Premier Yu Shyi-kun has said he planned to resign after the March 20 presidential election to spend more time with his family, local newspapers said yesterday.
"After President Chen Shui-bian's (
Yu, 55, had offered to resign last year after 100,000 farmers demonstrated in Taipei against government plans to reform agricultural credit cooperatives, but Chen asked him to stay.
PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES
The former rice farmer is Chen's third head of government in four years, but is seen as lacking political savvy and has come under pressure to take responsibility for a flagging economy during Chen's tenure.
Chen's first premier, Tang Fei (
At a campaign rally last night at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall to mark International Women's Day, which falls today, Chen disclosed for the first time that he would be looking for a female premier if he is re-elected.
"One day Taiwan will have a female president and I also believe that we will have a female premier in the future. People may not notice this issue, but I have already started considering the appropriate candidates for a female premier," Chen said.
He didn't specify any possible candidates.
Chen promised to allow more women to take up ministerial posts in the Cabinet if he is elected. The Democratic Progressive Party's campaign platform includes increasing the number of women in government to 40 percent.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
SHOT IN THE ARM: The new system can be integrated with Avenger and Stinger missiles to bolster regional air defense capabilities, a defense ministry report said Domestically developed Land Sword II (陸射劍二) missiles were successfully launched and hit target drones during a live-fire exercise at the Jiupeng Military Base in Pingtung County yesterday. The missiles, developed by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology (CSIST), were originally scheduled to launch on Tuesday last week, after the Tomb Sweeping Day holiday long weekend, but were postponed to yesterday due to weather conditions. Local residents and military enthusiasts gathered outside the base to watch the missile tests, with the first one launching at 9:10am. The Land Sword II system, which is derived from the Sky Sword II (天劍二) series, was turned