Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (
Both occasions were overflowing with pre-election atmosphere.
Ma led his administrative team to his news conference, held at the newly built theater in Taipei City Hall. Ma and the 37 bureau directors all wore white jackets with an eye-catching small national flag patched on the left side of the chest, which Ma said was a reminder of the anniversary of the Constitution's implementation.
Ma pointed out in his keynote speech that the past year was one full of hazards and adversity for Taipei.
"Due to the SARS outbreak, the city government did not perform as well as expected this year despite the fact that the administrative team made a greater effort than last year," Ma said.
No pressure
"Although I am not under pressure for being re-elected, I have the pressure of historical evaluation for being Taipei City Mayor for two terms," he said.
Ma emphasized that he will demand of bureau directors to be more aggressive and to strengthen their ability to handle emergencies.
When asked by reporters how he maintains administrative neutrality and takes care of municipal affairs since he took over as the pan-blue alliance's chief campaign manager last month, Ma said he believes in the principle of administrative neutrality and expect the same from his subordinates.
Protection
As for his openly opposing Justice Minister Chen Ding-nan (
Ma also predicted that the central government will have to give up insisting not to open the three links on May 20 next year, emphasizing that those who support direct links with China will win the presidential election.
But before the three direct links are implemented, Kaohsiung will become Taiwan's first Free Trade Port in January, Hsieh announced at a year-end news conference held at the central park in Kaohsiung.
Hsieh said that Kaohsiung's application for the Statute Governing the Establishment and Management of Free Trade Ports (
The Light Rail Vehicle Transit that is under construction in Kaohsiung is another accomplishment which will relieve traffic congestion in the city in the future.
When asked whether his performance will influence President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) re-election, Hsieh said it is beyond any doubt, because Chen cared much about the development of central Taiwan.
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
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COLD FACTS: ‘Snow skin’ mooncakes, made with a glutinous rice skin and kept at a low temperature, have relatively few calories compared with other mooncakes Traditional mooncakes are a typical treat for many Taiwanese in the lead-up to the Mid-Autumn Festival, but a Taipei-based dietitian has urged people not to eat more than one per day and not to have them every day due to their high fat and calorie content. As mooncakes contain a lot of oil and sugar, they can have negative health effects on older people and those with diabetes, said Lai Yu-han (賴俞含), a dietitian at Taipei Hospital of the Ministry of Health and Welfare. “The maximum you can have is one mooncake a day, and do not eat them every day,” Lai