Taiwan talk show host angrily vents for 10-minutes about Han's recent pie-in-the-sky promises

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/10/25
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — TV show host Arthur Hsieh (謝震武) went on a 10-minute tirade on TV in

reaction to the Kuomintang (KMT) presidential candidate's many preposterous proposals on the campaign trail.

Han has recently made such ludicrous suggestions as displaying the entire National Palace Museum collection at once and posting flag platforms on all mountains over 3,000 meters in height. In response to these proposals, Hsieh on the political commentary program "News Face-to-Face" (新聞面對面) went on a 10-minute rant about Han saying he is "speaking without thinking."

On the show, Hsieh borrowed Han's words "it's absolutely not always true that wanting something means being able to do something" in criticizing him. For example, in the case of the flag platforms Han initially said, "it must be done." only to backtrack the next day and say there should be environmental impact assessments and consideration given to soil and water conservation, among other factors.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/10/25
By: Lee Hsin-Yin

Taipei, Oct. 25 (CNA) Two local ground handling service providers have been fined for incidents in

which human negligence or mechanical failure led to damage of aircraft at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said Friday.

Taoyuan International Airport Services Co. and Evergreen Airline Services Co. were fined NT$300,000 (US$9,826) and NT$60,000 each for poor management that damaged three aircraft and one aircraft respectively, said Deputy Transport Minister Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材).

Wang's remarks came after the ministry conducted an investigation into aircraft damage caused by poor ground handling services, the frequency of which has recently increased at the country's main gateway.

In October alone, there were three incidents, Wang said, adding that the phenomenon has raised serious safety concerns and impacted the image of the airport.    [FULL  STORY]

EXECUTIVE ORDER: The ministry changed rules on gay and lesbian education that were mandated by the result of referendum No. 11 held in November last year

Taipei Times
Date: Oct 26, 2019
By: Staff Writer, with CNA

Heated debate broke out on Thursday at a public hearing at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei, as

opposing sides discussed the Ministry of Education’s amendment of enforcement rules for a gender equality law.

The Education and Culture Committee held the meeting regarding the ministry’s changes to Article 13 of the Enforcement Rules for Gender Equity Education Act (性別平等教育法施行細則), which includes language governing how sex education is to be taught in schools.

On April 2, the ministry issued an executive order removing language requiring the teaching of “gay and lesbian education,” which was mandated in referendum No. 11 held on Nov. 24 last year.

However, it replaced that language with a more broadly worded clause mandating the teaching of respect and understanding for “different genders, gender characteristics, gender temperaments, gender identity, and sexual orientation, and prevention and handling of sexual assault, sexual harassment, and sexual bullying on campus to enhance students’ gender equity consciousness.”
[FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 24 October, 2019
By: Jake Chen

Birdwatchers spotted three red crossbills in the outlying Penghu Islands Wednesday.

The red crossbill is a rare member of the finch family. It’s slightly larger than the average finch, and is known for its distinct, reddish brown feathers. The bird is most often seen in northeastern China, around the lower course of the Yangzi River.    [FULL  STORY]

The Mainichi
Date: October 25, 2019

BEIJING (Kyodo) — China said Thursday that Vice President Wang Qishan raised the politically

sensitive Taiwan issue with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe the previous day, a detail missing from an earlier Japanese account of their discussion.

【Related】Abe asks China vice president to peacefully resolve Hong Kong crisis

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying, speaking at a regular press briefing, also revealed that Abe had assured Wang at the meeting in Tokyo that Japan "is willing to properly handle sensitive issues such as Taiwan."

Hua's remarks came as Abe has been pursuing a friendly approach to self-ruled, democratic Taiwan, which mainland China led by the Communist Party considers a renegade province awaiting reunification.

Beijing likely wants to ensure that Japan avoids rocking the boat — given how sensitive the Taiwan issue is to China — ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping's scheduled visit to Japan as a state guest next spring amid a thaw in bilateral relations.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan Pride Parade kicks off on Saturday in Taipei  635   

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/10/24
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — This year's Taiwan Pride Parade will be held on Saturday (Oct. 26) and is expected to draw a record crowd, as the march takes place five months after same-sex marriage was officially legalized in the country.

Organizers estimate that the parade will draw 200,000 participants, well above the 130,000 seen last year, reported CNA. Parade participants will be divided into six color-coded teams to represent the six colors of the rainbow flag, including red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet.

Prior to this year's parade, a pride market will be held at 12 p.m., and the stage at the starting point will open at 12:30 p.m. The official parade will start at 1:30 p.m. at Taipei City Hall Square and is scheduled to wind its way along Zhongxiao East Road to Ketagalan Boulevard, where it will finish in front of the Presidential Palace at 7 p.m.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/10/24
By: Wang Yang-yu, Matt Yu and Evelyn Kao

Taipei, Oct. 24 (CNA) Taiwan has received a draft letter of offer and acceptance (LOA), a contract between the United States military and a foreign military sale customer, detailing its offer to sell 66 F-16V fighter jets to Taiwan, the defense ministry said Thursday.

Having received the draft LOA, Taiwan will now further evaluate its military needs before signing the official LOA and sending it back to the U.S. to finalize the deal, according to the ministry.

Taiwan will examine details such as prices, military equipment and other items and will discuss the offer with the U.S. before signing the official LOA, the ministry said.

In September, Taiwan's Legislature initially approved a draft bill that would allow the government to create a special budget of up to NT$250 billion (US$8.17 billion) to procure the 66 F-16 C/D Block 70 fighter jets, known as F-16Vs.    [FULL  STORY]

ALL BUT ONE: Foodpanda was the only platform not to sign the code, which would require couriers to have valid driving licenses and for the firms to follow CWB warnings

Taipei Times
Date:  Oct 25, 2019
By: Shelley Shan  /  Staff reporter

The Sharing Economy Association Taiwan (SEAT) yesterday released its proposed code of conduct for

food-delivery platform operators, which was signed by four out of five of the platforms.

The working conditions for food-delivery workers are under scrutiny following the deaths of several drivers in traffic accidents.

The National Development Council on Sunday hosted a meeting of representatives of delivery platforms and government agencies to discuss ways of better protecting delivery couriers and ensuring that food orders are not contaminated during delivery.

Representatives of the association, which represents UberEats, GoGoVan, Deliveroo, Foodpanda, Lalamove and other providers, agreed that it would start to draft its own code of conduct.
[FULL  STYORY]

Radio Taiwan Internatinal
Date: 23 October, 2019
By: Shirley Lin

Taiwan wins second place at World of Bread contest[/caption] A team from Taiwan has come in second place at this year’s World of Bread competition in France, continuing a winning streak with yet another baking masterpiece.

A team of skilled bakers from Taiwan took part in the 7th World of Bread contest in France on Monday. Their piece showed a baseball player wearing indigenous Taiwanese clothing. The whole piece measured 140 cm tall and weighed 50 kilograms.    [FULL  STORY]

Yilan is only a two-hour drive from Taipei but provides a completely different experience from the bustling capital city.

The News Lens
Date: 2019/10/23
By: TNL Staff

The happiness of a small town can permeate its peripheral area, and Yilan is an example of that. Only two hours drive from Taipei, Yilan is sometimes called “Taipei’s backyard” because of its proximity to the city and its lush landscape.

Walk in Taiwan, originally a Taipei walking tour company, has expanded its routes to introduce sustainable, authentic travel experiences in other Taiwanese cities. In October and November, Walk in Taiwan has partnered with Yilan’s Lanyang Museum to organize a collective tour named “Five Ways to Stroll Around Yilan.” This includes five different lifestyles involving small towns like Toucheng (頭城), Shengou (深溝), and more, where Taipei city dwellers are encouraged to go and experience a relaxing weekend while learning more about local cultures.

Chen Ding-nan (陳定南), the magistrate of Yilan in the 1980s, decided to keep Yilan away from industrial pollution and rejected the sixth naphtha cracker project. Although a controversial decision at the time, Yilan has been kept as a secret garden with more and more tourists visiting each year. With the Snow Mountain tunnel opening in 2006, Yilan has been getting more weekend traffic as the tunnel has directly connected the road from Yilan to Taipei.

For the Yilan tours, Walk in Taiwan emphasizes on providing travelers with an experience of “slow island living.” In Shengou, for example, travelers can interact with Taiwanese micro farmers who utilize the clean water sources in the region. Most of these micro farmers, surprisingly, are in their early 30s and have moved from big cities — some of them even have master’s degrees and speak multiple languages. The new-wave micro farmers in Yilan have been pushing for agricultural reforms by drastically reducing pesticides.    [FULL  STORY]