SINK OR SWIM: The premier said businesses that stand to benefit from an ECFA need to show the public that it is a matter of survival in the face of stiff competition
By Shih Hsiu-chuan and Ko Shu-ling
Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) yesterday said the government would urge businesses that stand to benefit from an economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) with China to give back to society.

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Taiwan may raise wages for Chinese crew working on Taiwanese fishing boats before the fourth round of cross-strait talks to secure China’s help in streamlining the system used to hire such workers, a fishing official said yesterday.

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By Jenny W. Hsu
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) secretary-general Wu Nai-jen (吳乃仁) tendered his resignation yesterday, citing health problems.

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IN THE CLUB: The South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organization was established to cover fish species that are ignored by other bodies
By Jenny W. Hsu and Vincent Y. Chao
Taiwan is expected to become a member of the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organization, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday. The regional organization would be the sixth international fisheries body to include Taiwan as a full member.

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By Ko Shu-ling and Mo Yan-chih
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday said he hoped to visit the Marshall Islands soon and see the South Pacific ally continue to support the country’s efforts to participate in international activities such as the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

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By William Lowther
The White House and the US State Department have said nothing publicly concerning the results of Taiwan’s local elections and remain reluctant to comment in private beyond saying that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) “should be pleased” with the outcome.

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ROUND AND ROUND: Hsu Tsu-chiang’s lawyers say his conviction was based solely on the confessions of two codefendants, one of whom recanted the testimony
By Celia Llopis-Jepsen
A defendant in one of a number of death penalty cases said by human rights lawyers to be deeply flawed was sentenced to death for the eighth time yesterday, drawing anger from observers who say there is no forensic evidence to justify a conviction.

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OVERDONE: As the party said it would take legal action against the NTU student, legislators were again unable to reach a consensus on revisions to the food sanitation act
By Shih Hsiu-chuan
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus whip Lu Hsueh-chang (呂學樟) said yesterday that the caucus would file a lawsuit against a student who publicized the cellphone numbers of some KMT lawmakers and asked the public to lodge complaints against the government’s lifting of a ban on US beef.

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FARE WAR: A spokesman said collaboration between the government and major taxi companies squeezed the smaller players out of lucrative pick-up zones
By Mo Yan-chih
Shouting “open passenger pick-up sites!” and “Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌), step down,” about 1,000 taxi drivers blocked the roads surrounding Taipei City Hall to protest the government’s handling of a taxi war between big taxi companies and neglect of taxi drivers’ rights.

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The number of low-income households in Taiwan hit a record high of 102,759, or 249,834 individuals, in September, an increase of 13.5 percent and 14.9 percent respectively.

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By Shelley Shan
The Institute of Transportation (IOT) and National Chiao Tung University have jointly developed traffic surveillance devices that will automatically translate the images they detect into relevant data and information.

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Artistic and cultural creativity will get renewed value in government projects if a draft act to develop the creative industries that is being considered by a legislative committee becomes law.

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By Vincent Y. Chao
Following annual increases in the amount of agricultural goods exported to China, government officials are now examining the possibility of exporting standards certifications such as the Certified Agricultural Standards (CAS) label to safeguard the quality of Taiwanese agricultural products sold overseas.

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Some 200 students from Taipei Medical University (TMU) held a march yesterday in downtown Taipei to raise awareness of AIDS-related human rights issues.

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■POLITICS

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