CONDITIONS: The legislators imposed several binding resolutions that could significantly impact on Cabinet policies on a referendum for a UN bid and elections
By Flora Wang
The legislature approved the government budget for next year yesterday, although it cut an estimated NT$13.6 billion (US$418 million) by requiring government agencies to recoup money they pooled to help support campaign for the Democratic Progressive Party(DPP)-sponsored referendum on a UN bid using the name "Taiwan."

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By Mo Yan-chih
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) condemned the Cabinet yesterday for threatening to sack local election commissioners if they do not enforce the one-step election system in next year's polls.

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By Jimmy Chuang
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators traded barbs with their Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) counterparts yesterday over the legislature's resolution to freeze funding for the 228 Memorial Foundation.

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By Ko Shu-ling
Amid speculation that US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice might openly oppose the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)-sponsored referendum seeking UN membership under the name "Taiwan," Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) said yesterday that the country must not balk in the face of US opposition.

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CAMPAIGN PLEDGE: As he promoted his latest book, the KMT candidate said opening up direct links would help boost the nation's economy
By Mo Yan-chih
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) pledged yesterday to launch weekend cross-strait charter flights within one month of taking office if he wins the presidency next year.

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By Ko Shu-ling
President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) sent a telegram to South Korean president-elect Lee Myung-bak yesterday, congratulating him on his victory in Wednesday's national election.

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GLOBAL WARMING: Lee Yuan-tseh of the Science and Technology Advisory Group said a new taskforce was required to fight against greenhouse gas emissions
By Meggie Lu
Taiwan needs centralized guidelines on important goals in science and technology policies, Nobel laureate Lee Yuan-tseh (李遠哲), lead adviser of the Science and Technology Advisory Group (STAG), said yesterday at the closing ceremony of the four-day STAG meeting in Taipei.

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COMMITMENT: Dr. Cynthia Maung said that a country is not the only thing that the Burmese in exile lack. They also require more food, healthcare services and education
By Shih Hsiu-chuan
To receive the 2007 Asia Democracy and Human Rights Award honoring her long-term commitment to human rights in Myanmar, Cynthia Maung came to Taiwan last week on a temporary travel visa granted by both the Thai government and Taiwan's representative office in Thailand.

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By Jimmy Chuang
The Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) yesterday urged Yang Ching-hai (楊清海), who was arrested on suspicion of threatening the first family and legislators in letters, to stop misleading the public.

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SHORT STORY: Abel Cheng has experienced potential customers refusing to take his cab when they realized how small he was but the OI sufferer still enjoys his job
By Angelica Oung
Standing just 123cm tall and weighing in at 30kg, Abel Cheng (程健智) is proud to be "the smallest taxi driver in Taiwan."

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The Tourism Bureau will launch a series of activities, including inviting 99 foreign couples to the scenic Mount Hehuan in central Taiwan and providing foot massages to 1,000 people at the Taipei Arena, to promote tourism, bureau director-general Janice Lai (賴瑟珍) said on Wednesday.

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Cabinet Spokesman Shieh Jhy-wey (謝志偉) filed a breach of trust lawsuit against Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) for allegedly lying about a transaction involving three companies previously owned by the party, CNA reported yesterday.

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Education agencies as well as teachers and parents associations have thrown their support behind a teacher who was acquitted on privacy infringement charges after inspecting a student's backpack.

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In Sunday's issue, we reported that South African national Grant Christopher Buchan was on the wanted list -- the equivalent of an arrest warrant being issued -- for allegedly using forged documents to obtain a teaching position at Hungkuang University in Taichung County ("South African `professor' placed on wanted list," page 2). Buchan was in fact being sought for questioning after failing to attend court. At that time he was not on the wanted list, which would require three no-shows at court. The Taipei Times regrets the error. [ FULL STORY ]

■ ELECTIONS

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