NOTHING OFFICIAL: Reporters were quick to pounce when the legislative speaker said he wasn't going to try for the KMT's top post because of next year's election
By Shih Hsiu-chuan and Mo Yan-chih
Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) inadvertently admitted he plans to run for president year, but denied he had launched his presidential bid yesterday.

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REPORT CARD: While Washington praised the effort to halt the flow of drugs to the US, it lashed out at lawmakers for stonewalling crucial bills
By Charles Snyder
The US gave Taiwan a clean report card for its efforts to wipe out the trafficking of narcotics and chemicals used to make methamphetamine last year, but expressed regret that infighting in the legislature had blocked passage of important laws to fight money laundering, drug trafficking and terrorist financing.

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By Shih Hsiu-chuan
Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) was encouraged yesterday by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Betty Williams to run for the presidency next year, but Lu remained tight-lipped on the matter.

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By Mo Yan-chih
Documents found in the Chinese Nationalist Party's (KMT) history center show that President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) and other Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) bigwigs were once KMT members.

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New York-based veteran journalist Chang Chao-ying (張超英) and the Washington-based Formosan Association for Public Affairs (FAPA) have jointly established a freedom of speech prize aimed at encouraging media to improve quality and ethics.

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By Shelley Shan
The chairman of the recently renamed Taiwan Post Co, Lai Ching-chyi (賴清祺), resigned yesterday after heading the institution for only nine months.

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A package of amendments to the regulations governing entry of Chinese tourists took effect yesterday to facilitate security management and the upgrading of travel service quality.

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PLAYING IT SAFE: The president said the government had no intention of engaging in an arms race with China but had to enhance the nation's defense capabilities
President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday warned China's leaders that Taiwan was "very likely ... to take more actions toward further independence" and that China itself was a cause.

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SALES HIT: The farmers questioned the Consumers' Foundation's findings of high copper level content, gulping down raw oysters on TV to prove their point
By Angelica Oung
Changhua's oyster farmers are crying foul after sales plunged following a warning from the Consumers' Foundation about high levels of copper in Taiwanese oysters.

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By Shelley Shan
To ensure the safe operation of tilting trains, the Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) will replace the railway tracks on some of the sections along the Northern Line (北迴鐵路) at an early date, a senior official at the railway operator said yesterday.

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By Mo Yan-chih
With an illuminated 20m-tall mascot pig lighting up the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall and rows of lanterns shining over the streets, this year's Taipei International Lantern Festival -- a celebration of the holiday that marks the end of Lunar New Year period -- begins this evening.

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BRIGHT SPOTS: Before the two cold fronts arrive, tomorrow is forecast to be a good day for joining the lantern festivities and viewing a total eclipse
By Shelley Shan
Temperatures are likely to drop to 11oC on Monday as a cold front is forecast to hit the country next week, the Central Weather Bureau said yesterday.

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■ Legislation
Lottery rules tightened
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