PRESSURE: Self-censorship by Hong Kong and Macau media outlets grew after the territories signed economic pacts with Beijing. The same thing could happen here

By Su Yung-yao

Taiwan’s press freedom and freedom of expression have begun to show signs of being “Hong Kong-ized” (香港化) as a result of China’s political and economic pressure, a report by a legislative agency said.

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By Flora Wang

China may force Taiwan to negotiate and sign a peace agreement by 2012 following the recently signed cross-strait Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA), the legislature’s Organic Laws and Statutes Bureau said in a recent report.

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CAUSE UNKNOWN: The plane was on its way from Karachi to Islamabad and was trying to land during cloudy and rainy weather, Pakistani officials said

A passenger jet crashed into the hills surrounding Pakistan’s capital amid poor weather yesterday, killing all 152 people on board and blazing a path of devastation strewn with body parts and twisted metal wreckage.

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Slovenian police yesterday confirmed that they have detained a computer hacker believed to be responsible for creating the virus that infected 12 million computers worldwide, invading major banks and corporations around the world.

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China has staged a large-scale military exercise on its east coast, state media reported, as South Korea and the US began wrapping up their own major naval drill opposed by Beijing.

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