ALL-OUT: Despite skepticism from analysts over the ability to maintain GDP at or above minus 2.97 percent, the premier said that it was necessary to give it a try
By Flora Wang
Premier Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄) yesterday called for an all-out effort by government officials to prevent this year’s economic growth from dropping below minus 2.97 percent.

[ FULL STORY ]

DURESS: The former president’s lawyers say there are missing sections in the taped testimonies and that witnesses had made their comments under fear of incarceration
By Jimmy Chuang
Former president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) lawyers yesterday rebutted Chen’s testimony as well as the testimonies of all 17 witnesses during the second day of a three-day hearing on money laundering and corruption charges.

[ FULL STORY ]

By Rich Chang
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) warned yesterday that unemployment may be worse than most people realize, with the actual number of people out of work more than double the official figure.

[ FULL STORY ]

By Rich Chang
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) told a press conference yesterday that he had spoken with Chang Wei-chin (張瑋津), the estranged wife of former ICRT DJ Charles Mack — better known by his nickname “Chocolate” — and Prosecutor Wu Wen-chung (吳文忠) about an alleged DVD recording of Chang’s husband and President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) having intimate relations before last year’s presidential election.

[ FULL STORY ]

Exiled Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama has reiterated his wish to visit Taiwan in an interview with a Taiwanese cable news channel broadcast yesterday.

[ FULL STORY ]

By Shelley Shan
The National Communications Commission (NCC) ruled yesterday that radio stations that broadcast programs with Tainan City Councilor Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) as a guest on Oct. 21 last year would be fined for violating the Broadcasting and Television Law (廣播電視法).

[ FULL STORY ]

TOXIC: While attempts to ban the popular plastic were made in 2006, technical hurdles as well as opposition by manufacturers have made it difficult to find alternatives
By Meggie Lu
An environmental group yesterday called on the government to ban polyvinylchloride (PVC), saying it was harmful to humans and the environment.

[ FULL STORY ]

By Shelley Shan
Twelve thousand Chinese are scheduled to visit Taiwan in the next few months, with the first group arriving on March 14, the Tourism Bureau said yesterday.

[ FULL STORY ]

MOSQUITO EATER: Elbowed out of its habitat by foreign species and pollution, the near-extinct fish was made a protected species in 1990 and now has a second chance
Paradise fish — a small freshwater fish once commonly found in rivers and creeks around Taiwan — may be nearly extinct in the wild, but one fish breeding station has been successfully breeding the species in captivity.

[ FULL STORY ]

By Flora Wang
A recent study by Taiwanese researchers found that Internet addiction could contribute to aggressive behavior in teenagers.

[ FULL STORY ]

By Mo Yan-chih
The Taipei Municipal Institute for Animal Health plans to set up a database on animal abusers to bar them from adopting stray animals.

[ FULL STORY ]

UNEXPECTED BONUS: Research into a virus deadly to shrimps may lead to the development of a new range of drugs capable of destroying tumor cells
By Meggie Lu
Investment in science should be broad, as you never know what treasures may be discovered, a National Science Council (NSC) sponsored researcher said yesterday.

[ FULL STORY ]

By Jimmy Chuang
Prosecutors yesterday said they would not appeal a verdict handed down by the Taiwan High Court Kaohsiung branch that dropped corruption charges against former Presidential Office deputy secretary-general Chen Che-nan (陳哲男) in connection with the Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corp (KRTC) scandal.

[ FULL STORY ]

By Shelley Shan
VMAX Telecom (威邁斯電信), one of the companies approved to provide Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) services, has secured permission from the National Communications Commission (NCC) to start building cellular base stations for the service.

[ FULL STORY ]

■POLITICS

[ FULL STORY ]