Chen takes Democratic Progressive Party helm again

The China Post - President Chen Shui-bian resumed yesterday the chairmanship of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and announced that Presidential Office Deputy Secretary-General Cho Jung-tai would be appointed as the party's new secretary-general. Full Story

October 10 celebrations held islandwide today

The China Post - Gatherings and large-scale fireworks shows in Taipei and southern Pingtung plus a concert in central Taiwan will be among the highlights of this year's Double Ten National Day festivities, in addition to a mass rally and military review at the Presidential Plaza today. Full Story

Taiwan tycoon Guo donates NT$200 mil. to stray dog relief

The China Post - Hon Hai Group Chairman Terry Guo will donate a total of NT$200 million (US$6 million) over the next three years to National Taiwan University's (NTU) stray animal relief program, the largest single pledge to an organization towards an animal welfare cause in Taiwan's history, local media reported yesterday. Full Story

Visitors to Japan will be fingerprinted, photographed

The China Post - Visitors entering Japan will be required to have their fingerprints and photos taken beginning Nov. 20 as part of a comprehensive program designed to prevent terrorist activity and safeguard travelers' safety, the Japanese Ministry of Justice announced yesterday in the presence of media and travel agency executives in Taiwan. Full Story

American, Filipino held over murder of broke

The China Post - Kaohsiung City police have detained an American and his Filipino girlfriend for questioning in connection with the death of cram school teacher broker, Chiu Mei-yun, whose body was found inside a large garbage bag on Saturday. Full Story

NT$100 bills in markets more bacteria-ridden than toilet seats

The China Post - A Consumers' Foundation (CF) survey on NT$100 bills collected in a traditional market found that 75 percent of the bills contained the bacteria Staphylococcal known to cause food poisoning and infections in other parts of the body and 17 percent of sampled bills contained E. coli. Full Story

CPA unveils 2008 working schedule for public servants

The China Post - The Central Personnel Administration (CPA) announced yesterday the working schedule for all government agencies and schools for 2008. Full Story

Holiday freeway toll schedule from September 22 to 25

The China Post - Throughout the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday from September 22 to 25, all freeway toll stations in Taiwan will temporarily cease collections between 12:00 a.m. and 6 a.m. and shoulders on select freeway sections will be open to motorists. Full Story

Ang Lee wins 2nd Golden Lion for sex thriller

The China Post - Taiwanese director Ang Lee on Saturday picked up his second Venice Film Festival Golden Lion for best picture for his new erotic spy thriller "Lust, Caution". Full Story

Who won what at the Venice film festival

The China Post - Director Ang Lee's spy thriller "Lust, Caution" won the top award at the Venice film festival on Saturday. Full Story

Lee hailed as 'pride of Taiwan' after 2nd Gold Lion

The China Post - Officials and artists yesterday hailed film director Ang Lee after his new erotic spy thriller "Lust, Caution" won the Golden Lion for best picture at the Venice Film Festival. This is the second time in three years that Lee has captured the coveted prize. Full Story

12,000 bank workers rally against reforms

The China Post - Over 12,000 employees from 23 domestic banks yesterday took to the streets to protest the government's ongoing second-stage financial reforms designed to consolidate Taiwan's banking sector. Full Story

Taipei, Beijing still working on Olympic torch path agreement

The China Post - Taiwan and China have failed to reach a final agreement on Taiwan's inclusion in the Olympic torch relay, but both sides agreed to make last-ditch effort to hammer out an agreement on the controversial issue. Full Story

5 mass rallies to be held in Taipei today

The China Post - Five major rallies and demonstrations related to the forthcoming legislative and presidential elections early next year will be staged in Taipei today. Full Story

Taiwan's inclusion on torch relay route acceptable: Chang

The China Post - Premier Chang Chun-hsiung said yesterday that Taiwan can accept China's latest revision to the route for the 2008 Beijing Olympics torch relay, with Taipei's top cross-strait policy maker saying both sides are close to signing an agreement for the torch to pass through the island. Full Story

Airport exhibition focuses on Taiwan's top scenic attractions

The China post - The National Museum of History (NMH) in collaboration with the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport unveiled yesterday a traditional inkbrush painting exhibition, featuring local artists' impressions of the country's top scenic attractions. Full Story

Manager releases statement announcing Pavarotti's death

The China post - The following is the full text of the statement announcing the death of Luciano Pavarotti, issued on Thursday by the opera star's manager, Terri Robson: Full Story

Superstar tenor Pavarotti dies at 71

The China post - Legendary Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti, whose titanic voice and charisma brought opera to the masses, died of cancer on Thursday aged 71. Full Story

World mourns loss of Italian tenor Pavarotti

The China post - Friends and admirers of Luciano Pavarotti joined a chorus of grief as the world paid homage to the thrilling voice and ebullient personality of the great Italian tenor who died on Thursday. Full Story

Traffic plan for Mid-Autumn holiday announced

The China Post - Transport authorities yesterday announced a tentative plan to ease highway traffic during the upcoming four-day Mid-Autumn Festival holiday. Full Story

Local airlines to offer only Taipei-Shanghai holiday charter flights

The China Post - Six Taiwanese airlines have all applied to the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) to operate chartered flights between Taipei and Shanghai during the Mid-Autumn Festival, CAA director general Billy K.C. Chang said yesterday. Full Story

Sports lotto selection fair: Ministry of Finance

The China Post - The Ministry of Finance (MOF) yesterday said the process to select the issuer of Taiwan's first sports lottery was fair and just, denying charges that the selection committee favored Taipei Fubon Bank due to the presence of foreign advisors. Full Story

Demonstrators burn United States flag in Kaohsiung

The China Post - Dozens of protesters in Taiwan yesterday burned and trampled the Stars and Stripes outside the island's U.S. mission, reports said, after a senior White House official said Taiwan was not a state. Full Story

Taiwan image ads displayed at Sydney International Airport

The China Post - Advertising billboards featuring Taiwanese images are currently being displayed around Sydney International Airport as part of the Government Information Office (GIO)'s efforts to raise the country's international profile, a GIO official said yesterday. Full Story

Over 1,000 take part in Vietnam cultural festival

The China Post - More than 1,000 people participated in a Vietnamese cultural festival held in Taipei City Sunday for migrant workers from Vietnam to celebrate their nation's Independence Day. The festival was held at the city's 228 Memorial Park and organized by the Taipei city government's Department of Labor, a local official said. The official said Taipei has nearly 7,000 migrant workers from Vietnam, accounting for 20 percent of all foreign workers in the city. Most migrant workers from Vietnam are domestic helpers. Full Story

Taipei Fubon Bank wins sports lottery bid

The China Post - The Taipei Fubon Bank under the Fubon Financial Holding Co. yesterday beat two other contenders for the right to manage the island's state-run sports lottery. Full Story

Panel to choose sports lottery ticket issuer

The China Post - A committee composed of officials from the Ministry of Finance, the National Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, and scholars will decide which of three banks will win the right to issue tickets for a sports lottery proposed for next year. Full Story

72 rarely used public facilities revived

The China Post - The Public Construction Commission under the Executive Yuan has brought to life 72 idle public facilities which were built at NT$15.9 billion (US$480.36 million) in total, a commission official said Saturday. Full Story

Fish farms to face banned drug checks

The China Post - Officials with the Fisheries Agency under the Cabinet-level Council of Agriculture are scheduled to tour 10 fish farms in Taipei County today to see if their operators have used banned drugs to help boost production. Full Story

Railways inaugurate auto transportation services

The China Post - The state-run Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) implemented an auto transport service yesterday that allows passengers and their cars to reach their destinations simultaneously, but the service has drawn mixed responses from passengers. Full Story

The Republic of China (Taiwan) is a sovereign state, The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says

The China Post - It is an unquestionable fact that the Republic of China (Taiwan) is a country with independent sovereignty, and such a fact won't be altered by any comment from any foreign officials, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) stressed yesterday. Full Story

Unions decry government health and labor policies

The China Post - Labor unions will mobilize their members to oppose the government's unilateral decisions to raise health insurance premiums and change the calculations of retirement benefits, officials of the Chinese Federation of Labor Unions (CFL) said yesterday. Full Story

Cancer drug found effective against Alzheimer's disease

The China Post - Taiwan researchers have proved during rodent testing that a widely used cancer drug is also effective against Alzheimer's disease, with clinical experiments set to begin in October and a new drug for the brain disease expected to be marketed in three to five years, Academia Sinica sources reported yesterday. Full Story

Taiwan drug seeking Food and Drug Administration permit for human testing

The China Post - An innovative drug for diabetic ulcers, developed by a Taiwanese biomedical research institution, is about to be submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a permit on human testing, academic sources disclosed yesterday. Full Story

Boeing 737 checks to take 10 days: Civil Aeronautics Administrative

The China Post - The Civil Aeronautics Administrative (CAA) under the Ministry of Transportation and Communications yesterday instructed all national airlines to examine all Boeing 737 series jet planes within 10 days in compliance with a directive issued by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Full Story

Cabinet commite rules in favor of National Police Agency gender quotas

The China Post - The Executive Yuan's Appeals Review Committee ruled that the National Police Agency's (NPA) policy of setting quotas for the number of male and female recruitments did not violate the Gender Equality in Employment Law, rejecting an earlier decision by the Council of Labor Affairs. Full Story

Passengers criticize China Airlines' unclear evacuation instructions

The China Post - Passengers on a China Airlines (CAL) plane that exploded on Monday at the Okinawa airport criticized the flight crew after returning to Taipei yesterday, saying their ability to handle the emergency was very poor, as they gave unclear evacuation instructions that could have caused potentially fatal delays. Full Story

Hole found in tank of charred China Airlines jet

The China Post - Aviation officials investigating this week's explosion of a China Airlines aircraft in southern Japan found a hole in a fuel tank Thursday and believe it sent fuel to gush out and catch fire, transport officials said. The China Airlines Boeing 737 exploded in a fireball Monday seconds after all 157 passengers and eight crew had evacuated safely on to the tarmac at Okinawa's Naha airport in southern Japan. Full Story