JUDGEMENT: Charles Mack has seven days to pack his bags after police said he had had sex whilst knowingly being infected with syphilis, a charge Mack denies
By Jimmy Chuang
Former ICRT disc jockey Charles Mack (巧克力) has been given seven days to leave Taiwan after police said he had sex whilst knowingly carrying a sexual disease.

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HOPING FOR BIGGER THINGS: At a banquet in Tokyo, tourism head Su Cherng-tien launched the Bureau of Tourism's drive to get 5 million people to visit Taiwan by 2008
By Joy Su
The Bureau of Tourism yesterday kicked off 2004 Visit Taiwan Year with the largest promotional event it has ever held, spending over NT$12 million to bring a few of Taiwan's attractions to Tokyo in an effort at boosting declining tourism figures.

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By Fiona Lu
Three former Taipei City government officials accused of mishandling the SARS outbreak had their proposed impeachments vetoed by the Control Yuan probably because "the catastrophe brought by SARS has faded from everyone's memory," Control Yuan member Chao Chang-ping (趙昌平) said.

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By Cody Yiu
The Consumers' Foundation yesterday urged the public to be alert for house fires after it revealed that the majority of blazes take place in the home.

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TACTICS: In reaction to the US Deputy Secretary of State's questioning of the motives behind the referendum, a Cabinet spokesman said it addresses issues of great concern
By Ko Shu-ling
The referendum proposed by President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) is meaningful and necessary because it is conducive to the nation's democratic development and helps resolve such major controversial issues as cross-strait relations, Cabinet Spokesman Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday.

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The newly promulgated Referen-dum Law (公民投票法) should be amended so that the president would have to issue an emergency decree before invoking his power to call a referendum, independent lawmaker Su Yin-kuei (蘇盈貴) said yesterday.

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ELECTION: Many executives have lost patience with the DPP because they feel it has failed to launch policies that they urgently needed, business leaders said
By Melody Chen
The majority of Taiwanese busi-nesspeople based in China seem to have decided to cast their ballots in favor of the pan-blue camp in the March presidential election, despite the government's latest initiatives to change their minds.

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By Huang Tai-lin
Opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) yesterday pledged to demilitarize Taiwan's outlying islands of the Kinmen group if he wins the upcoming presidential election.

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Indonesia's Manpower Minister, Jacob Nuwa Wea, has denied a statement by a Taipei official that he had met his Taiwanese counterpart, the official Antara news agency said yesterday.

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By Huang Tai-lin
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)-People First Party (PFP) alliance yesterday expressed its eagerness to take part in debates between its presidential and vice presidential candidates and those of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

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'DON'T VOTE FOR US': Since neither the blue nor the green camp cares about workers, the alliance wanted to run a campaign advocating voters spoil their ballots
By Debby Wu
An alliance of social and labor groups failed to register their candidates for the presidential election yesterday, neither being one of the four political parties qualified to register or having raised the 250,000 signatures needed to otherwise get on the ballot.

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Taiwan Ambassador Tou Chou-seng (杜筑生) presented his credentials to Pope John Paul II Friday, a move which a Holy See official said heralded a new era in bilateral relations.

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By Jimmy Chuang
The Taroko National Park Department officials yesterday said that they are considering fining National Taiwan Normal University graduate student Kuo Cheng-yan (郭正彥) NT$1,000 each day if he refuses to leave the mountain area immediately.

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■ Shipwreck
Fisherman missing
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