The species is on the edge of extinction in Taiwan.

The News Lens
Date: 2016/07/18
By: Timothy Ferry

From a ridge overlooking western Miaoli County, densely wooded hills roll off into the

distant sea, the green canopy broken only occasionally by rice fields or rooftops. This is prime leopard cat territory, according to Chen Mei-ting (陳美汀), Taiwan’s foremost leopard cat researcher who has dedicated much of her life to the study of these shy, elusive felines.

Taiwan’s only surviving wild cat, leopard cats are roughly the size of housecats with tawny black-spotted pelts and thrive in Taiwan’s lower elevations of around 500 meters. Areas that mix wilderness with agriculture are particularly hospitable for them as rice fields provide ideal habitats for leopard cats’ favorite prey: field mice and other rodents.

Yet despite the beauty and bounty of the Miaoli countryside, the green canopy hides a more ominous reality. While leopard cats are considered a species of “Least Concern” by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), as they are fairly pervasive across a wide range of habitats from Pakistan to Siberia and the Indonesian archipelago, the species is on the edge of extinction in Taiwan. Researchers with the Taiwan Endemic Species Research Institute (TESRI) under the Council of Agriculture estimate Taiwan’s leopard cat numbers at less than 500 animals divided into three isolated populations in Miaoli, Nantou, and Greater Taichung.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-07-18
By: Maggie Huang, Taiwan News, Staff Reporter

MRT has become an essential part of the citizen’s life. Celebrating its 20th anniversary, Taipei Metro will collaborate with World Design Capital (WDC) Taipei from July 18 till October 31, during which time designers invited by Department of Cultural Affairs of Taipei City Government will reinvent the new face of MRT.

Fifteen designers attended the event “Design Station ” Monday at MRT Sun Yat-sen Memorial Station to announce their creative works. The whole station has been renovated, including signs, indoor plants, and metro cabins have also been redesigned into a whole new look. One particularly notable design is the orange heart-shaped umbrella holder which is designed by Liberte Design.

Near the No.5 exit of the station, themed as “Swimming City”, the stairs and wall have been painted with illustrations designed by mentally-retard children from NPO Children Are Us Foundation and designers from the design team “agoood”. Upon knowing the topic “Swimming City”, the children came up with the idea of “fish-head man” character, implying that passengers are like fish swimming in Taipei City.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/07/18
By: Tai Ya-chen and Frances Huang

Taipei, July 17 (CNA) Taiwan’s assertion of sovereignty over the Taiping Island in the wake of a ruling issued by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague has been widely covered by international media, Cabinet spokesman Tung Chen-yuan (童振源) said Monday.

In a case brought by the Philippines against China in 2013, the tribunal ruled on July 12 that none of the Spratly Islands, including the Taiwan-controlled Taiping Island (also known as Itu Aba Island) could be considered “islands” and are not eligible to claim 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zones.

Right after the arbitration ruling was laid down, Tung said, the government immediately called the ruling unacceptable since Taiwan was not invited to participate in the arbitration process to present its views.     [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: July 19, 2016
By: Christine Chou

TAIPEI, Taiwan — The Tourism Bureau (觀光局) on Monday strongly criticized parody

advertisements circulating online that celebrate dropping numbers of Chinese visitors to Taiwan.

The pictures were reported to the bureau by travel agencies after going viral among mainland netizens. The ‘ads’ are overlaid on pictures of local scenery and contain slogans such as, “Without Chinese tourists, it’s now possible to relax in the most popular destinations,” and “No more trouble caused by Chinese tourists; A carefree journey begins here.” The bottom of each picture reads, “Welcome to Taiwan without Chinese,” in English.

In a statement, the bureau said that tourism encourages communication between different cultures and should not become a source of conflict and prejudice.

“People who discriminate against mainland Chinese tourists lack tolerance of diversity, and they also tend to discriminate against people from other cultures and social classes,” the bureau said.     [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: July 18, 2016
By: Seamus Boyle, Special to The China Post

With just a few more days before the Ho-Hai-Yan Gongliao Rock Festival (2016新北市貢寮國際海洋

音樂祭) along New Taipei’s beautiful Fulong coast (福隆海邊), organizers are working hard to ensure a healthy balance of fun and safety when the festival kicks off on Friday, July 22.

With two principles — “protection” and “prevention” — the focus of the safety campaign, organizers are sparing no efforts in making sure participants will stay secure during their time at Fulong. With record temperatures on the way (approximatively 36 degrees Celsius), organizers have issued reminders about hydration and sun protection to prevent sunburn and strokes.

Additional warnings have been issued about erratic tide patterns that pose potential drowning risks to tourists and other visitors, as well as children. The New Taipei City Government Fire Bureau (新北市政府消防局) intends to dispatch anywhere from 200 to 300 personnel to patrol the coast during the festival, to assist in the effort.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-07-17
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

The first tour group returns to Taiwan from Turkey after the coup.
Seven Taiwanese tour groups have decided to continue traveling in Turkey despite a red travel alert issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs advising people not to travel to the country that was rocked by a military coup on Friday evening.

After the travel alert was issued, the Tourism Bureau has notified travel agencies to arrange for tour groups to return to Taiwan as soon as they can.

Andy Yu, spokesman of Lion Travel Services, which currently operates eight tour groups in Turkey, said that except for one group which was originally scheduled to head back on Saturday but delayed their departure till Sunday, all other seven groups have requested to continue their itineraries. Because of their insistence, Lion Travel has asked all the group members to sign a paper for agreeing on continuing their trip, Yu said.

Yu said the seven tour groups were currently travelling at locations outside Istanbul, and feedback from tour leaders indicated everything was peaceful and the groups would return to Taiwan according to their original schedules.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/07/17
By: Ku Chuan and Kay Liu

Taipei, July 17 (CNA) Taipei Metro plans to give away 3,000 EasyCards that offer 150 free rides each to people who just left school or are about to enter the job market, the metro system’s operator Taipei Rapid Transit Corp. (TRTC) announced Sunday.

People who have just received a university degree or young men who completed their military service this year in Taiwan are eligible to sign up for an EasyCard lottery through Taipei Metro’s mobile phone app before Aug. 10.

The lottery, which is only open to people who have a household registration in Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu, will be held on Aug. 12, and the winners will be notified by an e-mail on Aug. 15, TRTC said.

According to TRTC, the free EasyCards will be given away to people about to start their first job so they get used to using the metro for their daily commute.     [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: July 18, 2016
By: Seamus Boyle, Special to The China Post

With the Tour de France, the world’s biggest and most famous professional cycling race,

underway at the moment, Taiwan’s own competition seems small in terms of scale. But any experienced cyclist knows that taking to the road for the Taiwan Cycling Festival (2016臺灣自行車節) is no small task. This year’s event features four challenges that require commitment, hard work and necessary preparations, starting today.

The Taiwan 2016 King of the Hill Challenge (KOM臺灣自行車登山王挑戰) poses maybe the most grueling challenge of the event. The 105-kilometer race features 87 kilometers of sheer uphill climbing. Starting Oct. 28, only the toughest of bikers will be able to master the mountain. With a capacity of 600 participants — 300 domestic and 300 foreign — bikers from all parts of the world are welcome to come stake their claim atop Taiwan’s famous Hehuan Mountain (合歡山).

From a sprint to a marathon, the Formosa 900 (騎遇福爾摩沙900) will see participants circle the island in a 900-kilometer-long, nine-day, eight-night excursion. Based very much around finding one’s pace and enjoying the island’s scenery, the 900 will award successful participants with an official certificate upon completion. Participants may travel alone or sign up to join a group, but all will experience the full range of Taiwan’s culture as they go.     [FULL  STORY]