Taiwan News
Date: 2016/11/05
By: Central News Agency

The Central Weather Bureau said Saturday that a cloudy to sunny sky with warmer temperatures could be seen in most parts of the country throughout the day, but cooler weather is likely from next Tuesday due to seasonal winds from the northeast.

Maximum temperatures could hover between 27-29 degrees Celsius in northern and northeastern Taiwan Saturday, and 30-32 degrees in central Taiwan and southern Taiwan, with lows in all areas ranging between 20-22 degrees, the bureau said.

Except for eastern Taiwan and mountainous areas in greater Taipei and southern Taiwan, the rest of the country could see a cloudy to sunny sky, forecasters said.

However, the relatively stable weather could give way to rain starting next Tuesday, sending lows down to 19 degrees in northern Taiwan, according to the bureau.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/11/05
By: Wei Su, Rita Cheng and Romulo Huang

Taipei, Nov. 5 (CNA) Two of the leading technology research institutions in Taiwan received six 2016

R&D 100 awards in a ceremony held on Wednesday in Maryland, the United States, with the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) receiving five and the Institute for Information Industry (III) one.

ITRI’s technologies were selected as winners for innovation in the IT/Electrical, Mechanical Devices/Materials and Software/Services categories, while the III’s “Smart Glasses Guidance System,” was recognized in the Software/Services category.

ITRI developed the following award-winning technologies:

The iSmartweaR jointly developed by ITRI and Taiwan’s ECLAT Textile Corporation, transforms ordinary fabrics into smart wearables. It integrates nanosecond pulse near-field sensing technology (NPNS), with washable conductive fabrics that enable textile products to track a wearer’s vital signs without bodily contact.    [FULL STORY]

The China Post
Date: November 5, 2016
By: The China Post news staff

TAIPEI, Taiwan — National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) in Tainan announced it had joined the

Worldwide Universities Network — a leading global higher education network of research intensive universities — as part of its commitment to research and education innovation.

NCKU is the first university in Taiwan to join the global network, according to a university press release.

A signing ceremony on Tuesday marked the establishment of a partnership between the school and the Worldwide Universities Network.

It was signed by NCKU President Huey-Jen Jenny Su and John Hearn, executive director of the alliance.

Hearn said, “We are delighted to have NCKU as a member and we’d like you to join us quickly, not only to engage in the programs that we have, but also to bring new strength and new programs that (the university has) to our network.”    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan needs a legislative structure that fosters the new digital economy, according to David Plouffe, a visiting Uber executive and former advisor to U.S. President Barack Obama.

The News Lens
Date: 2016/11/04
By: ZiQing Low

As Taiwan continues to increase fines on ride-sharing service Uber and some lawmakers push to have its app made unavailable, a top Uber executive has urged the country to “lift [its] head up and see what’s happening elsewhere.”

Uber continues to face difficulties in its operations in Taiwan, amassing fines of up to US$68 million, amid ongoing tax and business legality issues.

Speaking at a forum on how Taiwan’s government could further develop its digital economy hosted by the Sharing Economy Industry Association (SEIA) in Taipei this morning, Uber board member and strategic adviser David Plouffe (pictured above) said that the Uber debate was one that had been settled in most countries, including Brazil, the Philippines and Malaysia.

“We’re not talking about nuclear physics, or Elon Musk trying to put us all on the moon. This is fairly uncomplicated in the scheme of things,” said Plouffe, when asked about what legislation was needed in Taiwan to foster an innovation-friendly environment.    [FULL  STORY]

An assistant professor of National Taitung University used chalk to draw an intricate rendition of a classic painting

Taiwan News
Date: 2016/11/04
By: Maggie Huang, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

An assistant professor of National Taitung University used chalk to draw an intricate rendition of a classic painting in order to demonstrate the shading technique of sketching for his students and the artwork soon went viral on the Internet.

The 40-year old sketching teacher Weng Han-teng teaches at the Department of education industry and digital media in National Taitung University. He made a replica of The Last Judgment, a fresco by the Italian Renaissance master Michelangelo on a chalkboard in one of the classrooms of the university.

He mentioned that the syllabus of this semester is to teach students the shading technique, so he spent 20 hours to finish the chalk mural, which is his third creation using he medium.

He said that he made his first chalk drawing when he was in 9th grade. When he was standing in front of the class as punishment for a previous infraction, he began to chat with his classmates, so the teacher made him face the blackboard. Not knowing how long he would stand facing the chalkboard, Weng started to doodle on the board and finished his first chalkboard painting, and that has changed his life ever since by making up his mind to study fine arts for his future career.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/11/04
By: Chen Cheng-wei and Elizabeth Hsu

Taipei, Nov. 4 (CNA) Taiwan’s government has drafted a special act to resolve several of the problems facing foreign nationals employed in the country, which range from insurance and pensions to the residence status of their children, a Cabinet official said Friday.

Because the problems involve numerous laws and regulations, the Executive Yuan — the top administrative branch of the government — has drawn up a special act to comprehensively “ease residence-related restrictions on foreigners,” said Chen Tain-jy (陳添枝), head of the National Development Council.

The draft act will be released for public discussion by the end of the year at the earliest, and it will not be submitted to the Legislature before the Executive Yuan achieves a consensus on it in society, Chen said.

Chen mentioned the draft measure during a press conference at which the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) presented its 2016 white paper to Taiwan’s government.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan Today
Date: November 3, 2016

Taiwan is third in the Asia-Pacific for implementing effective mental health policies and providing

services aimed at assisting patients integrate successfully into society, according to a recently released regional mental health integration index produced by the Economist Intelligence Unit.

The country’s overall score of 80.1 placed it behind New Zealand at 94.7 and Australia at 92.2, but ahead of Singapore, 76.4; South Korea, 75.9; and Japan, 67.4.

Dr. Chang Shu-sen, an assistant professor in the College of Public Health at National Taiwan University in Taipei City, said in the report that “Taiwan’s democratic transition of 30 years ago had widespread indirect impacts on the improvement of community care and has enhanced awareness of human rights, including for those with mental illness.”

Released Oct. 10 to coincide with World Mental Health Day, the inaugural edition of the index compares the level of effort in 15 countries on the basis of 18 indicators grouped into the categories of access to treatment, environment, governance and opportunity. It employs similar methodology used by the EIU in its 2014 report for Europe.    [FULL  STORY]