The China Post
Date: October 14, 2016
By: Christine Chou

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Former Labor Minister Chen Hsiung-wen (陳雄文) Friday said he supported the

government raising the ceiling on labor insurance benefits, but added that it should establish a “floor” as well so that fewer seniors lived in poverty.

A worker paid an average monthly wage of NT$35,000, who has been working for over 30 years, can receive around NT$16,275 per month after retirement, Chen said.

“But that sum is even lower than NT$17,172, the average income of middle-to-low income households. Not to the mention the fact that the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (主計總處) states that the average monthly expenses per individual is at NT$19,978,” Chen said.

“We strongly believe it’s critical the government sets a labor insurance floor, to avoid the increased social burden resulting from a fast-growing number of pensioners living under the poverty line.”    [FULL  STORY]

What can Mexico City learn from Taipei, this year’s World Design Capital? And what challenges does it face?

The News Lens
Date: 2016/10/14
By: Olivia Yang

Mexico City will be following Taipei in joining the network of World Design Capital (WDC) cities in

2018, aiming to transform lives through design.

Introduced in 2008, the WDC biennial designation showcases cities that have successfully used design to reinvent themselves and to improve the economic, social, cultural, and environmental lives of their residents.

Taipei was chosen as WDC 2016 in 2013 and has since held events, including exhibitions, talks and installations, to show the impact design can have on the daily lives of local people.

The latest event in the series, The International Design House Exhibition, opened on Oct. 13 at the Songshan Cultural and Creative Park. The grand scale exhibition showcases international and local designs. President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) were at the opening ceremony.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-10-14
By: Central News Agency

Approximately 20 percent of young adults in Taiwan have had sex with strangers or people they do not remember, exposing themselves to the risk of HIV infection, according to a survey released Friday by the Taiwan AIDS Society.

The survey found that 77 percent of young people engage in sexual activity while on vacation.

While 19.4 percent have had sex with sex partners other than their girlfriends or boyfriends, 8.7 percent have had sex with someone they met that same day, and 10.1 percent do not remember afterwards with whom they have had sex.

Also, 51.7 percent did not use condoms, revealed the survey, which was conducted between late September and Oct. 4 among 1,036 students aged 18-25 in Taipei, New Taipei, Taoyuan, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung. According to Lin Hsi-hsun, president of the Taiwan AIDS Society, the number of people in Taiwan known to have HIV had exceeded 33,000 as of September, of which 50 percent were aged under 30.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/10/14
By: Chiu Chun-chin and Y.F. Low

Taipei, Oct. 14 (CNA) The Taoyuan city government removed its deputy chief of economic development from his post Friday over alleged involvement in influence peddling.

Wang Yun-chen (王允宸) was demoted to the post of executive officer with immediate effect, according to a statement released by the city government.

Another key person in the case, Cheng Yi-hsiung (鄭義雄), was dismissed as an adviser to the city government, an honorary unpaid post, the city government said.

The decisions came one day after prosecutors raided offices of the city’s Department of Economic Development and Department of Labor, and summoned nine officials for questioning, who included Wang, Cheng and deputy chief of labor Li Hsien-hsiang (李賢祥), as part of an investigation into several cases of alleged influence peddling.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan Today
Date: October 13, 2016

The government is committed to achieving its target of generating 20 percent of the nation’s

electricity from renewable sources by 2025 as part of efforts to transition to a nuclear-free homeland and foster the green energy sector, according to Vice President Chen Chien-jen Oct. 12.

To achieve its target, the government plans to invest NT$1.2 trillion (US$38 billion) in increasing the nation’s solar power capacity to 20 gigawatts, or 250 billion kilowatt-hours, by that year, Chen said at the opening of the annual Taiwan International Photovoltaic Exhibition (PV Taiwan) in Taipei City.

PV Taiwan is one of the largest photovoltaic industry trade shows in Asia. Running until Oct. 14, this year’s edition features 131 local and international companies at 392 booths, with more than 1,700 visitors attending the opening day of the event.

“Moving toward to a nuclear-free country is a key motivation for developing Taiwan’s green energy industry, but it is not the only one,” the vice president said. “Another crucial factor is that green energy is an emerging sector with the potential to generate major business opportunities for the nation.”     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-10-13
By: Wendy Lee, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

Habitual cat killer Chen Hao-yang has been sentenced to 10 months in prison and fined NT$350,000 Thursday in Taipei District Court.

Chen, a National Taiwan University (NTU) chemical engineering student from Macau, was charged with two counts of violation of the Animal Protection Act, after he was accused of torturing and killing a popular stray cat on the NTU campus last December, and another one in Taipei’s Wenshan District in August.

The case sparked public outrage and gave rise to draft amendments to the Animal Protection Act, which seeks to adopt heavier punishment for animal cruelty.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/10/13
By: Tai Ya-chen and S.C. Chang

Taipei, Oct. 13 (CNA) President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) extended her condolences to the

government and people of Thailand over the passing away of King Bhumibol Adulyadej on Thursday.

The president’s spokesman Alex Huang (黃重諺) quoted Tsai as saying Thailand has become a modern country under the wise and kind leadership of King Bhumibol, who was deeply loved and respected by the Thais.

Bhumibol’s outstanding contribution to Thailand’s development into a modern country is well recognized by the international community, Tsai was quoted as saying.

“His passing is not only mourned by the Thai people, but also by the international community,” said the president.     [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: October 14, 2016
By: CNA

TAIPEI, Taiwan — The Supreme Court upheld Thursday a High Court decision that Hsu Tzu-

chiang (徐自強), who has repeatedly appealed convictions for kidnapping, extortion and murder of a real estate businessman in 1995, was not guilty of all the charges.

Hsu was declared innocent by the High Court last year in the ninth retrial of his case, in which he was accused of playing a role in the September 1995 kidnapping and murder of Huang Chun-shu (黃春樹), a real estate broker, whose kidnappers originally demanded a ransom of NT$70 million (US$2.2 million).

The High Court overturned the conviction last year, as the ruling in his ninth retrial found that there were major flaws and inconsistencies in the evidence and testimonies.

Hsu is one of three men sentenced to death in 2000 for the murder.

The two other suspects — Huang Chun-chi (黃春棋) and Chen Yi-lung (陳憶隆) — were found guilty of being the main perpetrators, and were each given the death penalty.     [FULL  STORY]

The News Lens
Date: 2016/10/12
Date: Steven Crook

As temperatures start dropping in Taiwan, what does the island-nation have to offer visitors?

“Autumn, the year’s last, loveliest smile …” wrote William Cullen Bryant. The 19th-century American poet never visited Taiwan, but his words are just as true for East Asia’s most alluring island as they are for the New England he knew and loved. The main reason is, of course, the weather. In October and November it’s dependably comfortable, with Taipei’s daytime temperatures averaging 19 to 25 degrees Celsius (66 to 77 degrees Fahrenheit). In a typical year, November is the capital’s second driest month each year, while October is the fourth driest.

Autumn is an ideal season for outdoor activities, especially if you are heading into Taiwan’s breathtakingly rugged interior. This is the time of year to enjoy Yushan National Park. Driving up from the plains into the uplands, you will pass (an immensely popular destination in its own right) and enter a realm where, because human visitors are few, macaques and pheasants loiter beside the road. Bring a thick jacket and a warm hat as you will encounter dramatically lower temperatures once you’re above 2,000 m (6,562 ft above sea level).     [FULL  STORY]