Radio Taiwan International 
Date: 15 May, 2019
By: Paula Chao

Advocates of same-sex marriage held a rally outside of the legislature on Tuesday while lawmakers met inside to discuss the bills. But although the goal was to find a consensus, few changes were made ahead of review on Friday.

Legislature President Su Jia-chyuan says there are only a handful of contentious clauses… And it’s a short bill, so the review shouldn’t last until the early hours of the morning.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan Today
Date: May 15, 2019 | A-

A heartwarming short showing how Taiwan Can Help change lives for the better was jointly released May 14 by Taipei City-based Noordhoff Craniofacial Foundation and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Titled “Plant Love,” the 13-minute film documents how three medical professionals from the Vietnam National Children’s Hospital are working wonders for cleft lip and palate patients by utilizing the advanced training they received at the Craniofacial Center of Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taoyuan City, northern Taiwan.

There is one case of cleft lip and palate in every 600 to 800 newborns in Vietnam. While many foreign medical missions visit the Southeast Asian country to perform corrective procedures, results are not optimal given minimal follow-up care, according to the foundation.

To address this situation, the Vietnamese professionals underwent training in surgery, orthodontics and speech therapy. They have since become “seed doctors,” and the holistic medical services they offer are making a big difference to many families, the foundation said.    [FULL  STORY]

Ko says he is aiming for voters disenchanted with both DPP and KMT

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/05/15
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taipei City Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) is preparing to run for president, Japan’s Asahi Shimbun reported Wednesday (May 5) in an interview with the independent politician.

The 59-year-old surgeon wanted to gain the support of voters dissatisfied with both major parties, the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT), the newspaper wrote on its second day of special reporting on Taiwan’s January 11, 2020 presidential election.

Ko’s strategy included the forming of a support group in the southern city of Kaohsiung, he told the Asahi Shimbun, yet that only amounted to preparations, which might not be followed by real action. The mayor said he wanted to wait until both the DPP and the KMT had chosen their candidates, a process which was not expected to be completed until late July.

According to the Central News Agency, Ko told the Asahi Shimbun that he had “opened a new road” in Taiwanese politics and given voters a new choice outside of the two main parties. There had been three changes of power beginning in 2000, but they had not made Taiwan a better place, the mayor argued.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/05/15
By: Chen Chi-wei, Chiang Pei-ling and William Yen

Taipei, May 15 (CNA) Music and music video from the Taiwanese singer Jolin Tsai’s (蔡依林)’s 14th music studio album “Ugly Beauty” have been nominated for awards in seven categories in this year’s Golden Melody Awards, the Ministry of Culture (MOC) said Wednesday.

In a short list of nominees issued by MOC’s Bureau of Audiovisual and Music Industry Development (BAMID), “Ugly Beauty” was nominated for best album of the year, best album in Mandarin, and best vocal recording album.

Various singles in the album were also nominated for awards in the categories of song of the year, best composer, and best music video, while Tsai was nominated for best female Mandarin vocalist for her work in “Ugly Beauty,” according to the BAMID shortlist.

In the best female Mandarin vocalist category, Tsai will be up against Eve Ai (艾怡良) whose album is called “Fade to Exist,” Shi Shi (孫盛希) with “Shi’s Journey”, Yoyo Sham (岑寧兒) with “Nothing Is Under Control”, and Sandy Lam (林憶蓮) with “0”, the BAMID list shows.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International 
Date: 14 May, 2019
By: John Van Trieste

Taiwan’s quarantine bureau is on alert against the fall armyworm, an invasive insect that devastates crops.

Since reaching Asia in 2018, the fall armyworm has spread through southern and southwestern China.

Should the insects make it across the Taiwan Strait, the consequences for Taiwan’s agriculture could be serious. That’s because the fall armyworm damages 353 types of plants, among them important crops like corn, rice, and cotton.    [FULL  STORY]

CNS News
Date: May 14, 2019
By: Patrick Goodenough

(CNSNews.com) – When the World Health Organization holds its annual general

assembly in Geneva this month, Taiwan will not be present, as a major U.N. body once again falls in line with China’s effort to isolate a country which it regards as a rebellious province.

This will be the third consecutive year that Beijing has blocked an invitation for Taiwan to participate at an observer in the WHO’s World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva. Taiwan’s government says its exclusion makes the island’s 23 million people more vulnerable to pandemics.

Only a handful of countries have spoken out in support of Taiwan’s participation.

A WHO spokesman pointed out that Taiwan’s 16 diplomatic allies are dwarfed by the 178 member-states that endorse Beijing’s “one-China” policy, and so there is little chance of Taiwan being invited absent China’s consent.    [FULL  STORY]

Vaccine works on mice: Academia Sinica

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/05/14
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – A team comprising specialists from the Academia Sinica, National Taiwan University and the University of Texas Medical Branch may have found a vaccine for the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), reports said Tuesday (May 14).

The virus first emerged in Saudi Arabia in 2012, and has since expanded to affect 2,000 patients in 27 countries, with a mortality rate averaging 34 percent, as no vaccine has yet been developed.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/05/14
By: Stacy Hsu 

Taipei, May 14 (CNA) Former Causeway Bay Books owner Lam Wing Kee (林榮基), who came to Taiwan in April after fleeing Hong Kong over fears of being persecuted by China, will be allowed to stay in Taiwan longer to give him time to find a way to settle here.

Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) spokesman Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said that after consulting with the council, the National Immigration Agency has decided to extend Lam’s visa by another two months, allowing him to stay until July 14.

Lam’s current visa was originally set to expire on Tuesday.

Chiu said the extension was granted because Lam needs more time to apply for a work permit that qualifies him for residency in Taiwan, adding that the government is willing to provide assistance if he has any procedural questions.  [FULL  STORY]