Focus Taiwan
Date: 04/25/2020
By: Lin Yu-li and Matthew Mazzetta

Berlin, April 24 (CNA) Taiwan's government-funded research institution Academia Sinica held discussions with the Polish Academy of Sciences on Thursday via video conferencing to share Taiwan's experience in fighting the COVID-19 coronavirus disease.

The talks, which were arranged by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Prague, were attended by the Polish academy's president, Jerzy Duszyński, and three epidemic prevention officials from the Polish government, while Taiwan was represented by Academia Sinica President James C. Liao (廖俊智) and two research scientists.

According to a representative office official, Liao explained how Taiwan learned from its experience fighting a severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2003, and how it had established a central epidemic command center in the early days of this current outbreak to coordinate the government's response.

The two sides also exchanged views on testing technologies, infection modeling and various public health measures, the official said.    [FULL  STORY]

Insider
Date: April 25, 2020
By: Martha Sorren

 

• I visited a Pizza Hut in Taipei, Taiwan, and it was so much different from locations in the US. 
• The chain's locations in Taiwan had some tasty and unique menu items, like a bubble-tea dessert pizza and a pie that's covered in seafood. 
• In Taiwan, Pizza Hut pies cost slightly more than they do in the US and delivery options are a bit more limited. 

Some chains are pretty ubiquitous around the world — but that doesn't mean they're the same everywhere you go. 

Recently, I visited the international fast-food chain Pizza Hut while in Taipei, Taiwan, and I was surprised at how different it was from locations in the United States.

Here's what Pizza Hut in Taiwan is like, and how it compares to US locations.     [FULL  STORY]

A US P-3C Orion flew near southwestern Taiwan marking 12th similar incident this month

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/04/25
By: Kelvin Chen, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A U.S. Navy P-3C Orion anti-submarine aircraft flew near the southern waters of Taiwan on Saturday (April 25) morning, marking the 12th time a U.S. military aircraft entered Taiwanese airspace this month.

At the Ministry of Defense’s (MND) "Goodwill Fleet" epidemic investigation press conference on Friday, MND Spokesman Major General Shih Shun-wen (史順文) said the nation’s military was fully in control of the situation. He also emphasized that though the situation in the Taiwan Strait continues to be precarious, the nation’s military stays prepared.

“Aircraft Spots,” a Twitter account dedicated to tracking aircraft movement, showed a U.S. Navy P-3C Orion aircraft was in the southern waters of Taiwan, traveling from northeast to southwest toward the South China Sea, CNA reported. According to information publicly disclosed by the MND and “Aircraft Spots,” Saturday’s incident was the 12th U.S. military aircraft had flown near Taiwan this month.

The MND stated Thursday the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Liaoning aircraft carrier and its strike group entered the South China Sea via the Bashi Strait on April 12, and crossed it again on April 22 after training in the disputed waters. The MND also announced for the first time that aerial photos of the Liaoning were taken.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 04/25/2020
By: Kuo Chih-hsuan and Frances Huang

Taipei, April 25 (CNA) Nearly 16,000 chickens raised on a farm in Pingtung County, southern Taiwan, were culled Saturday after they were confirmed to be infected with the highly pathogenic H5N5 avian influenza virus, according to the Pingtung County Animal Disease Control Center.

The center said that a total of 15,826 chickens around six weeks old were culled on the farm in Yanpu Township.

The authorities said the owner of the farm reported to the center on Wednesday that some of his chickens had recently died strangely, prompting the center to take samples from the farm for testing.

The test results came out Saturday showing that the chickens had contracted the H5N5 virus and the center immediately took action to have them culled.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 24 April, 2020
By: Shirley Lin

Mikado pheasant, an endangered species[/caption] The Mikado pheasant is one of Taiwan’s most beautiful bird species. But you’ll need a lot of luck to spot one in the wild. Recently, one birdwatcher had the unusual luck of spotting two.

The Mikado pheasant is an endangered species of bird endemic to Taiwan. With their numbers low, it’s only natural that they aren’t easy to spot.

That’s why it must have an unforgettable moment for one birdwatcher when he recently spotted both a male and a female in the mountains of Taichung as they were looking for food.

Even if you’re not a bird expert, you might find the bird a little bit familiar, at least if you’ve ever seen Taiwanese currency. That’s because an image of these birds is on every NT$1,000 bill.
[FULL  STORY]

New Europe
Date: April 24, 2020
By: Elena Pavlovska

China in recent weeks has dramatically increased its military drills around Taiwan. The move is seen as Beijing’s provocation towards Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen, who was re-elected in a landslide in January.

China has long held military drills in Taiwanese territorial waters and airspace. However this month, the People’s Liberation Army Airforce conducted a 36-hour endurance exercise.

Relations between Taiwan and China have been on the decline since 2016 when Tsai, who has taken a more pro-Taiwan stance than her main competitor, was first elected president.

Taiwan has earlier blamed China for stepping up its drills near to the island, instead of focusing its efforts on combating the spread of the coronavirus.    [FULL  STORY]

National Yang-Ming University professor leads effort of enhancing Jitsi Meet app

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/04/24
By: Huang Tzu-ti, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A team from Taiwan’s National Yang-Ming University has developed a videoconferencing platform with free access based on the open-source software Jitsi Meet.

Led by Chen Yu-chun (陳育群), an assistant professor at the university’s School of Medicine, the team has incorporated new features to the application for improved security. Through a one-time encryption key, users will be able to convene virtual meetings without the need to sign in.

The software can be connected via a local area network with limited access and the online meeting rooms will be closed automatically after all participants have left to ensure data security. The source code is now freely available.

Chen, who is also a doctor at Taipei Veterans General Hospital, embarked on the project by tapping his experience in assisting the hospital to develop an online medical diagnosis system. As the need for online meetings increases with employees being asked to work remotely amid the coronavirus, he hopes to offer relevant expertise for the creation of a safer videoconferencing system.
[FULL  STORY]

Made-in-Taiwan thermometer guns will go to 15 allies, US, Germany

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/04/24
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — TaiDoc Technology Corporation donated 35,000 thermometer guns and 250 sets of automatic measuring instruments, all of them made in Taiwan, to the country’s 15 official diplomatic allies as well as to the United States and Germany, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Friday (April 24).

At the ceremony marking the donation, foreign diplomats spoke highly of Taiwan’s efforts against the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and of the quality of its products, Liberty Times reported.

American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Brent Christensen said friends stand together in difficult times, showing that in these times, Taiwan has proven to be a true friend of the U.S.

TaiDoc said that although most temperature gun makers have moved production to China, it has stayed in Taiwan. As Chinese-made products often encounter quality control problems, it is better for Taiwan to donate locally manufactured equipment to its allies, according to the New Taipei City-based company.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 04/24/2020
By: Wang Cheng-chung, Chen Yun-yu and Elizabeth Hsu

Taipei, April 24 (CNA) A hackthon competition was announced in Taipei Friday by Taiwan's government and the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), to boost the development of innovative solutions for controlling and stopping the global coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic.

The Coronavirus Hackathon (cohack) contest was jointly introduced by Vice Premier Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) and AIT Director Brent Christensen to encourage experts in relevant sectors to help create application programs aimed at using data related to epidemic prevention and control in a more efficient and accurate manner.

According to Audrey Tang (唐鳳), Taiwan's minister without portfolio responsible for digital technology, the cohack will be divided into six categories, including management of epidemic control resources, transition measures ahead of the end of the pandemic, and protection of socially-disadvantaged groups.

The other three categories are the use of predictive tools for policy-making, ways to support frontline personnel in the struggle against COVID-19, and risk communication.    [FULL  STORY]