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Taiwan to ban personal care items with plastic microbeads from July

Taiwan News  
Date: 2018/06/19
By:  Central News Agency

TAIPEI (CNA) – The production and import of personal care products containing

Taiwan to crack down on microbeads (photo courtesy of Pixabay).

plastic microbeads will be banned nationwide effective July 1, the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) said Tuesday.

The ban, which follows similar measures carried out in a number of countries, including the United States and France, will be imposed on six major products, including shampoo, shower gel, soap, facial cleanser, scrubbing cream and toothpaste, according to the environmental administration.

The new initiative is intended to enhance environmental protection, and retailers caught violating the rule will be subject to fines of NT$1,200-NT$6,000 (US$198.34), with all products containing microbeads confiscated.

Microbeads are widely regarded by researchers as a major water pollutant, able to pass unfiltered through sewage treatment plants and make their way into rivers and canals to cause plastic particle pollution.    [FULL  STORY]

Firefighters sent to wrong place in Hualien fire mix up

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/06/19
By: Tyson Lu and Ko Lin

Taipei, June 19 (CNA) Firefighters were sent to the wrong address in Hualien County

Photo courtesy of Hualien County Fire Department

Tuesday evening, while the establishment where the fire occurred burned to the ground.

According to Hualien County Fire Department, officials received a call at 5:23 p.m. reporting a fire at “Jixiang Hot Spring B&B” in Yuli Township.

Firefighters who arrived at that address found no fire and only later learned that the blaze was at another establishment called “Jixiang Garden Hot Spring” in Rueisuei Township.

A second unit of firefighters was immediately dispatched to the correct address, extinguishing the blaze at around 6:30 p.m., the fire department said.
[FULL  STORY]

Caucuses reach deal on 15 military pension proposals

NEGOTIATIONS: Those amendments where consensus was reached yesterday are being forwarded to a second reading, but others face more debate and a plenary vote

Taipei Times
Date: Jun 20, 2018
By: Sean Lin  /  Staff reporter

Lawmakers yesterday finalized negotiations on planned pension reforms for retired

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers stand in the main chamber of the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday with placards protesting against proposed reforms to the military pension program.  Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times

military officers and non-commissioned officers, and resolved to send 15 amendments on which no consensus was reached to a vote today.

The disputed amendments center on whether the 18 percent preferential interest rate for some savings accounts of retirees should be phased out, the starting income replacement rate, the eligibility for family members of deceased officers and non-coms to receive benefits and the conditions for splitting pensions in the case of a divorce.

The caucuses agreed to advance those amendments on which consensus had been reached to a second reading at a plenary session.    [FULL  STORY]

MOFA:Taiwanese safe after Osaka earthquake: MOFA

ICRT Radio News
Date: 2018-06-18

Taiwanese nationals in the Japanese city of Osaka and the surrounding area
are reportedly safe after a magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck the city in
Western Japan this morning.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Andrew Lee says there are no reports
of Taiwanese expatriates, students or travelers, being injured or killed
during the earthquake.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Joseph Wu has asked the Taiwan-Japan Relations
Association to express concern and condolences to its Japanese counterpart,
Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association, in the aftermath of the temblor.  [SOURCE]

National Palace Museum holds first comic-themed exhibit

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2018-06-18

Taiwan’s top museum featuring ancient Chinese art – the National Palace Museum – is holding an exhibit on a very untraditional theme: comic books! “The Legacy of Chen Uen: Art, Life and Philosophy” opened this past weekend, honoring a late artist whose works made a name for him across Asia. (CNA Photo)

Taiwan’s top museum featuring ancient Chinese art – the National Palace Museum – is holding an exhibit on a very untraditional theme: comic books! “The Legacy of Chen Uen: Art, Life and Philosophy” opened this past weekend, honoring a late artist whose works made a name for him across Asia.

One of Taiwan’s most beloved comic book artists, Chen Uen, was once lauded by Japanese fans as an Asian treasure, for his work in comic books, known in Japan as “manga”. He’s the subject of the first ever comic-themed exhibit at the National Palace Museum in Taipei.    [FULL  STORY]

4 steps to take on Dragon Boat Festival to have prosperous rest of year

4 steps to take on Dragon Boat Festival to have good luck for rest of year

Taiwan News
Date: 2018/06/18
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

Woman bathing. (Image from pxhere.com)

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Today is the Dragon Boat Festival on the lunisolar calendar, which is a good time to make an effort at bringing good luck and changing misfortune into fortune for the rest of the year, according to numerology expert Tang Chen-wei (湯鎮瑋) in an interview with Apple Daily.

Tang said that although the Dragon Boat Festival is known as the “evil day” (惡日) and is a time when yang energy is at its height, it is also a good time to try to bring about good luck and turn misfortune into fortune for the second half of the year. The following are four steps people can take to bring about good fortune for the rest of the year on this day:    [FULL  STORY]

Rain forecast to continue in southern Taiwan

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/06/18
By: Chen Wei-ting and Frances Huang

From the Central Weather Bureau

Taipei, June 18 (CNA) With the continued influence of southwesterly air flows and a tropical depression, rain is forecast to continue in southern Taiwan on Monday, according to the Central Weather Bureau (CWB).

CWB forecaster Chen Chien-an (陳建安) said the weather in Taiwan, is expected to remain unstable Monday, with a chance of heavy rain or extreme heavy rain in southern and southeastern parts of the country throughout the day.

Heavy rain means accumulated rainfall of more than 80mm in 24 hours or more than 40mm of rainfall in one hour, while extreme heavy rain refers to more than 200mm in 24 hours or accumulated rainfall of more than 100mm in three hours, according to the CWB.

In other parts of the country, Chen said, rain could be lighter but the public should remain alert for occasional showers in the afternoon, while sunny skies are possible after the rain stops.    [FULL  STORY]

New civil servants care about secure jobs, pensions: poll

Taipei Times
Date: Jun 19, 2018 
By Liu Li-jen and Sherry Hsiao  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer

About 80 percent of new hires in the civil service chose their careers because of the salaries and benefits, a survey by the Examination Yuan said.

The survey showed that 64.7 percent of respondents agreed that, unlike working in the private sector, working in the public sector prevents stress from the possibility of being fired.

About three-quarters of respondents (76.36 percent) said that they considered the civil service their lifelong career and 94.53 percent said that civil service jobs are stable and secure, the survey showed.

However, 87.18 percent and 84.64 percent of respondents, respectively, would welcome lessons on financial management and retirement planning as part of their training, the survey showed.    [FULL  STORY]

Beijing looks for clues on US-Taiwan ties as Washington set to name new ‘ambassador’ to Taipei

United States unveiled its new de facto embassy – the American Institute of Taiwan – last week, but has yet to appoint its chief

Date: 17 June, 2018
By: Sarah Zheng

Beijing will be looking for clues to any possible changes in Washington’s policy on Taiwan – one of the most sensitive issues in their bilateral relationship – when the US appoints a new head of its de facto embassy in Taipei, analysts said.

While Kin Moy, the incumbent director of the American Institute of Taiwan (AIT), is set to step down in the coming weeks after almost three years in charge, the office has yet to announce who will succeed him. A dedication ceremony for the mission’s new office in Taipei’s Neihu district was held last week.

Yang Lixian, from the Research Centre on Cross-Strait Relations in Beijing, said the mainland would be wary if Kin’s replacement had held a higher level position in Washington or had a history of taking an anti-Beijing stance.

“If there is an obvious change in the role of the AIT after the new person is appointed, it would be a direct challenge … and Beijing would respond to that,” she said.
[FULL  STORY]

Solomon Islands Ties Could be Shaky

Formosa News
Date: 2018/06/17

Diplomatic ties between Taiwan and the Solomon Islands that go back 35 years appear to be in crisis. Even though just last month Taiwan pledged financial aid for the Pacific island nation to host the 2023 Pacific Games, reports have emerged that two Solomon Islands ministers and one parliamentarian have made a trip to Beijing to drum up funds for the event.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs played down the speculation by explaining that the three officials had informed the ministry that their visit was a private one to further their personal interests ahead of their national elections, and that their Beijing visit was not authorized by the Solomon Islands’ Cabinet and would have no effect on diplomatic ties with Taiwan.     [SOURCE]