A proposal sponsored by pan-blue legislators to reinstate an 18 percent special interest rate on savings for retired civil servants, military personnel and teachers failed to pass in the legislature yesterday as Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers said they were prepared to launch a filibuster should the pan-blues attempt to force passage of the proposal.
In November last year, the Executive Yuan passed an administrative order abolishing the preferential pension interest rate because the nation's banks only offer savings account interest rates of 1 percent to 2 percent.
Pan-blue lawmakers yesterday demanded that their proposal to nullify the Executive Yuan's administrative order be reviewed as the first bill of the day's agenda on the floor, but DPP lawmakers insisted that establishing a statute for creating a committee to manage labor pension funds should come first.
Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) tried to begin cross-party negotiations on the agenda at 9am, but because lawmakers failed to reach consensus on it and a handful of other controversial bills, the meeting was adjourned until Tuesday.
DPP Legislator Lin Shu-shan (
"The lawmakers who enjoy the 18 percent preferential interest rate -- or who have family members that enjoy it -- should not voice an opinion about the proposal," Lin told the press.
PFP Spokesman Lee Hung-chun (
"They deserved the preferential pension system," he said.
DPP Legislator Lu Tien-lin (盧天麟) said that his party's proposed statute to create a committee to manage labor pension funds would benefit the country and millions of laborers.
"Labor pensions have accumulated to NT$126 billion so far. Without the committee, the government can't manage the funds in an efficient way," Lu said.
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,
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