■ ENVIRONMENT
Heavy dust on the way
People with cardiopulmonary or respiratory diseases should stay indoors and avoid strenuous activities today and tomorrow because Taiwan will be enveloped by heavy dust from Inner Mongolia in China, the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) said yesterday. “A cold front passed through the northern part of the island today [Saturday], bringing with it air pollutants from Inner Mongolia and central China. The front will move southward today, bringing cold weather and dust to southern Taiwan,” the Department of Environmental Monitoring and Information Management said. Rain may reduce the air pollutants in some parts of the country, the department said. The EPA urges the public to avoid spending unnecessary time outdoors, particularly in the case of children, the elderly and those with heart or respiratory problems.
■ CULTURE
Museum crowds growing
The National Palace Museum is considering measures to manage crowds, as the influx of Chinese tourists has put a strain on service to visitors, a senior curator said yesterday. The museum is a favorite destination for Chinese visitors, resulting in overcrowding in the most popular display rooms and galleries since the number of Chinese tourists rose significantly last month, museum deputy director Feng Ming-chu (馮明珠) said. In the past, Feng said, the number of visitors per day exceeded 8,000 only on holidays. “But nowadays the number tends to surpass the 8,000 mark every day,” she said. Feng said the number of Chinese visitors was expected to increase following the launch of regularly scheduled flights across the Taiwan Strait, leading the museum to seek measures to deal with bigger crowds.
■ SOCIETY
Falun Gong stage protest
About 1,000 Falun Gong practitioners gathered at Liberty Square yesterday, demanding that Beijing stop its persecution of their group. Activists were there to mark the 10th anniversary of a 10,000-strong silent protest by Falun Gong followers in Beijing. The Beijing rally sparked a crackdown on the group. Chang Ching-hsi (張清溪), an economics professor at National Taiwan University and a Falun Gong practitioner, said that despite the crackdown, “Falun Gong has not collapsed. Instead, it has spread to more than 100 countries.” He estimated that there were 500,000 Falun Gong practitioners in Taiwan. The rally at Liberty Square drew some curious Chinese tourists, who hurriedly posed for photos before being led off by tour guides.
■ POLITICS
Lu urges Chen to keep out
Former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) said yesterday it would be “inappropriate” and “unnecessary” for former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) to rejoin the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) at the moment. Lu made the remarks in response to media reports that Chen told Hsu Chieh-yuan (??, an executive committee member of the DPP Taipei City Branch, during a visit on Thursday that he would be willing to rejoin the party if it invited him. Chen, who is being held at the Taipei Detention Center, is being tried on counts of embezzlement, money laundering, taking bribes and forgery. Lu said Chen’s top priority should be to remain healthy and prove his innocence, adding that during a recent visit, he had not mentioned rejoining the party. Chen withdrew from the party in August.
Tropical depression TD22, which was over waters south of the Ryukyu Islands, is likely to develop into a tropical storm by this morning and pose a significant threat to Taiwan next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The depression is likely to strengthen into a tropical storm named Krathon as it moves south and then veers north toward waters off Taiwan’s eastern coast, CWA forecaster Hsu Chung-yi (徐仲毅) said. Given the favorable environmental conditions for its development, TD22’s intensity would reach at least typhoon levels, Hsu said. As of 2pm yesterday, the tropical depression was about 610km east-southeast of Taiwan proper’s
Four factors led to the declaration of a typhoon day and the cancelation of classes yesterday, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. Work and classes were canceled across Taiwan yesterday as Typhoon Krathon was forecast to make landfall in the southern part of the country. However, northern Taiwan had only heavy winds during the day and rain in the evening, leading some to criticize the cancelation. Speaking at a Taipei City Council meeting yesterday, Chiang said the decision was made due to the possibility of landslides and other problems in mountainous areas, the need to avoid a potentially dangerous commute for those
Typhoon Krathon, a military airshow and rehearsals for Double Ten National Day celebrations might disrupt flights at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport in the first 10 days of next month, the airport’s operator said yesterday. Taoyuan International Airport Corp said in a statement that it has established a response center after the Central Weather Administration issued a sea warning for Krathon, and urged passengers to remain alert to the possibility of disruptions caused by the storm in the coming days. Flight schedules might also change while the air force conducts rehearsals and holds a final airshow for Double Ten National Day, it added. Although
SEMICONDUCTORS: TSMC is able to produce 2-nanometer chips and mass production is expected to be launched by next year, the company said In leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing China is behind Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) by at least 10 years as the Taiwanese chipmaker’s manufacturing process has progressed to 2 nanometers, National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Minister Wu Cheng-wen (吳誠文) said yesterday. Wu made the remarks during a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Education and Culture Committee when asked by Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) about a report published in August by the Chinese version of Nikkei Asia that said Taiwan’s lead over China in chip manufacturing was only three years. She asked Wu Cheng-wen if the report was an accurate
RSS