Crime: Hearse thief doesn't get far
A man tried to steal a hearse yesterday, complete with a coffin and a corpse inside, but was caught by the deceased person's family and beaten up. Police said a homeless man, identified only by his surname Wang, saw the hearse parked on the side of a road in Hsinchu, with the key in the ignition. He jumped into the hearse and drove off. The hearse driver and family members of the deceased, who were standing nearby chased after the hearse. They caught up with the hearse after only 50m, dragged Wang out of the vehicle and beat him up. He is now in police custody.
Economy: Education still paying off
Although the unemployment rate among the highly educated has continued to rise in the past four years, the rate of those who have completed college education or higher has been lower than the overall jobless rate, according to an analysis conducted recently by the Council of Labor Affairs. A labor affairs official said yesterday that in the first eight months of this year, the jobless population stood at average 512,000, while the average jobless rate was 5.14 percent. During that period, some 124,000 people with higher education were reported to be out of work, representing 24.22 percent of the overall jobless population. The unemployment rate among the higher education group averaged 4.21 percent over the same period, according to the analysis. While reports about new graduates' frustration in looking for jobs have caused concern about a deteriorating job market and disadvantages for those with higher-level educational backgrounds, the analysis indicates that people with high education levels or professional training are still better off in the job market, according to the official.
Diplomacy: Chen thanks US Congress
President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) thanked the US Congress for its resolution welcoming Taiwan first lady Wu Shu-chen's (吳淑珍) visit to Washington. In a message to Wu's entourage, the Taiwanese president said the resolution is further evidence of close Taipei-Washington relations. He also acknow-ledged the achievements made by the first lady and her entourage in the US thus far and the efforts of the country's diplomats in the US in bringing about the first lady's US trip. Wu was in Washington on the second leg of a high-profile private visit to the US. She arrived in New York Sept. 20 before going on to Washington Sept. 22 and is slated to fly on to Los Angeles on Sept 27.
Diplomacy: President honors politician
President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) presented the Order of Brilliant Star with Grand Cordon to Japanese Lower House member Seishiro Eto Tuesday in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the promotion of substantive relations between Taiwan and Japan. Eto thanked Chen for the honor and said he will continue to do his utmost to promote bilateral friendship and exchanges. He pointed out that Taiwan's situation is intricately connected to the security and prosperity of the Asia-Pacific region and praised Chen for pledging to bring Taiwan along the road of democracy, freedom, human rights and peace. Eto, 61, belongs to the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. He has been elected to the Lower House six times and has served as Japan's Defense Agency director-general. The medal ceremony was held at the Presidential Office, witnessed by several other Japanese Lower House members and Presidential Secretary-General Chen Shih-meng (陳師孟).
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