A Taiwan entertainment company has sued Canadian highwire walker Jay Cochrane for alleged "cheating" during a highwire endurance stunt, according to the company's general manager.
Super Star Works Multimedia Co, which organized Cochrane's show in the southern city of Kaohsiung, sued him for failing to accomplish his task of "staying on the wire for 22 days," according to General Manager Chen Li-lin (陳麗伶), who added that the Kaohsiung Prosecutors' Office had barred Cochrane's exit from the country.
Chen said that Cochrane left the task unfinished nine days after he began the attempt Oct. 6, but she admitted that in fact, Cochrane had called off his attempt due to the approach of Typhoon Haiyan.
Chen also complained that Cochrane slept on the wire rather than just taking "a little rest" as he is alleged to have promised before the show.
Furthermore, Chen alleged, Cochrane is not the holder of five world records of wire-walking as he has claimed, saying that he only holds the record for height and distance at night while blindfold.
Chen claimed that her company has spent as much as NT$55.9 million on the show and that NT$15 million had been remitted to Cochrane's bank account.
She said the company had presented all the evidence to the Kaohsiung Prosecutors' Office and is seeking restitution from Cochrane under the terms of the contract. Cochrane's whereabouts were unknown as of press time.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
SHOT IN THE ARM: The new system can be integrated with Avenger and Stinger missiles to bolster regional air defense capabilities, a defense ministry report said Domestically developed Land Sword II (陸射劍二) missiles were successfully launched and hit target drones during a live-fire exercise at the Jiupeng Military Base in Pingtung County yesterday. The missiles, developed by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology (CSIST), were originally scheduled to launch on Tuesday last week, after the Tomb Sweeping Day holiday long weekend, but were postponed to yesterday due to weather conditions. Local residents and military enthusiasts gathered outside the base to watch the missile tests, with the first one launching at 9:10am. The Land Sword II system, which is derived from the Sky Sword II (天劍二) series, was turned