Taiwan News
Date: 2017/08/10
By Taiwan Today,Agencies

Taiwan’s 10th place ranking in the 2017 International Digital Government report

highlights the success of the country’s efforts to foster digital infrastructure development and promote e-services and open government data, according to the Cabinet-level National Development Council Aug. 9.

Compiled by Tokyo-based Waseda University in collaboration with the International Academy of Chief Information Officers (IAC), the annual survey released Aug. 3 assessed the implementation of digital government solutions in 65 countries and territories.

Taiwan excelled in the categories of government CIO and digital government promotion, placing fourth and seventh, respectively. The nation ranked fifth overall in the Asia-Pacific, trailing New Zealand in seventh and South Korea in eighth and outperforming Thailand in 21st, Hong Kong in 24th, Macau in 28th and mainland China in 44th. Singapore topped the global rankings, followed by Denmark, the U.S., Japan and Estonia, in that order.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-08-08

Steam locomotives in Taiwan with their puffing chimneys and piercing whistles hark back

to a bygone age and are popular with tourists. But recently there have also been complaints of air and noise pollution related to the attractions.

The Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) on Tuesday defended its operation of five steam locomotives based in the central county of Changhua. Lai Hsing-lung, head of the TRA’s Rolling Stock Department, said the trains run on low-sulfur smoke-free coal. He said this fuel is more expensive but is entirely consumed. It is thus not as much of a pollutant as some environmentalists may suppose.

Lai also said that the locomotives have been restored at great expense of time and effort and cannot simply be mothballed.    [FULL  STORY]

IOC term “Chinese Taipei” substituted in all cases, not just sporting competition

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/08/08
By: Light McCandless, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News)–The English language version of the media guide for the 2017

Summer Taipei Universiade has been described by Taiwan’s Sports Administration Director-General as “very odd.”

The guide uses the term “Chinese Taipei” not only in its usual international competitive sporting context, but at every turn to describe the whole island. As in ”Our island: Chinese Taipei” and “Chinese Taipei has a long narrow shape.” The Sports Administration Director General Lin Teh-fu responded today saying it was “very odd.”

The phrase “Chinese Taipei” is designated by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to describe the ROC at international sporting events, due to China’s objections. The 2017 Taipei Summer Universiade is about to open to great fanfare and with much civic and national pride. However, in the English-language media guide introducing Taiwan, the phrase “Chinese Taipei” is used instead of “Taiwan’ in every context, including geographical.
[FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/08/08
By: Yu Kai-hsiang and Kuo Chung-han

Taipei, Aug. 8 (CNA) Commuters reported smoke and a burning smell on a Taipei Metro

train on the Wenhu Line (Brown Line) at about 6:19 p.m. Tuesday. As a result, 60 passengers were asked to disembark at Wende Station (Brown 18) as a precaution, Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation said.

No one was injured and the problem caused no delays to the Taipei Metro service, said the company. It did not indicate in which direction the train was traveling.

The company said an investigation is ongoing into the cause of the smoke.    [SOURCE]

The China Post
Date: August 8, 2017
By: The China Post

A photo that President Tsai Ing-wen posted of herself watching TV got more than some

Likes, after eagle-eyed Facebook users spotted what they thought was a sign that the air conditioning was on.

“Long sleeves, huh? Is the air conditioning too cold?” one user wrote archly.

Others complained: “Who wears long sleeves watching TV in August?” and “Are we not all trying to save electricity? The president should set an example.”

They were referring to Taiwan Power Company’s repeated calls for the public to cut back on electricity use, as consumption rises amid Taiwan’s worst heat spell of the year.

Presidential Office spokesman Alex Huang (黃重諺) said that Facebook users had missed the point of the social media post.

A 45-year old policeman was killed following an accident on a Hsinchu highway this morning.

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/08/07
By: Juvina Lai, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Hsinchu City Fire Bureau said at 11 am this morning a

policeman was killed as a result of a car accident on the Hsinchu section of the National Highway No. 3.

The highway police officer was the only one dead, and five others were injured.

The accident occurring around 10 am involved a trailer truck , a van and the police car. The trailer truck reportedly crashed into the police car parked on the roadside behind the van, which reportedly had a flat tire, to warn road users of the situation, said the bureau.

The deceased officer, who was identified as Chen Chi-ruei (陳啟瑞), was pronounced dead when arriving at the hospital. The other officer named Yang Yu-chen (楊宇辰) is reportedly still in the emergency ward.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/08/07
By: Christie Chen

Taipei, Aug. 7 (CNA) The popular Eslite Bookstore chain officially opened Taiwan’s

longest underground book street in Taipei on Monday, creating what the city hopes will become a new tourist attraction.

The 261-meter-long book street is located in an underground walkway between the Taipei Metro Zhongshan Station and Shuanglian Station. It is named R79 Eslite Underground because it is close to exits R7 and R9 of the underground corridor.

The walkway used to be part of the Zhongshan Metro Mall, an underground shopping mall that sells clothes, food, discounted books and other products, but Eslite won a bid in March to transform a section of it into a book street.

The underground complex features more than 60,000 book titles on a wide variety of topics and also includes shops that sell cultural and creative products, phonograph records, stationary, food and coffee.    [FULL  STORY]