PRESS DIGEST-Taiwan - March 10

TAIPEI, March 10 (Reuters) - Taiwan newspapers carried the following stories on Monday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

CHINA TIMES

-- Presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou's approval rating fell slightly to 49 percent, while rival Frank Hsieh's rose to 22 percent after a debate on Sunday.

-- Chinese Taipei beat Germany 2-0 in pre-Olympic baseball qualifiers.

UNITED DAILY NEWS

-- The southern port city Kaohsiung's first subway line opened after six years of construction and drew 200,000 passengers on day one.

-- The Taiwan government has hired a lawyer to sue the French government over a military sales contract dispute.

LIBERTY TIMES

-- Five current and former ruling Democratic Progressive Party chairmen gathered to voice support for presidential candidate Frank Hsieh to show intra-party solidarity.