Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) is scheduled to start a 380km bicycle trip from Taipei to Kaohsiung on Saturday, during which he is expected to meet with several legislative candidates from across the political spectrum.
Ko had previously said that the purpose of the trip was to promote the Velo-City Global Conference — an international event to promote cycling which Taipei is set to host from Feb. 27 to March 1.
According to Ko’s itinerary, he is to set out from the Guandu (關渡) area at 5am and finish the trip on Sunday at 2am.
Asked to comment on his trip yesterday, Ko said that he was not sure whether he would be able finish it.
“You just need to keep your feet moving,” he said.
Ko also called on people to register for a cross-city cycling tour on Feb. 28, which he said he would attend.
The tour is part of the Velo-City Global Conference and is to be open to 4,000 participants, Ko said.
Meanwhile, critics have said that Ko’s bicycle trip is also designed to allow him to campaign for legislative candidates he supports.
A source from within the Taipei City Government said that the candidates that are expected to meet with Ko on Saturday include the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤), who is campaigning in Taipei’s Beitou-Shihlin (北投-士林) electoral district; the DPP’s Lu Sun-ling (呂孫綾), who is running in New Taipei City; the Green Party-Social Democratic Party (SDP) Alliance’s Wang Pao-hsuan (王寶萱), who is running in Taoyuan; DPP Legislator Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) in Hsinchu; the Republic Party’s Kang Shih-ju (康世儒), who is running in Miaoli; the DPP’s Chen Wen-pin (陳文彬) in Changhua; the New Power Party’s Hung Tzu-yung (洪慈庸), an independent candidate; and People First Party vice presidential candidate Hsu Hsin-ying (徐欣瑩).
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