FOUR SHIPS:The navy does not share information from its drones with the coast guard, which could sway a Cabinet decision to pass a budget proposal

Taipei Times
Date: Sep 10, 2017
By: Lo Tien-pin and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writer

The Coast Guard Administration’s proposed patrol ship development project would not

be affected by Premier William Lai’s (賴清德) national budget adjustments, and domestic shipyards are to bid on the construction of the agency’s 4,000-tonne ships by next year, a senior Executive Yuan official said yesterday.

Lai, who on Friday was sworn in as premier, yesterday pulled the national budget for fiscal 2018 proposed under his predecessor Lin Chuan (林全) for minor adjustments.

The new version is expected to be sent to the Legislative Yuan on Thursday.
The project is a cornerstone policy for President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration and has already been approved, so budget changes will not affect it, said a senior government official, who declined to be named.  [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: September 8, 2017
By: The China Post

TAIPEI – The Hao-Shi Foundation and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

cooperate to bring a crash course for potential entrepreneurs in the food industry to Taiwan.

The MIT Beyond Food Bootcamp, to be held in Hsinchu County from Sept. 10 to Sept. 15, is the first time the institute holds an MIT Bootcamp on a specific field, Anson Chiu, CEO of Hao-Shi Foundation, pointed out.

The MIT Bootcamps are highly selective – usually with an enrolment rate of around 5 percent – the targets applicants from all over the world. According to MIT, the Beyond Food Bootcamp will focus on sustainability, transparency and health, exploring the breadth and diversity of the food life-cycle journey from growing food sustainably, food innovations, health and wellness and all the way to waste and recycling.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-09-08

A new Cabinet has taken office, headed by Premier William Lai.

A swearing-in ceremony Friday morning ended a reshuffle that began Monday, when former premier Lin Chuan tendered his resignation. Much of the Cabinet followed Lin’s lead in a mass resignation Thursday.

After a separate handover ceremony in which Lai took over the premiership, the new Cabinet held its first meeting. The Cabinet has decided to reopen discussions on several budgetary matters, including next year’s general budget.   [FULL  STORY]

The News Lens
Date: 2017/09/08
By: Philip Liu

Taiwan’s planned new legislation would make tax and other incentives available to

international talent.

To remedy the serious brain drain in Taiwan and counter aggressive talent poaching by neighboring countries, the government has proposed legislation to help attract and retain foreign white-collar workers. The main provisions would relax current restrictions on the hiring of foreign professionals, improve their living conditions, and offer them tax and other incentives.

Now being reviewed by the Legislative Yuan, the bill – known as the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professional Talent – will make it much easier for foreign professionals to be employed in Taiwan or to serve here as interns. If the law is enacted as proposed, for example, foreign professional talent would be able to stay in Taiwan for up to one year for job-seeking, whereas currently they must already have a job to qualify for residence.    [FULL  STORY]

Looking a gift cow in the mouth: Taoyuan woman calls police after she misses out on free steak

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/09/08
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — In order to celebrate the grand opening of a new steakhouse

in Taoyuan, the generous owner offered free steak for three days, unfortunately, one customer felt shortchanged when she missed out on her free meal and called the police.

To build up excitement about a new steakhouse in Taoyuan, the owner on Wednesday started a special promotion which offered 1,000 free steaks every day for three days. Little did he know that this would lead to a big dispute on the first day.

As soon as he posted the sign “Free Steak, a long line soon formed in front of his eatery which started to snake along Naping road. A woman ordered a steak, took a number, and then stepped out for a while.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/09/08
By: Ku Chuan and Elizabeth Hsu

Taipei, Sept. 8 (CNA) New Premier Lai Ching-te (賴清德) urged his Cabinet on Friday

to hit the ground running because there is no time for a “honeymoon” or transitional period.

He wants Taiwan to move forward immediately on reform and transformation on the foundation established by his predecessor Lin Chuan (林全), Lai said.

Lai was speaking at his first Cabinet meeting after being sworn in as premier and attending the handover ceremony where he and his Cabinet officially took office.

“Government administration is a race against time,” Lai said, noting that his only exhortation to his team was “we are a team” and need to coordinate together to demonstrate efficiency.   [FULL  STORY]

DECADE-LONG ENDEAVOR:An official said a new backup tank would from November help maintain supply when Taoyuan’s Shihmen Reservoir is discharging sediments

Taipei Times
Date: Sep 09, 2017
By: Lee Jung-ping / Staff reporter

The decade-long improvement project of Taoyuan’s Shihmen Reservoir (石門水庫) is

slated for completion in November and its Jhongjhuang (中庄) backup tank is expected to supply an additional 800,000 tonnes of water per day, Vice Minister of Economic Affairs Yang Wei-fu (楊偉甫) said yesterday.

A facility vital to northern Taiwan, Shihmen Reservoir supplies water to about 2.79 million users in Taoyuan, and New Taipei City’s Banciao (板橋) and Sindian (新店) districts, Yang said.

However, one-third of the 53-year-old reservoir’s capacity is blocked by sediment as a result of silting, leaving a volume of about 200 million cubic meters, he said.

In 2006, the government initiated an upgrade, which will be concluded when the Jhongjhuang tank’s construction finishes by November, Yang said.
[FULL  STORY]

Taiwan may risk losing its third largest export partner, the US, and $33.6 billion worth of foreign trade over North Korea.

The News Lens
Date: 2017/09/07
By: Stellina Chen

Following North Korea’s hydrogen bomb test on Sept. 3, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to cut off trade with “any country doing business with North Korea” — raising concern for the regime’s fourth largest exporting country, Taiwan.

Last Sunday, North Korea claimed it had successfully tested a hydrogen bomb for its intercontinental ballistic missile. Upon the order of its leader, Kim Jong Un, it was the regime’s first nuclear weapon test since Trump was inaugurated in January.

On Sept. 4, Trump responded to the incident via Twitter saying, “The United States is considering, in addition to other options, stopping all trade with any country doing business with North Korea.” His remarks were widely interpreted to be a reference to China, which is involved in 90 percent of North Korea’s foreign trade.

Accounting for 0.4 percent of North Korea’s total exports, Taiwan is the country’s fourth largest trading partner after China, India and the Philippines, reports Taiwan News, and Taiwan may risk losing its third largest export partner, the U.S., and US$33.6 billion worth of foreign trade over its dealings with North Korea.    [FULL  STORY]

A cute stray cat with yellow and white fur has made a railway station at a small town in central Taiwan its home, at times lying in the lobby, reacting with passengers, or patrolling inside or outside of the station as if it were the stationmaster.

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/09/07
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News)—A cute stray cat with yellow and white fur has made a railway

station at a small town in central Taiwan its home, at times lying on the lobby, reacting with passengers, or patrolling inside or outside of the station as if it were the stationmaster.

The cat is often seen strolling up and down the spacious lobby inside Shueili Station on the Jiji line, sometimes lying lazily on the terrazzo floor of the lobby and sometimes jumping onto the waiting seats, as if the whole station were its home.

The feline is not afraid of strangers at all as it doesn’t refrain from being fondled by cat-loving passengers and curiously gets close to camera lenses as people are taking its pictures.

A station staff member said the tabby appeared at the station a few months ago and has not left since, adding that both the inside and outside of the station are its trampling ground.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/09/07
By: Claudia Liu and Evelyn Kao

Taipei, Sept. 7 (CNA) Outgoing Premier Lin Chuan (林全) led his Cabinet in an en masse resignation Thursday following its last regular meeting.

President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) appointed Tainan Mayor Lai Ching-te (賴清德) as premier Tuesday, one day after she accepted Lin’s resignation, and Lai is scheduled to take office Friday.

After the en masse resignation, Lin and his Cabinet posed for a photo in the Plaza of the Executive Yuan building, which was followed by a farewell party.

During the party, Lin praised Lai as a hard-working and warm-hearted leader, saying that he believes the premier-designate “can do a better job than me
[FULL  STORY]