US President George W. Bush began his second term in office at the White House yesterday after vowing in a tough inauguration speech to overthrow tyranny and spread freedom and democracy to the "darkest corners" of the world. \n"I'm looking forward to putting my heart and soul to make this country as promising a place as it can be and the world as peaceful a place as it can possibly be," Bush said late on Thursday at one of nine inaugural balls he and first lady Laura Bush visited before returning to the White House. \nAmid the pomp and ceremony of the 55th US presidential inauguration -- the first since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks -- thousands of protesters joined cheering well-wishers on Thursday along Bush's route from his swearing-in at the Capitol back to the White House. \n"It is the policy of the United States to seek and support the growth of democratic movements and institutions in every nation and culture, with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world," Bush said. \nIn a televised speech moments after taking the oath of office under an unprecedented security blanket, Bush warned "the rulers of outlaw regimes" to ease restrictions on dissent and declared that victory over terrorism required promoting freedom around the globe. \nDemonstrators jeered or turned their backs as his armored limousine led a slow convoy down Pennsylvania Avenue, some waving signs that read "Guilty of War Crimes" or "In fighting monsters, we are becoming one." \nWhile Bush did not single out any countries for criticism, Vice President Dick Cheney said Iran was "right at the top of the list." Other aides have mentioned Belarus, Cuba, Myanmar, North Korea and Zimbabwe. \n"As long as whole regions of the world simmer in resentment and tyranny, prone to ideologies that feed hatred and excuse murder, violence will gather, and multiply in destructive power, and cross the most defended borders and raise a mortal threat," Cheney said. \nBush, his first term scarred by terrorism and marked by wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, mentioned none of those crises by name as he offered conciliatory words to allies who broke with Washington over whether to oust former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein. \n"All the allies of the United States can know: We honor your friendship, we rely on your counsel, and we depend on your help," Bush said. \nBush, who has the worst approval ratings of any reelected president since Richard Nixon in 1973, told the polarized US public: "We have known divisions, which must be healed to move forward in great purposes, and I will strive in good faith to heal them." \nFirst lady Laura Bush and twin daughters Barbara and Jenna stood at Bush's side as he swore on the steps of the US Capitol to defend the US and uphold the Constitution. \nBush said spreading freedom was "not primarily the task of arms, though we will defend ourselves and our friends by force of arms when necessary." \nWith his trademark optimism, Bush spoke of a fire that had been kindled in many people's minds, and vowed that "one day, this untamed fire of freedom will reach the darkest corners of our world." \nAlso see stories: \nWhite House denies Taiwan snub \nAsian allies have `qualified' praise for George W. Bush \nBush speech idealist, sparse on detail
TIMING: 'The CHIPS Act funding is crucial for us. In other words, if the act’s passage is delayed for too long, we will certainly need to adjust,’ chairwoman Doris Hsu said GlobalWafers Co (環球晶圓) plans to start construction on a US$5 billion wafer fabrication facility in Texas in November, after passage of the US$52 billion Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) for America Act. The fab would be the largest of its kind in the US and one of the largest in the world, with a monthly capacity of 1.2 million wafers, GlobalWafers said, adding that the investment would be the first new fab in the US in more than 20 years and critical to closing a semiconductor supply chain gap. The world’s No. 3 silicon wafer supplier said the project, which
Samsung Electronics Co yesterday commenced mass production of 3-nanometer chips that are more powerful and efficient than predecessors, beating rival Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) to a key milestone in the race to build the most advanced chips in the world. South Korea’s largest company said in a statement that it was beginning with 3-nanometer semiconductors for high-performance and specialized low-power computing applications before expanding to mobile processors. By applying so-called Gate-All-Around transistor architecture, Samsung’s 3-nanometer products reduce power consumption by up to 45 percent and improve performance by 23 percent compared with 5-nanometer chips, it said. Samsung’s push to be first
Three to four tropical storms or typhoons are expected to hit Taiwan this year due to a weak La Nina effect in the northwest Pacific Ocean, the Central Weather Bureau (CWB) said yesterday, as typhoon season begins next month. Taiwan’s typhoon season generally lasts from July to September, with most typhoons occurring in August. Weather Forecast Center Director Lu Kuo-chen (呂國臣) told a news conference that a weakening La Nina is expected to have less of an effect on Taiwan. “The climate simulation we conducted, and those conducted by other meteorological agencies around the world, showed that the number of typhoons that
HYBRID THREAT: Lauding the alliance’s global vision in facing up to China’s challenges, MOFA said that Taiwan would continue to bolster cooperation with democratic allies NATO has for the first time singled out China as one of its strategic priorities for the next decade, warning about its growing military ambitions, confrontational rhetoric toward Taiwan and other neighbors, and increasingly close ties to Russia. In Taipei, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday said it appreciates the alliance’s global vision in facing up squarely to the systemic challenges posed by China. While Russia’s war against Ukraine has dominated discussions at the NATO summit in Madrid, China on Wednesday earned a place among the Western alliance’s most worrying security concerns. “China is substantially building up its military forces, including nuclear
RSS