Radio Taiwan International
Date: 19 November, 2019
By: Paula Chao

The military has staged a joint air defense exercise with the army, navy and air force.

On early Tuesday morning, F-16 fighter jets took off from a military base near northeastern Hualien County to test the armed forces’ air defense capability and contingencies.

The exercise came two days after a Chinese aircraft carrier passed through the Taiwan Strait. The defense ministry had monitored the aircraft carrier’s passage, which was closely followed by US and Japanese warships.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwanese female high school student trapped inside Hong Kong PolyU arrested as adult

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/11/19
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A Taiwanese student who had become trapped at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) as police besieged the fortified campus was arrested on Tuesday (Nov. 19).

During an intense standoff between pro-democracy protesters and riot police at PolyU, a female Taiwanese student surnamed Tai (戴) called her mother from her cell phone on Sunday (Nov. 17) and said she was afraid the police would arrest her once she left the campus, reported CNA. Tai's mother told reporters that her daughter has been trapped inside PolyU for over 17 hours and that her biggest concern was whether Tai had been injured.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/11/19
By: Flor Wang and Wang Shu-fen

Taipei, Nov. 19 (CNA) Four foreign vessels have been fined for failing to meet Taiwan's requirement for using low-sulfur fuel oil based on a set of new measures implemented since the start of this year, a government agency said Tuesday.

According to the Maritime and Port Bureau under the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, four ships registered to the Marshall Islands, Panama, Hong Kong and Singapore, respectively, that entered Taichung and Kaohsiung ports were each fined NT$100,000 (US$3,280) after being ruled as in breach of "an air pollution prevention act at international ports."

The act, applied one year ahead of the New International Maritime Organization regulations to be put in place Jan. 1, 2020, is aimed at cutting the sulfur content allowed in shipping fuel to 0.5 percent from 3.5 percent, in a bid to combat air pollution, bureau officials told a news conference.
[FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Nov 20, 2019
By: Lee I-chia  /  Staff reporter

The first case in Taiwan of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS), a tick-borne virus,

was confirmed last week in a man in his 70s living in the north of the country, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday.

The man, who had not recently traveled overseas, but had often visited mountainous areas, sought treatment several times between Oct. 24 and Nov. 2 after experiencing reoccurring fever and vomiting, CDC disease prevention physician Chen Meng-yu (陳孟妤) said.

After having changes in consciousness and a rash, the man was hospitalized on Nov. 3, Chen said.

The hospital suspected dengue fever, but a blood sample sent to the CDC came back negative on Nov. 6, she added.    [FULL  STORY]

The Straits Times
Date: November 19, 2019
By: Lim Ruey Yan\

Taiwanese singer Elva Hsiao will be releasing her first album in six years as she celebrates her 20th

year in show business this year.

The 40-year-old singer, who has not been seen in public for almost two years, said on Friday (Nov 15) that her new album will be titled Naked Truth.

She wrote, "Let's Celebrate Our Anniversary. On the road of life, it's not where you go but who you're with that makes the difference."

Hsiao, who is currently in the United States, told Taiwan's Apple Daily that the master recording of her 10 songs in the new album have been completed. She said that Naked Truth, scheduled to be released in mid-2020, could be her last album. However, she stressed that she is not retiring from singing but may release only singles in future.
[FULL  STORY]

Composer of Oscar winning film will conduct at National Concert Hall in Taipei

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/11/18
By: Karen Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan news) — Justin Hurwitz, winner of two Academy Awards for the hit film musical "La

La Land," will conduct "La La Land in Concert" at the National Concert Hall in Taipei, on Nov. 23-24.

"La La Land" won Best Original Score and Best Original Song at the Academy Awards, but would not have been written if Hurwitz had not agreed to compose its music, said the Director Damien Chazelle.

Hurwitz has collaborated with Chazelle since their college days at Harvard. The duo has produced multiple works together, including the 2018 film "First Man," for which Hurwitz won Best Original Score at the Golden Globe Awards.

"La La Land" is a mixture of old Hollywood musical and contemporary elements. One of Hurwitz’s techniques is having a 90-piece orchestra play in one room together — as opposed to the more contemporary technique of the orchestra members playing each instrument separately, according to Borrowing Tape.
[FULL  STORY8]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/11/18
By: Tang Pei-chun and Chiang Yi-ching

Brussels, Nov. 18 (CNA) Taiwan jumped seven spots in the annual World Talent Ranking for 2019 compiled by the Swiss-based International Institute for Management Development (IMD), moving from 27th to 20th, the country's highest ranking since 2013.

Published Monday, the report assesses the ability of 63 economies to develop, attract and retain talent for enterprises operating in those economies.

In Asia, Taiwan ranked only behind Singapore (10th) and Hong Kong (15th), and was ahead of Malaysia (22nd), South Korea (33rd) and Japan (35th).

Worldwide, Switzerland, Denmark, and Sweden remained the top three performers this year, followed by Austria and Luxembourg, according to the report.    [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Nov 19, 2019
By: Wu Shu-wei and Sherry Hsiao  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer

A short documentary on the Hong Kong protests directed by Taiwanese filmmaker Kevin Lee (李惠仁)

premiered in Taipei yesterday.

In the process of shooting the film — which translates directly to Freedom, Fly (自由,飛) — he learned that there were young protesters injured in Hong Kong who were afraid to seek medical treatment there, Lee said at the premiere, hosted by the Taiwan New Constitution Foundation.

In his interviews with young protesters, he found that many were prepared to give their lives for the movement, he said.

Lee said while he was shooting the film, many of the young protesters in Hong Kong said to him: “Please, Taiwan must safeguard democracy and freedom.”    [FULL  STORY]