Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/10/29
By: Wu Hsin-yun and S.C. Chang

Taipei, Oct. 29 (CNA) A new wave of air pollutants could hit Taiwan Monday, as a

high density of PM2.5 of over 150 micrograms per cubic meter was detected in China’s Shanghai area Sunday afternoon, an environmental official said that day.

Chang Shun-chin (張順欽), director of the Environmental Protection Administration’s (EPA’s) Department of Environmental Monitoring and Information Management, said that the seasonal northeasterly winds could bring PM2.5 levels of 70-90 mg/m3 over Taiwan, which usually suffers from bad air quality caused by foreign sources from October to April of the following year.

Chang said that the upcoming wave of dirty air will not last long, beginning at around 3 a.m. Monday with a PM2.5 concentration of 70-90 mg/m3. He predicted that the fine particulate matter concentration will decline in northern Taiwan in the afternoon, but will rise in central and southern Taiwan because of a lack of conditions for air dispersal.    [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Oct 30, 2017
By: Jason Pan  /  Staff reporter

Taiwanese should be considered ethnically distinct from Han Chinese, as a

majority are more closely related to Aboriginal Austronesians and Pacific islanders, Taiwan’s leading hematologist and medical anthropology researcher said on Saturday.

Marie Lin (林媽利) made the comment at a book launch party for her biography, where colleagues and friends presented her with bouquets and a birthday cake to mark her turning 80 this year.

Decades of research using molecular technology to analyze human DNA and genetic markers had convinced her that most Taiwanese, as descendants of lowland Pingpu Aborigines (平埔族群) and highland Aborigines have mixed blood types, and are quite distinct from the genetic characteristics of the two main ethnic groups in China, the northern and southern Han Chinese.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: October 29, 20173
By: Timothy Huang and Frances Huang

TAIPEI (CNA) – Four cities and counties in Taiwan – Chiayi City, Kinmen County,

Tainan City and Taoyuan City – were named Friday among the world’s Smart21 Communities of 2018 by the New York-based Intelligent Community Forum (ICF).

According to the ICF, the Smart21 list is a group of cities, counties and rural communities that have decided to apply digital tools to building local economies and societies so that they can prosper in an age of “digital disruption.”

The number of finalists from Taiwan for the 2018 list fell by one this year compared to last year, but the number was the highest in the Asian region.

Kinmen County made it on the list of finalists for the first time.    [FULL  STORY]

Despite the decision of Taiwan’s constitutional court to amend Taiwan’s Civil Code in favor of same-sex marriage in May, the country’s institutions are dragging their feet on implementing legislation.

The News Lens
Date: 2017/10/27
By: David Green

Tomorrow, Taipei will host what is expected to be East Asia’s largest ever

celebration of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and curious (LGBTQ) folk.

More than 100,000 people are expected to attend the city’s annual Pride parade, now in its 15th year. Delegations from 20 countries will swell the streets as revelers converge on Taipei’s Ketagalan Boulevard along three separate marching routes.

To all intents and purpose, the LGBTQ community has more reason to celebrate than ever. On May 24, Taiwan’s constitutional court ruled to negate the Civil Code of Taiwan’s definition of marriage as being only between a man and a woman, paving the way for the legalization of same-sex marriage. The decision put Taiwan on the cusp of being the first country in Asia to legally countenance alternatives to the union of a man and a woman in matrimony.    [FULL  STORY]

Only 24 percent of eligible voters turned up for referendum

Taiwan News 
Date: 2017/10/28
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The island of Kinmen close to China’s Fujian Province

overwhelmingly rejected the legalization of casino gambling in a referendum Saturday.

The opponents carried the day, with 24,368 voting against casinos and only 2,705 approving of gambling, a ratio of nine to one against, the Chinese-language Apple Daily reported. The authorities said there were also 589 invalid ballots.

A total of 114,426 people had the right to vote at 71 polling centers from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. Saturday, but the turnout stood at only 24.17 percent.

After the result emerged, the leaders of the “no” camp reiterated their demand for the law which allowed casino gambling on the outer islands to be revoked by the Legislative Yuan. The opponents of casinos included the Kinmen County magistrate, the island’s sole legislator, Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party, many religious groups and social movements who feared casinos would bring organized crime, money laundering and prostitution.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/10/28
By: Miao Zong-han and Kuan-lin Liu

Taipei, Oct. 28 (CNA) The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has urged the two sides

of the Taiwan Strait to exercise wisdom and patience in coming up with a new model for exchanges, according to a statement issued by the council Saturday.

The statement was in direct response to Zhang Zhijun (張志軍), China’s Taiwan Affairs Office director, who asked Taiwan’s government to accept the “1992 concensus” — which Beijing uses as the framework for its “one-China” policy — during a forum on cross-strait relations in Shanghai earlier that day.

According to Zhang, the only way to get past the impasse that currently characterizes China-Taiwan relations is for Taiwan to embrace the “1992 concensus” and admit that there is only “one China.”    [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Oct 29, 2017 
Translated by staff writers Jonathan Chin and William Hetherington

Liberty Times (LT): What sorts of “united front” tactics have China employed

in the overseas compatriot community since President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) assumed office more than a year ago? How have the strategies evolved? How has the OCAC responded?

Wu Hsin-hsing (吳新興): China has always used united front tactics in the overseas compatriot community, but during Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) administrations, the two sides did not seem as adversarial, so China was targeting these communities less intensely.

After May 20 last year, the new Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government posited its own views on cross-strait issues, which apparently was not to Beijing’s liking, so it began to blockade Taiwan’s economic and diplomatic efforts. Those policies expanded to include attempts to suppress Taiwanese independence and promote unification in overseas communities.    [FULL  INTERVIEW]

The China Post
Date: October 28, 2017
By: Wu Che-hao and Isabel Wang

TAIPEI 28 (CNA) – The insecticide fipronil has been found in eggs produced at a

farm in Changhua County in a recent random inspection, Kuo Chih-shan (郭至善), deputy head of the county’s Department of Agriculture, said Saturday.

The official said that the farm is located in the county’s Fangyuan Township, where about 8,000 eggs were barred from leaving the farm pending further examination.

However, the owner of the egg farm denied ever using the insecticide, leading to suspicion that the contamination might have come from insecticides used by a neighboring rice farm.

Changhua County Public Health Bureau Director Yeh Yen-po (葉彥伯) said the incident has been reported to the public health bureau in Hsinchu City, where the fipronil-polluted farm has been selling its eggs to wholesalers.

Further inspections will be conducted and tainted eggs will be taken off store shelves, Yeh added.    [SOURCE]

New York Business Journal 
Date: October 24, 2017
By Anthony Noto  –  Reporter, New York Business Journal

A former top HSBC banker has been found guilty of fraud in a $3.5 billion currency

deal, according to the Department of Justice.

Mark Johnson, the London-based bank’s head of global cash foreign exchange trading, faces up to 20 years in prison after he was found guilty on nine counts and not guilty on one other count.

“This verdict makes clear that the defendant corruptly manipulated the foreign exchange market for the benefit of his bank and his bonus pool, to the detriment of the bank’s client,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Blanco. “This case demonstrates the Criminal Division’s commitment to protecting the financial system from harm, and holding corporate executives, including at the world’s largest and most sophisticated financial institutions, responsible for their crimes.”

Johnson was arrested at John F. Kennedy Airport in July by federal agents just as he was about to board a plane. His verdict came after two days of deliberation in a Brooklyn courthouse.    [FULL  STORY]

St. Lucian News Online
Date: October 24, 2017
By: Embassy of St. Lucia ROC-Taiwan

As October marks the celebration of Creole Heritage month, St. Lucians residing in Taiwan gathered in Kaohsiung, to celebrate Jounen Kweyol in large numbers.

The two-day event held on October 21st and 22nd organized by The Embassy of St. Lucia on R.O.C Taiwan along with the Association of St. Lucian Students in Taiwan was deemed a success.

The event commenced with elections for the new committee of The Association of St. Lucian Students in Taiwan, with Montelle Felix winning the position of President. Hosts, Handel Mathurin and Jelani St. Clair opened the entertainment segment which included poetry, ballades, creole riddles and short skits performed by students and Ambassador Emmanuel.

Followed by was the highly anticipated fashion show organized by Miss Nola Rene, showcasing creative designs both in madras and African print modeled by the students. Last but not least, were dance performances ranging from traditional quadrille and masquerade to contemporary styles. The night’s proceedings culminated with the Creole Buffet for dinner headed by Chefs Nyhymn Terrance and Danté Hippolyte with their team.

Day two of the event kicked off with creole style breakfast consisting of bakes, saltfish, accra and cocoa tea. Special guests in attendance were the Presidents of the Belize Students Association and St. Kitts and Nevis Students Assocation, Ms. Clydie Aldana and Mr. Addéa Brunder.

His Excellency Mr. Hubert Emmanuel, Ambassador of St. Lucia on R.O.C. Taiwan expressed how important it is for St. Lucians in Taiwan and abroad to be proud of their creole heritage as it is an important part of our national identity. There are plans slated for next year, to host a grand Jounen Kweyol Celebration, where Taiwanese and other foreigners can partake in the festivities.    [SOURCE]