Holding Co. earns 4 ISO certificates for green practices

The China Post
Date: July 29, 2017
By: The China Post  

The U.K.’s national standards body has awarded four ISO certificates to Taipei-

headquartered CTBC Financial Holding Co., recognizing the group’s efforts in environmental protection and energy saving.

At an event in Taipei, British Standards Institution Managing Director Peter Pu (蒲樹盛) awarded four certificates to CTBC Financial Holding’s Chief Administration Officer Roger Kao (高人傑), who received them on behalf of the group.

Pu said that CTBC Financial Holding was the first in Taiwan’s finance industry to publish a dedicated corporate social responsibility (CSR) report with third-party accreditation.

Over the years, the group has expanded the scope of its energy management certification as part of its commitment to being a green financial institution, he said.
[FULL  STORY]

A lucky FamilyMart customer in New Taipei won NT$10 million Special Prize after purchasing bottled water for NT$20

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/07/26
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — One lucky customer who purchased a bottle of mineral water

at the Fuxiang branch of the FamilyMart convenience chain (全家便利商店) in New Taipei and ended up winning the Taiwan receipt lottery Special Prize of NT$10 million (US$329,600), the convenience store chain announced yesterday.

The customer who struck it rich buying bottled water was among four winners of the Special Prize this time around for the number 99768846, while three won the Grand Prize of NT$2 million for the number 83660478.

A second FamilyMart winner was a customer who purchased a hearty meal consisting of two bowls of cold noodles and four tea eggs for NT$148 at it’s Fushun branch, also in Zhonghe, according to the company.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/07/26
By: Liang Pei-chi and CNA intern Ting Wei-shih

Taipei, July 26 (CNA) Zookeepers at Taipei Zoo have launched an ice-making project to

keep their animals cool in the sultry hot summer weather, with daytime temperatures regularly exceeding 36 degrees Celsius since early July.

Taipei Zoo spokesman Tsao Hsien-shao (曹先紹) said the heat has caused the animals kept outdoors to lose their appetites. In view of this, they have changed the kitchen into an “ice factory” and have started to serve the animals their food embedded in ice.

Every Wednesday, the zookeepers produce 33 buckets of fruit ice, 112 cups of fruit ice, two buckets of blood ice, one bucket of ground meat ice, and two buckets of willow leaf fish ice to meet the needs of their charges.

Tsao also described how the animals behave when the ice food is served. Gorillas tend to hug the giant ice cube and take it to their secret places to enjoy. Chimpanzees make a circle to share with the others. Black bears tend to eat it alone, while the Eurasian otters play with the floating ice until it melts, releasing the willow leaf fish.    [FULL  STORY

The China Post
Date: July 26, 2017
By: The Straits Times/ANN

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwan is prepared to defend itself against China if necessary, its

Defense Ministry said in response to recent incidents of Chinese warplanes flying near the island.

China’s military has flown several fighter and reconnaissance aircraft near Taiwan for training exercises in the past few days, said the ministry. Yesterday morning, another People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Xian H-6 bomber was spotted flying very close to Taiwan’s airspace along the island’s west coast.

At a regular briefing yesterday, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) spokesman Chen Chung-chi said that while Taiwan will not resort to any action that “could start a war… we will not back down in the face of threats”.

“The People’s Liberation Army has never given up on the idea of resolving problems through the use of military force,” said Major-General Chen, adding that Taiwan is keeping tabs on the PLA’s movements.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-07-25

The Ministry of National Defense said Tuesday that Taiwan will not provoke war nor

ignore China’s recent military maneuvers near the country.

The ministry was referring to Chinese bombers that flew over waters off Japan’s southern Miyako Islands, and through the Bashi Channel, before returning to southern China. The Bashi Channel is a waterway between eastern Taiwan’s Orchid Island and the Philippines.

Defense ministry spokesperson Chen Chung-chi said Tuesday that the military will always monitor movements in waters and airspace around Taiwan in line with procedures for combat readiness.

Chen said the public should be assured that the military will do its duty to ensure national security. Chen said China has not renounced the use of force in dealing with the Taiwan issue. However, Chen said Taiwan will not show weakness in the face of China’s threat.    [FULL  STORY]

Effective Aug. 1, cyclists will no longer be allowed to park their bikes in paid scooter parking lots

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/07/25
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Effective August 1, eight districts in Taipei will prohibit

bicycles from being parked in paid parking lots for scooters, and violators will eventually be charged a towing fee.

Taipei City parking Management Project Manager Chen Kuan-lung (陳冠龍) said the following eight districts will ban bicycles from being parked in paid scooter parking areas: Xinyi Business District, Nanyang Special District, Neihu Technolgy Park, Taipei Main Station, Shilin Night Market, Ximen Business District, Guang Hua Business District, and Muzha Taipei Zoo.

Chen said in the past two months there have been a growing number of complaints by the public about bicycles taking up parking spots in paid scooter lots, with an average of 10 such reports per day. It was because the available spots in scooter parking lots in these eight areas are particularly scarce that they were selected for the August 1 ban, said Chen.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/07/25
By: Chen Zheng-wei and CNA intern William Yen

Taipei, July 25 (CNA) Taiwan broke its electricity consumption record at 1:41 p.m. on Tuesday, at 36.21 million kilowatts, due to continued high temperatures, including a high of 36 degrees Celsius in Taipei.

Electricity capacity reserves fell to 3.93 percent, with July causing an orange warning light to flash 16 times, according to Taiwan Power Company (Taipower) statistics.

Taipower’s electricity consumption warning system shows a green light when operating reserve margins are above 10 percent. An orange light indicates that the power reserve is below 6 percent, and a red alert means that it has dropped below 900,000 kW. A black alert means that reserves have fallen to less than 500,000 kW, making power rationing necessary.

Power generation of the second reactor of the No.3 nuclear power plant was shut down on Sunday due to a cooling system error and was not restored until Tuesday morning, producing 600,000 kW. It is expected to begin producing electricity at full capacity on Wednesday.    [FULL  STORY]