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Taiwan Quick Take

■ Literature
Aesop earns translation
A Romanized-Taiwanese translation of Aesop's Fables has been published, a spokesman for the Association of Taiwanese Romanization said yesterday.
He said the translation not only makes the ageless wisdom of Aesop available to Taiwanese-speaking people, but also makes learning the Taiwanese language easier and more interesting than before.

■ Crime
Police land weapons cache
Police seized 10 Brazilian-made pistols, 372 bullets and one grenade Saturday in Kaohsiung and arrested three suspects, a police officer said yesterday. According to a preliminary police investigation, the firearms were smuggled from the Philippines to Kaohsiung Harbor by an employee of a shipping company whose surname is Yang, and then brought into the city by a longshoreman whose surname is Wang. Police seized the firearms from Wang's residence and arrested him in the afternoon, and then picked up Yang and another longshoreman in the evening. They have smuggled at least 30 guns from the Philippines to Taiwan and sold them to gangsters through a smuggling ring in southern Taiwan, the police officer said.

■ Canada
Pan-blues hold rally
Many overseas Chinese leaders and representatives of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) and People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) supporters associations in more than 30 countries on Saturday converged on Vancouver to show their support to the election campaign of the major opposition KMT and PFP. More than 600 of them and overseas Chinese from the Vancouver area also attended an election campaign rally Saturday evening to show their support for Lien, and his running mate, Soong, in the upcoming presidential election.

■ Infrastructure
CEPD praises projects
The Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD) said yesterday that people in Taoyuan will benefit greatly from the proposed 10 new major construction projects. The ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has proposed spending NT$500 billion (US$14.7 billion) in five years to carry out the projects. Of the total, NT$120 billion will be spent in Taoyuan, where the Chiang Kai-shek International Airport is located. The CEPD said in a news release that the projects will provide Taoyuan with fiber-optic communication networks, a rapid railway transportation system, a subway connection between the airport and Taipei, sewer systems, a new source of water supply and new highways. The living and working conditions in Taoyuan will improve greatly after the projects are completed, it said.

■ Employment
CLA offers internships
The Council of Labor Affairs is organizing a youth internship program to students and recent graduates between the ages of 18 and 29. The program is expected to provide about 2,000 internship opportunities in which participating students will be able to receive stipends between NT$8,000 and NT$20,000. The program is to promote "learning by doing," as many students lack career planning and related work experiences, which often lead to a bumpy job search after graduation. Before Dec. 17, interested students can apply online at www.career.com.tw/speed.

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