Headline News
Reporters without Borders office opens in Taipei
The global press freedom watchdog Reporters without Borders, (RSF), officially opened its first Asia bureau in Taipei. The new bureau will focus on East Asia, including China, Hong Kong, Japan, North Korea, South Korea and Mongolia.
RSF opted for Taiwan not only for its central geographic location and ease of logistics, but also because of its status as the freest place in Asia, in the annual RSF Press Freedom Index rankings.
President Tsai Ing-wen said to have the confidence that the office in Taipei will be one of RSF’s best bases in the world, because of Taiwan’s active civil society, complete and boundless Internet environment and excellent talent.
Taiwan to launch its first developed satellite
The Formosat-5, the first satellite developed by Taiwan, is scheduled for launch on August 25. The 450 kg. satellite has been developed in conjunction with local academic and industrial sectors.
The Formosa-5 will be used to guide disaster inspection and prevention, identify landslide prone areas, conduct environmental monitoring, academic research and international humanitarian relief work.
Economics
GDP growth estimate for 2017 adjusted upward
Academia Sinica adjusted the real gross domestic product growth for 2017 upward from 1.68 to 2.18 percent. This reflects increased confidence in the economy and improving fiscal conditions at home and abroad.
Inflation is expected to remain stable at 0.93 percent and unemployment to hover around 3.82 percent.
Volkswagen teams up with HTC Vive
German automaker Volkswagen teamed up with Taiwan’s smartphone maker HTC to develop applications in the field of production and logistics.
Volkswagen built a new Digital Reality Hub platform and is working with the HTC Vive Virtual Reality system to improve internal production and logistics. Volkswagen says the HTC Vive VR system makes it easier for staff to share ideas and to hold virtual meetings from different locations.
HTC wants to promote Vive, initially developed for the game industry, for use in medical care, education, exhibitions, property development, industrial design, tourism, e-commerce and manufacturing. The collaboration with Volkswagen showcases the potential of HTC’s VR technology.
Society
Taipei’s Omni Nightclub wins prestigious German Red Dot award
Omni Nightclub Taipei won the prestigious German Red Dot design award. The club was lauded for providing entertainment with the combination of great music, a fashionable atmosphere and nice service. Omni is immaculate and stylish, from marketing, stage design to lighting and sound equipment.
The Red Dot awards are among the most important and highly regarded design prizes in the world.
Taiwan remains No. 1 in latest global open data ranking
Open Knowledge International ranked Taiwan first place for the second consecutive year in its Global Open Data Index. This index measures how open governments are in providing key information. Taiwan ranks first among 94 countries, followed by Australia and France. Taiwan was one of only two countries with a 100 percent score in at least half of the 15 categories of government information comprising the survey.
Sports
Government strengthens security measures for Universiade
The government has been preparing a series of security measures to ensure a safe Summer Universiade in Taipei from August 19 to August 30. The Summer Universiade is only second to the Olympic Games in size and is the biggest sports event ever held in Taiwan.
A total of 12,000 athletes and officials from 150 countries are expected to participate in the Games.
Taiwan korfball team wins Silver at the World Games
The Taiwan korfball team surprisingly won silver at the World Games in Wroclaw, Poland, after first beating giant Belgium. The finals traditionally result in The Netherlands first and Belgium second. Taiwan progressed rapidly from the third edition of the World Games, ending up with bronze in 2009 and now silver.