The legislature yesterday passed a resolution asking Premier Yu Shyi-kun to brief the body later this month of his ambitious program to develop the country into a green economic powerhouse within six years.
The resolution, introduced by KMT lawmaker Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) and endorsed by 52 of his colleagues, states that Yu must deliver a report to the legislature on how he plans to carry out the project titled "Challenging 2008."
On May 7, Yu told the media the Cabinet plans to spend NT$2.6 trillion over the next six years to achieve an economic growth rate of 5 percent while keeping the unemployment rate below 4 percent.
Before the legislature voted on the resolution, Wu said a briefing by Yu is necessary because the program calls for a vast amount of money.
"The people have the right to know how the Cabinet plans to raise the funds for implementing the related policies," the KMT stalwart and former mayor of Kaohsiung said.
The premier must deliver his report on May 28. Although the interpellation session has come to an end, the Constitution states that the legislature may demand a report from the premier on matters that have a crucial bearing on the public.
Wu said he wanted to know for sure if the spending plan would crowd out private investments and further strain state coffers.
His motion met with no objection from the legislature's floor.
"I hope the program will not prove to be a mere slogan," the KMT lawmaker said, noting that former premier Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) had actively plugged a NT$810-billion public construction project but had accomplished little by the time he stepped down.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Many Japanese couples are coming to Taiwan to obtain donated sperm or eggs for fertility treatment due to conservatism in their home country, Taiwan’s high standards and low costs, doctors said. One in every six couples in Japan is receiving infertility treatment, Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare data show. About 70,000 children are born in Japan every year through in vitro fertilization (IVF), or about one in every 11 children born. Few people accept donated reproductive cells in Japan due to a lack of clear regulations, leaving treatment in a “gray zone,” Taichung Nuwa Fertility Center medical director Wang Huai-ling (王懷麟)
A pro-Russia hacker group has launched a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack on the Taiwanese government in retaliation for President William Lai’s (賴清德) comments suggesting that China should have a territorial dispute with Russia, an information security company said today. The hacker group, NoName057, recently launched an HTTPs flood attack called “DDoSia” targeting Taiwanese government and financial units, Radware told the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times). Local tax bureaus in New Taipei City, Keelung, Hsinchu and Taoyuan were mentioned by the hackers. Only the Hsinchu Local Tax Bureau site appeared to be down earlier in the day, but was back
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