■ SHIPPING
Nine sailors rescued
Helicopters and ships rescued nine crew members after their ship sank off the north coast in rough weather, the coast guard said yesterday. The ship, registered in the Central American nation of Belize, was carrying steel from Japan to Vietnam when it capsized in heavy seas early yesterday, cable station TVBS said. The ship had refueled in Keelung. The nine crew members, all Chinese nationals, escaped in an inflatable dinghy but drifted for more than an hour before helicopters and ships from the coast guard whisked them to safety, a coast guard official told the cable station. One crew member surnamed Sun, 50, was taken to the Mackay Memorial Hospital in nearby Tamsui (淡水) for treatment, but he was not in danger, the officials said.
■ SOCIETY
Singer in `glass house'
Singaporean pop singer Stefanie Sun (孫燕姿) moved into a glass house next to the Taipei 101 skyscraper yesterday for a 24-hour stint to promote her latest CD. Her stay was being broadcast live on the Internet. Sun, 27, planned to spend 24 hours in the glass-and-steel structure. Her hair dyed a fiery red, Sun sat on a brightly colored sofa as photographers milled about. Her fans gathered outside, holding up umbrellas against the pouring rain. Other singers were planning to visit her, she told cable station ETTV. Sun said the temporary structure was more comfortable than she had expected. "I thought it would be a square box with a bed and a lamp," she said. Sun was planning to leave the house early this afternoon.
■ SOCIETY
Railway uses `feng shui'
The main entrance of Taipei Railway Station has been redesigned for better feng shui following a string of derailments and train delays, a railway official said over the weekend. Taiwan Railway Administration director Hsu Ta-wen (徐達文) said the administration had added a glass hallway to the station's main entrance to ward off evil spirits. The renovation was made at the suggestion of Master Hun Yuan (混元禪師), a well-known Buddhist master, Hsu said. The railway administration consulted Hun Yuan after several derailments, train delays and suicides on the tracks. Hun Yuan said the incidents had occurred because the station's main entrance faces a "white tiger demon." To avoid the demon, the main door had to be moved back 6m. The administration installed a glass hallway behind the main door, so that passengers now arriving at the station must enter two doors. Several lawmakers on Friday blasted the administration for squandering money on "superstition."
■ TOURISM
PRC delegation on the way
China's National Tourism Administration (NTA) hopes to send a delegation to Taiwan late this month to look into the local market in preparation for the lifting of restrictions on Chinese tourism, travel sources said. At the invitation of Taiwan's Travel Agent Association, NTA Director Shao Qiwei (邵琪偉) will head a 60-member delegation on a 10-day fact-finding visit, the sources said, adding that the delegation will consist of NTA staff members and tourism chiefs from major Chinese provinces and cities. In addition to touring major scenic spots such as Sun Moon Lake, Alishan and Hualien, the delegation will also visit administrative offices. Applications for the visit have been sent to the Tourism Bureau and the Mainland Affairs Council for approval.
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
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