High Court overrules Losheng petition

The China Post - The Taipei High Administrative Court yesterday ruled to resume construction of a maintenance depot for the Hsinchuang mass rapid transit (MRT) system at the expense of the "Losheng" (Happy Life) sanatorium, local media reported. Full Story

Nearsightedness among children reaches all-time high

The China Post - Twenty percent of first graders in Taiwan suffer from myopia, or nearsightedness -- a near seven-fold increase over two decades ago, local media reported yesterday. Full Story

Betel nut stand robbers ask victim for forgiveness

The China Post - Two brothers who were arrested for robbing a betel nut stand yesterday begged for forgiveness from the victim, local media reported. Full Story

Entrepreneurs donate NT$900 million to National Taiwan University

The China Post - Four entrepreneurs have donated a total of NT$900 million (about US$27.6 million) to National Taiwan University (NTU) to fund a project to foster its Hsinchu campus and make it the centerpiece of the nation's biomedical research, university sources said yesterday. Full Story

Quake rattles Taiwan but no reports of damage

The China Post - A moderate earthquake measuring 5.5 on the Richter scale rattled northeastern Taiwan on Thursday, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage, officials said. Full Story

Enterovirus culprit in pinkeye outbreak

The China Post - The Center for Disease Control (CDC) under the Department of Health confirmed Thursday that an enterovirus is the culprit responsible for the current outbreak of conjunctivitis, commonly known as pinkeye, among elementary students. Full Story

Typhoon-affected rare seabird set free

The China Post - An adult brown booby (sula leucogaster) -- a large seabird of the gannet family -- which was probably affected by Typhoon Krosa and had drifted from eastern Taiwan to the west where it was captured, was released into the wild yesterday. Full Story

Police will not carry firearms to homes: NPA

The China Post - Police officers will not be required to carry firearms while visiting private homes, an official with the National Police Agency's (NPA's) census division said yesterday. Full Story

Brother Elephants player fined NT$100,000

The China Post - A member of Taiwan's Brother Elephants professional baseball team has been fined NT$100,000 for attending a nightclub, local media reported yesterday. Full Story

Da Dun Fine Arts Exhibit winners to be announced

The China Post - The final results of the 12th Da Dun Fine Arts Exhibition, organized by the Taichung city government, will be announced at an award ceremony to be held in the central city this weekend, Taichung Mayor Jason Hu said yesterday. Full Story

Tzu Chi builds secondary school in north Thailand

The China Post - The Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation is currently constructing a secondary school in northern Thailand as part of its ongoing efforts to help people in the region, a foundation spokesman said yesterday. Full Story

COA buying damaged rice to reduce farmers' losses

The China Post - The Cabinet-level Council of Agriculture (COA) has started buying unhusked rice damaged by Typhoon Krosa to help ease rice farmers' financial losses, a COA official said yesterday. Full Story

Andy Lau shocked by sex scenes in 'Lust, Caution'

The China Post - There's too much lust in "Lust, Caution" for Andy Lau. The veteran Hong Kong actor-singer says he was shocked by the sex scenes in the new Ang Lee spy thriller and that he would have never agreed to star in the film. Full Story

Lee Yuan-tseh inducted in Pontifical Academy

The China Post - Lee Yuan-tseh, former president of Academia Sinica, was inducted Monday by Pope Benedict XVI into the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, making him only the fourth Chinese person to be bestowed the honor, local media reported yesterday. Full Story

Bus firm ordered to compensate paralyzed passenger

The China Post - The Panchiao District Court ordered the Taipei Bus Company to pay NT$710,000 (less than US$22,000) in compensation to a female passenger who is now paralyzed from the waist down after falling from a city bus last year. Full Story

Two arrested in fake modeling agency scam

The China Post - Two men have been arrested for defrauding at least 48 women by forcing them into nude photography and in some cases even sex under the pretense of running a modeling agency, local media reported Tuesday. Full Story

Finger wound to blame in two childrens' death: report

The China Post - A male kitchen worker is to blame for "indirectly killing" a child and a baby at a hospital babysitting center in the southern port city of Kaohsiung, according to initial examination reports released by Kaohsiung prosecutors. Full Story

Bad weather on Yushan kills hiker, strands five others

The China Post - One man died and five others were stranded for more than five days after two separate mountain climbing expeditions on Yushan Mountain in central Taiwan turned tragic due to inclement weather caused by Typhoon Krosa. Full Story

Noise complaints on the decline: EPA

The China Post - Noise complaints reported to the police declined during the January-September period, thanks to the Environmental Protection Administration's (EPA) offer of assistance to local businesses in solving their noise problems, an administration official said yesterday. Full Story

International art biennial opens at Taichung museum

The China Post - The National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts (NTMOFA) announced yesterday the 2007 Asian Biennial will open on Oct. 13, in Taichung City. The international event will run until Feb. 24 next year under the theme "Have you eaten yet?" -- a common salutation in Taiwan that carries goodwill and caring. Full Story

CIB arrests white-collar fugitive at Taipei hotel

The China Post - The Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) yesterday said they have caught an alleged white-collar criminal in Taipei City after 10 days of search. Full Story

Fake government official caught in fraudulent act

The China Post - A man who allegedly cheated two elderly women in Taipei City out of NT$5.8 million by pretending to be a government official has been arrested in the act, local media reported yesterday. Full Story

Full text of President Chen's National Day Address

The China Post - The following is the full text of President Chen Shui-bian's 2007 National Day Address. Full Story

A short yet solid hike up Lion Mountain

The China Post - Driving along the back roads behind Xichi (汐止), midway between the northern cities of Taipei and Keelung, I stumbled across perhaps the oddest signpost I've seen during all my years in Taiwan. I've witnessed my share of unusual-sounding translations, including "Sun Link Sea" and "Water Running Up," but this one took the biscuit. "Gentleman Duck," it said in English. This was one place that warranted exploration. Full Story

Danshui's war history revealed at Huwei Fort

The China Post - Conveniently located at the end of the MRT's red line, Danshui is one of the most popular weekend destinations for residents in the Taipei area. The orange Fort San Domingo must be included in any brochure promoting Taiwan and it's arguably the first place you take visiting friends. Full Story

Youths sentenced to 303 total years for Kaohsiung robberies

The China Post - Kaohsiung District Court has sentenced seven youngsters to a combined total of 303 years under the new "one crime, one sentence" policy, local media reported yesterday. Full Story

Over 20% of Chinese medicine contains chemicals

The China Post - The Consumers' Foundation (CF) yesterday issued a consumer alert on traditional Chinese medicine after lab results identified Western pharmaceutical ingredients in ten out of 47 traditional herbal products surveyed. Full Story

Over 20% of Chinese medicine contains chemicals

The China Post - The Consumers' Foundation (CF) yesterday issued a consumer alert on traditional Chinese medicine after lab results identified Western pharmaceutical ingredients in ten out of 47 traditional herbal products surveyed. Full Story

Funeral service for Father George Massin to be held on October 13

The China Post - A funeral service for Reverend Father George Massin will be held on Oct. 13 at 2 p.m. at the Catholic Church in Huwei, Yunlin County. Full Story

Kaohsiung assists Tainan in combating dengue fever

The China Post - The Kaohsiung County government has sent health officials and quarantine experts to neighboring Tainan City to help halt an expanding outbreak of dengue fever in the run-up to the Oct. 20 opening of the 2007 National Athletic Games in the southern Taiwan city, a county official said yesterday. Full Story

Inbound passengers warned about bringing in hairy crabs

The China Post - Custom officers have seized 274 kg of Chinese hairy crabs from inbound passengers since Sept. 8, Taipei Customs Office said yesterday. Full Story

Film festival to be held to call for an end to death penalty

The China Post - The Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty will hold a film festival starting Oct. 12 to call public attention to the issue of abolishing capital punishment, officials said yesterday. Full Story

Fans back home rue Wang's performance

The China Post - Taiwan fans were all frowns Tuesday after a second straight disastrous performance by national hero Wang Chien-ming saw the New York Yankees bundled out of the American League playoffs. Full Story

Sizemore, Indians eliminate Yankees

The China Post - Once Grady Sizemore hit a leadoff home run, the Cleveland Indians were headed to the AL championship series while the New York Yankees were braced for a showdown with their boss. Full Story

Yankees may fire manager Joe Torre, keep star players

The China Post - Each New York Yankees off-season features its own drama, its own questions about who will and won't return. Yet this 2007-08 winter figures to be especially interesting because of the big names -- first and foremost the manager -- who have no contract for next year. Full Story

Falling behind was nothing new for these Yankees

The China Post - The dugout was filled with bitten fingernails and churned stomachs. The seats at Yankee Stadium were loaded with overturned caps, the baseball symbol of desperation. With the scoreboard in their disfavor and the season slipping away, the mood all around the Bronx on Monday night was laced with angst as Yankeeville battled an annoying suspicion that it had seen this before. Full Story

Promote Taiwan's identity in all approaches: MOFA

The China Post - Last Friday, the Italian Economic, Trade and Cultural Promotion Office's outgoing representative Maria Assunta Acilli called on Minister of Foreign Affairs James C.F. Huang prior to her departure from Taiwan in early October. In her capacity as the Italian office head, Acilli was enthusiastic in sponsoring various art and cultural activities in Taiwan. Full Story

Taiwan-Pacific Allies Summit to highlight regional issues

The China Post - Minister of Foreign Affairs James C.F. Huang and several other ministerial officials will accompany President Chen Shui-bian to attend the Second Taiwan-Pacific Allies Summit slated for October 12-14 in Majuro, capital of the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI). Full Story

STSP plays leading role in Taiwan's next wave of high-tech economic growth

The China Post - Driving the next wave of Taiwan's high-tech economic growth is the Southern Taiwan Science Park (STSP), which comprises the 1,038-hectare Tainan Science Park (TSP) and the 570-hectare Kaohsiung Science Park (KSP). Full Story

STSP home to artifacts, good working environment

The China Post - Technology with an artistic component is like a robot programmed with artificial intelligence. The robot has a more human touch. When one first steps into the Tainan Science Park (TSP), a lotus bulb ready to burst into full blossom can be seen. The lotus symbolizes the vigor and vitality of STSP. In contrast, the Cable Bridge a short distance away represents the development and breakthrough spirit of STSP. Full Story

VAC aims to elevate services for veterans, underprivileged groups

The China Post - In accordance with the government's Mega Warmth Welfare Program and its policies of assisting families with low and median income as well as small and medium enterprises, the Veterans Affairs Commission (VAC) aims to take a series of steps to elevate services to all veterans and their families, as well as underprivileged compatriots. Full Story

Sharing of resources between veterans and general public

The China Post - Providing care for veterans has long been a core operation of the Veterans Affairs Commission (VAC). While looking after veterans is the commission's top priority, over the years it has realized sharing its resources with the public is important, so that more people -- especially those who are elderly or disabled -- may enjoy services provided by the VAC. Full Story

VAC does a lot for retired servicemen

The China Post - One major task facing the Veterans Affairs Commission (VAC) is to take care of retired servicemen and their dependents. This task has been accomplished successfully. Full Story

History of Veterans Affairs Commission, Executive Yuan

The China Post - In 1949, the government launched a comprehensive campaign in Taiwan to accelerate national development and beef up military strength by implementing a series of concrete steps to take care of retired servicemen who had dedicated their youth to the nation. Full Story

VAC's farms and forestry projects thrive, draw visitors

The China Post - Along with a rapid transformation of Taiwan's economy, many agricultural and forestry projects formerly under the supervision of the Veterans Affairs Commission (VAC) have been turned into leisure farms, forest parks and other tourist attractions. The VAC is helping these facilities draw more tourists by placing a strong focus on wildlife preservation, health agriculture and eco-tourism. Full Story

VAC taking steps to help veterans get employed

The China Post - Helping veterans find jobs is a vital mission of the Veterans Affairs Commission (VAC) and covers the following five objectives: "education assistance," "job training," "holding job-related awareness campaigns," "entrepreneurship assistance," and "consolidation of government and private resources." Full Story

TFTC's mission: To build up a fair competition environment in Taiwan

The China Post - The Taiwan Fair Trade Commission (TFTC) was set up in 1992 to build up a fair competition environment in Taiwan. Over the years the TFTC has worked to further free trade on the island and made sure that operations running contrary to the spirit of fair trade, such as monopolistic practices or collusion between companies to raise prices, were penalized and corrected. Full Story

Taiwan Fair Trade Commission's organization and duties

The China Post - The Taiwan Fair Trade Commission (TFTC) was established on January 27, 1992 and is under the jurisdiction of the Executive Yuan (the Cabinet). The TFTC is the central authority in charge of competition policy and Fair Trade Law in Taiwan. Full Story

Taxi fares up 10% in Taipei starting November

The China Post - With the Taipei City Government's expected approval, a 10 percent taxi fare hike will come into effect in Taiwan's capital as early as Nov. 1st, a city transportation official announced yesterday after the city's public utilities rates screening committee selected one of the three taxi fare hikes proposed by taxi associations in Taipei. Full Story

Typhoons revive call for Suhua freeway

The China Post - The successive devastation of the Suao-Hualien Highway on the east coast by a series of typhoons, the disruptions of transport service and the soaring repair costs have combined to revive the call for early construction of the controversial Suhua (Suao-Hualien) freeway. Full Story

Farm losses from Krosa top NT$2.67 billion

The China Post - Premier Chang Chun-hsiung yesterday instructed the Council of Agriculture (COA) to provide both subsidies and low interest loans to help farmers severely battered by Typhoon Krosa to recover farming operations as early as possible. Full Story

Nuke risk model may improve national security

The China Post - In the wake of serious damage to Taiwan's infrastructure inflicted by Typhoon Krosa, officials from the Institute of Nuclear Energy Research (INER) recommended yesterday that the Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) model, currently used to evaluate the safety of Taiwan's nuclear power plants, be implemented to better protect the island's infrastructure. Full Story

Remnants of Typhoon Krosa cut power in eastern China

The China Post - The remnants of Typhoon Krosa deluged eastern China Monday, snarling transportation, cutting power and flooding roads and fields, state media reported Monday. In Vietnam, the death toll from a separate storm rose to 77. Full Story

Taipei officials seek lower textbook prices

The China Post - The Taipei City Government announced further negotiations with publishers of elementary school textbooks in a bid to obtain lower prices for parents. Full Story

Taiwan, China team up to save rare bird from extinction

The China Post - Taiwanese and mainland Chinese conservationists are joining hands to save an endangered sea bird from extinction by urging fishermen to stop collecting and eating the birds' eggs, a Taiwanese birdwatcher said yesterday. Full Story

Koxinga landing date changed back: Hsu

The China Post - The Tainan Municipal Archive reversed itself again yesterday, declaring that Koxinga landed in southern Taiwan on April 30, 1661. Full Story

Level of economic crime 'a catastrophe': expert

The China Post - Economic crime has become a serious problem in Taiwan in recent years, an academic said Saturday, noting that since 2000, over 450 individuals and corporations have been indicted for embezzling a total of more than NT$276.7 billion (US$8. 38 billion) in public or corporate funds. Full Story

Prosecutor urges criminalization of lax oversights by officials

The China Post - Financial officials who have failed to actively fulfill their duties of overseeing banking, capital market and corporate operations should be subject to strict criminal penalties to ward off major economic and financial crimes, a prosecutor said Saturday. Full Story

Top universities coping with pyramid scheme

The China Post - At least three universities, all of them top national institutions of higher learning, are trying to cope with a rampant direct sales pyramid scheme. Full Story

Government to put opening of casino industry on hold

The China Post - The government will not open up the casino industry for the moment due to the absence of relevant legal framework and a lack of public consensus, Ho Mei-yueh, chairwoman of the Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD), said yesterday. Full Story

7 dead, 52 injured after Typhoon Krosa

The China Post - The Central Weather Bureau (CWB) lifted the land warning on Typhoon Krosa for the Taiwan area yesterday afternoon but maintained the warning on possible torrential rains. Authorities reported that at least seven people were dead, 52 others injured and several still missing in typhoon-related incidents throughout the island. Full Story

Vegetable prices skyrocket in wake of Typhoon Krosa

The China Post - The price of agricultural goods has sky-rocketed due to the powerful winds and torrential rain brought by Typhoon Krosa. "There will not be any reasonable prices for vegetables this fall," said Chen Chung-nan, official of Taipei Agricultural Products Marketing Co. Full Story

Agricultural losses from Typhoon Krosa amount to NT$749 million, says COA

The China Post - Total agricultural losses as a result of Typhoon Krosa amounted to NT$749 million as of yesterday afternoon, with Nantou County, Tainan County and Hualien County bearing the brunt of the losses, the Council of Agriculture (COA) reported yesterday. Full Story

Taipei to probe cause of mudslide claiming 2 lives

The China Post - Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin said yesterday the Taipei City Government has turned the case of two men buried in a mudslide -- triggered by Typhoon Krosa -- to prosecutors for investigation. Full Story

Taipei department store reports losses after storm

The China Post - Typhoon Krosa has caused over NT$100 million in lost business due to a day's close of Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Department Store's Nanking West Road branch, the store said yesterday. Full Story

Hualien claims NT$100 million in tourism losses

The China Post - Intense media coverage of Typhoon Krosa has negatively impacted the tourism industry around Taiwan, officials from the tourism and hotel industries said yesterday. In Hualien County alone, the three-day typhoon could have caused up to NT$100 million in damages to the local hotel industry, they claimed. Full Story

Snapped power lines disrupts rail services

The China Post - Snapped power lines blocked railroad traffic near Tainan City yesterday. Both tracks returned to normal operation at 9:35 p.m. after blockage of two-way traffic. Full Story

Taipei Blood Center asks for more blood; Taipei's reserves critical

The China Post - Officials from Taipei Blood Center (TBC) are making an urgent appeal to the public to donate more blood. They said that following the severe Typhoon Krosa's damages, the TBC has been facing a serious blood shortage. Full Story

EPA marks 20 years with global vision

The China Post - Now in its 20th year, the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) has certainly come a long way: Taiwan in 2006 ranked 24th out of 133 countries in Environmental Performance Index, a measure produced by Yale and Columbia universities in collaboration with the World Economic Forum and the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission. In addition, the daily per capita garbage amount is one of the lowest in the world at 0.6 kilograms. Full Story

Politics in mind at South Korea film fest

The China Post - Opening weekend at the Pusan International Film Festival is usually all about parties and entertainment, but this year politics has been very much on people's minds. Full Story

Krosa still making impact; China on alert

The China Post - Strong Typhoon Krosa slowed down to a medium typhoon yesterday afternoon, after lashing northern Taiwan with powerful winds and torrential rain. Full Story

Retail vegetable prices soar sharply on typhoon winds

The China Post - Local retail vegetable prices soared on the strong winds of Supertyphoon Krosa yesterday, with one catty of scullion hitting a high of NT$170 in Taipei, according to market sources. Full Story

No typhoon madness for Taitung; scorching winds

The China Post - The eastern county of Taitung, where work and school was hardly disrupted by typhoon Krosa yesterday, was hit by scorching winds, with temperatures rising to as high as 38.5 degrees Celsius, the Central News Agency said. Full Story

All major transportation disrupted as Krosa hits

The China Post - Flights were canceled, train services disrupted and roads blocked by mudslides yesterday as typhoon Krosa hit Taiwan. Full Story

Typhoon fails to dampen Community Center's spirit

The China Post - While Typhoon Krosa roared outside, the Community Service Center's premier fundraising event of the year-its charity dinner auction-went ahead as planned Saturday, Oct. 6. During the event, special recognition was given to the China American Petrochemical Corp. (CAPCO) as well as David Dea and Gray Gleason. Full Story

COA says 47 rivers at high risk of mudflows

The China Post - Forty-seven rivers are at high risk of experiencing mudflows owing to heavy rain caused by Typhoon Krosa, officials at the Council of Agriculture's Soil and Water Conservation Bureau warned yesterday. Full Story

Krosa causes over 600,000 household power outages

The China Post - More than 600,000 households have experienced power outages as a result of Typhoon Krosa as of 3:00 p.m. Saturday, according to Taiwan Power Co. officials said. Full Story

Education Fair held for Canada study

The China Post - "Study in Canada and pursue your dream," was the motto of this year's Canadian Education Fair, an event held twice a year since 1991 to encourage local students to study overseas in Canada. Full Story

Typhoon Krosa to hit north hardest tonight

The China Post - Strong Typhoon Krosa is expected to hit northern Taiwan the hardest tonight and early morning tomorrow with unusually heavy rainfall seen to reach 800 to 1,100 mm in northern and northwestern mountain regions, according to the Central Weather Bureau (CWB). Full Story

Typhoon, supertyphoon or hurricane? Catchy misnomers can be misleading

The China Post - The Central Weather Bureau (CWB) announced yesterday that Typhoon Krosa would affect Taiwan's weather for the next couple of days, and pointed out that local Chinese media tend to misuse the terms "Typhoon, supertyphoon or hurricane" to sound catchy, only generating confusion among the public. Full Story

Public offices in north, east to close today

The China Post - All public offices and schools in northern and eastern Taiwan except Hsinchu City will be closed today as the severe Typhoon Krosa is expected to bring heavy rains and strong winds to the regions. Full Story

The Department of Health to probe use of bovine bone in dental treatment

The China Post - The Department of Health (DOH) pledged yesterday to step up its inspections concerning the illegal use of bovine bone-based material in dental implant surgery, amid fears that such material may have been imported from mad cow disease-affected areas. Full Story

Pinkeye cases on the rise, may signal serious epidemic

The China Post - The recent increase in conjunctivitis cases throughout the island might signal a more serious epidemic, local media reported yesterday. Full Story

Taiwan's Bamboo Union gang boss dies of cancer

The China Post - The boss of Taiwan's largest gang who was convicted in a high-profile political murder plotted by a military intelligence chief in the 1980s has died of cancer in Hong Kong. Full Story

'Lucky' families to return Car Free Day prizes

The China Post - Two "lucky" families have been asked to return prizes they won in a lucky draw for the 2007 International Taipei Car Free Day after poor monitoring of the activity allowed them to take home more than two dozen prizes up for grabs, a local newspaper reported yesterday. Full Story

Taitung underground weapons factory busted

The China Post - The police in Taitung County, eastern Taiwan busted an underground firearm factory in the county Thursday, nabbing the factory owner and a batch of guns and tools. Full Story

Ang Lee's 'Lust, Caution' posts strong results abroad

The China Post - Ang Lee said recently his new movie -- a Chinese-language spy thriller set in Hong Kong and Shanghai -- may put him in a marginal position in the U.S. market after making popular American movies like "Brokeback Mountain" and "Hulk." Full Story

Cleveland clobbers Yankees in opener

The China Post - The New York Yankees executed their game plan brilliantly, taking pitch after pitch, exhausting Cleveland Indians ace C.C. Sabathia so thoroughly that he lasted only five innings Thursday night. Full Story

Wang eager to play again despite loss

The China Post - Taiwanese New York Yankees pitcher Wang Chien-ming said that despite feeling "disappointed" about the team's first playoffs loss, he was determined to play again as early as the 4th game, local media reported yesterday. Full Story