`REGRETTABLE': Congressman Tom Tancredo slammed US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte, saying comments he made could encourage Beijing to attack Taiwan
By Charles Snyder
Supporters of Taiwan in Washington took senior officials of the administration of US President George W. Bush to task on Friday for comments last week about Taiwan's international status and President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and the Democratic Progressive Party's plan to hold an election-day referendum on UN membership.

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SCREEN TEST: NBC and TNT are taking a different line on the airing of a popular show starring White House aspirant Fred Thompson as a district attorney
While soon-to-be announced White House candidate Fred Thompson's Law & Order character was due to disappear from NBC starting yesterday because of concerns over federal equal time provisions, cable viewers will still have plenty of opportunities to see his District Attorney Arthur Branch.

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Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Colombian President Alvaro Uribe agreed on Friday to allow a representative of Colombia's largest guerrilla group to travel to Caracas for talks aimed at freeing dozens of rebel-held hostages, including politician Ingrid Betancourt and three US defense contractors.

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By Hsu Shao-hsuen
Next year's budget request submitted by the Ministry of Defense (MND) to the Legislature yesterday officially revealed for the first time that the nation is acquiring the Hsiung Feng 3, (雄風三型) or Brave Wind 3 anti-ship missile.

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A US government advisory panel on religious freedom denounced new regulations issued by China that appear aimed at undermining the Dalai Lama, exiled spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists.

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