'DELICATE STAGE': The minister of foreign affairs said communication with Malawi had hit a rough patch since his visit to the African ally was suddenly called off last week
By Shih Hsiu-chuan
Minister of Foreign Affairs James Huang (黃志芳) returned from Swaziland yesterday, warning that China could use any of a series of major events to increase its efforts to isolate Taiwan.

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NO UN HELP: As Taiwan is not a member of the UN, the nation cannot depend on help from the body in investigating the claims of asylum seekers from China
By Shih Hsiu-chuan
Pushing for an asylum law is one of the Mainland Affairs Council's (MAC) top priorities this year, MAC Chairman Chen Ming-tong said yesterday (陳明通), adding that Taiwan must create a system to verify the claims of asylum seekers independently of the UN refugee agency.

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CAUSE AND EFFECT: The sudden return of the ousted prime minister's spouse added tension to an already unsettled situation following the general elections last month
The wife of ousted Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra was arrested after she returned to Thailand yesterday to face charges of corruption and concealing millions of dollars in stock market shares that could put her behind bars for 28 years, authorities said.

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The health of former Indonesian dictator Suharto deteriorated yesterday, with signs of internal bleeding, fluid building up in his lungs and heart complications, doctors said.

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The Kenyan president and his chief rival made key concessions to end the dispute over the country's elections, calling off protests and agreeing to talks under pressure from the US as the death toll from a week of violence reached nearly 500.

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