development Center for Spinal [...]