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Taiwan 6.4 earthquake hits city of Tainan, casualties unclear

BBC News
Date: Feb 5, 2016

It was felt strongly in Tainan, a city of two million people, as many would have been asleep

_88130912_88130911A 6.4 magnitude struck southern Taiwan in the early hours of Saturday morning causing at least two buildings to collapse.

Rescuers are working in the city of Tainan and it is unclear whether there are any casualties.

The city government is reported to have set up an emergency team. Tainan is home to nearly two million people.

The quake was shallow, so its effects would have been amplified, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said.

One of the buildings that collapsed was a residential complex, while those inside were sleeping, Taiwan’s Liberty Times reported.

There are also reports of power outages.     [FULL  STORY]

Strong earthquake hits southern Taiwan, trapping residents

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/02/06
By: Jay Chen

Taipei, Feb. 6 (CNA) A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck southern 64474469Taiwan at 03:57 a.m. Saturday, toppling multiple buildings in Tainan City, including a 16-story residential building with possibly hundreds of people trapped inside, authorities and witnesses said.

Police and emergency workers were fighting to rescue people from some households in the building, most of which was left lying on its side after the earthquake, in Yongkang District in southern Tainan.

Many residents in central and southern Taiwan said they felt tremors reminiscent of the magnitude 7.3 earthquake in 1999, which left more than 2,400 people dead.

The earthquake’s epicenter was located in Meinong District, Kaohsiung City, at a depth of 17 kilometers, according to the Central Weather Bureau.     [FULL  STORY]

Southern Taiwan hit by strong earthquake; building toppled

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/02/06

Taipei, Feb. 6 (CNA) A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck southern 60255953Taiwan early Saturday, toppling at lease one high-rise building in Tainan City. There was no immediate report of casualties although dozens of people were said to have been trapped inside the collapsed building.

UK restates position on Taiwan in response to petition

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-02-05
By: Central News Agency

London, Feb. 4 (CNA) The British government on Thursday 6733511reiterated its official position of not recognizing Taiwan as a country and said the issue of Taiwan’s status should be resolved through dialogue based on the wishes of the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

Responding to a petition that demands official recognition of Taiwan as a country, the British government began by saying: “The longstanding position of Her Majesty’s Government is that we do not recognize Taiwan as a state.”

“The 1972 Joint Communique between the United Kingdom and China set out that: ‘The UK acknowledges the Chinese position that Taiwan is a province of the People’s Republic of China and recognizes the People’s Republic of China as the sole legal government of China,'” according to the response prepared by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the government department responsible for foreign affairs.     [FULL  STORY]

Northern Taiwan can expect high PM2.5 concentrations Feb. 6-7

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/02/05
By: Zoe Wei and Lilian Wu

Taipei, Feb. 5 (CNA) An approaching cold front could bring

CNA file photo

CNA file photo

pollutants to Taiwan Feb. 6-7, and the concentration of particulates measuring 2.5 micrometers (PM2.5) in the air could reach high levels in northern Taiwan, the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) said Friday.

The EPA noted that the Central Weather Bureau has forecast that due to the cold wave that will arrive Saturday, pollutants could be brought to Taiwan along with the northeasterly winds, pushing up concentrations of PM2 that will continue until the morning of the Lunar New Year’s Eve on Sunday.

It is estimated that concentrations could reach between 60 and 70 micrograms per cubic meter every hour.     [FULL  STORY]

Vatican artifacts exhibition launched in Taipei City

Taiwan Today
Date: February 5, 2016

The world’s largest exhibition to be held outside the Holy See of

President Ma Ying-jeou opens Treasures from Heaven: A Special Exhibition of Artifacts from the Holy See Feb. 4 in Taipei City. (Staff photo/Chin Hung-hao)

President Ma Ying-jeou opens Treasures from Heaven: A Special Exhibition of Artifacts from the Holy See Feb. 4 in Taipei City. (Staff photo/Chin Hung-hao)

liturgical artifacts used by popes throughout the centuries was launched Feb. 4 during a ceremony co-hosted by the ROC Ministry of Foreign Affairs at National Palace Museum in Taipei City.

Staged by NPM and the Vatican with the support of the MOFA, Treasures from Heaven: A Special Exhibition of Artifacts from the Holy See comprises 60 sets of objects illustrating the artistic values and cultural content of the Roman Catholic Church and its development in the Chinese-speaking world. It underscores 73 years of diplomatic relations between the ROC and Holy See, and highlights the deepening of bilateral relations and exchanges between the two sides.

Attended by ROC President Ma Ying-jeou, MOFA Minister David Y. L. Lin, ROC Vice President-elect Chen Chien-jen and a Holy See delegation led by Archbishop Piero Marini, president of the Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses, the launch ceremony was a fitting start for this major religious and cultural event.     [FULL  STORY]

‘Priority bills’ sent to Legislative Yuan

FOREIGN ACQUISITION:Taiwanese mistrust of foreign business ownership could pose a threat to the nation’s participation in trade agreements, Simon Chang said

Taipei Times
Date: Feb 06, 2016
By: Alison Hsiao / Staff reporter

Premier Simon Chang (張善政) yesterday said that between 20

Premier Simon Chang, right, gives red envelopes to children at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport yesterday. Photo: CNA

Premier Simon Chang, right, gives red envelopes to children at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport yesterday. Photo: CNA

and 30 bills among the 149 bills sent to the Legislative Yuan have been marked as “priority bills,” including controversial drafts establishing an oversight mechanism for the cross-strait agreements and long-term care service insurance bill.

Chang said in a radio interview yesterday that the priority bills the Executive Yuan identified are those that are deemed important, adding that the government understands that the bills might not be completely accepted by the legislature, but hopes the two sides could have an open mind when discussing them.

“For example, the long-term care service insurance act: The Executive Yuan upholds the version using the idea of insurance [for the funding of the service] while the Democratic Progressive Party [DPP] calls for increasing [certain] taxes,” Chang said, adding that the Executive Yuan’s version is not “worthless” and has its pluses.     [FULL  STORY]

Mandatory pet registration to protect animal welfare: council

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/02/04
By: Yang Shu-min and Lee Hsin-Yin

Taipei, Feb. 4 (CNA) Pet business operators could be obligated to 201602040019t0001register the pets they handle by the end of June once related regulation is amended, the Council of Agriculture said Thursday in a move to highlight responsible pet ownership.

Besides having their pets microchipped, business operators might have to register their animals online — including their appearance, age and breed — as well as provide information about their owners, the council said.

The current regulation only stipulates that dogs that are around six months old should be chipped.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan International Arts Festival tickets going fast

This year’s program is packed with some familiar names as well as newcomers, both foreign and Taiwanese, with shows that range from interpretations of Shakespeare to multimedia explorations of music, theater, dance and puppetry

Taipei Times
Date: Feb 05, 2016
By: Diane Baker / Staff reporter

Since the initial Taiwan International Arts Festival (TIFA) in 2009,

Based on a True Story (d’apres une histoire vraie) will be performed on March 5 and March 6. Photo courtesy of marc domage

Based on a True Story (d’apres une histoire vraie) will be performed on March 5 and March 6. Photo courtesy of marc domage

the National Theater Concert Hall (NTCH) programmers have kept raising the bar, bringing some of the best and most innovative artists from around the world and Taiwan to fill up the weekends over five to six weeks in Taipei.

NTCH artistic director Lee Huey-mei (李惠美) said each festival takes about two years of planning, and the goal is to expand the horizons of local audiences as well as inspire the nation’s performers and arts groups.

The line-up of 20 shows put together under the theme of “Echos of Imagination” this year hold a lot of promise. In keeping with the worldwide celebrations to mark the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death, there are two productions based on his works: Avignon Festival director Olivier Py’s King Lear (李爾王), a joint production with the NTCH, and Taipei-based Contemporary Legend Theatre’s (當代傳奇劇場) Beijing opera interpretation of A Midsummer’s Night Dream (仲夏夜之夢).     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan ports get serious about emissions control

Global Ports
Date: Feb 04, 2016
By: Turloch Mooney, Senior Editor

Taiwan International Ports Corporation expects to have an

Port of Kaohsiung

Port of Kaohsiung

independently audited environmental management system in place for all ports under its jurisdiction by the end of 2017.

TIPC secured EcoPorts certification for the ports of Keelung and Taichung at the end of last year and has targeted to have the ports of Taipei and Hualien certified with the port environmental review system this year, followed by the ports of Anping and Suao in 2017. The Port of Kaohsiung was certified in October of 2014.

EcoPorts certification is essentially a commitment by the port to recognize the impact of port operations on the environment as an intrinsic component of business and strategic policy. Overseen by the European Seaports Organization, it includes recognition of the need to comply with relevant legislation, reduce risk, protect the environment and make operations more sustainable in a progressive manner.     [FULL  STORY]