CUDDLING UP: Emile Sheng said the government has not ruled out setting up a cultural office in China and that it could be done in a “systematic and transparent” manner

By Ko Shu-ling

Chinese Minister of Culture Cai Wu (蔡武) yesterday proposed institutionalizing cultural exchanges between Taiwan and China, suggesting that both sides hold visits by high-level cultural officials and sign an agreement on the matter.

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SEX OFFENDERS: Legislators want mandatory sentences for those convicted of sexually abusing children after a recent string of cases saw convicted rapists get let off lightly

By Vincent Y. Chao and Shelley Huang

A string of recent sex abuse cases in which the defendants were given controversially light sentences sparked outrage and calls for the judiciary to take a tougher stance on abuse against children.

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Taiwan expects a much-­anticipated missile defense shield to be ready next year after buying advanced weapons at a cost of about NT$300 billion (US$9.4 billion), local media reported yesterday.

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Days after the US said it had officially ended combat operations and touted Iraq’s ability to defend itself, US troops found themselves battling heavily armed militants assaulting an Iraqi military headquarters in the center of Baghdad on Sunday.

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A suicide bomber detonated a car in an alley behind a police station in a strategically vital town in northwest Pakistan yesterday, killing at least 17 police and civilians in an explosion that shattered the station and neighboring homes, police said.

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