ALMS FOR THE POOR: Families earning under half the minimum wage can apply for a monthly NT$3,000 to NT$6,000 subsidy to help deal with inflationary costs

By Shih Hsiu-chuan
The government will grant monthly subsidies ranging from NT$3,000 to NT$6,000 from October to March to 450,000 families at risk of falling into poverty, Minister of the Interior Liao Liou-yi (廖了以) told a press conference yesterday.

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A charity organization has set up the nation’s first support center for family caregivers to provide them with professional psychological counseling and assistance with their work.

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Their first visit to Taiwan may be short, but four former NBA stars will be left with beautiful memories of the country, LA Lakers shooter Glen Rice said yesterday.

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‘TO BE EXPECTED’: Spokesman Wang Yu-chih said Taiwanese should not take China’s response as a rebuff of Ma Ying-jeou’s olive branch and goodwill gestures

By Ko Shu-Ling and Jenny W. Hsu
The Presidential Office vowed yesterday to continue to push cross-strait reconciliation and a “diplomatic truce” with Beijing, despite China’s opposition to the country’s UN bid.

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‘FOR OUR CHILDREN’: The former president said that while he would not attend a rally aimed at pressuring the KMT to boost the economy, his heart would be there
By Ko Shu-Ling
Former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday encouraged people to put Taiwan back on course by participating in a demonstration organized by pro-localization and other civic organizations tomorrow.

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By Shih Hsiu-Chuan
The government yesterday set itself a series of short-term goals aimed at ensuring reliable supplies of energy and food.

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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday rebutted media reports that US officials had encouraged President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) not to give any impression when engaging in talks with Beijing that China had sovereignty over Taiwan.

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By Ko Shu-Ling
The Presidential Office yesterday declined to confirm whether Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Vice Chairman John Kuan (關中) had been tapped to head the Examination Yuan.

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STOLEN IDENTITIES: Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wong Chin-chu said all parties should work together to pass an amendment that would increase prison terms
A lawmaker yesterday called for stiffer punishments for public and private organizations that leak personal information to fraud rings after police foiled the nation’s largest theft of personal data earlier this week.

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A BRIDGE TOO FAR? : Protesters dressed as crabs and shrimp wanted the construction of Special Expressway No. 2 to be halted in order to protect the Nanzai Stream

By Shelley Shan
Hundreds of environmentalists gathered in front of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) yesterday morning, demanding that it halt construction of Special Expressway No.2 (特二號快速道路) in order to protect the Nanzai Stream (湳仔溪) in Banciao (板橋), Taipei County.

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By Lin Hsiao-Yun
Taipei City Zoo said yesterday it plans to add more female koalas to its collection despite the recent deaths of two of the marsupials — Ligi, who passed away last month, and Eva, who also died on Wednesday.

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Nearly 80 percent of respondents said they use private transport to get to and from work, while 57 percent said there was a lack of public transport near their homes, the results of an online survey by the Consumers’ Foundation showed.

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By Flora Wang
A group of academics yesterday urged the Ministry of Education to abolish its latest high school curriculum guidelines published in January, saying they are flawed.

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■DEFENSE

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