TOURISM
Nation ranked on halal index
Taiwan is the seventh-best destination for Muslim travelers outside the Organization of Islamic Cooperation member states, according to an annual report released this week by Mastercard and CrescentRating. With a score of 52.4, Taiwan was behind Singapore (67.3), Thailand (61.8), the UK (60), South Africa (53.6), Hong Kong (53.2) and Japan (52.8), the Global Muslim Travel Index 2017 showed. It was ahead of France (52.1), Spain (48.8) and the US (48.6). The index covers 130 destinations worldwide, measuring them by 11 criteria, including whether they are family-friendly, safe in general and particularly for Muslim travelers, have a large number of Muslim visitor arrivals, offer enough dining options, provide adequate halal assurances and access to prayer spaces.
SOCIETY
Dog owner charged
The owner of a dog that allegedly caused a traffic accident on Friday that resulted in the death of a scooter rider could be charged with negligent manslaughter, a prosecutor said. The rider, surnamed Chuang (莊), was riding his scooter in Changhua County’s Hemei Township (和美) when he hit a dog that was allegedly roaming loose on the streets, the police said. Both the dog and the rider died in the collision and police handed the dog owner, surnamed Yang (楊), over to prosecutors. According to the Animal Protection Act (動物保護法), pet owners are responsible for protecting and restraining their pets and bear a legal responsibility if they run into roads and disrupt traffic, Changhua District Prosecutors’ Office deputy chief prosecutor Lin Han-chiang (林漢強) said.
SOCIETY
Sand sculptors accused
Two foreign sand sculptors visiting Taiwan for an annual exhibition in New Taipei City have been banned from leaving the nation after allegedly sexually assaulting a Taiwanese woman, prosecutors said yesterday. Prosecutors questioned the two men after viewing closed-circuit TV camera footage from the venues where the incident allegedly took place, the Keelung District Prosecutors’ Office said. The woman told police she met the two at a reception held by the organizers of the Fulong International Sand Sculpture Art Festival in a hotel in New Taipei City’s Gongliao District (貢寮) on Thursday. The woman said that she drank a lot of alcohol at the event and that after she became very intoxicated, the men took her to a nearby hotel and sexually assaulted her. She reported the alleged incident after she woke up naked and in pain, she told investigators.
EDUCATION
‘Makerthon’ event begins
A regional round of the first “Intelligent Living Makerthon” for vocational college students began yesterday, with National Taipei University of Technology hosting 43 teams comprising 122 contestants. The Ministry of Education is running the nationwide competition as part of its promotion of a “Maker Movement.” The ministry said there would be eight categories at the games, including food, clothing, living, transportation, education and entertainment. Participants at the northern venue were asked to solve problems about dormitory life. The contestants took part in a discussion and are scheduled to give their presentations today. Twenty-five teams will progress to the final on Aug. 14 and 15. The winners will receive a prize of NT$200,000.
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