STOLEN ASSETS SIDELINED: The political gulf between pan-blue and pan-green legislators led to the adjournment of a joint committee meeting for the third time
By Ko Shu-ling
Exploiting the pan-blue's numerical superiority, two legislative committees governing domestic affairs and laws voted to adjourn a joint meeting yesterday, once again blocking efforts to review the issue of the Chinese Nationalist Party's (KMT) stolen assets.

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COMPLAINTS: Three DPP lawmakers cited recent attempts by Beijing to downgrade the status of Taiwan or its supporters in international meetings
By Shih Hsiu-chuan
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday decried China's oppression of Taiwan by citing two recent events that highlighted Beijing's relentless attempts to downgrade the status of Taiwan in the international community.

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By Ko Shu-ling
President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday dismissed criticism that the second phase of his government's financial reform effort was a failure.

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By Jimmy Chuang
Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) yesterday urged his Cabinet to help the country achieve a GDP growth of 4.6 percent by the end of the year.

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Taiwanese businessmen and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) are among the "four threats" to Taiwan-US-China relations, a US academic said in a forum on Tuesday night.

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By Shih Hsiu-chuan
Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) called on the pan-blue camp yesterday to be cautious about launching a no-confidence vote against Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄), saying that political stability should be kept in mind.

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THE NAME GAME: With the battle over labels raging on, KMT officials also turned up the heat by giving officials at the old CKS Memorial Hall a dressing-down
By Mo Yan-chih and Max Hirsch
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday gave its full support to the Taipei City Government's latest plan to rename a section of Ketagalan Boulevard directly in front of the Presidential Office as the "Anti-Corruption Democracy Square," and pledged to continue to push its "anti-corruption" referendum.

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The Council of Labor Affairs (CLA) has come up with a draft package of amendments to the Labor Pension Act (勞工退休金條例) which would extend the portable labor insurance program to cover self-employed individuals, officials said yesterday.

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IMPORTANT ROLE: The president of the top research institute revealed that researchers had discovered vital information about how the disease affects the lungs
Academia Sinica researchers have made several breakthroughs over the past two years, including producing proof that adult lung stem cells may have played a key role in the SARS epidemic, Academia Sinica President Wong Chi-huey (翁啟惠) said yesterday.

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By Mo Yan-chih
The Taipei City Government yesterday pledged to adopt measures next year to sterilize stray dogs and cats instead of euthanizing them.

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STAR TURN: A series of features on the Yankees pitcher to be shown in the US have provided a cost-effective way to promote Taiwan abroad
By Shelley Shan
Promoting the nation's tourist attractions on an international scale can be a challenging task, but in addition to documentaries on the Discovery and National Geographic channels, the nation's tourism bureau has also managed to use a popular sports network to spread the word about Taiwan's scenic spots.

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Apartment rent rates in Taipei are the 27th highest in the world, according to a recent survey conducted by ECA International, the world's largest membership organization for international human-resource professionals.

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By Angelica Oung
A Centers for Disease Control (CDC) official broke the agency's own protocol for the handling of infectious materials, director Steve Kuo (郭旭崧) said yesterday.

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■ DIPLOMACY
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