With the appointment of the new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) minister still pending, the nation's environmentalists have expressed different opinions.
Saying that a new minister may be chosen with one eye on next year's presidential election, Green Formosa Front secretary-general Wu Tung-jye (吳東傑) yesterday hoped the change would enable the agency to stand on its own two feet, instead of being just an endorser of projects handed down by the Ministry of Economic Affairs.
Specifically, Wu urged the EPA to quickly resolve controversies surrounding several development projects, including the Suhua Freeway and the Formosa Group's steel plant.
guardian
"To a certain extent, Chang Kow-lung [
EPA minister Chang Kwo-lung officially resigned along with other Cabinet officials last Wednesday after serving at the position for approximately two years.
appointment
The Executive Yuan announced yesterday it had appointed DPP Legislator Winston Dang (
Tu Wenling (杜文苓), chair of the Taiwan Environmental Action Network, said the environmental group's concern was not so much the appointment of a new EPA minister, as the Executive Yuan's environmental policies in the future -- whether it would focus more on sustainable development or simply curry favor with large corporations.
disappointing
"The Executive Yuan's performance has been disappointing in the past," Tu said.
"The Executive Yuan has already set its own agenda," she said. "It would often blame EPA committee members for their failure to pass environmental impact reviews for certain projects."
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
EVA Airways today confirmed the death of a flight attendant on Saturday upon their return to Taiwan and said an internal investigation has been launched, as criticism mounted over a social media post accusing the airline of failing to offer sufficient employee protections. According to the post, the flight attendant complained of feeling sick on board a flight, but was unable to take sick leave or access medical care. The crew member allegedly did not receive assistance from the chief purser, who failed to heed their requests for medical attention or call an ambulance once the flight landed, the post said. As sick
The Taichung District Court yesterday confirmed its final ruling that the marriage between teenage heir Lai (賴) and a man surnamed Hsia (夏) was legally invalid, preventing Hsia from inheriting Lai’s NT$500 million (US$16.37 million) estate. The court confirmed that Hsia chose not to appeal the civil judgement after the court handed down its ruling in June, making the decision final. In the June ruling, the court said that Lai, 18, and Hsia, 26, showed “no mutual admiration before the marriage” and that their interactions were “distant and unfamiliar.” The judge concluded that the couple lacked the “true intention of
INDUSTRY: Beijing’s latest export measures go beyond targeting the US and would likely affect any country that uses Chinese rare earths or related tech, an academic said Taiwanese industries could face significant disruption from China’s newly tightened export controls on rare earth elements, as much of Taiwan’s supply indirectly depends on Chinese materials processed in Japan, a local expert said yesterday. Kristy Hsu (徐遵慈), director of the Taiwan ASEAN Studies Center at the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research, said that China’s latest export measures go far beyond targeting the US and would likely affect any country that uses Chinese rare earths or related technologies. With Japan and Southeast Asian countries among those expected to be hit, Taiwan could feel the impact through its reliance on Japanese-made semi-finished products and
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