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Philippine presidential candidate warmly greeted in Taipei

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/01/11
By: Emerson Lim and Elizabeth Hsu

Davao Mayor and Philippine presidential candidate Rodrigo

From Rody Duterte's Facebook page

From Rody Duterte’s Facebook page

Duterte, who is on a visit to Taiwan, sparked quite a stir when he encountered hundreds of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Taipei on Sunday.

On a visit to the Taipei Expo Park, the 70-year-old Duterte met his passionate compatriots, mostly women, and was immediately surrounded by them.

At the scene, high-pitch screams were repeatedly heard and mobile phones were raised as high as possible to take photos of the politician, whom the Philippine workers treated like their biggest idol.     [FULL  STORY]

Japanese encephalitis vaccine, JEVAL, to be marketed in Taiwan

Outbreak News Today
Date: January 11, 2016
By: Press Release

Valneva SE, a leading pure play vaccine company, announced today that vaccine manufacturer Adimmune was granted marketing approval for Valneva’s Japanese encephalitis (JE) vaccine by the Taiwanese Food & Drug Administration (TFDA). The product is expected to be marketed in Taiwan under the trade name JEVAL® .

This approval follows the agreement signed in 2014 between Valneva and Adimmune granting Adimmune the right to commercialize JEVAL® in Taiwan, including the right to locally fill and pack JEVAL® by using bulk product delivered by Valneva.

Thomas Lingelbach, President and CEO, and Franck Grimaud, Deputy CEO of Valneva commented, “The JEVAL® approval is an important step forward in our JE vaccine expansion strategy into endemic markets. Given Adimmune’s leading position as a commercial vaccine manufacturer in Taiwan, we expect strong product supplies in this market, allowing us to leverage our existing manufacturing capacities and significantly contribute to our product profitability.”     [FULL  STORY]

Hong Kong ‘Umbrella Soldiers’ visit Taiwan to see democracy at work

Hundreds of residents of Hong Kong, the Chinese-ruled territory rocked by street protests demanding free elections in 2014, have flown to Taiwan for Saturday’s elections to see free-wheeling democracy in action.

Channel News Asia
Date: 12 Jan 2016

TAIPEI: Hundreds of residents of Hong Kong, the Chinese-ruled territory

Yellow umbrellas, symbol of the Occupy Central or the so-called "umbrella" movement, displayed outside government headquarters in Hong Kong, China, on Sep 28, 2015. (REUTERS/Tyrone Siu)

Yellow umbrellas, symbol of the Occupy Central or the so-called “umbrella” movement, displayed outside government headquarters in Hong Kong, China, on Sep 28, 2015. (REUTERS/Tyrone Siu)

rocked by street protests demanding free elections in 2014, have flown to Taiwan for Saturday’s elections to see free-wheeling democracy in action.

Politicians, students and “Umbrella Soldiers” – activists who used umbrellas to fend off tear gas canisters during 79 days of street demonstrations in the former British colony – signed up for tours to meet candidates, visit polling stations and join boisterous election rallies across Taiwan.

“You can watch and learn from Taiwan’s political culture … and witness the elections with your own eyes,” Hong Kong-based Hong Thai Travel Services wrote in a commercial to lure takers for a sold-out four-day tour.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan Bans GMOs from School Lunches. Mandates GMO Labeling. Throws down Gauntlet on Toxic Foods from USA and Monsanto

Global Research
By: Mike Adams
Date: January 11, 2016

Even as the fascist, corrupt U.S. government and its regulators (FDA and taiwan-mapUSDA) actively conspire with the biotech industry to poison Americans with genetically modified foods, Taiwan has already passed and implemented a nationwide law to protect its citizens from GMOs.

Nearly a full year ago, Taiwan passed ‘Food Act Amendments’ that achieve remarkable food safety milestones the U.S. government refuses to implement, placing Taiwan far ahead of the United States on food safety.      [FULL  STORY]

VIDEO: BTS arrival in Taiwan brings airport to a standstill

SBS
Date: 11 Jan 2016
By SBS PopAsia HQ

BTS is used to being chased by fans, but it seems the Taiwanese press were not quite ready for the mayhem that unfolded when the group landed there on January 8.

While the group was visiting to film the lunar new year episode of “2015 Superstar Red & White Entertainment Awards,” the group caught the attention of local press by the sheer number of fans that followed them around.

The main free-to-air channel Taiwan Television (TTV) reported the phenomenon, focusing on the fans that had camped outside the studio 3 nights prior to the group’s taping of the entertainment show. TTV reported that more than 80 percent of the 12,000 audience members present at the taping on January 9 were fans of the group.     [FULL  STORY]

Magnitude 5.3 earthquake strikes eastern Taiwan

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/01/11
By: Lee Hsin-Yin

Taipei, Jan. 11 (CNA) A magnitude 5.3 earthquake jolted eastern Taiwan at 201601110008t000112:52 p.m. Monday, according to the Central Weather Bureau.

The quake’s epicenter was located at sea about 66.2 kilometers south of Hualien County Hall at a depth of 28.6 km, the bureau’s data shows.

The quake’s intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Changbin Township in Taitung County, where it measured 4 on Taiwan’s 7-tier intensity scale.

It was felt at an intensity of 3 in some areas of Hualien. No immediate injuries or damage were reported.

DPP urges not splitting party vote

DOWNWARD REVISION:The party said it has altered its estimate of obtaining at least 14 legislator-at-large seats to 12, urging support to help it win a majority

Taipei Times
Date:  Jan 12, 2016
By: Chuang Meng-hsuan  /  Staff reporter

Saying that potential votes for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) might

Legislator-at-large nominees of the Democratic Progressive Party hold a news conference in Taipei yesterday to call on voters to support the party, saying that it can only really effect change if it has a legislative majority. Photo: Wang Min-wei, Taipei Times

Legislator-at-large nominees of the Democratic Progressive Party hold a news conference in Taipei yesterday to call on voters to support the party, saying that it can only really effect change if it has a legislative majority. Photo: Wang Min-wei, Taipei Times

be affected by the divide of legislator-at-large votes due to the rise of “third force” parties, the DPP yesterday urged supporters to cast their party votes for the DPP to allow it to win more than half of the legislative seats and carry out effective reforms.

The DPP nominated 16 legislator-at-large candidates. Aiming to prioritize people with professional skills and knowledge, nearly half of the legislator-at-large nominees are not politicians by profession, while those with legislative experiences, such as legislators Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) and Tuan Yi-kang (段宜康), are listed at the bottom of the lineup.

While the party originally estimated it would obtain at least 14 legislator-at-large seats — whose seats are allocated based on the party’s share of the vote — it has revised down its estimate to about 12 seats due to competition for votes from other “third force” parties. As such, those listed at the bottom of the list are at risk of failing in their election bids.     [FULL  STORY]

ROC presidential candidates wrap up TV presentations

Taiwan Today
Date: January 11, 2016

The three ROC presidential candidates Eric Chu, James Soong and Tsai

(from left) ROC presidential candidates James Soong, Tsai Ing-wen and Eric Chu put on their best faces before delivering final televised policy presentations Jan. 8 in Taipei City. (Courtesy of CEC)

(from left) ROC presidential candidates James Soong, Tsai Ing-wen and Eric Chu put on their best faces before delivering final televised policy presentations Jan. 8 in Taipei City. (Courtesy of CEC)

Ing-wen outlined their respective policy platforms in the third and final televised policy presentations Jan. 8 during an event broadcast by the Central Election Commission.

Chu of the ruling Kuomintang vowed to take Taiwan’s development to the next level during his term, raise the minimum monthly wage from NT$20,008 (US$598) to NT$30,000 in four years and close the wealth gap by continuing taxation reforms.

The KMT chairman also fleshed out his three-pronged strategy for spurring economic growth, which comprises enhancing the nation’s technological strength, fostering industrial upgrade through Productivity 4.0 and promoting trade liberalization.

This development path is to be complemented with such measures as diversifying and bolstering the role played by local enterprises in the global industry supply chain while exploring new product markets.    [FULL  STORY]

Bank replaces stolen ATM with new machine

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-01-11
By: Central News Agency

Workers were busy installing a new automated teller machine (ATM) at the

Bank replaces stolen ATM with new machine. Central News Agency (2016-01-11 15:03:58)

Bank replaces stolen ATM with new machine. Central News Agency (2016-01-11 15:03:58)

Tainan Rende branch of King’s Town Bank Monday after robbers ripped out one of the ATMs and made off with about NT$4.11 million (US$122,925) in cash in the early hours of Sunday.

The Rende branch opened as usual at 9 a.m. Monday but all of its ATM services were temporarily suspended due to the installation work.

The robbery occurred around 3:16 a.m. Sunday and took only about seven minutes, according to police, who said the thieves appeared to be very familiar with the bank’s operations and its security system.

Footage from the bank’s security cameras showed a man wearing a black face mask and a baseball cap getting out of a black sedan, entering the 24-hour ATM kiosk and trying to rock an ATM machine.     [FULL  STORY]

Tzu Chi launches World Vegetarian Day activities (update)

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/01/11
By: Lee Shien-feng, Chiang Chun-liang, Evelyn Kao and S.C. Chang

Taipei, Jan. 11 (CNA) The Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation 201601110028t0001kicked off World Vegetarian Day activities Monday aimed at promoting a vegetarian diet, and urged people to endorse the drive by signing its World Vegetarian Day petition.

A delegation of the foundation proposed designating Jan. 11, 2016 as World Vegetarian Day during the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in December and called on conference participants to sign the petition online to endorse the drive, according to meteorology expert and Tzu Chi volunteer Peng Chi-ming (彭啟明).     [FULL  STORY]

Peng said at a ceremony to promote the drive that the world is believed last year to have experienced the highest average temperature in recorded history, while Taiwan could have experienced its second-warmest winter in history, signaling a serious challenge posed by global warming and the need to cut carbon emissions.