SECURITY NET: Those who qualify for the scheme will be able to pay in NT$622 a month over 40 years, then receive a pension of more than NT$7,000 from age 65
By Jimmy Chuang
The Executive Yuan yesterday passed a draft bill on a national pension program in a bid to bolster the nation's social security net for the underprivileged.

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By Mo Yan-chih and Shih Hsiu-chuan
Former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) was nominated as his party's presidential candidate yesterday and said he would invite Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) to be his running mate.

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JOINT POLICY: Admiral Dennis Blair urged Japan to become more involved in keeping the peace in the Taiwan Strait, saying it would benefit the whole region
By Charles Snyder
The former commander of US forces in the Pacific, Admiral Dennis Blair, back in the US after observing Taiwan's annual military exercises, on Tuesday called on Japan to continue supporting the US policy of deterrence against Chinese military action against Taiwan, saying that a joint policy is necessary for the security of the Asian region.

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Lawmakers yesterday criticized Macau police for firing warning shots during a May Day march that erupted into violence, as authorities investigate if one of the bullets may have injured a passing motorcyclist.

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A group of four North Korean defectors has crossed the tense maritime border in a small wooden boat to reach South Korea, intelligence sources said yesterday.

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As delegates to a climate conference in the Thai capital debate how to reduce greenhouse gases, one of the problems -- and a possible solution -- lies in the rice fields that cover much of Thailand, the rest of Asia and beyond.

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