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False viper looks like Chinese sharp-nosed viper 像龜殼花又像百步蛇　原來是擬龜殼花

Taipei Times
Date: Sep 12, 2015

A member of the public who was walking along a trail by Sun Moon Lake’s Cien Tower

An undated photo shows a snake with markings similar to a Chinese sharp-nosed viper resting in the middle of a trail near Cien Tower by Sun Moon Lake in Nantou County.
南投縣日月潭慈恩塔步道上一條長得像百步蛇的蛇。拍攝日期未知。 Photo provided by a member of the public 照片：民眾提供

recently found a strange snake that looked like a Chinese sharp-nosed viper or a brown pit viper. The person was afraid that it was poisonous and took a photo as a record. When a snake expert was asked to look at it, however, it turned out to be a false viper.

The Endemic Species Research Institute in Nantou County’s Jiji Township says that although this kind of snake has characteristics of both the brown pit viper and the Chinese sharp-nosed viper, the eyes of the false viper have round pupils, unlike those of the brown pit viper’s eyes, which, like cats’s eyes, can vary in shape and appear oval in daylight conditions. In addition, the surface of a brown pit viper’s head is composed of small, fine scales, whereas on the false viper the scales are bigger. These features make it possible to distinguish between the two. It is normal for this kind of snake to be found at the Sun Moon Lake, which lies at a low-to-medium altitude, and it is a docile and non-venomous species of snake.

The Endemic Species Research Institute also says that if members of the public come across snakes in the wild, they should not frighten or tease them, but just walk slowly around them and leave. If people follow this advice, they will not be attacked by snakes. [FULL STORY]

Dengue fever escalates to 8,677 cases in Taiwan

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/09/12
By: Chen Wei-ting and Y.F. Low

Taipei, Sept. 12 (CNA) The number of dengue fever cases recorded since the

A health department worker sprays pesticide in a household yesterday in this photo provided by Chiayi's Health Department. Another dengue fever case was confirmed in Chiayi Country, where it was reported that the victim commuted to work in Tainan City's Xinying District. The patient's coworker was also diagnosed with the fever, and was suspected to have caught the disease in Tainan as well. (CNA)

A health department worker sprays pesticide in a household yesterday in this photo provided by Chiayi’s Health Department. (CNA)

start of summer in Taiwan has risen to 8,677 as the potentially deadly disease continues to spread on the island, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said Saturday.

As of Friday, 7,660 cases had been reported in the southern municipality of Tainan, 885 in neighboring Kaohsiung, and 28 in Pingtung, according to CDC figures.

The number of cases reported in these three localities accounts for 98.8 percent of the national total. [FULL STORY]

EPA minister seeks environmental cooperation with the German Bundestag

Taiwan News
Date: 2015-09-11
By: Jocylin FC, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

Taiwan has always been the victim of diplomatic isolation posed by China. Despite the tough

EPA minister speaks in the German Bundestag. Taiwan News

and unfriendly international political stage, Taiwan tries to participate in various international discussions. In the upcoming UNFCCC climate change conference in Paris, Taiwan will attend as a non-governmental organization and aim to gain more support internationally. For the very first time, Wei Kuo-yen, the incumbent minister of Environmental Protection Administration, was welcomed to present a speech at the seminar in the German Bundestag on September 9.

Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Germany invited Wei to present a speech at the Climate Change Policy in Taiwan seminar, which made Wei the first minister to present a speech at the German Bundestag. Many politicians attended the seminar, including Chairman of the German-Taiwanese Parliamentary Friendship Group of the German Bundestag Klaus-Peter Willsch, the vice president of the World League for Freedom and Democracy of Germany Olav Gutting, a member of Committee on the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety Dr. Thomas Gebhart, a member of the German Bundestag, Hans-Joachim Barchmann and 20 other government officials. [FULL STORY]

Dengue fever outbreak in Taiwan spirals to more than 8,000 cases

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/09/11
By: Chang Jung-hsiang and Jay Chen

Taipei, Sept. 11 (CNA) The number of dengue fever cases recorded since the start of the

CNA file photo

summer in Taiwan has increased to 8,060, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said Friday.

As of Thursday, 7,130 cases had been reported in the southern municipality of Tainan and 808 in neighboring Kaohsiung, according to CDC figures. The number of cases reported in these two major cities — 7,938 — accounts for nearly 98.5 percent of the national total.

In Tainan alone, the number of cases increased by 554, a new high for a single day, the CDC said. It increased by 507 over the previous 24-hour period.

The outbreak in Tainan continues to escalate instead of abating, the CDC said. [FULL STORY]

Bon Jovi adds Taipei concert after China concerts cancelled

A promotional photo of Bon Jovi. (Photo/Live Nation Taiwan)

Want China Times
Date: 2015-09-11
By: CNA

Taiwanese fans have received an unexpected benefit from the cancellation of Bon Jovi concerts in China, when the US rock band announced Thursday that it would stage an additional concert in Taipei after its concerts in Beijing and Shanghai were cancelled by the Chinese authorities.

After Bon Jovi’s China concerts were cancelled, many Asian countries have vied for additional concerts, but Bon Jovi decided to add a concert in Taiwan because it is the first Asian country in which tickets for the tour have sold out, Live Nation Taiwan, the local promoter of the shows, said in a statement.

The additional concert will take place Sept. 29 at the Taipei World Trade Center Nangang Exhibition Hall, according to Live Nation Taiwan.

Tickets for that concert will go on sale Sept. 13 at http://ticket.7net.com.tw/ or at the 7-Eleven ibon kiosks, with ticket prices ranging from NT$1,800 (US$55) to NT$6,800 (US$210).

The first and only other Bon Jovi concert in Taiwan on the current tour will be held on Sept. 28, also at the Nangang Exhibition Hall. [FULL STORY]

Movie review: Ways into Love 來得及說再見

The commissioned documentary consists of three shorts by three directors who address social issues surrounding the old, the poor and the sick

Taipei Times
Date: Sep 11, 2015
By: Ho Yi / Staff reporter

Ways into Love (來得及說再見) is a work of socially-responsible filmmaking funded by

When a Women loves a Man by Huang Chia-Chun. Photo courtesy of Good Day Films

President Chain Store (統一) with an aim to raise public awareness of issues surrounding the old, sick, isolated and poor.

The documentary is composed of three stylistically diverse shorts by filmmakers Singing Chen (陳芯宜), Shen Ko-shang (沈可尚) and Huang Chia-chun (黃嘉俊). Each tackles a different topic and is supported by one of the three participating welfare organizations: Mennonite Social Welfare Foundation (門諾基金會), Liver Disease Prevention and Treatment Research Foundation (肝病防治學術基金會) and Hondao Senior Citizens’ Welfare Foundation (弘道老人福利基金會).

In A Real Meal (好好吃飯), Chen’s modest and patient use of the camera introduces three elderly people who live alone and rely on services provided by volunteers from Mennonite, who deliver two meals a day to the old and the needy across Hualien. Chen subtly reveals the fear and longing of her subjects and shows how a simple act — opening a bag of rice — can be an insurmountable task. [FULL STORY]

97 percent of investigated banks do not pay overtime

Taiwan News
Date: 2015-09-10
By: Ko Lin, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

The city government’s Department of Labor revealed in its July finding that 97 percent of the

Majority of banks in Taiwan do not pay OT. Central News Agency

island’s banking sector do not pay overtime to their employees, reports said Thursday.

Among the 32 banks investigated, 69 percent of the employees are overworked, while 56 percent have held their own regulations for implementing labor-management meetings, a breach that is against the government’s labor law, it said.

According to the department, the banks will be fined a net sum of NT$900,000 (US$30,000) respectively, which include ANZ Bank (Taiwan), Industrial Bank of Taiwan, Far Eastern International Bank, Sunny Bank, JihSun Bank, Bank SinoPac, and among several others.

The Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) said although the regulations governing the banking sector vary from that of the production industry, banks in Taiwan should nevertheless follow the rules as stipulated by the Ministry of Labor (MOL). [FULL STORY]

Simple steps you can take to combat dengue fever mosquitoes

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/09/10
By: Keoni Everington

Taipei, Sept. 10 (CNA) The dengue fever epidemic in Taiwan has now climbed to over 7,000 cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

With the rapid spread of the disease, there has been a second epidemic — a proliferation of old wives tales, false tonics and cures– but to really make a difference, you’ll need a proper understanding of the vector mosquitoes and the most effective prevention measures.

30 minute rapid screening:

The CDC is currently offering free tests for the rapid diagnosis of dengue fever in Tainan and Kaohsiung, which only take 20-30 minutes to show the results. A single line indicates no infection, while two lines signify a positive result for the disease. Rapid screening is not considered necessary for those who do not have any clinical symptoms of the disease. [FULL STORY]

PLA to conduct live-fire drills in Taiwan Strait

Want China Times
Date: 2015-09-10
By: Staff Reporter and CNA

The People’s Liberation Army will conduct live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait between Sept.

The ROC Armed Forces simulate a PLA attack during the 31st Han Kuang exercises, Sept. 10, 2015. (Photo/CNA)

11-13, according to a report from the PLA Daily, the mouthpiece of the PLA’s General Political Department.

The report, published Thursday morning, offered exact coordinates for where the exercise will take place, warning that vessels and planes will be prohibited from entering the area as artillery fire could reach heights of 8,000 meters.

The purpose or aim of the exercise, to be held between 3pm and 5pm on each of the three days, was not made public, nor were the participating warships or the nature of the drills.

Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense said Thursday that it is aware of the drills, with ministry spokesperson Major General Luo Shou-he noting that the exercise will involve regular artillery fire in an area about 14 nautical miles off Weitou in southeastern China’s Fujian province. [FULL STORY]

Lien’s China trip illegal: Annette Lu

‘CLAPPING’ THE ENEMY:Lu said that Lien’s attendance of Beijing’s military parade was ‘ridiculous’ and that his 2005 trip to China had diminished Taiwan’s national identity

Taipei Times
Date: Sep 10, 2015
By: Chang Hsiu-ti / Staff reporter

Former vice president Lien Chan (連戰), of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), should be

Former vice president Annette Lu, left, yesterday holds up a newspaper cartoon about former vice president Lien Chan’s visit to Beijing during a public hearing at the Legislative Yuan. Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times

prosecuted according to the Criminal Code for colluding with an enemy state, former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday.

The controversy sparked by Lien’s attendance of a military parade in Beijing last week has not dissipated following his return to Taiwan.

Lu made the remarks at a public hearing held by DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘), DPP Legislator Yu Mei-nu (尤美女) and Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) caucus whip Lai Chen-chang (賴振昌), at which they outlined their allegations against Lien.

Because China’s intention to use military force to attack Taiwan remains unchanged, Lien’s attendance of the military parade was as “ridiculous” as “a murderer displaying his weapons and you [Lien] clapping for him,” Lu said. [FULL STORY]

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