INTERNET
Taiwan requested Yahoo data
Taiwan was one of the 17 countries or territories that requested data on Yahoo users in the first half of this year, according to Yahoo Inc’s global transparency report, released on Friday. Yahoo received about 29,000 government requests for data on its users in the first six months this year, the report said, adding that about 43 percent of those requests came from the US. In addition to the US, Yahoo listed requests from 16 other countries or territories, including Taiwan, Australia, Hong Kong, India, New Zealand, Singapore, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Britain, Argentina, Brazil and Mexico. The Yahoo report followed the release of similar information from other technology firms, including Google, Facebook, Microsoft and Twitter. Taiwan’s requests for Yahoo users data were mainly for criminal investigation purposes, especially for investigating online purchase frauds, the Criminal Investigation Bureau said on Saturday.
TRADE
Fair to generate US$30m
Taiwan expects a regional trade fair in northeastern China to generate as much as US$30 million in potential business, the Taipei-based Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) said on Saturday. A total of 168 Taiwanese companies are attending the ninth China-Northeast Asia Expo, which began on Friday and runs until Wednesday in Changchun, the capital of Jilin Province, TAITRA vice secretary-general Walter Yeh (葉明水) said. Yeh said that the businesses are displaying more than 1,000 products at the fair, covering three general categories — Taiwan Excellence Award products, food and culture-based creative products.
DIVIDED VIEWS: Although the Fed agreed on holding rates steady, some officials see no rate cuts for this year, while 10 policymakers foresee two or more cuts There are a lot of unknowns about the outlook for the economy and interest rates, but US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell signaled at least one thing seems certain: Higher prices are coming. Fed policymakers voted unanimously to hold interest rates steady at a range of 4.25 percent to 4.50 percent for a fourth straight meeting on Wednesday, as they await clarity on whether tariffs would leave a one-time or more lasting mark on inflation. Powell said it is still unclear how much of the bill would fall on the shoulders of consumers, but he expects to learn more about tariffs
NOT JUSTIFIED: The bank’s governor said there would only be a rate cut if inflation falls below 1.5% and economic conditions deteriorate, which have not been detected The central bank yesterday kept its key interest rates unchanged for a fifth consecutive quarter, aligning with market expectations, while slightly lowering its inflation outlook amid signs of cooling price pressures. The move came after the US Federal Reserve held rates steady overnight, despite pressure from US President Donald Trump to cut borrowing costs. Central bank board members unanimously voted to maintain the discount rate at 2 percent, the secured loan rate at 2.375 percent and the overnight lending rate at 4.25 percent. “We consider the policy decision appropriate, although it suggests tightening leaning after factoring in slackening inflation and stable GDP growth,”
Meta Platforms Inc offered US$100 million bonuses to OpenAI employees in an unsuccessful bid to poach the ChatGPT maker’s talent and strengthen its own generative artificial intelligence (AI) teams, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has said. Facebook’s parent company — a competitor of OpenAI — also offered “giant” annual salaries exceeding US$100 million to OpenAI staffers, Altman said in an interview on the Uncapped with Jack Altman podcast released on Tuesday. “It is crazy,” Sam Altman told his brother Jack in the interview. “I’m really happy that at least so far none of our best people have decided to take them
PLANS: MSI is also planning to upgrade its service center in the Netherlands Micro-Star International Co (MSI, 微星) yesterday said it plans to set up a server assembly line at its Poland service center this year at the earliest. The computer and peripherals manufacturer expects that the new server assembly line would shorten transportation times in shipments to European countries, a company spokesperson told the Taipei Times by telephone. MSI manufactures motherboards, graphics cards, notebook computers, servers, optical storage devices and communication devices. The company operates plants in Taiwan and China, and runs a global network of service centers. The company is also considering upgrading its service center in the Netherlands into a
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