'BANKRUPT': Frank Hsieh yesterday said that Friday's court ruling on Ma Ying-jeou only confirmed that Ma had used his special allowance fund for personal purposes
By Ko Shu-ling
Despite a Taiwan High Court ruling on Friday that found Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) not guilty of graft, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) yesterday described his election rival's credibility as "bankrupt."

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GROWING THE FLEET: The two Dutch-made vessels were the focus of naval celebrations as a budget for more subs has been stalled by KMT legislators
By Jimmy Chuang
New ships don't come easily for the nation's Navy. While commanding officers were celebrating the 20 years of service for the nation's two Dutch-made Zwaardvis-class diesel-electric submarines earlier this month, they must have been hoping for speedy legislative approval of a budget proposal for eight new US diesel-electric submarines.

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'INTERESTS': Taiwan-watchers shared their views on US opposition to the upcoming referendums, most recently expressed by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
By Ko Shu-ling
Since the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) initiated a referendum on joining the UN using the name "Taiwan," Washington has strongly voiced its opposition to the plan.

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By Ko Shu-ling
First lady Wu Shu-jen (吳淑珍) checked into a hospital yesterday after developing a minor lung inflammation, the Presidential Office said last night.

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OPEN AIR FORUM: The leader of the anti-Chen campaign met with the businessman to discuss cross-strait relations and national development
By Mo Yan-chih
Former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairman and leader of the anti-Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) campaign Shih Ming-teh (施明德) met United Microelectronics Corp (UMC) chairman Robert Tsao (曹興誠) on Ketagalan Boulevard yesterday, calling for a peaceful cross-strait coexistence.

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NOT A RACER: Although the model is inspired by a National Kaohsiung University of Applied Sciences race car, the market version will only be able to travel up to 70kph
By Meggie Lu
For commuters worried about rising fuel prices, greenhouse gas emissions and the headache of finding parking, a compact solar-powered vehicle may be the answer -- and could be on the market within a year.

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WELCOME TO TAIWAN: The Huayu Enrichment stipend provides NT$25,000 per month for qualifying students not descended from Taiwanese to study up to one year
In an effort to attract US students to study in Taiwan, the Ministry of Education is offering scholarships to US nationals for 26 language learning centers nationwide, the nation's representative office in Washington said yesterday.

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By Loa Iok-sin
Foreigners "aren't different from us -- it's just that they speak different languages," Wen Chih-yi (溫知儀), a film director, told a forum in Taipei yesterday on foreign spouses and workers, while sharing her experiences of working with them.

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By Shelley Shan
A China Airlines (CAL) aircraft that burst into flames on the runway in Okinawa was voted by transportation experts and reporters to be the nation's top transportation story this year.

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LOCAL SPECIALTY: The suspect told authorities the seeds in a package sent from home were for green beans cooked in various French dishes
By Rich Chang
Taipei prosecutors said a French geology researcher at National Taiwan University (NTU) was under investigation for receiving a package from France believed to contain marijuana seeds.

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