The event echoes the Year of Bay Tourism campaign

Taiwan News 
Date: 2018/05/01
By: Huang Tzu-ti, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The Tourism Bureau has kicked off the “2018 Dinnerware

Design Competition for Taiwanese Snacks (海灣小吃大器-2018台灣美食餐器創新設計競賽)” with cash awards totaling NT$500,000 (US$16,780)!

As befitting the 2018 “Year of Bay Tourism” campaign, the contest invites students from design-related departments across the island to design 10 creative dinnerware pieces for 10 respective Taiwanese seafood dishes, reported the Liberty Times.

According to the organizers, the competition is divided into two categories, the “five-piece tableware set” and “individual utensils.”

The former requires participants to design five utensils to serve the five local snacks, including eel noodles (鱔魚意麵), oyster omelet (蚵仔煎), milkfish ball soup (虱目魚丸湯), seafood porridge (海產粥), and squid thick soup (花枝羹). The latter allows participants to pick one out of five food choices for which they will design a container – stir-fried mixed seafood (炒三鮮), loofah with clams (蛤蜊絲瓜), rice (飯), noodle soup (湯麵), or ice dessert (冰品).    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/05/01
By: Chen Cheng-wei and William Yen

Taipei, May 1 (CNA) Almost 70 percent of employees expressed satisfaction with their

overall work environment in 2017, a 0.2 percentage point increase on the previous year, according to a report released by the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) Tuesday.

The statistics came from the Ministry of Labor’s survey on laborers’ life and employment which showed that 69.2 percent of workers were satisfied with their overall work environment last year.

The average monthly salary of employees in industrial and service sectors was NT$49,989 (US$1,682), an increase of 2.5 percent from the previous year.

However, during the same period, the consumer price index rose 0.62 percent, so the actual gross salary was NT$47,271, an increase of 1.8 percent year-on-year.
[FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: May 02, 2018
By: Jason Pan  /  Staff reporter

President Tsai Ing-wen, former minister of national defense Feng Shih-kuan (馮世寬) and

other top officials yesterday in Taipei inaugurated the government-funded Institute for National Defense and Security Research think tank.

Feng is to serve as the institute’s chairman and former Mainland Affairs Council deputy minister Lin Cheng-yi (林正義) as its chief executive officer.

The institute has seven research departments and one research center, and employs 64 people.

It is tasked with administering research programs and international exchange initiatives, and advising the government on national security, military defense policies and regional security, as well as conducting studies on China’s military and political development.    [FULL  STORY]

Indonesian teen separated from mother by 4,000 kilometers finally gets Taiwan dependent visa after 6 months of red tape 

Taiwan News 
Date: 2018/04/30
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — After going through red tape for six months and being separated

by 4,000 kilometers, an Indonesian young woman will finally be able to join her mother and stepfather in Taiwan after having obtained a dependent visa, reported CNA.

Indonesian national Amanda Erika Anindita, 18, has been attempting for six months to apply for a dependent visa to come to Taiwan to live with her mother and her Taiwanese stepfather, Cheng Chi-nan (鄭吉男).

On April 17, the Anindita received the good news that her application for the visa had been approved. “I finally got the resident visa so that I can live with mom and dad in Taiwan,” said Anindita to CNA.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/04/30
By: Lu Hsin-hui and Ko Lin

Taipei, April 30 (CNA) President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called on

entrepreneurs and companies in Taiwan to prioritize innovation to further accelerate their competitiveness on the international market.

Speaking at the Presidential Office for the Presidential Innovation Award ceremony, Tsai said that as long as companies persist with innovation regardless of the industry they’re in or scope of their business, they can create a niche in the market.

Globalization forces faster innovation, which needs to be adopted as the core driving force for continuous growth, she said.

The innovation award, held for the third time, is bestowed on individuals or teams that have contributed the most in the categories of science and technology, culture, service and talent-nurturing.    [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: May 01, 2018
By: Staff writer, with CNA

Taiwan will continue to push for participation in international organizations to help

contribute to societies around the world, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday as she met with US Representative Ruben Gallego.

At a meeting at the Presidential Office Building in Taipei, Tsai thanked Gallego, a member of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus, for his long-term support for Taiwan and for voicing his support in the US Congress for Taiwan to join the WHO, the International Civil Aviation Organization and the International Police Organization.

The passage of the US Taiwan Travel Act, which promotes meetings and visits between top US and Taiwanese officials, was testament to the continuing improvement in relations between the two nations, she said.

She also thanked the US government for its commitment to the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) and the Six Assurances, which are the cornerstones of bilateral relations.
[FULL  STORY]

The laws and fines are in place for an efficient fight against IPR piracy: MOEA 

Taiwan News 
Date: 2018/04/28
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taiwan had taken all necessary measures to face down online

intellectual property rights piracy by introducing laws and taking action, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said Saturday in response to the latest Special 301 Report by the United States Trade Representative.

The annual report said there was still “rampant piracy” in Taiwan due to the use of illicit streaming devices (ISD), even though the country had not been on its watch list since 2009, the Central News Agency reported.

The Intellectual Property Office (智財局) under the Ministry of Economic Affairs said all the necessary laws to combat the illegal practices had been approved, as well as punishments and fines which could be applied.

If illegally copied material was being broadcast over social networks and websites such as Facebook or YouTube, it was sufficient to report it to the sites and in 95 percent of cases, the material would be removed, CNA reported the office as saying.
[FULL  STORY]