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Subject: 10AM EZ News Intro
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Good morning. It's 10 o'clock. I'm _______ and time for EZ News on ICRT.

http://www.icrt.com.tw/en/eznews_am.php

Subject: 10AM Taiwan news
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The son and daughter-in-law of former President Chen Shui-bian pleaded guilty
to money laundering charges at the Taipei District Court yesterday.

According to a court spokesperson -- Chen Zhi-chong and his wife -- Huang
Rei-qing -- acted as a proxy and holder of the former first family's overseas
bank accounts.

The couple have agreed to return some 570-million N-T dollars -- which was
transferred by local businessmen into their Swiss bank accounts.

However, it is unclear how the return transfer will be carried out.

Prosecutors charge that the funds are kickbacks from Taiwanese businessmen
for preferential government treatment for their companies.

The former first family has denied this ... saying that the funds were
political campaign contributions.

--------------

The Premier has voiced his support for the Interior Minister -- who is facing
calls for his resignation over reports of a consumer coupon discrepancy.

Reports say that an extra 6-million N-T dollars in consumer coupons were
handed out last Sunday.

Premier Liu Zhao-xuan says Interior Minister Liao Liou-yi was a responsible
executive official ... and that he should not be blamed for the
discrepancies.

Liu added that the minister should also not blame himself for the problems.

Liao has said that he will resign and is willing to pay for the extra
distributed coupons ... rather than asking local government officials pick up
the tab.

The estimated 6-million N-T dollars in discrepancies were discovered after
the remaining vouchers were counted late Sunday.

---------------

The daughter of former President Chen Shui-bian has made fresh allegations
about former Premier and the D-P-P's 2008 presidential hopeful -- Frank Xie.

She claims he suffered a stroke in the run-up to last year's election.

In a open letter to the pro-D-P-P Liberty Times newspaper -- Chen Xing-yu
said that Xie told her father before the March 2008 election that he had
suffered a small stroke.

However, she says he would not see a doctor for fear that the publicity could
affect his campaign.

Chen also claimed that Xie disappeared from public view for several days
after the stroke ... telling reporters that he had hurt his foot.

The letter follows comments by Xie over parts of her father's book "The Cross
of Taiwan."

In his book, the former president talks about the rivalry between himself and
Xie throughout their political careers.

Xie says that Chen's daughter is just trying to distract public attention
from the upcoming trials of her father and three other family members.


Chen and members of his family are charged for embezzlement, bribe-taking and
money-laundering.

Subject: gaza
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Palestinian political leaders say any resumption of peace talks with Israel
would depend on the Jewish state's commitment to their demands.

The Palestine Liberation Organization is demanding Israel commit to a
freezing of all settlement activity in and around Arab East Jerusalem and in
the occupied West Bank.

It is also asking Israel to commit to giving up its hold on all occupied land
captured in the 1967 Middle East war.

The P-L-O wants to hold talks on the basis of the Arab peace initiative of
2002.

The initiative offers Israel peace and normal relations with all Arab
countries in return for withdrawal from all territory captured in the 1967
war.

Successive Israeli governments have either ignored or rejected the offer,
which would require Israel to take apart settlements which house hundreds of
thousands of Jews.

Subject: obama oath
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in news from the U-S ...

U.S. President Barack Obama has taken the oath of office for a second time
today at the White House ... because a word was out of order when he was
sworn in on Tuesday.

Chief Justice John Roberts, who first administered the oath to Obama on
Tuesday on the steps of the U.S. Capitol, also administered the oath to the
president today in front of reporters.

The White House counsel says the oath was administered a second time out of
an "abundance of caution."

Subject: gitmo
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U-S President Barack Obama is set to sign an executive order tomorrow to
close the detention center at Guantanamo Bay.

The AP's Ed Donahue reports.

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Subject: Weather ...AM ...
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----- showers w/ a high of 23 in the north.
----- showers w/ highs of 25 along the east coast.
----- clear skies w/ a high of 26 in the center ...
----- and clear skies w/ a high of 27 in the south ....


Current temperatures ....

Taipei --- 20

Taichung --- 17

Gaoxiong --- 22

Subject: 10AM EZ News Outro
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That's EZ News at 10. I'm _____

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Wall Street Institute