LOOKING AHEAD:The Executive Yuan has divided its proposals into eight categories, ranging from economic development and ‘green’ energy to cross-strait relations

Taipei Times
Date: Sep 19, 2017
By: Chen Wei-han / Staff reporter

The Cabinet has tabled 72 priority bills for the new legislative session, including a

draft amendment to the national workweek scheme.

While its top five priorities are the annual government budgets for this year and next, the budget for a two-year river management plan, an amendment to the workweek scheme and a tax reform proposal, the proposal that is attracting the most attention is one to amend the Labor Standards Act (勞動基準法) to establish what the Executive Yuan has called a“safe and flexible work scheme.”

The bill will be the first proposal from the Cabinet on the workweek policy, as changes to the act that were promulgated in December last year were drafted by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus, Executive Yuan spokesman Hsu Kuo-yung (徐國勇) said yesterday following a coordination meeting between the Executive Yuan and DPP caucus.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: September 18, 2017
By: The China Post

A Democratic Progressive Party lawmaker who started a petition demanding the

party to run against incumbant Ko Wen-je in the Taipei mayoral election in 2018 described Ko as “worse than the enemy.”

Legislator Cheng Pao-ching (鄭寶清) said in a radio interview Monday that Ko calls himself an ally but has never ceased to attack the party. It is natural for the rival Kuomintang to criticize the DPP, but when Ko does so frequently it woulld persuade the public that the DPP is really doing bad, Cheng said.

Cheng also accused Ko of changing his political positions constantly. Ko professed to be a “deep green” politician (referring to a strong supporter of Taiwan localism/nationalism) but shifts cross the spectrum step by step to “deep blue” (referring to a heavily pro-China ideology) and even “light red” (the color that represents the Chinese government), Cheng said.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-09-17

President Tsai Ing-wen on Sunday attended a concert in honor of two pioneers of

Taiwan’s democracy. The two notable figures are Yu Teng-fa, who is a former county commissioner of the now-defunct Kaohsiung County, and his daughter-in-law Yu Chen Yueh-ying, who held the same position, and was Taiwan’s first female county commissioner.

In a speech at Sunday’s event, President Tsai said that there are many more stories of Taiwan’s democratic development that are worth seeking out and sharing. She said that every time these stories are told, they solidify the Taiwanese people’s identity as a democratic and free people.

Yu Teng-fa’s term as Kaohiung County chief began in 1960, during Taiwan’s decades-long martial law period. He was thrown in jail in the early 1970s for political reasons. After his release, he was again convicted of political crimes in 1979. That year, crowds took to the streets to protest on Yu’s behalf in what is now known as the “Chiao-tou Incident”. The list of people who came out in his support reads like a who’s-who of Taiwan’s best known opposition politicians, many of whom are heavyweights in President Tsai’s Democratic Progressive Party.   [FULL  STORY]

Experience the old-school romance of browsing through a record shop.

The News Lens
Date: 2017/09/17
By: TNL Staff

Serious music lovers in Taipei have probably all been to Taipei Main Station to flip through records in Tachung Records and Rose Records, or even stood in line at a record signing event. Other must-visit music havens in Taipei include the First Record Shop, Chia Chia Record Shop, and Eslite Music.

But apart from these well-known places, Taipei also offers many unique indie music record shops. For example, the White Rabbit Records is a renowned and reputable shop with handwritten record introductions and a tasteful selection; A Good Day Records has an excellent selection of old and new Taiwanese music; Waiting Room and 2manyminds Records are known for their Japanese selection; and for music and coffee lovers, BEANS AND BEATS and Vinvl Decisions will grant both your wishes.    [FULL  STORY]

A tragic train-on-car collision in southern Taiwan on Sunday morning left the car driver dead and 28 trains and 7,180 passengers delayed, according to the TRA.

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/09/17
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News)—A tragic train-on-car collision in southern Taiwan on Sunday

morning left the car driver dead and 28 trains and 7,180 passengers delayed, according to Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA).

According to a news release issued by the TRA, a southbound Tze-Chiang Limited Express was heading towards a railway level crossing between Nanjing Station and Houbi Station near the border of Chiayi County and Tainan City around 7 a.m. when it crashed into the car, which was moving over the railway tracks at the crossing. The car driver was thrown out of his car by the impact and killed on the scene. The cause of the accident was being investigated by railway police.

The car driver was identified by the police as a 31-year-old man surnamed Chen, who was driving alone.

Train traffic in both directions between the two stations was halted due to the fatal accident. Traffic resumed in one direction at 8:06 a.m., according to the TRA.
[FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/09/17
By: Hsu Chih-wei and Elizabeth Hsu

Kaohsiung, Sept. 17 (CNA) He is known to his students as the “miracle professor” after

wowing them by showing up in class to teach just a year after nearly dying of an unknown infection that cost him all four of his limbs.

Wang Chih-yuan (王致遠), an assistant professor in business management at National Sun Yat-sen University in this southern Taiwan city, is the person whose arduous journey and whose resolve to stay alive has earned him a 2017 Fervent Global Love of Lives Award presented by the Taipei-based Chou Ta-kuan Cultural and Educational Foundation.

On Sunday, Wang told the public at a press conference how he chose to live with a positive mind.

“It’s extremely painful when you’ve just lost four limbs,” Wang said, admitting that the pain dragged him to the dark reaches of his mind and had him contemplating suicide.
[FULL  STORY]

HIGH EXPECTATIONS:The latest monthly poll conducted by the Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation found 69 percent of respondents approved of the Cabinet change1

Taipei Times
Date: Sep 18, 2017
By: Chen Wei-han / Staff reporter

President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) approval rating has risen by 16.6 percentage points to

46.4 percent following the Cabinet reshuffle, a rare comeback considering her rating had been below 30 percent.

The Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation’s latest monthly poll, released yesterday, found that Tsai’s approval rating has rebounded from 29.8 percent last month to 46.4 percent this month, while her disapproval rating fell from 50 percent to 36.4 percent.

The reversal is attributed to the Sept. 8 Cabinet reshuffle by Premier William Lai (賴清德), following former premier Lin Chuan’s (林全) resignation.

“About 20 percent of disappointed supporters have turned around as they realized that Tsai Ing-wen, rather than being incurably stubborn and incapable, could still make wise decisions at critical moments,” foundation chairman You Ying-lung (游盈隆) said.
[FULL  STORY]

‘Good Eye Taipei’ introduces Taipei’s ‘hidden vegetarian heavens’.

The News Lens
Date: 2017/09/16
By: TNL Staff

Vegetarian friends will feel welcomed in Taiwan due to the city’s large vegetarian population and many people being temporarily vegetarian for religious or health reasons. Consequently, there is no shortage of vegetarian options.

Most noodle stands, buffets and high-end restaurants offer vegetarian choices. Even items sold in convenience store and supermarket are clearly labeled for vegetarians. In Guangu Market, 369 Vegetarian Buns serves vegetarian buns that come in even more flavors than the typical pork buns — a Taiwan breakfast favorite. VEGE CREEK offers a wide variety of vegetarian lu wei (food braised in an aromatic soy sauce brine). For those fond of Japanese and Korean flavors, Macrobiotics offers wonderful vegetarian options. If you want to sample a variety of vegetarian dishes, visit Fruitful Food, a vegetarian buffet. For vegans, Ooh Cha Cha and Plants are highly recommended as they serve entirely plant-based diets.    [FULL  STORY]

The coffees at My Cofi are the most elaborate in Taiwan

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/09/16 19:29
By: Juvina Lai, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Café My Cofi is a coffee shop in Taiwan’s Kaohsiung city

that has made its way to popularity among locals by turning frothy coffees into animal portraits.

Visitors can order a cup of coffee with a perfect portrait of their own pet or any animal or cartoon. The staff recreates customer’s pets in foam using chocolate and milk.

The coffee shop has become increasingly famous as more and more customers flock to their doorway to get one of their pets onto their cup of coffee.

The company has taken latte art to an all new level as they use frothy milk, some chocolate and a lot of patience to master the perfect and uncanny 3D creations in foam.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/09/16
By: Timothy Huang, Elaine Hou, Wu Hsin-yun, and Kuan-lin Liu

New York, Sept. 15 (CNA) Taiwan presented its first Voluntary National Review

(VNR) at a forum in New York on Friday to explain how the country has worked toward achieving the United Nations sustainable development goals (SDGs) even if it is not a U.N. member.

Environmental Protection Agency chief Lee Ying-yuan (李應元) presented the review at a seminar hosted by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in New York, titled “A Sustainable Planet for All: Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.”

The review covered how Taiwan has implemented key policies to promote the U.N.’s 17 SDGs and its 169 targets as outlined in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.   [FULL  STORY]