Mothership
Date: November 02, 2020
By: Mandy How

Covid-19 has put a damper on Halloween celebrations in many countries.

But not for Taiwan, who has gone 200 days with no locally-transmitted cases as of Oct. 29.

Employees from a Taiwanese company have been grabbing attention online with their costumes, which ironically feature everyday people in various predicaments.

The winning formula is a niche, yet relatable situation that most of us would have found ourselves in at some point of our lives.    [FULL  STORY]

Reuters
Date: November 2, 2020
By: Mike Stone, Patricia Zengerle

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The sale of four sophisticated U.S.-made aerial drones to Taiwan has crossed a key hurdle in Congress and is at the last stage of approval, sources said on Monday, a deal likely to add to already strained ties with China.

The $600 million deal would be the first such sale since U.S. policy on the export of sophisticated and closely guarded drone technology was loosened by the Trump administration.

Reuters reported in recent weeks on the administration moving ahead with four other sales of sophisticated military equipment to Taiwan, with a total value of around $5 billion, as it ramps up pressure on China and concerns rise about Beijing’s intentions toward the island.
[FULL  STORY]

Man destroyed NT$126,000 in banknotes out of frustration that his efforts to find job, housing did not go his way

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/11/02
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A man surnamed Chiu (邱) has been sentenced by the Taipei District Court to pay a fine of NT$135,000 (US$4,724) for tearing up banknotes worth NT$126,000.

According to court records, Chiu tore up 125 NT$1,000 banknotes and 10 NT$100 banknotes in a hotel room in Taipei on May 3 out of frustration that his efforts to find a job and an apartment did not go according to plan. He then scattered the damaged NT$100 banknotes on the floor of the hotel room and threw the NT$1,000 bills outside onto the street, CNA reported.

A manager of the building in which the hotel was located found the shredded banknotes and reported the incident to the police. During questioning by law enforcement officers, Chiu confessed to having ripped up the banknotes, which were later found to be authentic by the Central Investigation Bureau, per CNA.

Chiu was charged with violating the Penal Act of Offenses Against National Currency and slapped with a NT$135,000 fine, which may be commuted to community service, by the district court. All the damaged banknotes will also be confiscated, the court ruled.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 11/02/2020
By: Soon Thean Bee and Flor Wang

Kuala Lumpur, Nov. 2 (CNA) The recent abduction and murder of a female college student from Malaysia in Taiwan has drawn a strong response from Malaysian netizens, with many leaving messages to comfort her parents and a few calling for the death penalty.

Their messages generally offer prayers to the family of the murdered 24-year-old Chang Jung Christian University student, identified by her surname Chung (鍾), and some supported her parents' appeal that the killer be harshly punished.

"A murderer must pay with his life," one netizen commented, calling for Taiwanese authorities to strictly deal with the killer to bring justice to her family.

An investigation by the police found that Chung was abducted on Oct. 28 while walking on a road near the school in Gueiren District close to a railway overpass.    [FULL  STORY]

PASTORAL LIFE: The show involves sheep being held down to shear their wool and they become scared when chased by a shepherd’s dog, animal welfare groups said

Taipei Times
Date: Nov 03, 2020
By: Tung Chen-kuo and Dennis Xie / Staff reporter, with staff writer

Animal welfare groups have launched an online petition to end a signature sheep show at Nantou County’s Cingjing Farm (清境農場), drawing mixed reactions from the public.

As of noon yesterday, the petition had garnered 2,420 signatures in support of the farm canceling the show, as it is said to contain segments that “harm” and “deride” sheep in front of the audience, according to the Public Policy Participation Network Platform Web site.

The petition, launched on Oct. 12 by the Taiwan Animal Equality Association, Animal Skies, Faith for Animals and World Vegan Advocacy Society, was 2,580 signatures short of the 5,000 it needs to elicit an official response from the authorities.

The farm, nestled in the mountains 1,750m above sea level, introduced the sheep show in 1998, which has since become its main appeal for tourists visiting during weekends and national holidays, as well as summer and winter vacation. It is the only show of its kind in Taiwan.
[FULL  STORY]

Chen stumbled taking photos, plummeted into valley

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/11/01
By George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A 59-year-old woman surnamed Chen died on Saturday (Oct. 31) after she fell into a ravine while taking photos during a one-day group tour to an attraction in Ruifang District, New Taipei City.

New Taipei Fire Department dispatched a total of 27 people and 12 vehicles to rescue Chen after receiving calls, according to CNA. However, by the time the rescue teams arrived at the scene, she was unresponsive.

Emergency personnel immediately administered CPR but failed to resuscitate her.

The team proceeded to carry Chen down the mountain and transported her to a local hospital. She arrived at Taiwan Miner’s General Hospital around 7:30 p.m. and was later pronounced dead.
[FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 11/01/2020
By: William Yen

Taoyuan, Nov. 1 (CNA) One of Taiwan's most renowned Filipino migrant worker basketball leagues opened Sunday, attracting hundreds of people to a park in Taoyuan City's Chungli District to watch the opening ceremony and the first six games.

Some 400 people gathered at the park to witness the opening of the Chungli Basketball League (CBL) Commercial Winter League, which, now in its sixth season, had a member of the Filipino LGBT community take on the role of a team's muse for the first time.

In Filipino basketball culture, muses are usually females who whip up support for their teams at tournament openings.

The City basketball team, made up of a team of players all employed at the same factory in Taoyuan, invited their fellow colleague Steve Ian M. Isaga, 26, to be their muse.
[FULL  STO-RY]

Taipei Times
Date: Nov 02, 2020
By: Huang Hsin-po and Dennis Xie / Staff reporter, with staff writer

The government from January to September launched 100 mountain search-and-rescue missions, twice as many as the same period last year, with the number of rescuers dispatched being almost three times as many, Ministry of the Interior (MOI) statistics showed on Saturday.

The National Airborne Service Corps in the first nine months of this year conducted 3,211 search-and-rescue missions, 81 down from last year, mainly due to a decrease in maritime rescue missions, the statistics showed.

While 100 missions were launched for search-and-rescue services in mountainous areas, the number of such missions was only 50 in the same period last year, with the number of rescuers dispatched increasing from 18 to 52, the data showed.

The annual number of mountain accidents in Taiwan averaged 159 from 2002 to last year, it showed.    [FULL  STORY]