The Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) yesterday announced some of its candidates for the year-end county commissioner and mayoral elections, and vowed to fully participate in the elections.
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday also announced that it will collaborate with the People First Party (PFP) in nominating a candidate for the Hsinchu County commissioner's post, challenging Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) incumbent Cheng Yung-chin (鄭永金).
TSU caucus whip Lo Chih-ming (羅志明) yesterday said that the party is evaluating the possibility of TSU candidates running in each district. The party may also enlist TSU Secretary-General Chen Chien-ming (陳建銘) to run for Keelung mayor and former TSU legislator Chien Lin Hui-chien (錢林慧君) to run for Tainan mayor.
Former TSU legislator Cheng Cheng-lung (程振隆) will run for the Yunlin County commissionership. It is unclear at this point who will run against him, as the other parties have yet to announce their candidates for the position. The post is currently unfilled. In addition, TSU Legislator Ho Min-hao (何敏豪) will be running against Jason Hu (胡志強) for Taichung mayor. According to Chen, the final nomination list will be announced after candidates for National Assembly elections are nominated on May 14.
The TSU will work with the DPP in nominating a slate of nominees for that election.
"Basically we will still negotiate with the DPP over the nomination list out of courtesy, but the TSU will not make too many concessions to the DPP this time," Chen said. "The TSU has its own platform and I think we have a good chance in smaller counties and cities."
Former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) will make public other nominees next Friday, Chen said.
Meanwhile, the DPP and the PFP are working together to get KMT Legislator Chiu Ching-chun (邱鏡淳) to withdraw from the KMT's primary for the Hsinchu County commissionership and defect to the DPP. Chiu is challenging fellow KMT member and Hsinchu County Commissioner Cheng Yung-chin for the position.
However, Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦), a spokesperson for the DPP's information and culture department said yesterday that although the party contacted Chiu, this did not signal the beginning of cross-party cooperation between the DPP and the PFP.
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,