The China Post
Date: June 21, 2017
By: The China Post

The quake hit at 3:25 p.m. It’s epicenter was 16.3 km east of the Yilan County Government building,

according to the Central Weather Bureau.

Although striking quite deep, at 61.5 km, it was still felt throughout Northern Taiwan. It registered a magnitude of 4 in Yilan, 3 in Hualien and 2 across the rest of Northern Taiwan, including Taipei, New Taipei and Taoyuan.

There were no immediate reports of damage, though this person claimed she had been cutting fruit and that the quake her made her nip her finger.
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Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-06-21

Taiwan’s premier food expo – Food Taipei 2017 – kicked off on Wednesday at the Nangang Exhibition

Center. It will last through Saturday, and is being held in conjunction with four other food-related expos.

Vice President Chen Chien-jen spoke at the opening about how together the five expos form the nation’s largest and most international business-to-business food show. He said that every year 65,000 visitors from around the world come to see high-quality products, frozen foods, food packaging and equipment, and Taiwan’s only expo dedicated to Halal food.

Vice President Chen also said that every year the show attracts about 6,400 buyers from around the world, making it the best platform for Taiwanese food products.

Chen also spoke about the nation’s food industry, saying that last year it had an output value of NT$618.4 billion (more than US$20 billion). That was an increase of 2% over the previous year. He said the industry was projected to grow by another NT$1.6 billion (nearly US$53 million) this year. Chen said the government would continue working to promote food safety in order to increase confidence in Taiwanese food products, both at home and abroad.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/06/21
By: Cloudia Liu and Elizabeth Hsu

Taipei, June 21 (CNA) The Ministry of the Interior has improved services for same-sex couples, by urging local governments to lift location restrictions on those wanting to register their partnership before the law is revised to legalize same-sex marriage.

Since Kaohsiung began to issue same-sex partnership certificates on May 20, 2015, making it the first city in Taiwan to do so, most other cities and counties have followed suit, with the exception of Keelung City, Hualien County, Taitung County, Yunlin County and Penghu County.

To serve same-sex couples living in those places, the ministry announced on Wednesday that it has asked cities and county governments offering sex-same partnership registration to receive applications from other areas.

The expanded service will began on July 3, the ministry said.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: June 21, 2017
By: CNA

TAIPEI, Taiwan — More than 50 percent of the respondents to a recent survey said they are opposed

to the idea of paying higher electricity rates in order to eliminate the use of nuclear power, according to the results of the survey, released Wednesday.

About 52.6 percent of the respondents said they are unwilling to pay higher power prices for the goal of making Taiwan nuclear-free, while 42.3 percent said they are willing to do so, according to the results of the survey by the National Policy Foundation, a Taipei-based think tank affiliated with the opposition Kuomintang (KMT), to gauge the public’s opinion of the Democratic Progressive Party government’s energy policy.

The survey also found that 53.9 percent said they did not agree with the idea that all of Taiwan’s nuclear power plants should stop operations to make the country nuclear free, despite the threat of power shortages, while 33 percent agreed with the idea.

Nearly 47 percent of the respondents expressed support for resumed operations of the No. 1 reactor at the second nuclear power plant and the No. 2 reactor at the third nuclear power plant to generate electricity, and 32.5 percent said they are opposed to the idea, the survey shows.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/06/20
By: Chang Ming-kun and Kuo Chung-han

Taipei, June 20 (CNA) A photograph of a woman from Tainan named Vivian Huang with the Instagram

account @vivianhaung stopping to smell the hydrangeas in Taipei’s Yangmingshan National Park, has been chosen by Instagram’s official account and has received some 1.46 million “likes.”

In the lush greenery, Huang said that the “light coming down from between the clouds made the flowers even more dazzling,” according to the Instagram official account.

Huang said the photo was shot on the Shuicheliao trail in the park’s Zhuzihu area about two years ago.

“This (photo) is really great, looks like ‘Snow White,'” said one comment. It is almost “amazing grace,” said another.    [FULL  STORY]

Many cancer drugs are not covered by Taiwan’s NHI, leading to a steady increase in the proportion of self-payment.

The News Lens
Date: 2017/06/20
By: By Rachel McMahon, Taiwan Business TOPICS Magazine

Taiwan’s Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) has set a target of reducing the mortality rate and

premature death rate from cancer by 25% by 2020, in line with World Health Organization objectives. In its position paper in the recently released 2017 Taiwan White Paper of the American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei, the Chamber’s Public Health Committee refers to the importance of that goal in light of the huge economic impact caused by cancer in decreasing victims’ lifespan and ability to work. A 2015 study estimated the annual economic loss in Taiwan due to cancer – not counting direct medical costs – at around NT$21.8 billion (about US$715 million).

The Committee notes, however, that meeting the Ministry’s goal will require increased investment in cancer prevention and treatment, including the promotion of frequent screening and in making innovative oncology drugs available. It urges the government to take advantage of the current financial surplus enjoyed by the National Health Insurance (NHI) system to increase the budget and other resources devoted to fighting cancer.    [FULL  STORY]

85% do not have confidence that their pension will be enough to live on

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/06/20
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — According to the latest investment survey by American investment management firm Legg Mason, Inc., the retirement plan of nearly half of Taiwanese investors is simply to “not retire.”

Up to 85 percent of respondents do not believe their pension income will be enough to survive on, and only 13 percent of respondents are confident in the government pension. The 49 percent of respondents planning on not retiring surpasses the global average of 39 percent and 43 percent of Asia (excluding Japan).

When asked by the survey if the respondents described themselves as “hedonists,” “hardworking,” “rainy day planners,” or “comprehensive planners,” 55 percent of Taiwanese described themselves as hardworking, significantly higher than the global average of 49 percent.

Of the 49 percent who said they will not retire, many listed their lack of confidence in the government provided pension plan. Their reasons for their lack of confidence in the government pension include: the low contribution rate, limited investment options, and that their own investments would be able to gain a higher return on investment.    [FULL  STORY]

PANAMA REACTION?A majority of people said that President Tsai Ing-wen should adjust her cross-strait policy, while 54.8 percent said they supported independence

Taipei Times
Date: Jun 21, 2017
By: Chen Wei-han / Staff reporter

Nearly 90 percent of the public wants the nation to be “normalized” following Panama’s switch of

diplomatic ties from Taipei to Beijing, but there is a drop in Taiwanese identification as China steps up its aggressive tactics, a poll released yesterday showed.

Taiwan should move toward becoming a “normalized” nation, according to 88.2 percent of respondents, while only 4.4 percent were not in favor of the idea.
Seventy-five percent said that Taiwan and China are different nations and 14.2 percent said they are the same.

Panama’s move had a negative impact on cross-strait relations, according to 58.7 percent of the respondents, while 19.3 percent said it had a positive influence, the Taiwan Brain Trust survey showed.

President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) condemnation of China for its “one China” principle and her refusal to engage in “pocketbook diplomacy” was approved by 46.6 percent of the respondents, while 39.5 percent disapproved.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: June 20, 2017
By: CNA

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Friends and family bid farewell Tuesday to entertainer Hsieh Hsin-Ta (謝新達), better

known as Chu Ke-liang (豬哥亮), who brought laughter to many with his coarse humor and slapstick comedy during his lifetime.

Around 2,000 fans, friends and entertainers, including Chang Fei (張菲) and actress Amber Kuo (郭采潔), were on hand to pay tribute to the entertainer at his funeral held in Banqiao in New Taipei on Tuesday morning that cost an estimated NT$5 million.

Chu, a show host presenter, singer and actor, died on May 15 of liver failure induced by cancer. He was 70.

His eldest son Hsieh Shun-fu (謝順福) said the funeral was meant to be a festive occasion because his father “wanted everyone to be happy.”    [FULL  STORY]

Suffering in silence: statistics from the Taipei Women’s Rescue Foundation expose alarming rates of domestic violence in Taiwan, mostly against women.

The News Lens
Date: 2017/06/19
By: Edward White

Women in Taiwan suffer alarmingly high rates of domestic violence. Overworked frontline women’s

rescue workers say the traditional patriarchal family system is still a key factor in the prevalence of abuse against women.

In 2016, 117,550 domestic violence cases were reported to officials in Taiwan. That is 322 each day, or one every five minutes.

“We see many cases where the husband, who is under pressure at work, will go home and just beat his wife,” says Taipei Women’s Rescue Foundation’s Tseng Ching-yi (曾瀞儀). “This can’t be an excuse. You can’t beat your wife because you are stressed.”

The statistics – provided by the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Department of Protective Services – show that the annual number of reported cases of domestic violence in Taiwan has been higher than 100,000 for the past five years.    [FULL  STORY]