TRANSPORT
Bus accident injures 23
A shuttle bus carrying 33 people to a tourist destination in Yanmingshan National Park yesterday skidded and rolled, injuring 23 passengers. The No. 108 shuttle bus, which stops along destinations on the mountain, skidded at about 2:26pm, just before arriving in the Lengshuikeng (冷水坑) hot springs area, its terminal stop. The Taipei City Government Department of Transportation said all the injured passengers sustained grazes, with one suffering a fractured humerus, possibly requiring surgery. All the injured passengers were hospitalized. Nineteen of the injured passengers were foreigners, including six Malaysians, four Hong Kongers, two Filipinos, two Singaporeans, two Americans and three Chinese. No passengers were in a critical condition, the department said. A preliminary investigation by the police linked the accident to malfunctioning brakes.
TOURISM
Lighthouse opens to public
The century-old Fuguijiao Lighthouse (富貴角) on the nation’s northernmost point was opened to the public yesterday, with visitors to the lighthouse receiving a stamped souvenir certificate featuring the lighthouse. The 14.3m-tall lighthouse was built by Japanese for the construction of a submarine cable between Taiwan and Japan, and also to serve as a navigation aid. In 1962, the tower was renovated into an octagonal building and painted black and white. To promote the lighthouse as a tourist destination in the Guanyinshan National Scenic Area, the Tourism Bureau has sought to add more recreational facilities in neighboring areas. Several abandoned barracks nearby have been converted into an art center. The Tourism Bureau suggested that visitors can enjoy artistic programs in the art center, taste marine delicacies in the nearby Fuji Fishing Port (富基), and tour the unique lighthouse.
EDUCATION
Delayed school start backed
More than 90 percent of parents are in favor of delaying school start times so that children can get more sleep, according to the results of a survey released by Commonwealth Parenting magazine. Half of those in favor of the delay believe that getting enough sleep would keep children in good spirits and help them perform better academically. However, about 10 percent of parents did not support delaying school start times, saying that it would encourage children to go to bed later. The survey was conducted online between July 28 and Aug. 7, involving 1,996 parents. According to a study conducted in 2010 by the Sleep Center at Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, sixth-graders get an average of 8.7 hours of sleep on weekdays. However, senior-high school students get an average of 6.8 hours of sleep, far less than the US National Sleep Foundation’s recommendation of eight to 10 hours.
NATIONAL DEFENSE
Spy leader to be sentenced
Former People’s Liberation Army (PLA) officer Zheng Xiaojiang (鎮小江) and the spy ring he recruited, who were indicted by the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office for violating the National Security Act (國家安全法), are to be sentenced on Tuesday. After months of investigations, the office found that Zhen came to Taiwan in the name of sightseeing, but had actually sought to develop a network for espionage. Zhen was found to have recruited, among others, retired army major general Hsu Nai-chuan (許乃權), who had run for the Kinmen County commissioner’s office, but failed, and retired air force colonel Chou Chih-li (周自立).
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
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
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,
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