عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Varieties

US Climber Scales Taiwan’s Tallest Building Taipei 101 without Ropes

US rock climber Alex Honnold climbs the Taipei 101 skyscraper building, in Taipei, Taiwan, 25 January 2026. (EPA)
US rock climber Alex Honnold climbs the Taipei 101 skyscraper building, in Taipei, Taiwan, 25 January 2026. (EPA)
TT
TT

US Climber Scales Taiwan’s Tallest Building Taipei 101 without Ropes

US rock climber Alex Honnold climbs the Taipei 101 skyscraper building, in Taipei, Taiwan, 25 January 2026. (EPA)
US rock climber Alex Honnold climbs the Taipei 101 skyscraper building, in Taipei, Taiwan, 25 January 2026. (EPA)

US climber Alex Honnold scaled the Taipei 101 skyscraper without ropes or safety netting on Sunday, watched by thousands of cheering and waving fans as he clambered up one of the world's tallest buildings.

"Sick," Honnold said as he got to the top spire of Taiwan's tallest building after his 91-minute "free solo" ascent, which was organized and broadcast live by Netflix.

"What a beautiful way to see Taipei," he told reporters after his mission, which ‌was postponed by ‌a day due to wet weather.

The 508-meter (1,667-foot) ‌Taipei ⁠101, which dominates ‌the city's skyline and is a major tourist attraction, was the tallest building in the world from 2004 to 2010, a crown currently held by the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.

The climb, with no safety equipment, took place with the full support and permission of Taipei 101 and the city government.

Honnold said he had once thought of climbing the structure without permission.

"But then ⁠out of respect for the building and respect for all the people on the team ‌who'd allowed me access to look ‍at it, I was like, well ‍obviously I'm not going to poach this, I'm going to respect the ‍people and just see if it ever comes together."

Executive Producer James Smith said it was rare for a building to trust a climber and allow such an event to take place, calling Taipei 101 "a real icon of this country".

Taiwanese politicians took to social media to thank Honnold and Netflix for putting Taiwan - more accustomed to featuring in global ⁠headlines for its semiconductor prowess or Chinese military threats - in the international spotlight with such a different perspective.

"Congratulations to the brave, fearless Alex for completing the challenge," President Lai Ching-te wrote on his Facebook page.

"Through Netflix's live broadcast cameras, the world didn't just see Taipei 101 - it also saw the warmth and passion of the Taiwanese people, and the beautiful hills and scenery of this land," he added.

This is not the first time Taipei 101 has been scaled.

In 2004, French climber Alain Robert, dubbed "Spiderman" for his ropeless ascents of some of the world's highest skyscrapers, climbed the ‌building, though did so with a safety rope in a time of four hours.

Most Viewed

 
 
Varieties

Belgian Police Tracking the Crooks Who Would Be King

King Philippe of Belgium arrives at a New Year reception hosted by him and Queen Mathilde of Belgium for the Permanent Representatives and Heads of Mission to the North Atlantic Council, members of the International Secretariat, Military Representatives to NATO, and General Officers of SHAPE, at the Royal Castle of Laeken in Brussels, Belgium, 15 January 2026. (EPA)
King Philippe of Belgium arrives at a New Year reception hosted by him and Queen Mathilde of Belgium for the Permanent Representatives and Heads of Mission to the North Atlantic Council, members of the International Secretariat, Military Representatives to NATO, and General Officers of SHAPE, at the Royal Castle of Laeken in Brussels, Belgium, 15 January 2026. (EPA)
TT
TT

Belgian Police Tracking the Crooks Who Would Be King

King Philippe of Belgium arrives at a New Year reception hosted by him and Queen Mathilde of Belgium for the Permanent Representatives and Heads of Mission to the North Atlantic Council, members of the International Secretariat, Military Representatives to NATO, and General Officers of SHAPE, at the Royal Castle of Laeken in Brussels, Belgium, 15 January 2026. (EPA)
King Philippe of Belgium arrives at a New Year reception hosted by him and Queen Mathilde of Belgium for the Permanent Representatives and Heads of Mission to the North Atlantic Council, members of the International Secretariat, Military Representatives to NATO, and General Officers of SHAPE, at the Royal Castle of Laeken in Brussels, Belgium, 15 January 2026. (EPA)

A band of crooks have been passing themselves as Belgian royalty over the past year to get money out of foreign dignitaries and business leaders, Belgian investigators said Saturday.
The gang has used emails, phone calls and fake videos generated by artificial intelligence to set their traps, federal prosecutors said Saturday.
The as-yet unidentified gang has been operating since early 2025, using phone calls and the WhatsApp messaging to pass themselves off as King Philippe or key members of his staff in their attempts to talk people out of their money.
They choose their targets based on their possible links to the royal family, said prosecutors.
"Fortunately, most victims quickly caught on to the deception," said the prosecutors office in a statement.
In one case, however, the gang did manage to get a person to transfer a sum of money, they added.
As well as foreigners and business leaders, the gang also tried their luck with Belgian families close to the country's royals.
Then in a fresh wave of activity this month, they sent out invitations to Belgian business executives for a video interview, trying to pass themselves off as the king.
"The images in this video interview were probably generated by artificial intelligence," said prosecutors.
Some executives were honored with invitations to entirely fictitious gala dinners, with requests to pay sponsorship fees for the nonexistent event.
Federal prosecutors said they were investigating the attempted frauds with the help of specialist teams in the federal police.

Varieties

Fans Bid Farewell to Japan’s Only Pandas

Giant panda Lei Lei eats bamboo at Ueno Zoological Gardens in Tokyo, Japan, 25 January 2026. (EPA)
Giant panda Lei Lei eats bamboo at Ueno Zoological Gardens in Tokyo, Japan, 25 January 2026. (EPA)
TT
TT

Fans Bid Farewell to Japan’s Only Pandas

Giant panda Lei Lei eats bamboo at Ueno Zoological Gardens in Tokyo, Japan, 25 January 2026. (EPA)
Giant panda Lei Lei eats bamboo at Ueno Zoological Gardens in Tokyo, Japan, 25 January 2026. (EPA)

Panda lovers in Tokyo said goodbye on Sunday to a hugely popular pair of the bears that are set to return to China, leaving Japan without the beloved animals for the first time in half a century.

Loaned out as part of China's "panda diplomacy" program, the distinctive black-and-white animals have symbolized friendship between Beijing and Tokyo since the normalization of diplomatic ties in 1972.

Some visitors at Ueno Zoological Gardens were left teary-eyed as they watched Japan's only two pandas Lei Lei and Xiao Xiao munch on bamboo.

The animals are expected to leave for China on Tuesday following a souring of relations between Asia's two largest economies.

"I feel like seeing pandas can help create a connection with China too, so in that sense I really would like pandas to come back to Japan again," said Gen Takahashi, 39, a Tokyo resident who visited the zoo with his wife and their two-year-old daughter.

"Kids love pandas as well, so if we could see them with our own eyes in Japan, I'd definitely want to go."

The pandas' abrupt return was announced last month after Japan's conservative premier Sanae Takaichi hinted Tokyo could intervene militarily in the event of any attack on Taiwan.

Her comment provoked the ire of Beijing, which regards the island as its own territory.

The 4,400 lucky winners of an online lottery took turns viewing the four-year-old twins at Ueno zoo while others gathered nearby, many sporting panda-themed shirts, bags and dolls to celebrate the moment.

Mayuko Sumida travelled several hours from the central Aichi region in the hope of seeing them despite not winning the lottery.

"Even though it's so big, its movements are really funny-sometimes it even acts kind of like a person," she said, adding that she was "totally hooked".

"Japan's going to be left with zero pandas. It feels kind of sad," she said.

Their departure might not be politically motivated, but if pandas return to Japan in the future, it would symbolize warming relations, said Masaki Ienaga, a professor at Tokyo Woman's Christian University and expert in East Asian international relations.

"In the future...if there are intentions of improving bilateral ties on both sides, it's possible that (the return of) pandas will be on the table," he told AFP.

Varieties

Children's Art Supplies Enter into Gaza for First Time in Two Years

A painting drawn by artists is seen at a house destroyed by Israel, in recent Israeli-Gaza fighting, in Deir Al-Balah, central Gaza Strip June 13, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem
A painting drawn by artists is seen at a house destroyed by Israel, in recent Israeli-Gaza fighting, in Deir Al-Balah, central Gaza Strip June 13, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem
TT
TT

Children's Art Supplies Enter into Gaza for First Time in Two Years

A painting drawn by artists is seen at a house destroyed by Israel, in recent Israeli-Gaza fighting, in Deir Al-Balah, central Gaza Strip June 13, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem
A painting drawn by artists is seen at a house destroyed by Israel, in recent Israeli-Gaza fighting, in Deir Al-Balah, central Gaza Strip June 13, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem

The UN children's agency (UNICEF) told AFP on Friday that it was able to bring recreational supplies including notebooks, crayons and art materials into the war-scarred Gaza Strip for the first time in more than two years.

Since the start of the war sparked by Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel, humanitarian organizations have repeatedly denounced major difficulties bringing equipment and supplies into the Palestinian territory, blaming Israeli restrictions.

Israel rejects those accusations, saying it oversees the entry of goods into Gaza to ensure its security.

UNICEF's announcement comes after the United States announced in mid-January the launch of phase two of President Donald Trump's Gaza peace plan, against the backdrop of a fragile ceasefire in effect since October 2025.

"Since Thursday 15 January, 5,168 recreational kits have entered the Strip, supporting more than 375,000 children -- including 1,000 children with disabilities," UNICEF said in a statement.

COGAT, the Israeli defense ministry body overseeing civilian affairs in the Palestinian territories, told AFP it was not in a position to comment immediately.

Phase two of Trump's peace plan aims at paving the way for Gaza's reconstruction including the gradual restoration of public services, but does not include specifics about the school system which has been largely paralysed for more than two years.

At the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday, US officials presented their vision for a "New Gaza" that would turn the shattered Palestinian territory into a glitzy resort of skyscrapers by the sea, saying the transformation could emerge in three years.

The issue of education was not mentioned among priorities for "the next 100 days".

UNICEF official Ted Chaiban, who visited Gaza this week, called for the authorisation to bring all other educational and early childhood development supplies into the territory.

Quoted in the UNICEF statement, he said these would provide children "with the most basic materials they need to be able to learn".

Humanitarian officials have told AFP they have not obtained authorisation from Israel to bring in school supplies.

AFP correspondents in the Gaza Strip say they have seen school supplies sold on the private market at exorbitant prices.