Health Poliy News
Date: 09/11/2020
By: Elaine Ruth Fletcher

World Health Assembly members set aside the contentious issue of restoring Taiwan’s observer status at the member state forum – to focus on the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and linked to that WHO reform. 

That was despite a growing push by the United States, backed by Europe and their western Pacific allies for a stronger role for Taipei in WHO fora – an elected government representing some 23 million people which has managed to keep its COVID-19 cases to less than 600.  

The Taiwan issue was dealt with at a two-hour closed door WHA meeting, then followed by public, declaratory remarks by two countries, Honduras and Marshall Islands, in support of Taiwan’s re-admission, and two opponents, China and Pakistan, and concluding with no action for the moment. Left to unravel, a full-fledged public debate would have consumed a day of speeches, leaving bitter deadlock among member states pro and con, observers said.
[FULL  STORY]

Netizens amazed at 'immortal' sitting on 'throne of legendary king'

Taiwan News
Date: 02020/11/09
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Video surfaced On Saturday (Nov. 7) showing a woman appearing to sit on an invisible chair while riding a Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) train.

Users of the Facebook group Baofei Commune (爆廢公社) posted a video of a woman appearing to be in a "seated position" in front of the MRT car's sliding doors. The gravity-defying aspect of her posture is the fact that her knees are bent at a 90-degree angle with her thighs parallel to the ground, her bag sitting in her lap while she casually reads a book.

The person who captured the scene posted the caption, "Auntie, are you on the throne of the legendary king?" Although she does appear to be getting some support by leaning against a glass partition, the muscle strain on her thighs as she sits in a perfect kung fu "horse stance" for an extended period of time would surely become unbearable.

Yet, she appears to be comfortable "sitting on air" and is unaffected by the swaying of the train. Many netizens were impressed with what they concluded was either a demonstration of mystical powers or the result of an intense squatting regimen:    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 11/09/2020
By: Fan Cheng-hsiang and Chiang Yi-ching

Taipei, Nov. 9 (CNA) Taiwan's Atomic Energy Council said Monday it will continue to contact Japan on how the country plans to deal with contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, which is expected to run out of storage space in 2022.

The power plant has been shut down since it experienced a nuclear meltdown in 2011 after Japan was hit by a massive tsunami and earthquake, and it currently stores more than 1 million cubic meters of water containing tritium, a radioactive variant of hydrogen.

Tritium cannot be removed from water with existing technology, but because it poses a relatively low risk to human health, it is common for nuclear plants to dump water with tritium into the ocean after diluting it.

The Fukushima plant's plan to dump its stored water that way has received pushback from people who live in the region, especially fishermen, who fear that it will damage the region's reputation, according to local media reports.    [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Nov 10, 2020
By: Sherry Hsiao / Staff reporter

Nearly 60 percent of people said the government should postpone plans to allow imports of US pork containing ractopamine due to possible changes in US foreign policy following the US presidential election, a survey released yesterday by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) showed.

The survey asked: “If US President Donald Trump loses the election, some people argue that US foreign policy will be readjusted, and government officials will also be replaced, and that Taiwan should postpone allowing imports of pork treated with ractopamine on Jan. 11 next year. Do you agree or disagree with this view?”

Of the respondents, 57.5 percent agreed with the view, while 19.5 percent disagreed and 23 percent said they did not know, the KMT said.

Tsai on Aug. 28 announced that Taiwan would ease restrictions on imports of US pork containing traces of the animal feed additive, as well as beef from cattle aged 30 months or older. The policy is expected to take effect on Jan. 1.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 06 November, 2020
By: Shirley Lin

A luxury trip takes you to a famous temple in Lukang[/caption] Local governments across Taiwan are doing all they can to help their tourism industries recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. By and large, Taiwan’s people have responded favorably to these efforts. But the price of one recently-offered travel package led to many raised eyebrows. How much is too much? 

Would you consider US$588 per person for a three-day, two-night trip to be expensive? That’s how much a recent travel package taking in famous sites across three Taiwan counties costs.

Many have reacted with surprise to this hefty price tag—hefty, at least, for domestic travel in Taiwan. For that price, some say, you could travel a full halfway across the island.
[FULL  STORY]

RT
Date: 8 Nov, 2020 17:13

The family of an 18-year-old who was in a coma for over two months were beginning to lose hope, when the teenager miraculously woke up after his brother mentioned his favourite food: chicken fillets.

The teen from northwestern Taiwan fell into the coma after being involved in a serious accident while riding his scooter. He suffered a range of life-threatening injuries, including serious bleeding in several internal organs. 

In the aftermath of the horrific accident, doctors were able to stabilize his condition and save his life, but he fell into a deep coma, Taiwan News reported. 

A nurse said the teen, referred to as Chiu in news reports, went through a constant “tug of war with the god of death” during his lengthy ordeal.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 11/08/2020
By Chen Chun-hua and Chiang Yi-ching

Taipei, Nov. 8 (CNA) Two Taiwanese scholars on Sunday said that United States President-elect Joe Biden is likely to take a different approach to China and Taiwan than incumbent Donald Trump, though it is too early to know the specifics.

There will "definitely be massive changes" to U.S.-China-Taiwan relations under Biden, although the basic structures underpinning the relationship will not change, Alexander Huang (黃介正), a strategic studies professor at Tamkang University, told CNA.

The structures identified by Huang are the competitive relationship between the U.S. and China, as well as the laws that govern U.S. relations with Taiwan and China, such as the Taiwan Relations Act.

Based on Biden's personality and former U.S. President Barack Obama's policies, the new administration will be less overtly hawkish toward China than the current White House team, Huang said.    [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Nov 09, 2020
By: Hsieh Chun-lin and Kayleigh Madjar / Staff reporter, with staff writer

Experts at a forum organized by the Taiwan New Constitution Foundation in Taipei yesterday compared constitutional reform efforts in Chile and Taiwan, saying that the Legislative Yuan’s newly formed committee on the issue would “accomplish nothing.”

Chileans on Oct. 25 voted on whether to draft a new constitution to replace the one written during the military dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet, and if so, which type of government a constitution should stipulate.

More than 78 percent of voters supported drafting a new constitution, while 79 percent preferred a government elected entirely by popular vote, rather than splitting the decision with the legislature.

Chilean society has experienced severe economic inequality exacerbated by the privatization of healthcare, pensions and other services, said Kung Kwo-wei (宮國威), an associate professor and chairman of the Graduate Institute of Latin American Studies at Tamkang University.
[FULL  STORY]

Food served at show, which showcases 'bando' banquet culture

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/11/08
By: Lyla Liu, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The National Theater and Concert Hall (NTCH) and Taiwanese director Fan Chung-chi's (樊宗錡) co-production, titled "Twelve Courses of Taiwanese Cuisine Song," began its tour last month and will end it on Saturday (Nov. 14) at NTCH plaza in the nation's capital.

The theatrical performance features Taiwanese traditional food and explores the connection between food and memory. It will also showcase Taiwan's "bando" (辦桌) banquet culture, according to NTCH.

NTCH stated that the show is part of the hall's annual charity program FormosART Tour, which is in its sixth year. This year's performance will be catered in the bando style, allowing the audience to enjoy the food and the show simultaneously.

The culture of bando thrived in the 1980s, with tables set on the street serving traditional food. Nowadays, the custom is more common in central and southern Taiwan.    [FULL  STORY]