Page Three

KMT city councilors call for cuts to fund over Ko’s spending

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 04, 2017
By: Sean Lin / Staff reporter

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei city councilors yesterday said they would try to cut Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je’s (柯文哲) second reserve fund from NT$1.25 billion to NT$800 million (US$38.8 million to US$24.8 million), citing Ko’s poor use of the fund last year.

Ko has again proposed a NT$1.25 billion budget for this year’s second reserve fund, which is unreasonable, given that the mayor only used 29.8 percent of the fund last year, KMT Taipei City Councilor Wang Hsin-yi (王欣儀) told a news conference in Taipei.

Ko’s administration last year earmarked NT$717 million of the fund, but only used NT$361 million, of which NT$160 million was used to cover an increase in pensions the municipal government was required to allocate following an amendment to Article 56 of the Labor Standards Act (勞動基準法), she said.

Ko is requesting a budget for the fund larger than those requested by any of his predecessors, which is superfluous and at odds with the spirit of the Budget Act (預算法), Wang said, adding that Ko approved NT$230 million from the fund for construction work, of which NT$160 million has remained unused.    [FULL  STORY]

Developing an appreciation for culture

The China Post
Date: January 4, 2017
By: Chris Chang and Vanessa Huang

TAIPEI, Taiwan — If you have had a chance to walk into the newly-completed “Path to The Future

Since opening their new library, the school’s staff have formulated a series of activities for students to share the different books that they have been reading.(Photo: Dimitri Bruyas, The China Post)

Library” (幸福森林圖書館) at Taipei Municipal XingAn Elementary School (臺北市立幸安國民小學), Daan District (大安區), you probably couldn’t help but notice the smiles on the students’ faces as they picked out their treasured stories in this nature-adorned, bright and mythically-themed setting.

This sight may make you ponder and think of the last time you’ve made time to sit down and read stories with kids. This simple act can set groundwork to their learning and development as they grow up.

“Centered around the concept of ‘a Sea of Trees, a Sea of Books’ (樹海, 書海), we want to provide our students with an environment where they can roam freely in their own reading fantasia,” said Chen Shun-he (陳順和), the principal of XingAn Elementary School, after the opening of their new school library.

“For students, reading is not only to acquire knowledge, but also to develop an appreciation for culture and learning,” Chen told The China Post.    [FULL  STORY]

Immigration agency unveils two new measures

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-01-02

The National Immigration Agency (NIA) has unveiled two new measures to make things easier for the

National Immigration Agency Director-General Ho Jung-chun (right) participates in an event on Monday marking the NIA’s 10th anniversary. (Photo by CNA)

public. NIA Director-General Ho Jung-chun made the announcement on Monday at an event marking the agency’s 10th anniversary.

Ho said that starting from this year, residents from Hong Kong and Macao will be able to receive two entry permits at once if they choose to travel to Taiwan on a cruise ship. The measure is aimed at helping local cruise operators attract more tourists from those two areas.

Another measure will make it easier for Taiwanese men who have not completed their compulsory military service to make short trips overseas. That measure, which also went into effect on Sunday, allows applicants to apply for an exit permit online, thereby saving him a trip to a local district office.   [FULL  STORY]

Owner of deceased cat looks for original owner to say ‘thank you’

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/01/02
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

A pet owner whose cat died the other day has posted an article on an online cat forum looking for the cat’s original owner and wishing to tell him the cat had died after living happily for 13 years.

Vodkaalice asked forum users who live in Taichung City to help her find LaLa’s original owner. Vodkaalice said she saw a post on Yahoo by the original owner that said his female cat had given birth to many kittens, which he was giving away for adoption. Vodkaalice said she took a bus from Kaohisung to Taichung and met with the owner near the Taichung train station, adding that in the end she selected LaLa. But as her Yahoo account was stolen, she has since lost contact with the original owner.

LaLa was born on April 18, 2004, according to her.

Vodkaalice said she wishes to tell LaLa’s original owner that the cat died on Dec 31, 2016, adding,“I wish to say ‘thank you’ to him because he let LaLa live with us for 13 years and that LaLa lived very happily in our home…all the family members have loved him for 13 years!”    [FULL  STORY]

Quadrantid meteor shower to peak on Tuesday

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/01/02
By: Liu Chien-pang and Lee Hsin-Yin

Taipei, Jan. 2 (CNA) Astronomy buffs in Taiwan may soon have a chance to spot shooting stars as the

(Photo courtesy of the Taipei Astronomical Museum)

annual Quadrantid meteor shower nears its peak, the Taipei Astronomical Museum said Monday.

The Quadrantids are expected to peak at 10 p.m. on Tuesday, when an average of 120 meteors could flash through the sky per hour from a radiant in the northern sky.

With no interference from the moon, the Quadrantids could be very promising, the museum said, suggesting that the best time to observe the celestial event is between midnight and dawn on Wednesday.

The shooting stars can be easily spotted by the naked eye as long as skywatchers head to mountainous or suburban areas unencumbered by light and air pollution.    [FULL  STORY]

China considering strong steps to contain Taiwan

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 03, 2017
By: Reuters, BEIJING

China’s military has become alarmed by what it sees as US president-elect Donald Trump’s support of Taiwan and is considering strong measures to prevent the nation from moving toward independence, sources with ties to senior military officers said.

Three sources said one possibility being considered was conducting war games near Taiwan.

Another was a series of economic measures to cripple the nation.

It was not clear whether any decisions had been taken, but the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Taiwan issue had become a hot topic within the upper echelons of China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in recent weeks.

Trump, due to take office on Jan. 20, spoke to President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) by telephone on Dec. 2, breaking decades of precedent and casting doubt on his incoming administration’s commitment to Beijing’s “one China” policy.

Beijing fears this could embolden supporters of independence in Taiwan.    [FULL  STORY]

Back to the rat race

The China Post
Date: January 3, 2017
By: CNA

Congestion is shown in Northern Taiwan, Monday, Jan. 2. As the New Year’s three-day weekend comes to an end, many are traveling home amid traffic in preparation for work the next day.
[SOURCE]

A salute to Leia

The China Post
Date: January 2, 2017
By: AP

Fans with lightsabers hold an event to mourn actress Carrie Fisher, who played Princess Leia in the “Star Wars” movies, in Taipei on Saturday, Dec. 31. Fisher died at the age of 60 on Dec. 27.  [FULL  STORY]

Taoyuan mayor releases Taoyuan Airport MRT Line’s first VR video

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/01/01
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

Taoyuan Mayor Cheng Wen-tsan released a virtual reality version of the 360-degree video of the

A 360-degree video of the Taoyuan Airport MRT Line shot from the driver’s cabin was released on the first day of 2017. (photo source: Taoyuan Mayor Cheng’s Facebook page)

Taoyuan Airport MRT Line shot from the driver’s cabin on his Facebook page on the first day of 2017.

Cheng said the airport MRT line completed its second round of inspections on the last working day of 2016 and the whole line will soon be open to traffic after a long wait, which takes 20 years from the initial stage of planning.

The mayor said the airport MRT line has many elevated sections, and along the way, passengers will see verdant forests and hills, ponds, industrial clusters, modern shopping malls, and a baseball field that’s usually filled with cheers.

Going into 2017, colleagues at the Taoyuan Metro Corp are busy working on the areas identified by the inspection as needing improvements and soon the company will be able to obtain an operating permit and begin trial runs, Cheng said.   [FULL  STORY]

Nice, warm weather forecast for first week of 2017

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/01/01
By: Evelyn Kao

Taipei, Jan. 1 (CNA) The weather around Taiwan on New Year’s Day Sunday will be largely dry and cloudy with a few sunny intervals, but occasional rain is possible in some areas of the island, according to the Central Weather Bureau.

With a warm air mass continuing to move north, high temperatures around Taiwan on Sunday were expected to shoot up to above the summer-like level of 25 degrees Celsius, with western Taiwan hovering between 27-28 degrees, the bureau said.

However, people should keep warm and be mindful of sharp fluctuations between daytime and nighttime temperatures, the bueaur added.

The bureau also forecast choppy waters in coastal areas of Orchid Island and Green Island and others areas of eastern Taiwan and the Hengchun Peninsula in southern Taiwan’s Pingtung county, advising people to avoid coastal activities.    [FULL  STORY]