UTILITIES
Water supply to be reduced
The supply of water to heavy users will be reduced starting on about May 20 in a second-phase conservation effort to cope with an unseasonable dry spell, Minister of Economic Affairs Shih Yen-hsiang (施顏祥) said yesterday. The drought in Taiwan has worsened over the past days and artificial rain-making operations have begun, he said. “If the drought persists, the Ministry of Economic Affairs will convene a meeting in mid-May to impose water-rationing in Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Miaoli and Changhua counties, and in Taichung and Hsinchu cities,” he said. In its first stage of water rationing, the government has been reducing the night-time water pressure to household in some areas. During the second phase, the supply of water to fountains and for non-urgent purposes, such as cleaning streets, will be stopped. In addition, the supply of water for swimming pools, car-washes, saunas and businesses that use 1,000 tonnes or more per month will be cut by 20 percent. The supply to industrial users will be reduced by 5 percent.
ENTERTAINMENT
Glass-walled eatery opens
A newly built restaurant that rotates 360 degrees opened in Taoyuan on Tuesday, offering unrivaled views of the surrounding area. The restaurant, situated not far from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and called “Air Harbor,” provides panoramic views of the picturesque Chuwei (竹圍) port area. The glass-walled eatery, built at a cost of NT$20 million (US$700,000) and offering various set meals based around steak and seafood, can accommodate 200 people. Located at the top of the Chuwei Fishing Port building in Taoyuan County, it has been developed by the Taoyuan County Government as part of a Costal Recreation Zone program under the Taoyuan Aerotropolis project.
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
China is attempting to subsume Taiwanese culture under Chinese culture by promulgating legislation on preserving documents on ties between the Minnan region and Taiwan, a Taiwanese academic said yesterday. China on Tuesday enforced the Fujian Province Minnan and Taiwan Document Protection Act to counter Taiwanese cultural independence with historical evidence that would root out misleading claims, Chinese-language media outlet Straits Today reported yesterday. The act is “China’s first ad hoc local regulations in the cultural field that involve Taiwan and is a concrete step toward implementing the integrated development demonstration zone,” Fujian Provincial Archives deputy director Ma Jun-fan (馬俊凡) said. The documents
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