The China Post
Date: June 26, 2016
By: CNA

Singer Julia Peng (彭佳慧) and her son pose for a photo at the red carpet event for the

27th Golden Melody Awards in Taipei on Saturday, June 25. Peng defeated A-Mei (張惠妹, also known by her aboriginal name Kulilay Amit) to win the Best Female Mandarin Singer in one of the most hotly contested categories this year. JJ Lin (林俊傑) was crowned Best Male Mandarin Singer. The band Sodagreen captured the Best Mandarin Album with “Winter Endless.”     [FULL  STORY]

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Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/06/24
By: Wang Chin-yi and Elaine Hou

Taipei, June 24 (CNA) South Korean heartthrob Song Joong-ki, the star of the mega-hit TV

drama “Descendants of the Sun,” said Friday he will sing the theme song of Taiwanese romance film “Our Times” at his long-anticipated fan meeting in Taipei on Saturday.

“Hello, I’m Song Joong-ki,” he said in Mandarin Chinese as he greeted reporters at a news conference in Taipei on Friday just hours after he arrived in Taiwan and then revealed he was planning to sing the Mandarin pop song “A Little Happiness” at the fan event.

He asked fans, however, not to have high expectations of his singing abilities, saying in Chinese, “I have to work very hard.”

“A Little Happiness” is the theme song of the high school romance “Our Times,” which looks back at the first love of a woman who met a mischievous boy when she was in high school.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan Today
Date: June 24, 2016

President Tsai Ing-wen departed June 24 on a nine-day visit to Republic of China (Taiwan)

diplomatic allies Panama and Paraguay, her first overseas trip since taking office in May.

“My mission during this visit is to increase Taiwan’s international visibility, boost the confidence of those working on the frontlines of ROC diplomacy and strengthen Taiwan’s trade and economic cooperation with the Latin American countries based on reciprocity and mutual support,” Tsai said.

“Practical diplomacy is the government’s new approach to foreign relations, and we will work diligently, pragmatically and steadfastly toward achieving our goals.”

According to the president, the trip underscores the willingness of the people of Taiwan to contribute to the international community, as well as her administration’s commitment to promoting foreign relations. “Although Taiwan’s international space is at times restricted, our will to link with the world has no limits,” she said.

Citing the examples of Taiwan using its homegrown orchid industry technology to help Panama restore its national flower and undertake large-scale cultivation of butterfly orchids, Tsai said the trip goes beyond a market survey.     [FULL  STORY]

CONCESSIONS:The CAL chairman told flight attendants that there would be no settling of scores and the company would review conditions

Taipei Times
Date: Jun 25, 2016
By: Abraham Gerber / Staff reporter

A preliminary agreement between China Airlines (CAL, 中華航空) and the Taoyuan Flight

Attendants Union was reached last night to end the union’s strike, with the firm agreeing to demands for new holiday and working hour guarantees, along with extra pay for overseas stationing.

Following five hours of negotiations between the two sides at the Ministry of Labor, Deputy Minister of Labor Kuo Kuo-wen (郭國文) announced that they had reached a preliminary consensus, including increasing extra pay for overseas stationing from US$3 to US$5 per hour, with agreement terms stipulating that only union members would receive the increase.

The firm also agreed to drop requirements that flight attendants sign agreements to allow increases in overtime hours, while also agreeing to new holiday guarantees and increased holiday pay.     [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: June 24, 2016
By: Stephanie Chao

TAIPEI, Taiwan — The first national pension reform committee convened at the

Presidential Office Thursday, though the meeting quickly heated up as committee members came to verbal blows over procedural concerns and questionable agenda details.

Minister-without-portfolio and deputy committee chairman Lin Wan-i (林萬億), in a press conference after the afternoon-long meeting, clarified that concerns over a lack of legal representatives on the committee can be brought up for discussion in future meetings.

Lin went on to defuse rumors that the weekly meeting schedule was based upon his pledge that if reforms were not wrapped up within a year, he would step down.

“Weekly meetings are mainly in place, which is also stipulated in the regulation, in order to avoid repetitiveness and a lack of efficiency,” he explained. “There are many matters to be discussed.”     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News, Staff Writer
Date: 2016-06-23

Cathay Pacific has finally bowed to public pressure by slapping a blanket ban on shark fin transportation on any of its planes.

“We understand the community’s desire to promote responsible and sustainable marine sourcing practices, and this remains important to Cathay Pacific’s overall sustainable development goals,” Cathay said in a statement on Wednesday.

Previously, the airline had said it would only transport shark fin that was ascertained by experts on a case-by-case basis as from a sustainable source.

More than 70 million sharks are killed every year, according to WWF figures. Large numbers are exported to Hong Kong, where they are consumed or further exported to mainland China where shark fin is considered as a delicacy in Chinese cuisine.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/06/23
By: Claudia Liu and Lilian Wu

Taipei, June 23 (CNA) Taiwan’s birth rate continues to fall, with women having fewer babies, having their first baby at a later age and being less willing to have a third child, according to statistics compiled by the Ministry of the Interior.

Women in Taiwan’s six municipalities gave birth to their first child at an average age of over 30, with women in Taipei giving birth to their first child at an average of 32.44 years, according to 2015 statistics.

Women in half of Taiwan’s 22 cities and counties, including the six municipalities — Taipei, New Taipei, Taoyuan, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung — Hsinchu and Chiayi cities, and Hsinchu, Kinmen and Lienjiang counties, gave birth to their first child at the age of over 30 last year.

The ratio of women in Taipei who gave birth to a third child was also the lowest among Taiwan’s cities and counties.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan Today
Date: June 23, 2016
Taiwan, Brazil forge closer economic ties

A memorandum of understanding on expanding two-way economic exchanges was inked June

21 in Taipei City by Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) under the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Brazil’s Federation of Trade in Goods, Services and Tourism (Fecomercio).

The pact enables the island’s firms to access more opportunities spanning enterprise partnerships, industrial cooperation and trade in Fecomercio’s home state of Santa Catarina in southern Brazil. It also underscores the growing strength of bilateral ties between Taiwan and the largest economy in Latin America, where large-scale local enterprises like Acer Inc., AsusTek Computer Inc., Compal Electronics Inc. and Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. operate sales points or production bases.

TAITRA President and CEO Peter W. J. Huang said Santa Catarina is Brazil’s sixth biggest state in terms of economic output and boasts an array of industries ranging from information communications technology to textiles. “Partnering with Fecomercio makes sense as it is the most influential trade group in the state representing 70 industry groups comprising 46,000 companies.”     [FULL  STORY]

A FIRST:China Airlines has said it would help travelers change flights if they are affected by strike action today, and processing fees on refunds would be waived

Taipei Times
Date: Jun 24, 2016
By: Abraham Gerber and Shelley Shan / Staff reporters

The Taoyuan Flight Attendants Union yesterday announced that a China Airlines (CAL) flight

attendants strike would begin at midnight last night, demanding that the firm drop new requirements that flight attendants be required to report for work at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport instead of Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport).

The union said in a statement that even though the chairman of the China Airlines board had been replaced, they would proceed with the strike to show the new chairman that their determination to fight for their rights would not be diminished by a new leadership.

At a time when controversy over whether to keep national holidays is still high, the union is willing to “become the vanguard of workers in this battle, and tell capitalists and the state that Taiwan must say goodbye to the era of overwork and long hours,” the statement said.     [FULL  STORY]