The Times of India
Date: Jul 12, 2015
By: Saibal Dasgupta,TNN

BEIJING: The US court’s decision on same sex marriages is resonating through China

and Taiwan with daring attempts being made to break through the legal barrier to hold gay and lesbian marriages in public places across major cities.

Two pairs, a gay couple and a lesbian one, got married in public places in Beijing despite police warning not to do so after the US Supreme Court ruled that same sex marriages were legal in all states of the United States.

Two lesbian girls, Li Tingting and Teresa Xu, recently held an informal wedding wearing white bridal gowns in front of friends and supporters at a restaurant in Beijing recently. But they deferred plans to go to the register of marriages after local authorities warned them against “creating a scene”.

Li is a famous gay rights campaigner who was detained for 37 days for causing social disturbances.     [FULL  STORY]

Reuters
Date: Jul 11, 2015
By: Michael Gold

Thousands of gay rights supporters marched through Taipei on Saturday, months

ahead of elections that are likely to usher in a pro-gay party and could make Taiwan the first place in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage.

Protesters waved rainbow flags, lit candles and shouted “gay votes are still votes” as they marched between parliament and the headquarters of Taiwan’s two main political parties.

The recent U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing gay marriage has given a renewed push to the movement in Taiwan, where a marriage bill has been held up in parliament ahead of January elections.

“Taiwan society has reached the point of acceptance of gay marriage,” said protester Rafael Tsai. “It’s a shame our politicians don’t seem to be on the same level as the people.”     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/07/12
By: Kuan Jui-ping and Elizabeth Hsu

Taipei, July 12 (CNA) Having just come up with a financial reform plan, the magistrate

of Miaoli County is expected to head for Taipei Monday for the second time in a week to seek a bailout from the central government, according to the county’s Department of Finance.

County Magistrate Hsu Yao-chang’s (徐耀昌) government drew up the reform plan at the suggestion of the Executive Yuan, Taiwan’s top administrative branch, made during Hsu’s visit to Premier Mao Chi-kuo (毛治國) in Taipei on July 10, said the department.

The Executive Yuan warned Hsu that without spending reforms and reforms on the county’s financial structure, no central government bailout will be forthcoming.

In the reform plan, Hsu’s team promises to review extra statutory expenditure and try to increase incomes by collecting entrance fees for public sites, raising the land value and reinforcing auditing measures.     [FULL  STORY]

Want China Times
Date: 2015-07-12
By: CNA

President Ma Ying-jeou said Saturday that smooth cross-Taiwan Strait relations play a

key role in safeguarding the Republic of China’s diplomatic ties.

Cordial relations between two sides of the strait, he said, can only be expected if the concepts of the 1992 Consensus and “one China, separate interpretations” are honored.

In an in-flight press briefing given on his way to the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Nicaragua for talks with heads of state, including Daniel Ortega, with a stopover in Boston, Ma told the accompanying media entourage that since he assumed the presidency seven years ago, Taiwan has made concrete diplomatic achievements, following the principles of dignity, autonomy, pragmatism and flexibility.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News0
Date: 2015-07-12
By: Ko Lin, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

Renowned tea beverage chain 50 Lan has been notified by the Tainan City government

on Sunday to pull their fermented plums from the shelves after they were found to contain excessive chemical residues.

The fermented plums are used in a variety of 50 Lan’s beverage selections as flavoring, reports said.

The city government pointed out that it had received orders from health authorities in Taitung saying 50 Lan’s fermented plums contained 0.138ppm of sulphur dioxide, an excess over the permissible level of 0.1ppm.

The chain, which has more than 500 branches nationwide, had previously been caught by Taichung health authorities in early April to have sold tea beverages that contain excessive levels of fipronil.     [FULL  STYORY]