Taiwan’s aid teams are usually based in diplomatic allies which face poverty and environmental challenges.

Taiwan News 
Date: 2017/10/31
By: Teng Pei-ju, Taiwan News, Staff Reporter

MAJURO (Taiwan News) — Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) attended the

opening ceremony of a renovated greenhouse and a pigsty at the Laura Farm in the Marshall Islands on October 31 which aim to increase the quality and quantity of vegetables, crops, and livestock in the Pacific ally.

The Laura Farm is managed by the Taiwan Technical Missions (TTM), the country’s aid teams with projects varying from health and education to technical assistance. The TTM projects are organized by the International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF) which regularly recruits skilled volunteers in accordance with the needs of projects implemented in diplomatic allies, which are usually impoverished and facing many challenges.

Currently, the aid teams in the Marshall Islands are carrying out two projects, including a livestock project and a horticulture project.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/10/31
By: Chang Ming-hsuan and Ko Lin

Taipei, Oct. 31 (CNA) The Tourism Bureau expressed optimism Tuesday about inbound

tourism from the Philippines, thanks to a trial program starting next month offering Philippine nationals visa-free entry to Taiwan for up to 14 days.

Some 180,000 Filipinos visited Taiwan between January and August this year, an increase of more than 70 percent over the same period of last year, said bureau official Tsao Yi-shu (曹逸書).

The trial program will hopefully bring even more tourists from the Philippines to Taiwan by year-end, Tsao said.

The majority of Philippine tourists to Taiwan are young people, Tsao said, adding that their activities mostly involve shopping in major cities in northern Taiwan.
[FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-10-30

Science and Technology Minister Chen Liang-gee says Taiwan’s first indigenous

satellite, Formosat-5, has successfully completed its expected goals. Chen was speaking Monday at the legislature.

The satellite was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California at the end of August, but the first batch of images sent back to Taiwan last month was blurry and out of focus.

Chen said the clarity and resolution of the images are now close to the expected goals after fixing them.

Chen said, “After testing for two months, all functions are ok. The [project] is a milestone in Taiwan’s aerospace development. It proves that we have the ability to develop satellites on our own, with coordination between the aerospace industry and academics.”

The six-year project costs NT$5.65 billion (US$188.3 million).    [SOURCE]

Autumn Tiger roars again

Taiwan News 
Date: 2017/10/30
By: Sophia Yang, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Though a cold air front is bringing down temperature

down to 18 degrees Celsius across northern and eastern Taiwan on Monday, cool weather will not last for long and the temperature will spike to 30 degrees Celsius on Wednesday in the day time, according to weather expert.

Weather expert Wu Der-rong (吳德榮) predicted in his weather blog that the mercury will drop to 17 degrees Celsius at the lowest Tuesday early morning, then the northeasterly winds will weaken, with scattered showers expected in the mountainous areas in the north and northeast.

Sunny skies and hot weather are expected across the country from Wednesday to Thursday, and the temperature gap between day and night could be more than 10 degrees Celsius.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/10/30
By: Hsiao Po-wen and Elizabeth Hsu

Taipei, Oct. 30 (CNA) The Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau (MJIB) will hold a two-day forum on regional security and cross-border crime, with 147 law-enforcement officials, experts and scholars from 33 countries in attendance, a senior MJIB official said Monday.

The 2017 Taiwan-West Asia Forum will open in Taipei on Tuesday, said Chen Neng-ching (陳能鏡), a senior specialist in the MJIB’s International Operations Division.

The MJIB organized the biennial forum for the first time in 2013, as a platform for interaction with countries in the Middle East and Southeast Asia. This year, Palestine and Cambodia will attend the forum for the first time, Chen said.
[FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Oct 31, 2017
By: Lee I-chia  /  Staff reporter

Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) choked up several times when introducing the

documentary Inside 2017 Taipei Universiade, while Premier William Lai (賴清德) yesterday said that three policies will be implemented to promote sports.

The Taipei Department of Information and Tourism and the National Geographic Channel worked together to document the preparations for this year’s Taipei Summer Universiade.

The documentary is to debut on Taiwan’s National Geographic Channel at 9pm tonight and later air in 42 Asian nations.

The excellent performance of the nation’s athletes showed the world the tenacious spirit and strong will of Taiwanese, and the Games’ greatest achievement was making Taiwanese more confident in their future, Ko told a news conference held to reveal the documentary’s trailer in Taipei yesterday.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: October 30, 20175
By: Liang Pei-chi and William Yen

TAIPEI (CNA) – Before April next year, a joint monthly pass will be introduced for

unlimited rides of metro trains and buses in Taipei and New Taipei cities, said a Taipei City official.

The pass also gives passengers 30 minutes of free use of YouBikes within one hour after taking metro trains or buses, Chang Jer-yang (張哲揚), Taipei City government’s secretary-general, told CNA on Wednesday.

The original purpose of YouBike was to help people get to their first transit point or to their last stop, Chang added.

The price of the 30-day pass is still under negotiation and will be set by the end of the year, most likely under NT$2,000 (US$66), said Chen Hsueh-tai (陳學台), acting head of the city’s transportation department.    [FULL  STORY]

The event was also celebrated in Rome on October 5

Taiwan News 
Date: 2017/10/29
By: Juvina Lai, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The celebrations of the 75 years old diplomatic ties

between Taiwan and the Holy See took place in Taipei on Thursday, October 26 and was organized jointly by the apostolic nunciature, the Chinese Regional Episcopal Conference (Taiwan Bishops), and the Fu Jen Catholic University.

The event saw reports put together by Sister Beatrice Leung (梁潔芬 修女), professor and researcher at Wenzhao Foreign Language College in Kaohsiung, Father Jac Kuepers (柯博 識 神父), vice president for the mission of the new hospital of the ‘Fu Jen University, and Father Louis Gendron (詹德隆 神父), Dean of the faculty of theology St. Roberto Bellarmino of New Taipei.

The reports discussed and shed light upon the journey between Taiwan and the Holy See so far, the international collaborations, catholic activities in Taiwan and how it helped improve many issues that prevailed in the society, and the affect of Christianity not just on the island but on the entire Chinese speaking community, which offered hopes and expectations to the people. The report also acknowledged and appreciated the constant presence of Taiwanese students and teachers in the theology faculty of the island.    [FULL  STORY]