Taipei 101 has been named as one of mankind’s greatest engineering achievements on a list recently compiled by US news network CNN.
Once the world’s tallest building in 2004, it is now the third tallest. Taipei 101 was the first building to be above 500m, CNN said.
It also had the world’s fastest elevator when it was completed, CNN added.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
The broadcaster said it decided to compile the list following a series of announcements in recent months about impressive building projects, such as Dubai’s plan to build the world’s biggest shopping mall.
Other skyscrapers on list of 25 construction or engineering feats include the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the Shanghai World Financial Center in China and the CN Tower in Toronto, Canada.
The modern structures featured on the list are the Palm in Dubai, the Trans-Siberian Railroad in Russia, Japan’s Akashi Kaikyo Bridge in Kobe, Tokyo Sky Tree and Kansai Airport in Osaka, the US’ Hoover Dam, Golden Gate Bridge and Grand Canyon Skywalk, Canada’s White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad and Confederation Bridge, France’s Eiffel Tower and Millau Viaduct, London’s Underground system, the Panama Canal and the International Space Station.
The list also covered historical structures, including the Colosseum in Rome; the Great Pyramid of Giza, Egypt; the Aztec city of Teotihuacan in Mexico; India’s Taj Mahal; Spain’s Aqueduct of Segovia and China’s Great Wall.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
INCREASED CAPACITY: The flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays would leave Singapore in the morning and Taipei in the afternoon Singapore Airlines is adding four supplementary flights to Taipei per week until May to meet increased tourist and business travel demand, the carrier said on Friday. The addition would raise the number of weekly flights it operates to Taipei to 18, Singapore Airlines Taiwan general manager Timothy Ouyang (歐陽漢源) said. The airline has recorded a steady rise in tourist and business travel to and from Taipei, and aims to provide more flexible travel arrangements for passengers, said Ouyang, who assumed the post in July last year. From now until Saturday next week, four additional flights would depart from Singapore on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat
Taiwan successfully defended its women’s 540 kilogram title and won its first-ever men’s 640 kg title at the 2026 World Indoor Tug of War Championships in Taipei yesterday. In the women’s event, Taiwan’s eight-person squad reached the final following a round-robin preliminary round and semifinals featuring teams from Ukraine, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Basque Country and South Korea. In the finals, they swept the Basque team 2-0, giving the team composed mainly of National Taiwan Normal University students and graduates its second championship in a row, and its fourth in five years. Team captain