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Taiwan Quick Take

■Taiwan to train ally's agents
Taiwan will step up military and intelligence cooperation with Guatemala by helping train Guatemalan military officers and security agents, the Chinese-language China Times reported yesterday. The report said that President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) said in an exclusive interview with a Guatemalan newspaper that Taiwan would help train military and security officers for the Central American country. The paper quoted Chen as telling the Guatemalan newspaper 21st Century Journal that Taiwan and Guatemala have maintained intelligence cooperation for years. Chen confirmed that the two sides will further boost cooperation.

■ BUSINESS
Spa industry course offered
Acknowledging the great economic potential of the spa industry, the Council of the Indigenous Peoples is offering a series of training courses for Aboriginal people to help them work for or run spa businesses, a council spokesman said yesterday. The project was initiated after the Industrial Technology Research Institute issued a report stating that next year, the output value of the spa industry is expected to reach NT$63 billion (US$2 billion), with spa derivative products accounting for NT$30 billion. The report said that in 2003, the industry's output -- the value of hot spring hotels and resorts, spa operations, hot springs development and agriculture -- stood at NT$19.9 billion, adding that most hot springs in the country are located in Aboriginal areas. The spokesman said the training classes will be held in the Chipen hot spring area in Taitung and in the Tai An hot spring area in Miaoli. The courses start today and will be offered for nine days.

■ SOCIETY
Birth rate reaches new low
The crude birth rate dropped to a new low of 8.6 births per 1,000 people for the first nine months of this year, the latest statistics released by the Ministry of the Interior showed. The statistics showed there were a total of 146,517 births nationwide between January and last month, which translates into a crude birth rate of 8.6, down 0.04 percent from the figure for the same period the previous year. By area, Taipei County registered the highest number of births for the period, at 23,148, followed by Taipei City at 15,300 and Taoyuan City at 13,900. In terms of the crude birth rate, Hsinchu County and Hsinchu City occupied the top two spots, with the former registering 9.2 births per 1,000 people and the latter posting nine births per 1,000. Keelung City registered the lowest birth rate at 5.4 per 1,000.

■ MOVIES
Ang Lee disappointed
Director Ang Lee (李安) said yesterday he was disappointed that his new spy thriller Lust, Caution was withdrawn as Taiwan's entry in the best foreign film category at next year's Oscar awards. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences rejected the entry last week because not enough Taiwanese participated in the film's production, violating a rule that requires foreign countries to certify that local people ``exercised artistic control'' over their submission. Lee said he respected the Oscar rule but believed the requirement was unfair because Taiwan and Hong Kong customarily pool their resources and talent in film production. "With Chinese-language films, their production systems and audiences are spread out wide," Lee told CTI Cable News in London, where he attended the film's premiere. "This rule does not work well for the working environments of Taiwan and Hong Kong, and is unfair to them."

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