SOCIETY
CNN lists Taipei 101 ride
Taipei 101 on Thursday beat other world-renowned skyscrapers in the selection of 49 life-changing journeys by CNN Travel with its 39-second elevator ride that travels non-stop to the building’s 89th-floor observation deck at a record speed of 1,010m per minute. Listed among the 43km-long Inca Trail of Peru and the Masai Mara National Reserve of Kenya, the 508m-tall building provides tourists “the sheer pleasure of blasting above the stifling masses in a steel box that pushes the limits of people-mover technology,” the travel review said. This was the second time a tourist attraction in Taiwan has made it onto the Web site of the US network’s travel section this week, after Guanshan (關山) in Kenting (墾丁) was hailed as one of the “12 superb sunset spots around the world” on Monday.
SOCIETY
Heatwave day off uncertain
The government remained undecided on whether a working day could be declared a holiday due to high temperature, Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Deputy Minister Chang Nien-chung (張念中) said yesterday. Chang made the remarks after Cabinet members remained divided at an inter-governmental meeting called to discuss the issue. There is no exact definition of what criteria must be met in order to qualify as a day off due to high temperature, Chang said. Chang said his office has instructed the Central Weather Bureau and the Centers for Disease Control to collect more information on how to determine the criteria and on cases of heat stroke in hot weather for further discussions. On Thursday last week, the mercury in Taipei hit 39.3°C, the highest temperature recorded in the city by the Central Weather Bureau since records began 117 years ago.
Yangmingshan National Park authorities yesterday urged visitors to respect public spaces and obey the law after a couple was caught on a camera livestream having sex at the park’s Qingtiangang (擎天崗) earlier in the day. The Shilin Police Precinct in Taipei said it has identified a suspect and his vehicle registration number, and would summon him for questioning. The case would be handled in accordance with public indecency charges, it added. The couple entered the park at about 11pm on Thursday and began fooling around by 1am yesterday, the police said, adding that the two were unaware of the park’s all-day live
A former soldier and an active-duty army officer were yesterday indicted for allegedly selling classified military training materials to a Chinese intelligence operative for a total of NT$79,440. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office indicted Chen Tai-yin (陳泰尹) and Lee Chun-ta (李俊達) for contravening the National Security Act (國家安全法) and the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例). Chen left the military in September 2013 after serving alongside then-staff sergeant Lee, now an army lieutenant, at the 21st Artillery Command of the army’s Sixth Corps from 2011 to 2013, according to the indictment. Chen met a Chinese intelligence operative identified as “Wang” (王) through a friend in November
Minister of Digital Affairs Lin Yi-ching (林宜敬) yesterday cited regulatory issues and national security concerns as an expert said that Taiwan is among the few Asian regions without Starlink. Lin made the remarks on Facebook after funP Innovation Group chief executive officer Nathan Chiu (邱繼弘) on Friday said Taiwan and four other countries in Asia — China, North Korea, Afghanistan and Syria — have no access to Starlink. Starlink has become available in 166 countries worldwide, including Ukraine, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam, in the six years since it became commercial, he said. While China and North Korea block Starlink, Syria is not
The Grand Hotel Taipei has rejected media reports claiming that the hotel had prevented CBS from broadcasting coverage of the Beijing summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) on its premises. Media reports alleging that the hotel owner, dissatisfied with CBS’s coverage, prohibited the network from broadcasting political content on the hotel premises, are not true, the hotel said in a statement issued last night. The reports were “inconsistent with how the hotel actually handled the matter,” it said. The hotel said it received a refund request from a
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