PUSHING BUSH: Sponsors said the bill was aimed at Taiwan's efforts to buy F-16C/D fighters and hoped that a House vote would prod the Bush administration on the issue
By Charles Snyder
The US House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday approved a resolution that aims to press the administration of US President George W. Bush to allow Taiwan to purchase advanced F-16C/D fighter aircraft to proceed, despite State Department efforts to obstruct the sale. The approval was by a voice vote without objections.

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NO THANKS: James Soong was ousted from the KMT for running his own campaign as an independent in the 2000 presidential election against then KMT candidate Lien Chan
By Shih Hsiu-chuan
People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) has turned down an invitation from the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) to be the party's honorary chairman after their merger, PFP legislative caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅崑萁) said yesterday.

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By Loa Iok-sin
"Even the most radical change of a time may not shake a firm and deep friendship," reads the back cover of Liv's Adventures in Japan and Formosa.

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REACHING OUT: A new program would sponsor 10,000 local students to attend schools overseas and invite 20,000 foreign students to study here
By Mo Yan-chih
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday promised to increase the education budget to NT$700 billion (US$21 billion), or 6 percent of the nation's GDP, in eight years and improve the quality of education, if he is elected next year.

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CRUSTACEAN CRISIS: The director of the Bureau of Food Safety said that Taiwanese restrictions on the Chinese delicacy were no more strict than those of other countries
Hairy crabs from China can be imported into Taiwan, but only if they meet inspection criteria, a Department of Health (DOH) official said yesterday.

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Academia Sinica is organizing an international conference next month to discuss belief in the goddess Matsu and her connection with the Matsu Islands, officials with the Lienchiang County Government's Cultural Affairs Bureau said yesterday.

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By Mo Yan-chih
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei City Councilor Li Keng Kuei-fang (厲耿桂芳) yesterday denied putting pressure on local police to cancel her traffic tickets, saying that she had the tickets revoked through legal means.

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RISKY BUSINESS: The Army Engineers Corp established a 137-man demining team on April 1. The team's leader said it would take seven years to clear Kinmen of mines
By Jimmy Chuang
The Army's "Demining Team" yesterday vowed to clear up before 2013 the 70,000 mines left on Kinmen.

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After serving 12 years behind bars for sexually assaulting 30 women, the man the police dubbed the "Huakang Wolf" (華岡之狼) was paroled yesterday afternoon.

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HELPING HAND: In 2003 the Taipei City Government began to sponsor free training classes for immigrant brides run by the YWCA and six other civic groups
By Mo Yan-chih
Immigrant spouses Arelis Gabot from the Dominican Republic and Lee Na (李娜) from China never dreamed of having a career when they got married and moved to Taiwan.

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By Loa Iok-sin
Women's rights groups yesterday called for more legal protection from domestic violence for immigrants following the sentencing of a foreign spouse in a murder case.

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By Wei Yi-chia, Hu Ching-hui, Yang Ching-ching and Su Mang-chua
It's the end of the annual Mid-Autumn Festival holidays and doctors around the nation said they have observed an increase in patients complaining of symptoms that have no clear cause.

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■ TRAVEL
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