■ Politics
Parties reach consensus
A consensus among political parties has been forged concerning sections of two bills which will be voted on in the Legislative Yuan on Thursday, Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) said yesterday. Parties have agreed on most parts of the revised Statute Governing the Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (兩岸人民關係條例) and a revision to the 1995 Presidential and Vice Presidential Election and Recall Law (總統副總統選舉罷免法). The Taiwan Solidarity Union, which disagreed with the other parties on several articles of each bill, insisted on voting on them individually rather than as a package.
■ Economics
Premier Yu bullish
Premier Yu Shyi-kun said yesterday that economic growth could reach 4.67 percent for the final quarter of this year. Yu made the forecast at a Legislative Yuan plenary session to dismiss a claim by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Kuo Tien-tsai (郭添財) that the administration is not competent enough to rev up the nation's sluggish economy. Dismissing Kuo's criticism as unfair, Yu cited figures, including growth in exports and foreign exchange reserves, to show that the economy has rebounded from its recent sluggishness and is now steadily improving.
■ National Day
Celebrations toned down
Taiwan has limited its National Day activities in Hong Kong and Macau to indoor celebrations in line with an agreement with the special administrative regions of China, Mainland Affairs Council vice chairman Huang Chieh-cheng (黃介正) said yesterday. About 1,000 people attended an indoor rally held by Taiwan's representative office in Hong Kong on Sunday, with participants singing the national anthem and bowing to the portrait of the founder of the Republic of China (ROC), Sun Yat-sen (孫中山). Some 600 people will attend a similar event in Macau today, Huang said. Also known as Double-Ten Day, since it falls on Oct. 10, National Day had been widely celebrated by Chinese communities in Hong Kong and Macau before they reverted to Chinese rule.
■ Foreign affairs
Powell rumor dismissed
Minister of Foreign Affairs Eugene Chien (簡又新) dismissed as "mere speculation" yesterday a media report that President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) might have an informal meeting with US Secretary of State Colin Powell in Panama early next month. Chen is scheduled to leave for a Latin American tour late this month. His itinerary will include a state visit to Panama to attend a ceremony marking the nation's centennial on Nov. 3. As US President George W. Bush has designated Powell to attend the Panamanian ceremony on his behalf, local news media said Chen might meet with Powell by chance during their stays in Panama.
■ Culture
Free birthday performance
The Overseas Chinese Commission will sponsor a free performance of music and drama at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall at 7pm tomorrow as part of celebrations for Double Ten Day on Friday. The show is primarily designed to treat overseas Chinese who have returned to Taiwan for the 92nd birthday of the Republic of China. Commission Chairwoman Chang Fu-mei (張富美) said the show would be a "combination of modern and traditional arts."
Taiwan is stepping up plans to create self-sufficient supply chains for combat drones and increase foreign orders from the US to counter China’s numerical superiority, a defense official said on Saturday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, the official said the nation’s armed forces are in agreement with US Admiral Samuel Paparo’s assessment that Taiwan’s military must be prepared to turn the nation’s waters into a “hellscape” for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Paparo, the commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, reiterated the concept during a Congressional hearing in Washington on Wednesday. He first coined the term in a security conference last
Prosecutors today declined to say who was questioned regarding alleged forgery on petitions to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators, after Chinese-language media earlier reported that members of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Youth League were brought in for questioning. The Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau confirmed that two people had been questioned, but did not disclose any further information about the ongoing investigation. KMT Youth League members Lee Hsiao-liang (李孝亮) and Liu Szu-yin (劉思吟) — who are leading the effort to recall DPP caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) and Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) — both posted on Facebook saying: “I
Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), who led efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), was released on bail of NT$80,000 today amid outcry over his decision to wear a Nazi armband to questioning the night before. Sung arrived at the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office for questioning in a recall petition forgery case last night wearing a red armband bearing a swastika, carrying a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf and giving a Nazi salute. Sung left the building at 1:15am without the armband and covering the book with his coat. Lee said today that this is a serious
A mountain blaze that broke out yesterday morning in Yangmingshan National Park was put out after five hours, following multi agency efforts involving dozens of fire trucks and helicopter water drops. The fire might have been sparked by an air quality sensor operated by the National Center for High-Performance Computing, one of the national-level laboratories under the National Applied Research Laboratories, Yangmingshan National Park Headquarters said. The Taipei City Fire Department said the fire, which broke out at about 11am yesterday near the mountainous Xiaoyoukeng (小油坑) Recreation Area was extinguished at 4:32pm. It had initially dispatched 72 personnel in four command vehicles, 16
RSS