■ Semiconductors
Some Intel chipsets flawed
Intel Corp, the world's largest semiconductor maker, has discovered a glitch involving some of the input/output controllers in its recently introduced Grantsdale chipsets, causing some computers to malfunction. "We've found a malfunction in a limited lot of controllers and we're discussing how to handle the situation with our customers," said Masatoshi Mizuno, an Intel official in Tokyo. He couldn't elabor-ate on the scope of the glitch. Intel last week introduced the Grantsdale, the company's first major chipset upgrade in 12 years. It is aimed at stemming slowing sales growth by attracting computer buyers who wanting advanced graphics, wireless Internet connections and lower power use.
■ Banking
Citigroup suspends pair
Citigroup has suspended two investment bankers in China, Margaret Ren (任克英) and Earl Yen (顏慶華), for allegedly giving false information, according an internal memo. "The conduct for which they were suspended, which did not involve client matters, related to the presentation of false information to the company and its regula-tors," said the memo, which was sent to senior Citigroup management by e-mail on June 23 and was signed by the Citigroup investment bank director for the Asia Pacific, Robert Morse. It did not provide details of the alleged wrongdoing. Ren, the daughter-in-law of former Chinese president Zhao Ziyang (趙紫陽), had led Citigroup's investment banking business in China. She was replaced by Francis Leung.
■ Japan
BoJ keeps policy steady
Japan's central bank decided yesterday to keep its monetary policy steady, as government data showed that consumer prices have continued to decline despite expectations that a recover-ing economy would send prices higher. The Bank of Japan has kept short-term interest rates near zero and flooded the financial system with cash to encourage banks and businesses to keep money circulating throughout the economy. It left that super-loose mone-tary policy unchanged yesterday, setting its target for liquidity, or the amount of funds at the bank held by commercial banks, in a range of ?30 trillion (US$280 billion) to ?35 trillion. It also kept steady its monthly purchases of government bonds at ?1.2 trillion.
The bank's decision was widely expected by financial markets.
■ Japan
Corporate profits rise
Combined operating profits earned by listed Japanese firms in the rest of Asia rose 44 percent year-on-year to a record in the year ended in March thanks to strong demand in China, a survey showed yesterday. Group operating profit totalled ?1.11 trillion (US$10.4 billion) in the Asia-Oceania region excluding Japan, rising above ?1 trillion for the first time, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun said. The daily compiled the figure from earnings of 551 listed firms that provided regional breakdowns of operating profit for the last fiscal year. Matsushita Electric Indus-trial Co posted the highest operating profit of ?89.7 billion, it said. The total operating profit rose 20 percent from a year earlier to ?9.68 trillion. Overseas profit grew 22 percent to total ?3.53 trillion, with profit in the US edging up 1 percent to ?1.51 trillion. Operating profit in Europe was ?501.5 billion, the daily said.
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique