ERROR OF JUDGEMENT: The foreign minister said the crisis engulfing Chad showed that Chadian President Idriss Deby's plan to use China to help him had backfired
By Jenny W. Hsu
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) last night said that two Taiwanese who fled Chad have safely arrived in Cameroon.

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By Ko Shu-ling
Despite the rain and cold, people have been lining up outside President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) family residence in Kuantien Township (官田), Tainan County, to receive a lucky hongbao (紅包), or red envelope, from the hands of the president on Lunar New Year's Day.

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TIME TO SAY SORRY: Spokesman for Ma Ying-jeou's camp, Lo Chih-chiang said that the DPP presidential candidate's camp should apologize for it blunders
By Ko Shu-ling
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) and his Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) counterpart Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) continued a war of words yesterday over a slew of allegations recently lodged by Hsieh and his camp.

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By Fan Zheng-hsiang
The Central Election Commission yesterday publicized the 12th presidential and vice presidential candidates' assets declaration reports.

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STRONG WORDS: A judge told Ma Ying-jeou that while he had been acquitted on charges of embezzlement, he had not proved his innocence
By Rich Chang
The nation's politicians are wasting judicial resources by filing slander lawsuits against one another, said a Taipei District Court judge who is presiding over Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou's (馬英九) lawsuit against a former legislator.

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SAVE MONEY: Despite describing offices at the Legislative Yuan as like 'pigeon holes', Wang Jin-pyng told legislators to limit their spending
Legislative Yuan Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) urged newly sworn-in lawmakers yesterday to observe legislative regulations and control spending on the refurbishment of their offices at the Legislative Yuan.

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IGNORANCE: Veterinary experts said the high number of stray dogs was a not a result of breeding as many people seemed to think, but abandonment by the dogs' owners
By Angelica Oung
The stray dog problem will never be resolved until the public learns to stop dumping unwanted pets, academics said at a public forum on animal welfare yesterday.

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BELOW PAR: Only two of the 541 hot spring facilities in Taiwan have passed the CPC's safety and sanitary regulation checks and obtained certification, the commission said
By Meggie Lu
With the mercury dropping over the Lunar New Year, hot springs are expected to be one of the biggest attractions during the holiday break. However, the Consumer Protection Commission (CPC) yesterday warned the public to check for safety and sanitation before taking the plunge.

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Most Chinese spouses of Taiwanese are anticipating the Lunar New Year holiday with the same excitement as other people in Taiwan, tinged with a little disappointment that they cannot be reunited with their relatives in China to celebrate the year's most important festival.

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As many as 90 percent of children surveyed by the Formosa Cancer Foundation identified themselves as victims of second-hand tobacco smoke, with the majority exposed to the hazard at home.

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By Meggie Lu
Women should take extra precautions to avoid becoming victims of sexual harassment or assault when taking the train or the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system, the Modern Women's Foundation said yesterday.

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■ HEALTH

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