LARGE SCALE:Public prosecutors have questioned an inspector and 17 other people in relation to a year-long probe into allegations of bribery and corruption within the FDA

Taipei Times
Date: Aug 07, 2015
By: Jason Pan  /  Staff reporter

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Risk Management section inspector Chen

Wen-hsiung (陳文雄) and 17 other people including pharmaceutical company owners, questioned on Wednesday by the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office as part of a corruption probe, were released on bail yesterday morning.

Chen, 50, was accused of violating provisions of the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例). Prosecutors charged Chen with bribery, leaking confidential information, forgery and other charges before his release after posting NT$500,000 (US$15,745) bail yesterday.

The other people involved in the probe, including Chen’s wife, were also released, with bail set at NT$200,000 each.

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/08/05
By: Christie Chen

Taipei, Aug. 5 (CNA) Hundreds of excited basketball fans gathered outside a store in Taipei Wednesday to catch a glimpse of NBA star Kobe Bryant, who was on a one-day visit to Taiwan.

The crowd shouted “Kobe! Kobe! Kobe!” and a few held a placard reading “I’m chasing perfection! Kobe, love you” as the Los Angeles Lakers superstar arrived at a new sporting goods store in Taipei to attend its opening.

“I feel great. I’m happy to be back,” Bryant said of visiting Taiwan for the fourth time.

At a meeting with fans following the opening, the 36-year-old was asked about his most memorable shot, how he faces injuries and pressure, and the role of basketball in his life.     [FULL  STORY]

Asia One
Date: Aug 5, 2015

One has been beheaded, others defaced. Some are dressed in costumes by pranksters.

Statues of Taiwan’s former ruler Chiang Kai-shek have been increasingly targeted as the island confronts its authoritarian past.

Though still seen as a hero by some for waging war against communist China under the nationalist Kuomintang (KMT), Chiang has long been a divisive figure. His role in Taiwan’s “White Terror” — a purge of political opponents — and his imposition of martial law led many to brand him a dictator.

RT.com
Date: 4 Aug, 2015

The most powerful storm of 2015 is on a collision course with Japan and Taiwan. With

winds of over 350kmh, Typhoon Soudelor has already wreaked havoc on a group of tiny islands in the Pacific Ocean. It is expected to make landfall sometime on Thursday.

The tropical storm ripped through the Northern Marianas on Sunday, which are some 2,500km due east of the Philippines. However, it hasn’t taken any lives yet. Winds have been gusting up to 354kmh (220mph) according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center, as cited by AFP and it is stronger than Cyclone Pam, so far the strongest storm of 2015, which claimed 15 lives in Vanuatu when it struck five months ago.

Typhoon Soudelor became 2015’s fifth super typhoon on Monday. A super typhoon is defined by sustained wind speeds of at least 241kmh (150mph).

“I’ve seen multiple primary power poles down; I’ve seen cars flipped over the road; I’ve seen lots of torn roofs,” John Hirsh, executive director of the American Red Cross in Saipan, told Pacific Daily News, as cited by AFP.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/08/04
By: Kuan Ruei-ping and Romulo Huang

Taipei, Aug. 4 (CNA) A total of 20 absconded Indonesian migrant workers, 11 men and nine women, were discovered Tuesday in a poorly equipped worker’s dormitory in Toufen Township, in northern Taiwan’s Miaoli County, police reported later that day.

The Toufen police precinct had received tipoffs since early July about the presence of runaway Indonesian migrant workers in the township and launched an investigation, the Miaoli County Police Department said.

After verifying the presence of the migrant workers in the dilapidated dormitory, the police carried out a raid early Tuesday and detained a van that was about to leave with the 20 Indonesians aboard.     [FULL  STORY]