'HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE': The president said he hoped the meeting in Beijing would pave the way for regular meetings and lead to better cross-strait relations
By Ko Shu-ling
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday expressed high hopes for the negotiating team heading to Beijing tomorrow, saying that he hoped the historic journey would lay the foundations for mutual trust and better long-term relations.

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ONLY AS MAYOR: Chen said she had not applied to the Mainland Affairs Council for permission to travel to an upcoming tourism expo in Beijing as it would be 'difficult'
By Flora Wang
Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊) of the Democratic Progressive Party said yesterday that she would not insist on leading a tourism marketing delegation to China if her application to the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) would pose a challenge.

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OPEN TO ALL: The office was reopened to the public yesterday after it closed following President Ma's inauguration on May 20, and now all are welcome
By Ko Shu-ling
The Presidential Office reopened to the public yesterday and lifted a ban on visits by Chinese nationals, which included residents of Hong Kong and Macau.

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Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers urged law enforcement authorities to tighten a crackdown on contraband betel nuts yesterday, warning that if the problem continued it could affect the livelihoods of farmers in the south.

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IMPACT: While Dragon Steel Corp received provisional approval to expand a Taichung County plant, Taipower's plan to upgrade a facility in Kaohsiung was rejected
By Meggie Lu and Flora Wang
The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA), in its first environmental impact assessment meeting since the inauguration of the new government, yesterday ruled that the developers of two controversial construction proposals should focus on reducing carbon emissions.

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STUNNED, SPEECHLESS: A student at National Taiwan University of Arts beat rivals from more than 50 other countries to win the best international director award
Wang Yen-ni (王嬿妮) won the best director award in the international competition at the 12th International Student Film Festival in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Sunday.

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By Rich Chang
A man yesterday received two death sentences and his two accomplices were sentenced to life in jail for the murder of two people in Tainan County last year.

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A leading expert said on Sunday that streptococcus bacteria caused a massive fish die-off at the end of last year around Green Island.

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DISPOSAL: The Atomic Energy Council chairman also said that Taiwan's three active power plants produced 259 barrels of low-level radioactive waste last year
Atomic Energy Council (AEC) Chairman Tsai Chuen-horng (蔡春鴻) said yesterday that he would be willing to visit China for talks on Taiwan's search for low-level radioactive waste disposal sites, if he is given an opportunity.

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A series of charity concerts organized by the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation began yesterday to help raise funds for victims of the Sichuan earthquake and the cyclone that hit Myanmar last month.

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