IF THEY CAN DO IT: Facing anger by some officials, the minister of justice said the laws on gifts are even stricter in the US and Singapore and that Taipei City uses similar ones
By Shih Hsiu-chuan
A Cabinet meeting yesterday passed a set of measures aimed at regulating the integrity of about 400,000 public servants and their families as the first step toward establishing “clean government,” Executive Yuan Spokeswoman Vanessa Shih (史亞平) said.

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BILLIONS AND BILLIONS: Democratic Progressive Party legislators disagreed with a proposal to provide the central government with NT$25.9 billion in extra money
By Flora Wang
The legislature yesterday referred the central government's request for an additional NT$45.5 billion (US$1.4 billion) budget to a new round of cross-party negotiations.

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China urged the US yesterday to permanently end arm sales to Taiwan, after Taipei reportedly called on Washington to postpone deliveries as it engaged Beijing in bilateral talks.

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A screening panel at the Presidential Office has selected 40 candidates from more than 200 hopefuls for possible Control Yuan posts, sources said on Wednesday.

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By Shih Hsiu-chuan
Praising itself as a government that “puts the economy first,” the new Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)-dominated Cabinet recently found itself under fire over its first economic proposal that budgeted NT$116 billion (US$3.8 billion) to expand domestic demand.

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GETTING IT TOGETHER: The administration also plans to introduce its own smart card, compatible with the various public transport systems across the country
By Shelley Shan
Starting next Friday, commuters between Taipei and Shulin (樹林) can board any Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) train with their Taipei MRT EasyCard.

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By Shih Hsiu-chuan
Health officials said yesterday the government would integrate biotech industries to step up efforts to develop a vaccine for enterovirus, which has claimed the lives of six children this year, all under the age of five.

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By Mo Yan-chih
The tourism industry expects the launch of cross-strait weekend charter flights and the opening of Taiwan to more Chinese tourists to generate NT$60 billion (US$1.9 billion) in annual revenues for the sector.

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LANGUAGE TEST LEG-UP: Aboriginal students who achieve a 60 percent pass in the test will be given a 35 percent bonus increase in their school entrance exam
By Loa Iok-sin
Aboriginal students who are planning to take school entrance exams may sign up for an Aboriginal language proficiency test for bonus points, Council of Indigenous Peoples Minister Chang Jen-hsiang (章仁香) said yesterday in Taipei.

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By Howard Lin
As Thailand is one of the most popular destinations for Taiwanese tourists and economic cooperation between the two countries continues to bloom, the Thai Trade and Economic Office (TTEO) will launch a program this weekend to promote Thai culture in order to further develop relations.

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