■MUSIC
Fans mourn Jackson
Michael Jackson fans gathered in Taipei yesterday to imitate their late hero＊s dance moves and watch his performances as tributes to the US pop legend. Jackson, who died on June 25 in Los Angeles, enjoyed a huge following in Asia. About 200 fans held a memorial in Taipei where impersonators performed on a stage adorned with his photos. Many sobbed as they watched videos of Jackson＊s concerts. ※I paid tribute to him with my dance,§ said Kao Sha-ming, 30, wiping tears after he mimicked Jackson＊s moves in a red T-shirt and a black jacket. Kim Lin, 32, said she was picked to dance with Jackson when he performed in Taiwan in 1996. She said she screamed for 20 minutes after hearing about his death. ※My god of music just died. It was too hard to accept that because I was so close to him on the stage,§ she said.
■AGRICULTURE
Chinese delegation arrives
A Chinese delegation that will survey Taiwan＊s fruit market in preparation for an October visit by an official procurement group f arrived yesterday, officials with the semi-〝official Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) said. The nine-〝member delegation is headed by China Fruits Marketing Association vice chairman Fu Xiuquan (媸滼藾), and is composed of experts and officials from Liaoning, Hebei, Jiangsu and Guangxi provinces. The China Fruits Marketing Association is the largest trade organization in China＊s fruit sector. Although TAITRA said it remains unclear how much the procurement group intends to buy, it will be primarily interested in fall and winter fruit, such as oranges, grapefruit, pineapples and sugar apples.
■ MILITARY
Officers to attend US show
The air force will send a team of five to six officers to observe for the first time an air drill to be conducted by the US Air Force. Yin Shih-hsien (蹁蒢緕), an Air Force public affairs officer, said the Rodeo Airlift Competition would be staged by the US Air Force＊s Air Mobility Command at McChord Air Force Base in Washington state between July 19 and July 25. The drill, which was first staged in 1956 and features aerial refueling, aeromedical evacuation of troops and air drops, will give the air force a chance to expand its experience in these fields, Yin said. Taiwan is one of more than 27 partner nations invited by the US to observe the competition.
■IMMIGRATION
US man fined for abuse
An US passport holder of Chinese descent was fined US$500 for cursing at an immigration officer at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport late last month, government sources said yesterday. The Chinese-American unleashed a two-minute volley of expletives when he was asked to fill out his ED (entry and departure) card in detail after his arrival at the airport on June 25, officials with the National Immigration Agency said. The agency reported the case to aviation police, who transferred it to the Taoyuan Prosecutors Office. On June 26, Taoyuan District Court ruled that the Chinese-American man should pay a fine of US$500 for his abusive tirade. The immigration agency said it would hold a meeting later to decide whether to blacklist him as a persona non-grata.
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
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
PRO-CHINA SLOGANS: Two DPP members criticized police officers’ lack of action at the scene, saying that law enforcement authorities should investigate the incident Chinese tourists allegedly interrupted a protest in Taipei on Tuesday held by Hong Kongers, knocked down several flags and shouted: “Taiwan and Hong Kong belong to China.” Hong Kong democracy activists were holding a demonstration as Tuesday was China’s National Day. A video posted online by civic group Hong Kong Outlanders shows a couple, who are allegedly Chinese, during the demonstration. “Today is China’s National Day, and I won’t allow the displaying of these flags,” the male yells in the video before pushing some demonstrators and knocking down a few flagpoles. Radio Free Asia reported that some of the demonstrators
There are 77 incidents of Taiwanese travelers going missing in China between January last year and last month, the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) said. More than 40 remain unreachable, SEF Secretary-General Luo Wen-jia (羅文嘉) said on Friday. Most of the reachable people in the more than 30 other incidents were allegedly involved in fraud, while some had disappeared for personal reasons, Luo said. One of these people is Kuo Yu-hsuan (郭宇軒), a 22-year-old Taiwanese man from Kaohsiung who went missing while visiting China in August. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office last month said in a news statement that he was under investigation
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