Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-09-21

Four Taiwanese nationals remain among the possible survivors trapped in the rubble

of a collapsed building in Mexico City after Tuesday’s devastating earthquake.

The death toll from the magnitude 7.1 earthquake currently stands at 237 people but is expected to rise. One Taiwanese national is confirmed to be among the dead. Earlier report said that another was rescued was actually inaccurate. Therefore, four other Taiwanese nationals are understood to be among the missing in the ruins of a collapsed building in the Mexican capital.

The temblor that struck at 1.13pm on Tuesday brought down at least 44 buildings, including homes, schools and office buildings. That was just hours after the city held preparation drills on the anniversary of a magnitude 8.0 quake that struck the city on Sept. 19, 1985, killing thousands.    [FULL  STORY]

Five Taiwan and Taiwan-American designers are set to feature their works at AsianInNY 2017 Fashion Show

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/09/21
By: Taiwan Today,Agencies

Five Taiwan and Taiwan-American designers are set to feature their works Sept. 23 at

the AsianInNY 2017 Fashion Show, New York City’s largest event focusing on the works of Asian fashionistas, according to the Ministry of Culture.

Co-organized by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York, the fashion show will showcase works by six designers—Taiwan’s Edison Lu and Liling Wang; Taiwan-Americans Alexander King Chen, Jennifer Chen and Wendy Chen; and Danny Nguyen from Vietnam.

Lily L. W. Hsu, director-general of TECO in New York, said the fashion industry has played a significant role in showcasing the country’s cultural vitality. She added that such an event can not only facilitate exchanges of knowledge and best practices among designers but also increase the international visibility of homegrown brands.

The Taiwan and Taiwan-American designers are no strangers to the international spotlight. During New York Fashion Men’s Week this July, New York-based Lu, whose designs have been featured in publications such as Marie Claire, GQ and Vogue, collaborated with actor Mike He to debut menswear brand To Be Thrill.
[FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/09/21
By: Chang Jung-hsiang and Kuan-lin Liu

Taipei, Sept. 21 (CNA) A research team at National Cheng Kung University (NCKU)

has cracked the code on the evolution of orchids, the school in southern Taiwan said Thursday.

At a press conference, NCKU President Su Huey-jen (蘇慧貞) said the key to solving the mystery of the evolution of orchids was a primitive genus called Apostasia.

In a paper published earlier this month in Nature Magazine, the NCKU research team said the Apostasia, which has been completely mapped out, provided a reference for inferring the genome content and structure of the most recent common ancestor of the modern orchid.

The Apostasia odorata is the oldest in the orchid family, having existed some 77 million years ago, though it looks nothing like the modern day orchid, the team said in the paper titled “The Apostasia genome and the evolution of orchids.”
[FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Sep 22, 2017
By: Kuo An-chia, Wang Kuan-jen and William Hetherington / Staff reporters, with staff writer

With Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) backing out at the last minute, Taipei Deputy

Mayor Teng Chia-chi (鄧家基) yesterday morning took his place at the inauguration of newly appointed Taipei Police Department Commissioner Chen Jia-chang (陳嘉昌).

The former Taichung Police Department commissioner took over the position from Chiu Feng-kuang (邱豐光), who was appointed deputy director-general of the National Police Agency.

Some have viewed Chiu’s transfer to a post that holds very little power as punishment for his mishandling of the Taipei Universiade’s opening ceremony last month, when protesters broke past police lines and delayed the ceremony’s start.

Ko had said he would not transfer Chiu as punishment for failing to prevent protesters from obstructing the Games.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: September 21, 2017
By: The China Post

The opening ceremony of a film festival featuring winners and finalists of the 2017

Cross-Strait Youth Short Firm Competition (We愛•兩岸青年短片大賽) and a post-event forum will be held at Taiwan’s Chinese Culture University on Sept. 25.
Shanghai Cross-Strait Exchange Promotion Association Honorary Chairman Li Wenhui and Deputy Chairman Wang Lixin and Legislator Kao Chin Su-mei will be cutting the ribbon along with other guests at the opening event.

Twenty-three awarding-winning and nominated films will be screened from Sept. 21 to November in locations such as Er Xin High School in Keelung, Taiwan, Chinese Culture University, Chongyou University of Science and Technology, Kainan Vocational High School, National Taiwan University of Arts and University of Taipei as well as in Shanghai institutions including Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai Vancouver Film School, Fudan University and Shanghai Institute of Visual Art, etc. The artists behind these films will also come to the campuses to share their experience in making their movies and of attending the Film Masters’ Camp.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/09/20
By: Miao Zong-han and William Yen

Taipei, Sept. 20 (CNA) A set of commemorative stamps was released Wednesday in Taiwan in celebration of 30 years of exchanges with China, in the hope of promoting dialogue and building on the foundations established between the two sides, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said.

In a press statement, MAC said cross-strait exchanges began in 1987 after the Taiwan government began allowing citizens to visit their relatives in China.

The design of the commemorative stamps reflect the postage, shipping, commerce, tourism, trade, academics, culture and other aspects of the two sides over the past 30 years, according to MAC.    [FULL  STORY]

New York Post
Date: September 19, 2017
By: Reuters

TAIPEI — Taiwan has suspended refined oil and LNG exports to North Korea, as well

as clothing and textile imports, to comply with United Nations resolutions, a largely symbolic move by the island to show it is a responsible member of the international community.

Self-ruled Taiwan is not a member of the United Nations, due to Beijing’s position that it is simply a Chinese province and so not able to have its own official diplomatic ties with anyone.

But proudly democratic Taiwan likes to show that it follows international norms, despite its lack of U.N. membership.

On Sept. 11, the United Nations Security Council unanimously stepped up sanctions against North Korea over its sixth and most powerful nuclear test on Sept. 3, imposing a ban on the isolated nation’s textile exports and capping imports of crude oil.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-09-19

President Tsai Ing-wen has thanked the African nation of Burkina Faso for its support

of Taiwan.

Tsai was speaking Tuesday while receiving Burkina Faso’s new ambassador to Taiwan, Aminata Sana Congo, at the Presidential Office. Burkina Faso is one of two diplomatic allies of Taiwan in Africa, the other being Swaziland.

Tsai said Taiwan and Burkina Faso have continue to deepen ties at all levels in recent years. She said that political, economic, cultural, and educational exchanges have broadened. She said the two countries’ cooperation plans cover agriculture, health and sanitation, employment training, and solar energy. Tsai said Taiwan will continue to work towards strengthening ties.

Tsai thanked Burkina Faso for backing Taiwan’s participation on the global stage. She said that Taiwan’s commitment to contributing to the international community has never wavered. She said she hopes Burkina Faso will continue speaking out on Taiwan’s behalf.    [SOURCE]