Taipei City New Year’s Eve party to go ahead: Mayor says “Don’t be defeated by irrational fear”

Taipei 101 Taipei City New Year's Eve fireworks

December 31, 2020December 31, 2020 Phillip Charlier 1 Comment COVID-19, Ko Wenje, new year, Taipei City

While New Year’s Eve parties in most counties and cities around Taiwan will have been cancelled after a returnee from the UK tested positive with what the media has been touting as a ‘mutant’ strain of COVID-19, Taipei City’s New Year’s Eve party will go ahead, Taipei City Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) announced today, December 31. New Year’s events around the country were cancelled one by one yesterday, with a series of announcements from municipal governments, many of whom decided

Sport

December 21, 2020December 21, 2020 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment Taipei City, Taipei marathon

Taipei City held the 2020 marathon today, despite COVID restrictions, using the theme “#Dare to Breathe.” Taipei City Mayor Ke Wen-je said that it was probably the only large-scale city marathon to held in the world this year, thanking epidemic prevention staff for making it possible. A total of 37,000 people registered for the event, with just 28,000 accepted using a lottery system. Eight-thousand ran the full marathon, while 20,000 ran the half-marathon event. Twelve elite foreign athletes were invited

Animals

November 6, 2020November 6, 2020 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment exotic pests, invasive species, Taipei City

A species of crayfish that reproduces asexually, and first appeared in Germany in 1995 before spreading through Europe and Africa, has been found infesting ponds in Da’an Forest Park, Taipei City. Taipei City Councilor Lo Chih-chiang (罗智强) held a press conference today, and said that a large number of the marbled crayfish had appeared in the ecological ponds of Da’an Forest Park. Lo revealed that the marbled crayfish were first discovered in the park in June last year by Associate

Traffic Accidents

September 21, 2020September 21, 2020 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment bus accident, Neihu District, Taipei City

One man died, and an on-duty police officer was injured after a bus driver dozed off and crashed onto a sidewalk in Neihu District, Taipei City, this evening, September 21. The Sanchung Bus Company operated Blue 26 bus suddenly mounted the sidewalk on Neihu Road at around 8:00 pm, skidding to a stop after around 50 meters. The bus knocked down a 54-year-old man who lost vital signs at the scene of the accident, and was later pronounced dead at

Crime and Criminals

August 20, 2020August 21, 2020 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment highrise-rescue, knife-attack, ra, Taipei City

A man scaled the outside of a building to the 14th floor after attacking a random stranger with a knife in Taipei City today, leading to a standoff with police. Police received reports about a man armed with a kitchen chopper wandering along Hankou Street section 2 in Wanhua District at around 12:30 pm. The suspect, a 40-year-old man named Qiu (邱) approached a 49-year-old truck driver named Lee, as Lee was unloading goods. Lee noticed Qiu’s suspicious behavior, and

PAC-3 missile array in Taipei City Taiwan

Military Affairs

July 14, 2020July 14, 2020 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment Hanguang Exercises, Patriot III missile, Taipei City

A Patriot III surface-to-air missile system was deployed in the carpark of Taipei City Zoo in Muzha District today, as part of the nationwide Han Kuang (Hanguang) military exercises. The incongruous scene of a high-tech “Phased Array Tracking Radar to Intercept on Target” air defense missile array set up in a civilian parking lot in a residential area of Taipei City drew the attention of members of the public who took pictures and uploaded them to social media. The missile system

Tzihong Chiueh and Hsi-Yu Schive after publication in journal Nature

Health and Safety

June 18, 2020June 19, 2020 Phillip Charlier 2 Comments bus-accident, Taipei City, Tzihong Chiueh

A National Taiwan University physics professor remains hospitalized after being dragged hundreds of meters with his foot caught in the door of a Taipei City bus last Thursday, June 11. United Daily News reports that Tzihong Chiueh ( 闕志鴻 ), a respected cosmic dark matter and black hole researcher, was attempting to board a bus at the National Taiwan University Stadium Station at around 8:30 pm when the driver closed the door on his foot and drove away. Professor Chiueh,

Fire

April 26, 2020April 26, 2020 Phillip Charlier 5 Comments fire, Taipei City

Fifty four people were sent to hospital, and 5 have been declared dead after a fire at a popular KTV in Taipei City today, April 26. The Taipei City Fire Department dispatched 56 fire appliances, 23 ambulances, and 192 personnel to the Party World KTV on Linsen North Road in Zhongshan District after the fire was reported shortly before 11:00 am. According to the preliminary investigation, the fire broke out on the 5th floor of the 14-storey building, trapping people

Violent Crimes

April 1, 2020April 1, 2020 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment armed-robbery, bank robbery, Taipei City

A man suspected of shooting a security guard during a bank robbery in Taipei City, Monday, March 30, was arrested in Taoyuan City, yesterday, March 31. Chen Jian-hui ( 陳劍輝 ), 54, was arrested in Longtan District at around 3:00 pm yesterday afternoon. After tracing Chen’s whereabouts, police followed Chen in an unmarked police vehicle. When Chen pulled into the parking area in front of a convenience store, the officers blocked his vehicle and rushed in to make the arrest.

Violent Crimes

January 12, 2020January 12, 2020 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment dismemberment, homicide, murder, Taipei City

A missing persons case has turned into a murder investigation after police found the dismembered remains of a woman in a mountain district of Keelung City, yesterday, January 11. Police began an investigation after a 26-year-old Malaysian national of Chinese ethnicity named Deng (鄧) was reported missing by a family member on January 6. Investigators who went to Ms Deng’s apartment on the fifth floor of a building in Wanhua District, Taipei City, noticed a suspicious smell of strong chemical

Crime and Criminals

December 8, 2019December 8, 2019 Phillip Charlier 1 Comment drunk driving, police shooting, Taipei City

Taipei City Police released video footage of an incident, and held a press conference today, to refute claims made by a man charged with drunk driving that officers had fired shots at him, and had beaten him during the subsequent arrest, after he failed to stop at a police roadside drunk-driving checkpoint. According to reports, Mr Chen, a 41-year-old real estate agent, drove his Mercedes Benz sedan through a police checkpoint on Chang’an East Road in Zhongshan District at around

Taipei City

Taipei City New Year’s Eve party to go ahead: Mayor says “Don’t be defeated by irrational fear”

28,000 run in 2020 Taipei City Marathon: #Dare to Breathe

Mutant invasive crayfish found infesting ponds in Taipei City park

One dead, one injured after bus mounts sidewalk in Taipei City

Man climbs outside of building to 14th floor after random knife attack

PAC-3 missiles deployed in Taipei Zoo carpark ahead of nation-wide military exercise

NTU professor injured after being dragged hundreds of meters by bus

At least 5 dead, 50 injured after KTV fire in Taipei City: Alarms and sprinkler system were switched off

Bank robber who shot guard Arrested in just 29 hours

Dismembered corpse of missing woman found in Keelung City

Police release video to refute drunk driver’s claims of excessive force after shots fired at vehicle