Page Three

Han Kuo-yu planning visit to U.S. in autumn

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/08/18

Taipei, Aug. 18 (CNA) Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), the opposition Kuomintang's (KMT) 2020 presidential candidate, said Sunday he is aiming to travel to the United States in autumn, after an American official said he was welcome to visit.

"Some friends have been arranging the trip for me, and I hope I can visit the U.S. September to October," Han told reporters after a meeting with the KMT committee in Hsinchu.

During such a visit, Han said, he would like to discuss Taiwan- U.S. and cross-Taiwan Strait relations, meet with Taiwanese expatriates in various U.S. cities, and talk with entrepreneurs about hi-tech products.

Han's remarks came after William Brent Christensen, director of the Taipei office of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), said in an interview with the China Times that Han would be welcome to visit the U.S. by the end of the year.    [FULL  STORY]

Bees poisoned by illegal pesticide spraying

Taipei Times
Date: Aug 19, 2019
By: Wu Liang-yi and Jake Chung  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer

The death of bees in Nantou County’s Puli Township (埔里) last week was due to illegal pesticide spraying by betel nut farmers, the Council of Agriculture said on Saturday.

Most of the pollen on the dead bees originated from Bidens alba, or shepherd’s needles, which are usually found near betel nut trees, so their cause of death is believed to have been the spread of residual pesticide around betel nut orchards, Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine Deputy director Tsou Hui-chuan (鄒慧娟) said.

Samples tested by the Agricultural Research and Extension Station were found to contain the insecticide fipronil, leading it to conclude that the bees had been poisoned while gathering pollen from flora near betel nut orchards, the council said.

Of the 94 bee farmers in the Nantou region, more than 40 suffered losses ranging from 10 to 90 percent of their bee colonies, it said.    [FULL  STORY]

Press TV
Date: Aug 17, 2019

Political commentator Andrew K.P Leung believes that the US is using its arms sales to Taiwan as leverage to pressure China and also as a bargaining chip in its trade talks with Beijing. 
[FULL  STORY]

 

Taiwan Holds International Environment Conference, Renews Commitment to Toxic Free Environment

Epoch Times
Date: August 17, 2019 

Environmental regulations experts from the United States, Europe, and Asia pose for a group photo at the 2019 International Chemical and Mercury Management Conference in Taipei, Taiwan, on Aug. 7, 2019. (Chen Po-chou/The Epoch Times)

Taiwan held a two-day conference from Aug. 7 to 8, welcoming experts from around the world to discuss proactive measures for removing toxic chemicals from the environment.

The experts came from the United States, Europe, and Asia.

The event was significant considering that though Taiwan is not a member of the United Nations (UN), it supports its environmental initiatives, such as the Minamata Convention on Mercury.

Adopted in 2013, the Minamata Convention is an international UN treaty designed to protect human health and the environment from the harmful effects of mercury. One of the treaty’s key requirements is banning the export, import, and manufacturing of mercury-added products, including batteries, switches and relays, compact fluorescent lamps for general lighting purposes and electronic displays, high pressure mercury vapor lamps, cosmetics, pesticides, biocides, topical antiseptics, and non-electronic measuring devices, by the end of 2020.    [FULL  STORY]

Rare British sports car crashes on Taiwan mountain road

Morgan Plus 4 costs about NT$4 million

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/08/17
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

The Morgan Plus 4 after the accident on a Pinglin mountain road. (By Central News Agency)

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The driver of a rare British convertible sports car hit the side of a mountain road in New Taipei City Friday (August 16), causing an estimated NT$2 million (US$63,800) in damage to his vehicle.

The Morgan Plus 4 costs about NT$4 million and only 10 of them have been sold in Taiwan, reports said. The manufacturer, 110-year-old Morgan Motor Company, describes the car as a mix of tradition due to its 1950s design and modernity because of its strong engine.    [FULL  STORY]

Hualien forest office loses track of bear cub released into the wild

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/08/17
By: Tyson Lu and Chung Yu-chen

Taipei, Aug. 17 (CNA) A Formosan black bear cub that was rescued last year, tagged and released back

Photo from Taiwan Black Bear Conservation Association

into the wild in April can no longer be tracked, the Hualien Forest District Office confirmed Saturday.

The tracking collar, which was designed to fall off after two years, was found on the side of a cliff in June, the office said, confirming reports that it had lost track of the bear cub.

The cub was rescued in July 2018 by the forest office after it was spotted alone near Nan'an Waterfall in Hualien County by a hiker, who reported that the animal appeared malnourished, according to the Taiwan Black Bear Conservation Association (TBBCA).

At the time, the cub was about four months old and weighed only 5 kilograms, the TBBCA said.
[FULL  STORY]

Education ministry pushes national identity

INTERNATIONAL IMAGE: The ministry said it would amend its white paper, as schools have not been fostering ‘globally talented individuals with a national consciousness’

Taipei Times
Date: Aug 18, 2019
By: Lin Hsiao-yun and William Hetherington  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer

The Ministry of Education said it plans to amend its White Paper on International Education for Primary and Secondary Schools to include an emphasis on fostering a sense of national consciousness.

The ministry first introduced its white paper in 2011, with plans to internationalize curricula over two successive five-year stages.

The white paper laid out four key goals for primary and secondary education: developing a strong national identity among Taiwanese youth; increasing awareness of cultural diversity and understanding of global issues; cultivating global competitiveness through foreign language ability and multicultural knowledge; and developing a sense of responsibility regarding conservation of natural resources and protection of human rights.

However, since the white paper’s implementation, many schools have not looked at creating “globally talented individuals with a national consciousness,” the ministry said, adding that to correct this, it plans to amend the white paper to include “fostering a sense of national consciousness” as a mandatory indicator in its school-based international education plan.    [FULL  STORY]

“Earthquake fish” appear off Taitung coast

Radio Taiwan Internatinal
Date:16 August, 2019
By: John Van Trieste

Taitung County fishermen hold a recently caught giant oarfish.

A type of fish associated with earthquakes in traditional lore has been appearing off the coast of southeast Taiwan. Could the next big one be on the way?

The giant oarfish is a deep sea fish that rarely approaches the coast. People in Taiwan, even fishermen, prefer it that way. That’s because in Taiwan, these fish are perhaps better known by another name: “earthquake fish”. Folklore holds that when these fish are found near shore, an earthquake is on the way.    [FULL  STORY]

Huawei Lambasted by China’s Online Users for Taiwan Listing

"Huawei has turned Taiwan into a country. That's unacceptable!" wrote one Weibo user.

Gadgets 360
Date: 16 August 2019
By: Agence France-Presse

Photo Credit: Fred Dufour/ AFP

China's online users turned their patriotic wrath Wednesday on major domestic phone maker Huawei for not toeing Beijing's line when referring to Taiwan and Hong Kong.

The Chinese government is very sensitive about anything it perceives as portraying semi-autonomous Hong Kong and Macau or the self-ruled democratic island of Taiwan – which it views as a renegade province awaiting reunification – as separate countries.

Dozens of users on Wednesday complained that certain phone models made by Huawei – the world's number two smartphone producer – had "adopted double standards" when referring to Taipei, the capital of Taiwan.

Users of the company's P-series phones said when adjusting the company's settings, the city was labelled as a part of China when the language was set to simplified Chinese – used on the mainland – but was replaced with "Taipei, Taiwan" when they switched to traditional Chinese.
[FULL  STORY]

Fine Art Asia 2020 in Taipei for first time

It will take place at Huashan 1914 Creative Park, while Hong Kong hosts Fine Art Asia 2019 and Ink Asia 2019

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/08/16
By: Lyla Liu, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Fine Art Asia 2019 and Ink Asia 2019 will take place at the Hong Kong

Fine Art Asia 2019 and Ink Asia 2019 director Andy Hei (right) (Taiwan News photo)

Convention and Exhibition Center from Oct. 4-7, while Fine Art Asia 2020 will be hosted by Taipei for the first time.

Antique collector Andy Hei is the art director for Fine Art Asia 2019 and Ink Asia 2019. The art fair features jewelry, vintage items, and crafts. Ink Art Asia, which was established in 2015, showcases a wide range of modern and traditional ink art.

Hei said there will be a collaboration with Chang’s Oriental Art Gallery, a long-term exhibitor at the art fair, to host the next edition in Taipei for the first time. Hei said he wanted to work with more local galleries and individuals in local art circles.

Hei added that the art fairs would help young artists and craftspeople. “Large-scale art events gather people who love art in the same place, and provide the opportunity to meet many different kinds of people," Hei said.    [FULL  STORY]