Loan program boosted
The Cabinet yesterday announced a loan extension program for the nation's traditional industries, pumping in another NT$350 billion in loans to help a total of 42,000 enterprises in the sector, a statement said.
As of the middle of last month, the government had granted 128,979 loans to companies in traditional industries totalling NT$1.1 trillion, which exceeds the loan quota of NT$1.05 trillion.
"To boost the economy and promote traditional industries, the government decided to add another NT$350 billion to the fund," the statement said.
In addition to lifting in ceiling of the fund, the Cabinet also extended the due date to apply for the fund from Oct. 19 this year to the same date next year, the statement said.
Lottery revenues hit NT$44bn
TaipeiBank (台北銀行) yesterday said that revenues from computerized lottery sales had reached NT$44 billion as of July. A total of NT$1.7 billion in net profits was generated from ticket sales in July according to the bank.
The revenues will be used to subsidize local governments' social welfare services for senior citizens and the physically challenged.
Taipei County, Taipei City and Taoyuan County obtained the biggest shares of subsidies in July with a grant of NT$129 million, NT$115 million and NT$70 million respectively.
Software plan worries industry
Japan's plan to develop computer software and a new operating system with South Korea and China is worrisome to Taiwan's information industry, according to inside sources.
News media in Tokyo have reported recently that Japanese Trade and Industry Minister Takeo Hiranuma is expected to talk with his South Korean and Chinese counterparts about the plan in Phnom Penh later this week on the sidelines of an ASEAN meeting. The plan is aimed at reducing reliance on Microsoft's Windows operating system.
Some leaders in Taiwan's information industry, who declined to be named, said yesterday that the Japanese plan is worrisome because it seems that Taiwan will be excluded from the cooperation plan.
Airline resumes service
All Nippon Airways Co began flying to Taipei yesterday for the first time in more than three months following the worldwide scare over the outbreak of SARS, a spokesman said.
The Japanese carrier suspended its one daily flight between Taipei and Tokyo's Narita airport on May 16.
Air Nippon will operate seven flights from Narita Airport in Tokyo to Taipei each week in cooperation with EVA Airways Corp (長榮).
Infineon sells stake in ProMOS
Infineon, the second-biggest maker of microchips in Europe, said yesterday it has sold its entire stake in ProMOS Technologies (茂德科技), a Taiwan-based maker of DRAM memory chips, finally pulling the plug on the joint venture after a bitter legal spat with the firm's co-owner, Mosel Vitelic (茂矽).
"We have sold our entire stake in ProMOS," a spokesman for Infineon said.
Infineon set up ProMOS in 1996 as a joint venture with its Taiwan partner, Mosel Vitelic. But relations between the two partners soured and earlier this year Mosel Vitelic sought to secure control of ProMOS' management board by ousting two Infineon executives.
NT dollar strengthens
The New Taiwan dollar yesterday traded higher against its US counterpart, rising NT$0.058 to close at NT$34.112 on the Taipei foreign exchange market.
Turnover was US$781 million.
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