After three weeks of consideration, the Council of Labor Affairs yesterday gave a conditional go-ahead to topless dancers performing at the Grand Hotel.
The hotel announced plans several months ago to hire performers from Las Vegas for shows such as sword swallowing, circus acts and topless dancing, but council officials last month put on hold the decision on a request to hire foreign performers to dance topless.
The council gave several reasons for the delay, including that it would need time to discuss the matter with academics and government agencies, including the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Education, on the grounds that topless shows may constitute public indecency and violate laws such as the Social Order Maintenance Act (社會秩序維護法) and the Criminal Code.
Council officials yesterday announced that although the dancers’ contracts would last three months, the council would first allow the performances to go ahead for a one-month trial period starting on April 1 before deciding whether to agree to the remaining two months.
The council said it would base its decision on whether to extend approval on the entertainment company’s adherence to laws and regulations, such as whether the actual shows involved performances other than those shown in the video recordings submitted to the council for approval.
The council said it would also seek to determine whether the hotel would uphold the law and prevent minors watching the topless shows. The council said it would also expect the company to adhere to its promise that the topless acts would only make up a minor section of the 88-minute performance.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost