■ Society
Family found dead in NYC
A family of four was found dead in a Harlem apartment in New York City in an apparent suicide by the father, who had sent a letter to relatives in Taiwan saying he was depressed over a financial setback. Fred Wang, 42, his wife, Christine, his 8-year-old son Dennis and his 6-year-old daughter Serena were discovered dead on Thursday night of apparent carbon-monoxide poisoning. They were found by a relative who went to their housing complex after Wang sent his family a letter by express mail saying he was upset by a failed business venture. Coals were burning in silver-colored bowls in the room and a blanket was draped over the door, said Sergeant Mike Wysokowski, a police spokesman. The drapes had been pulled closed. A grandmother who lived with the family was unharmed.
■ Media
TVBS slapped with fine
The Government Information Office (GIO) yesterday issued a NT$200,000 (US$6,000) fine to television station TVBS for "not honestly reporting the transfer and background of its shareholders." The fine came as one of the station's talk shows publicized evidence related to government scandals for the second straight day, but GIO minister Pasuya Yao (姚文智) denied to reporters that there was any connection. "We decided to fine them [TVBS] because we discovered that the station did not honestly provide necessary information as required when they were renewing their license for the channel earlier this year," Yao said. He warned that such dishonest behavior could result in suspension of the station's license. The GIO is investigating whether TVBS Chairman Norman Leung (梁乃鵬), who is also the former chairman of the Hong Kong Broadcasting Authority, is eligible to hold such a high-ranking position in Taiwan's media industry.
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
US climber Alex Honnold left Taiwan this morning a day after completing a free-solo ascent of Taipei 101, a feat that drew cheers from onlookers and gained widespread international attention. Honnold yesterday scaled the 101-story skyscraper without a rope or safety harness. The climb — the highest urban free-solo ascent ever attempted — took just more than 90 minutes and was streamed live on Netflix. It was covered by major international news outlets including CNN, the New York Times, the Guardian and the Wall Street Journal. As Honnold prepared to leave Taiwan today, he attracted a crowd when he and his wife, Sanni,
Taiwanese and US defense groups are collaborating to introduce deployable, semi-autonomous manufacturing systems for drones and components in a boost to the nation’s supply chain resilience. Taiwan’s G-Tech Optroelectronics Corp subsidiary GTOC and the US’ Aerkomm Inc on Friday announced an agreement with fellow US-based Firestorm Lab to adopt the latter’s xCell, a technology featuring 3D printers fitted in 6.1m container units. The systems enable aerial platforms and parts to be produced in high volumes from dispersed nodes capable of rapid redeployment, to minimize the risk of enemy strikes and to meet field requirements, they said. Firestorm chief technology officer Ian Muceus said
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