Focus Taiwan
Date: 07/02/2020
By: Huang Li-yun and Joseph Yeh

Taipei, July 2 (CNA) Over the past three months, more than 4,000 foreign nationals who had overstayed their visas in Taiwan have voluntarily reported to authorities, under an amnesty program launched by the government to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, the National Immigration Agency (NIA) said Thursday.

In the period April 1 to June 30, a total of 7,617 people with expired visas were identified by law enforcement agencies, and 4,443 of them were granted amnesty under the "Expanded Overstayers Voluntary Departure Program," the NIA said.

The other 3,174 were found and detained by law enforcement, the NIA said in a press release.

Among the 7,617, Vietnamese and Indonesians made up the majority, at 2,075 and 1,519, respectively, the NIA said, adding that none of the overstayers had tested positive for COVID-19.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan Internatinal
Date: 01 July, 2020
By: John Van Trieste

After many months of preparation, one of northern Taiwan’s scenic attractions is allowing visitors to return. The rugged ocean views and windswept landscapes this spot has to offer are not to be missed. But there’s a cap on the number of daily visitors, so be sure to book your admission in advance!

If you’ve visited the port city of Keelung, you’ve probably Keelung Islet looming enigmatically out on the sea. From the shore, it looks inaccessible, and until Wednesday, it really was. The craggy islet is easy enough to reach by boat, but it has only been intermittently open to tourists.

After a successful trial run last year, the islet is now welcoming visitors on a regular basis. There’s a lot to take in: rock formations eroded into strange shapes by centuries of wind and waves, striking views from a lighthouse vantage point, and an abundance of wildlife.

The waters around the island team with fish. If you’re lucky, you may see schools of clownfish on the trip over. Then there’s the wildlife on the island itself. One guide says around 100-200 species call the rocky outcrops here home, including plants and birds. Visitors coming in late spring and late summer are in for an extra treat: lilies bloom on the island between May and June, while August and September are golden spider lily season.    [FULL  STORY]

IFL Science
Date: 01 JUL 2020
By: Rachael Funnell

It sounds like something fresh out of a low budget sci fi movie, but the megamouth shark is not only real, it’s amazing. These derp-faced giants are the third largest shark in the ocean and they roam the deep using their enormous mouths, lined with comical rubbery lips, to filter feed on plankton and jellyfish, just like basking sharks. There have been fewer than 300 spotted since their discovery in 1976 and they are considered extremely rare, meaning little is known about these deep-sea animals. Their rarity has unfortunately made them a valuable specimen, and a worrying trend in Taiwan has galvanized conservation groups to urge for better protection and improved fishing practices to prevent the death and trade of megamouth sharks.

“Globally there have been 230 reported catchings of megamouth sharks,” said Jonathan Tree from the Environment & Animal Society of Taiwan (EAST), in an interview with IFLScience. “One hundred and forty-six of these have been caught by Taiwanese fisheries, which together account for nearly two-thirds of global catchings.

“While fishing operators claim megamouth catchings are accidental bycatch, in 2018-19 just three fishing vessels were responsible for 72 megamouth shark catchings off the coast of eastern Taiwan. This month, four vessels caught six megamouth sharks in the space of just four days.”

Megamouths typically swim at depths of around 120-166 meters (394 – 545 feet) during the day, but they have predictable vertical migrations which bring them within fishing range between dusk and dawn at just 12 – 25 meters (39 – 82 feet) below the sea surface. It’s unclear if this migration is in search of food or favorable light conditions, but it puts the huge sharks at risk from capture be it as accidental bycatch or otherwise.    [FULL  STORY]

Move bars US telecoms from using government subsidy money to buy equipment from Chinese firms for their networks

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/07/01
By: Eric Chang, Taiwan News, Contributing Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) formally designated Chinese telecommunications companies Huawei and ZTE as threats to national security on Tuesday (June 30).

“With today’s Orders, and based on the overwhelming weight of evidence, the Bureau has designated Huawei and ZTE as national security risks to America’s communications networks — and to our 5G future,” FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said in a press statement. “Both companies have close ties to the Chinese Communist Party and China’s military apparatus, and both companies are broadly subject to Chinese law obligating them to cooperate with the country’s intelligence services.”

By listing Huawei and ZTE as national security threats, the FCC prohibits U.S. telecommunications providers from using government subsidy money through the $8.3 billion Universal Service Fund to buy equipment from the Chinese firms for their networks, according to The Verge. The FCC voted unanimously last November to block telecoms from using federal money to purchase from suppliers deemed a threat to national security; it was then recommended that the designation be applied to Huawei and ZTE, according to the press release.

The FCC also took into account recent moves by Congress, the White House, the intelligence community, U.S. allies, and communications service providers in other countries. “We cannot and will not allow the Chinese Communist Party to exploit network vulnerabilities and compromise our critical communications infrastructure,” Pai added.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 07/01/2020
By: Matt You and Evelyn Kao

Taipei, July 1 (CNA) A fleet of F-16 fighter jets, carrying live MK-84 general purpose bombs, departed from Hualien Jiashan Air Base on Wednesday in a drill that simulated bombing enemy ships.

The bombs were dropped in the sea off the eastern coast of Taiwan in a simulated attack on enemy ships seeking to reach the shore.

The MK-84, an American general-purpose bomb, is the most powerful in the MK-80 series and is highly destructive. With a nominal weight of 907.2 kilograms, it is nicknamed the hammer because of its considerable power.

On impact, the MK-84 can blow apart buildings and other structures. It can penetrate metal up to 38 centimeters and concrete up to 3.4 meters, depending on the height from which it is dropped, and it causes lethal fragmentation across a radius of 370m.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 30 June, 2020
By: Natalie Tso

Ice cream with soda on top[/caption] Taiwan has seen record high temperatures in June, and one way people love to cool off is by eating ice desserts. Dessert shops can be found all around Taiwan and many local citizens have come up with their own way of enjoying a cold refreshing treat.

People in Taiwan love ice desserts in the summertime. Soft serve2 ice cream is a staple at convenience stores. But people on the internet are sharing new ways to enjoy cold treats. 

Don’t just drink your favorite tea or soy milk,  freeze it at home to make a refreshing ice dessert.
[FULL  STORY]

Get outdoors to stay fit, enjoy soft ocean breeze on beautiful bike trails

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/06/30
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Dajia section of Taichung City's coastal bikeway system is the perfect place on a summer weekend or holiday to enjoy the sea breeze and coastal views.

The coastal bikeway's Dajia section starts at Sungpo Fishing Port (松柏漁港) in the north, goes along the top of the Hsi-Chi Dyke, and ends at the Shuangliao Dyke to the south, according to a press release from the Taichung Tourism and Travel Bureau. The extravagantly beautiful ride is also made convenient by three resting spots along the way.

After passing underneath the elevated bridge of the Western Coastal Express (Provincial Highway 61), ride eastward on Beiti West Road, which runs parallel to the Daan River, where shoreside landscapes mix with idyllic farms. Riding further along Beiti West Road will take cyclists to where Taichung City and Miaoli County meet.    [FULL  STORY]