Taipei - Gambian President Yayah A. J. J. Jammeh arrived in Taiwan Monday for a four-day visit to boost diplomatic ties between Gambia and Taiwan.

During the visit, Jammeh will meet with President Ma Ying-jeou to discuss international affairs and issues of common interest, the Foreign Ministry said.

Taipei - Taiwan has more than doubled its quota for Chinese tourists and plans to further raise the limit to cope with the increased number of Chinese tour groups, a newspaper reported Monday.

The Taipei Times quoted Premier Liu Chao-shiuan as saying that the adjustment was necessary because the number of Chinese tourists could hit 7,000 people per day by next month.

Liu noted that the number of tourists exceeded 4,000 people per day last week.

Taipei  - Taiwan treated 350 foreign tourists to free massage Sunday as part of its campaign to promote "health tourism."

The tourists, seated in chairs at the National Taiwan University gymnasium, received 40-minute massages on their hands, shoulders and backs by 350 blind masseurs.

Some tourists screamed in pain while other giggled and laughed as the masseurs squeezed their muscles and exerted pressure on nerve points.

It was the second time the Taiwan Tourism Bureau has arranged a free massage event for foreign tourists.

Taipei  - China's senior envoy to Taiwan, Zheng Lizhong, led a group of negotiators to the island Friday for preparatory talks to set the stage for the third cross-strait summit planned later this month.

Zheng, vice chairman of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) and his 20-member delegation were whisked to Taipei from Taoyuan International Airport amid a protest by a small group of pro-independence activists.

Taipei - Taiwan prosecutors Friday arrested five prison guards and three brokers for allegedly smuggling in forbidden items in return for payments by inmates.

"We are seeking the district court's approval for the detention of the eight for alleged corruption," said district prosecutor Chen Hsin-hung.

Taipei - Taiwan stocks plunged more than 4 per cent Friday due to profit-taki