HEALTH CONCERNS: The party said that Japanese media reports on the issue prove that the KMT and China's promise of support for Taiwan's bid was nothing but a lie
By Ko Shu-ling
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday accused Beijing of politicizing health and disease concerns by blocking Taiwan’s bid to join the WHO and slammed President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) proposal of a “diplomatic truce” as a servile act that has failed to elicit a friendly response from Beijing.

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China is urging Japan to support its goal of unification with Taiwan, Chinese state media reported on Wednesday.

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By Ko Shu-ling
President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) nominees for the Control and Examination yuans received a lukewarm response when they visited the legislature yesterday, with the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus refusing to meet them and the Non-Partisan Solidarity Union (NPSU) airing grievances.

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PUSHING THE LIMITS: Party members said some have managed to evade the ban by handing out gifts or holding banquets well ahead of its enforcement in June
By Huang Wei-chu and Tien Shih-hao
Several Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) members said yesterday that the party’s failure to actively investigate covert forms of campaigning has rendered its ban on gift-giving and lavish banquets ahead of the Central Standing Party Committee election on July 26 meaningless.

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By Loa Iok-sin
Citizen Congress Watch (CCW) yesterday accused lawmakers of laxity after finding errors in a Council of Agriculture (COA) budget that a legislative committee approved last week.

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PLANNING AHEAD: The Cabinet will continue to seek a cross-strait currency clearance mechanism to govern exchanges of the NT dollar and yuan in both countries
By Shih Hsiu-chuan
The Cabinet yesterday decided to allow currency exchanges between the NT dollar and the yuan in Taiwan proper in preparation for the arrival of Chinese tourists.

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By Loa Iok-sin
Taitung County Commissioner Kuang Li-chen (鄺麗貞) was in Taipei yesterday to promote tourism in Taitung, introducing special discounts for tourists and inviting the public to enjoy the beauty and bounty of the east coast.

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The Taiwan High Court reduced the sentence of a former senior aide to former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday to nine years in prison for taking bribes while serving as deputy secretary-general at the Presidential Office in 2002.

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The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) confirmed yesterday another death in the enterovirus outbreak, bringing to nine the number of fatalities from the viral infection so far this year.

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CHECK IT OUT: As there is no regular transport to the islets, tourists do not often get the opportunity to visit them, but for eager birders, now is the time
Penghu County will offer a series of bird-watching activities next month to give enthusiasts a chance to observe the terns on some of Penghu’s uninhabited islets, an organizer said yesterday.

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By Hu Ching-hui and Jenny W. Hsu
The nation’s junior high school students spend too much at school at the expense of personal time, a group of educators said yesterday, warning that excess study hours have adverse effects on a student’s cognitive and interpersonal development.

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LOG-JAM FEARED: The bureau's director denied it had offered to pay for the initial charter flights so that planes would land in several cities, rather than just one or two
By Shelley Shan
The Tourism Bureau said yesterday it hoped the 600 Chinese tourists scheduled to arrive next Friday will land at different airports around the country rather than just one or two.

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By Loa Iok-sin
“All my dreams have been torn apart, and my life is ruined,” Zhao Yanbing (趙岩冰), a Chinese woman who killed her Taiwanese husband after suffering years of domestic violence, said through tears on Wednesday.

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By Jimmy Chuang
Legislator Yen Ching-piao (顏清標), an independent, still faces three-and-a-half years in jail for illegal possession of firearms after the Supreme Court turned down his appeal against his conviction yesterday. However, the court granted an appeal against his corruption conviction.

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■ POLITICS

The Taipei Times will soon launch a weekly page covering Taiwan's expat population. The page will be packed with stories, features and interviews on all that is happening in the foreign communities of Taiwan.

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