NO GOING BACK: The election body will reject the KMT's plea to combine next year's presidential and legislative elections as most members were against it, a source said
By Shih Hsiu-chuan
The Central Election Commission (CEC) will today turn down a plea by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) to reverse its decision to hold separate legislative and presidential elections next year, an anonymous Ministry of the Interior source told the Taipei Times yesterday.

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ISOLATION: Although the US hints that it would go to war to protect Taiwan, the nation's envoys are denied the prestige even the US' adversaries are afforded
Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) is a diplomat without an embassy.

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KAOHSIUNG INQUIRY: The Special Investigation Task Force is working on 10 cases related to allegations of legal transgressions during Frank Hsieh's term in office
A special investigation team has taken steps to collect evidence of suspected irregularities involving former Kaohsiung mayor Frank Hsieh (謝長廷), who is now the Democratic Progressive Party's candidate for next year's presidential election, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office said yesterday.

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By Shih Hsiu-chuan
Two Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers yesterday demanded that new Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator-at-large Huang Lian-hua (黃良華) resign from his position in a China-based Taiwanese businessmen's club.

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By Jewel Huang
The Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) yesterday approved Premier Chang Chun-hsiung's (張俊雄) appointment of Hong Chi-chang (洪奇昌) as its new chairman despite objections from parts of the pan-green camp.

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By Ko Shu-ling
Like the unstoppable democratic trend which ended 38 years of martial law, nobody can hinder the nation's quest to deepen democracy, which includes joining the UN under the name "Taiwan," President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) said yesterday.

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POLITICAL PRISONER: A rare red-crowned crane dubbed `Dan Dan' is being kept in a tiny cage at the Taipei City Zoo because officials won't negotiate its return to China
By Mo Yan-chih
Environmental activists yesterday urged the Taipei City Government to rehabilitate an endangered crane, as political problems have prevented the bird from being returned to its native habitat in China.

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MAJOR FINDING: Work by a doctor at Taipei City Hospital offers hope for autism sufferers and may provide insights into the mysteries of language
By Mo Yan-chih
Empathy, which has been seen as an abstract emotion, can be scientifically measured and evaluated, a major finding in human-brain mapping which offers hope for the early diagnosis and treatment of autism, according to a research team headed by a Taiwanese doctor.

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GLOWING PORKERS: The Institute of Animal Science and Technology is creating pigs that glow all over, as well as ones that can digest cellulose and organic phosphates
By Angelica Oung
Cutting-edge research is being done at the National Taiwan University's aging pigpen that could one day lead to a more environmentally friendly pig and even yield insights to fighting incurable diseases, scientists say.

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SUMMER LURES: The head of the Mennonite Good Shepherd Center warned some ads may actually be recruiting fronts for prostitution
By Loa Iok-sin
Young students looking for part-time summer jobs could end up becoming victims of forced prostitution as deceitful job ads fill newspapers, civic groups warned yesterday.

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By Angelica Oung
A sick infant was airlifted by a military helicopter from Penghu to Taipei yesterday for emergency treatment for collapsed lungs and retina problems. While the flight went smoothly, it left ripples in its wake.

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The recent death of award-winning film director Edward Yang (楊德昌) from complications resulting from colon cancer has drawn attention to the high incidence of the disease in Taiwan.

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Taiwan ranks sixth globally in terms of information technology (IT) industry competitiveness, an index released yesterday by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) showed.

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■ POLITICS
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