Want China Times
Date: 2015-05-13
By: CNA

An Indian family of three have been caught serving as drug mules, smuggling

3.7 kilograms of heroin into Taiwan, investigators said Tuesday.

The investigators said a Taiwanese man surnamed Tsai, the alleged mastermind of a drug trafficking ring who has resided in Thailand for many years, scouted the Indian man, aged around 70 and identified by police only as “Kenneth,” and his wife and daughter. He convinced them to carry the heroin from Thailand to Taiwan, believing that as it was Mother’s Day in Taiwan, the security officials would have lowered their guard.

Investigators nabbed the family and another Taiwanese man surnamed Su, who came to the family’s hotel to pick up of the drugs Sunday. They also tracked down Tsai.     [FULL   STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/05/13
By: Chen Cheng-wei and Ted Chen

Taipei, May 13 (CNA) President Chain Store Corp. (統一超商), which operates the 7-Eleven convenience store chain in Taiwan, said Wednesday that it had collected about NT$10.6 million (US$346,000) in donations, in a collaborative effort with World Vision Taiwan, to provide aid to earthquake-stricken Nepal.

The company said it has seen an outpouring of charity by the Taiwan public since it began collecting donations via the ibon electronic kiosks at its 7-Eleven stores on April 26.

In the first week, about NT$7.86 million was collected, with single day record of NT$1.5 million, and by May 13, the amount had reached NT$10.6 million, the company said.     [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: May 14, 2015
By: Shih Hsiu-chuan  /  Staff reporter

More controversy erupted yesterday over the attendance of six government

officials at a forum cohosted by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in Shanghai, in addition to alleged violations of administrative neutrality.

The Chinese-language Next Magazine yesterday reported that the board and lodging expenses of the six officials during their three-day stay in Shanghai earlier this month were paid by China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, while the KMT covered the cost of the flight tickets.

Asked for comment yesterday, KMT spokesperson Yang Wei-chung (楊偉中) said the report “did not get all the facts right.”

The Research Center for Relations across the Taiwan Strait under the Taiwan Affairs Office joined with the KMT’s National Policy Foundation in covering all of the expenses of all the members of the delegation from Taiwan, excluding KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), Yang said.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/05/12
By: Kelven Huang and Maubo Chang

Taipei, May 12 (CNA) President Ma Ying-jeou said Tuesday that his administration will honor the soldiers who fought against Japan in the 2nd Sino-Japanese War when it celebrates the Republic of China’s victory over Japan in that war in July.

Two people who helped innocent Chinese and Jews during World War II will also be honored when Taipei marks the 70th anniversary of the Republic of China’s victory over Japan.

Ma told a group of ethnic Chinese who visited him at the Presidential Office that the country owes these old soldiers gratitude for their protection of the ROC, which led the Chinese people in the 1937-1945 war against Japanese aggression.     [FULL  STORY]

Want China Times
Date: 2015-05-12
By: CNA

Taiwan’s president, Ma Ying-jeou, said in a media interview published Sunday

that the goals he set when he took office seven years ago have been achieved to a certain extent.

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Ma said that when he took office seven years ago, he put forth a vision to create a free, democratic and prosperous Taiwan, a peaceful cross-strait relationship, and a friendly international environment.

“We have made steady progress toward our goals. While not all have been met, we have done a great deal toward realizing this vision,” he said in response to a question on how history should judge him as president.

He said Taiwan’s GDP growth was 3.74% in 2014, the highest among the Asian Tigers, and Taiwan is also pretty competitive in terms of jobless and inflation rates. This year, Taiwan’s stock index hit the 10,000-point mark at one point, he noted.     [FULL  STORY]

Want China Times
Date: 2015-05-11
By: CNA and Staff Reporter

A group of Taiwanese volunteers returned from earthquake-hit Nepal Sunday,

saying their nine-day service in the devastated country is the best Mother’s Day gift for their moms.

A 62-member team from the Taiwan Root Medical Peace Corps, led by Liu Chi-chun, flew to the Himalayan country May 2 following the 7.8- magnitude earthquake on April 25 to offer their services as part of an international relief effort late last month.

Over 8,000 people are confirmed to have died in the quake, and nearly 19,000 people injured, according to official figures. Some 2 million people have been displaced and it is believed that 8 million of the country’s population of 28 million have been affected.

While there, the Taiwanese volunteers did their work in a post- disaster environment without water or power supplies, even without beds. Now back in Taiwan, some said what they miss the most is a good sleep in their own beds.     [FULL  STORY]

Digital Game Developer
Dated: May 10, 2015

HONG KONG, May 10, 2015 – (ACN Newswire) – Digital Domain Holdings

Limited (“DDHL” and together with its subsidiaries, the “Group”) (stock code: 547) , the Hollywood virtual reality technology and content provider, has successfully held Asia’s first virtual concert of Taiwanese pop diva Miss Teresa Teng commemorating the 20th anniversary of her passing, presented with the Group’s cutting-edge Virtual Human technologies. Miss Teng is generally considered to be the all-time greatest Asian singing star.

Developed by Digital Domain 3.0, the Group’s Virtual Effects Production arm based in Los Angeles and Vancouver, the life-size virtual image of Ms. Teng, also one of Asia’s most beloved singers, dressed in her signature slim-fitting dresses, enthralled the audience of 7,000 fans at the Taipei Arena on Saturday night for more than two hours during which she sang her standards including “Sweet Sweet Honey” and “The Moon Represents My Heart.”     [FULL  STORY]