The China Post
Date: November 28, 2016
A surfer takes to the waves, Sunday in Taitung. The 2016 Taiwan Open of Surfing concluded Sunday after four days of competition, with French competitors taking two of the top prizes. The competition, which took place from Nov. 23 to 27 at the fishing port of Jinzun in Taitung County, was co-organized by the Taitung County government and the World Surf League (WSL) as part of the WSL world tournaments. [SOURCE]
Taiei Times
Date: Nov 27, 2016
By: Shen Pei-yao and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writer
In the second such incident reported in one week, a member of the pro-unification Patriot Association (愛國同心會) allegedly berated Japanese students and their tour guide outside Taipei 101 on Thursday, insulting them in both Chinese and Japanese.
A Taiwanese tour guide working with a group of Japanese tourists subsequently dialled 110 to summon emergency services after the high-school-aged tourists were verbally attacked by a member of the Patriot Association who is said to be a regular outside the building handing out brochures.
The tourists were making their way to Taipei 101 at about 1pm when the incident occurred.
According to a tour guide surnamed Fan (范), when the group arrived at the building, he and three Japanese teachers encountered the man associated with the Patriot Association. [FULL STORY]
Surprise acting wins for Fan Wei, Elaine Jin and Lin Po-hung
Taiwan News
Date: 2016/11/26
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Most of the winners of the 53rd edition of the Golden Horse Awards in Taipei
Shu Qi, Annie Chen and Hsu Wei-ning.(By Central News Agency)
Saturday were surprises which had not been tipped as ower struggle on a farm in the 1940s.
Competition is thought to be especially tough this year, as contenders from Taiwan, China and Hong Kong have all won critical acclaim.
Chinese actor Fan Wei won the best lead actor award for “Mr. No Problem,” defeating major stars like Tony Leung Ka-fai and Jacky Cheung, with the same movie also winning best screenplay adaptation for the script by its director Mei Feng and Huang Shi. The story was written by Lao She and deals with a power struggle on a farm in the 1940s.
One of the favorites, Chinese actor-director Feng Xiaogang, won the best director award for “I Am Not Madame Bovary,” the story of a couple getting a divorce to obtain a second apartment. The ruse misfires when the husband marries another woman. Feng only won the best acting award just last year. [FULL STORY]
Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/11/26
By: Elaine Hou
Taipei, Nov. 26 (CNA) President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has vowed to turn Taiwan into “an Asian tiger
again” in an article she wrote for the Economist’s special edition, “the World In 2017,” in which she lays out her reform plans for the coming year.
Taiwan was a bright light in a sea of darkness, but lately, many Taiwanese feel that bright light has dimmed amid an uncertain global environment, she wrote in the article.
Tsai, who was elected Taiwan’s first female president in January, said she assumed her duties as Taiwan’s leader at a time of vast economic and political challenges, including slow economic growth, rising inequality and new security threats that are testing the world.
“Taiwan, no less than other countries, will be defined by how it responds to these difficulties,” said Tsai, who was inaugurated in May. [FULL STORY]
Taipei Times
Date: Nov 27, 2016
By: Sean Lin / Staff reporter
Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) yesterday criticized Taipei Dome contractor Farglory Group for “haggling” over the cost of the complex’s operations after a media report said the corporation is planning to abandon the beleaguered build-operate-transfer (BOT) project.
The Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) yesterday reported that Farglory planned to abandon the project out of concerns over a new property tax and the rent it would be required to pay for the duration of the BOT contract once the Dome complex begins operations.
Farglory is waiting for the next opportunity to dissolve the BOT contract, the report said.
“Property and land taxes are levied nationwide. They are not directed at Farglory,” Ko said yesterday on the sidelines of a premiere of documentaries on Taipei’s agricultural sector. [FULL STORY]
The China Post
Date: November 27, 2016
By: The China Post news staff
TAIPEI, Taiwan — Religious leaders Saturday spoke out in favor of efforts to legalize same-sex marriage, ahead of a second public hearing on issue slated for Monday.
Speaking at a press conference held at the Legislative Yuan, senior figures from several religious orders gave their support to marriage equality.
Shih Chao-hwei (釋昭慧), a female Buddhist Master and professor at Hsuan Chuang University, said marriage equality was a “natural thing,” given that “all of mankind is born equal.”
Based on the principle of equality guaranteed by Taiwan’s constitution, those in same-sex relationships should have the right to “pursue their happiness,” Shih said. [FULL STORY]
Taiwan Today
Date: November 25, 2016
State-run Taiwan Sugar Corp., one of the nation’s largest agricultural enterprises, established Nov. 16 a
Taisugar plans to install modern biogas power generators on its pig farms in southern Taiwan’s Pingtung County. (Courtesy of Taisugar)
biogas utilization division, marking a significant milestone in the company’s efforts to boost renewable energy production.
According to Taisugar President Charles Huang, the new unit will enhance the firm’s competitiveness and profitability while helping it fulfill its corporate environmental responsibility. The company’s long-term goal is to spin off the division into a subsidiary that could offer related technologies and services to other organizations in the domestic and regional markets, he told lawmakers during a committee meeting at the Legislative Yuan Nov. 21 in Taipei City.
Headquartered in southern Taiwan’s Tainan City, Taisugar has diversified in recent decades into such fields as biotechnology, ecotourism and floriculture. It also runs the largest pig farming business in the country, operating 19 locations that produce about 380,000 hogs annually.
Taisugar has to date installed biogas-powered generators at four of its pig farms in southern Taiwan’s Pingtung County. Although they produce electricity, these devices are primarily designed to protect the environment by consuming methane, according to a project manager with the company. [FULL STORY]
Taiwan News
Date: 2016/11/25
By: Wendy Lee , Taiwan News, Staff Writer
Chilling out in hot springs is one of the must-dos in Taiwan. While neighboring country Japan is often 
touted for its many healing hot springs, Taiwan also possesses a great variety of springs, which puts the island on the list of world’s top 15 hot spring destinations by Travel King.
Home to over 100 hot spring spots and all with their unique characteristics, Taiwan is a great destination for hot spring lovers. The amazing natural springs is also one of the many reasons that keep visitors coming back to the island.
In fact, as winter lurks around the corner, now is the time to visit Taiwan. While the weather tends to be warm and dry this time of year, it is also the best season to enjoy the hot springs.
Here are the four major hot spring destinations in Taiwan that you won’t regret visiting. [FULL STORY]
Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/11/25
By: Liu Li-jung, Chiu Chun-chin and Kuo Chung-han
Taipei, Nov. 25 (CNA) Taiwan’s opposition party Kuomintang (KMT) on Friday criticized as unconstitutional and unlawful a decision by an ad hoc committee under Taiwan’s Cabinet that “all shares of the Central Investment Corp. (中投) and Hsinyutai Co. (欣裕台) were improperly obtained ” by the KMT and should “be transferred to the state.”
Hu Wen-chi (胡文琦), KMT spokesman and deputy director of its Culture and Communications Committee, said the Ill-Gotten Party Assets Settlement Committee hastily made the decision before it confirmed the minutes of its hearing on Oct. 7 and before the assets declarations of the two companies had been finished.
“What the committee did was totally ignoring the law and obviously unconstitutional and unlawful,” said Hu.
The KMT will use all possible judicial means to appeal the decision and has not ruled out the possibility of protesting on the street, said Hu. [FULL STORY]
THE AGENDAHsu Yung-ming said that the government is not too busy to review items passed by the committee and the general assembly, and that processes are stalling
Taipei Times
Date: Nov 26, 2016
By: Abraham Gerber / Staff reporter
Voting on transitional justice and electoral reform legislation should be held soon, New Power Party (NPP) legislators said yesterday, saying that a “black hole” between committees and the general assembly has swallowed many of the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) promised “priority bill” reforms.
“There is a black hole between committees and the general assembly. Many bills have passed committee reviews and cross-caucus negotiations, but do not appear before the general assembly. There was already consensus on many of these bills last session and many were named as priority legislation, but they have disappeared this legislative session,” NPP caucus convener Hsu Yung-ming (徐永明) said, adding that transitional justice legislation and amendments to the Civil Servants Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法) to lower recall thresholds are two such bills.
“The general assembly is not that busy and no one has occupied the speaker’s podium, so why have these bills not been put on the agenda?” he said, adding that cross-caucus talks on transitional justice legislation were completed in July, while those on the Civil Servants Election and Recall Act were completed in June.
Both bills have been passed by their respective committees. [FULL STORY]
