The China Post
Date: July 11, 2017
By: The China Post

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Lawmakers are prepared for a fight today as the Cabinet’s first

full budget for its flagship infrastructure project is slated to come up for review.

In the best-case scenario, the bill will be submitted to Legislature today, enter cross-party negotiations tomorrow morning and goes up for a final vote that afternoon, said Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Caucus Whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘).

But pan-blue lawmakers are determined to block the plan, which they decry as a pork-barrel bill.

On Monday, as Cabinet officials met with DPP lawmakers over the budget and strategies to ensure its passage, the Kuomintang (KMT) was reportedly preparing thousands of budget items that they would use to obstruct a vote and buy time.
[FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-07-10

President Tsai Ing-wen says that the government’s plans for judicial reform must

meet public expectations. She was speaking Monday at a preparatory meeting for a national conference on judicial reform.

The president said there are several goals that the committee must pursue. They include: the transparency of the court; rulings that are intelligible to the public; a mechanism for hiring and firing prosecutors and judges; a professional and impartial judicial system; and a trial system that allows public participation.

“When it comes to these key points, I hope that related government agencies can not only propose a concrete reform plan but also a clear timetable. The [plan] must be drawn up using these principles and the results of group discussions as a basis. The staff should come up with a summary and coordinate related issues,” said Tsai.      [FULL  STORY]

The exhibition features six local brands that are making an impact internationally 

 Taiwan News
Date: 2017/07/10
By: Maggie Huang, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — An exhibition titled “Design M/m Taiwan” opened on

Monday by President Tsai Ing-wen at the Presidential Office Building in Taipei. The exhibition features six local brands that are making an impact internationally, including selected past Golden Pin Design Award winners.

Organized by the Industrial Development Bureau, Ministry of Economic Affairs, and the Taiwan Design Center is the executive organizer, Design M/m Taiwan explores the economic, cultural, and social impact of design through the style stories of six designers and design collectives: contemporary craft pioneers Woo Collective and Yii; fashion designer Justin Chou; Sha Yao, whose Eatwell Assistive Tableware Set was named among Time Magazine’s 25 Best Inventions of 2016; game designer Yu Ming-yang; and industrial designer Hsieh Jung-ya.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/07/10
By: Sophia Yeh and Ko Lin

Taipei, July 10 (CNA) Paraguayan President Horacio Cartes and a delegation of officials will arrive in Taiwan on a state visit Tuesday, during which he will attend events to celebrate the 60th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties, according to Presidential Office spokesman Alex Huang (黃重諺).

Cartes’ delegation comprises Paraguayan Foreign Minister Eladio Loizaga, Industry and Commerce Minister Gustavo Leite, and other government officials and parliamentarians.

Upon his arrival, Cartes will receive a military salute presided over by President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文). The two heads of state will also jointly attend other events to celebrate the long-standing ties between the two countries, he added.
[FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: July 10, 2017
By: The China Post  

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taipei might not have been able to construct a new stadium for

the Universiade sporting event, but it was at least able to decorate some MRT cars.

And it actually did a pretty good job.

The Universiade — the Olympics for college students — is just over a month away, and Taipei is going all out to make sure people are ready.

The capital’s metro got a facelift Monday a la some of the sports that athletes will compete in at the Universiade.

Most eye-catching of them all is the surprisingly realistic-looking swimming pool design.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-07-08

The Taipei City Government has announced a month-long cleanup campaign in the run-up to the

Summer Universiade games.

The world games for university athletes will take place in Taipei from August 18-30. This year’s summer games are expected to bring athletes from over 150 countries to Taipei.

The cleanup campaign leading up to the games will last from July 12 to August 11. It will involve both teams of cleaning staff and volunteers in charge of maintaining cleanliness. They will be in charge of cleaning competition venues, tourist sites, transport facilities, and major thoroughfares through the city.

During an event Saturday where cleaning staff were ceremonially “sworn in”, Deputy Taipei Mayor Deng Chia-chi said that the Environmental Protection Administration lists Taipei as Taiwan’s cleanest city. Deng said the cleaning efforts will allow the world to see Taipei at its best and make the city’s residents proud.    [FULL  STORY]

One test volunteer said the vehicle was very stable.

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/07/08
By: Teng Pei-ju, Taiwan News, Staff Reporter

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The first electric self-driving bus in Taiwan, EZ10, hit the road at National

Taiwan University Shuiyuan Campus (台灣大學水源校區) Saturday and people can register for a test drive, reports said.

“It felt like a regular car and was very stable,” said Mr. Huang, one of the test volunteers.

 

EZ10 is a Level 4 self-driving bus belonging to the A.I. driverless vehicle R&D team, which was established by NTU in collaboration with 7Starlake (喜門史塔雷克) late in May.

The automation of cars can be classified into six levels, ranging from level 0 to 5, according to SAE International. Level 4 is high automation, meaning that the driver does not need to attend to the car while it is moving.

From Saturday to July 13, EZ10 will undergo the first stage of test driving in a small-scale enclosed area at NTU in order to measure its stability and adaptability.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/07/08
By: Scarlett Chai and Lee Hsin-Yin

Taipei, July 8 (CNA) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Friday that Taiwan has donated US$100,000 to international humanitarian agency CARE International, with the funds to be used to support people affected by conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Iraq.

The donation, which is to CARE’s Emergency Response Fund, reflects Taiwan’s belief in human rights, the need to end gender-based violence and provision of global medical assistance, the ministry said.

The cooperation with CARE also allows Taiwan to work with an important international non-governmental organization to push for worldwide humanitarian relief, it said.

Existing partners of CARE include the United Nations Development Programme, the World Health Organization, the United States Agency for International Development and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).    [FULL  STORY]