Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) yesterday said the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) Taipei mayor candidate Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) had failed to present any solid policies in his press conference yesterday, urging his opponent to refrain from trying to fool Taipei residents with empty slogans.
“What Su offered today is a slogan. He did not give any policies, thoughts or promises to take any action. Where is the beef?” Hau said after a weekly meeting at the Taipei City Hall.
Responding to his opponent’s campaign event even before reporters raised questions, Hau criticized Su for not making known his position on the issue of an economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) and further urging him to present his policies on the development of Songshan Airport.
“An ECFA is not a political issue, but a municipal issue because it will affect local businesses and labors ... Mr Su should offer his vision on the development of Taipei City,” he said.
Hau, seeking re-election in November’s Taipei mayoral election representing the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), has suffered from low support in many polls since taking office.
Stepping up his own campaign, Hau touted his municipal projects yesterday while promoting direct flights from Songshan Airport to Shanghai’s Hongqiao Airport starting next Monday.
The Taipei City Government will further push for direct flights between Songshan Airport and Japan’s Haneda Airport and Gimpo Airport in South Korea by the end of the year.
“I expect Su to present his policies on the development of Songshan Airport, rather than trying to hoodwink Taipei residents with empty slogans,” he added.
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
US climber Alex Honnold left Taiwan this morning a day after completing a free-solo ascent of Taipei 101, a feat that drew cheers from onlookers and gained widespread international attention. Honnold yesterday scaled the 101-story skyscraper without a rope or safety harness. The climb — the highest urban free-solo ascent ever attempted — took just more than 90 minutes and was streamed live on Netflix. It was covered by major international news outlets including CNN, the New York Times, the Guardian and the Wall Street Journal. As Honnold prepared to leave Taiwan today, he attracted a crowd when he and his wife, Sanni,
RSS