■World markets
Japan spending boost
Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi yesterday ordered a boost to government spending in the current financial year and a strengthening of his economic reform drive, but analysts were unimpressed. Koizumi told his cabinet to draw up details of a supplementary budget for the year to March after the government and ruling coalitions parties agreed the previous day to earmark an extra three trillion yen (US$24.4 billion) for public works projects and a social safety net. But some ministers and analysts warned the amount was insufficient to fight deflation and end a 12-year economic slump. Job losses and bankruptcies are expected to rise as the government pushes banks to accelerate the write-off of massive bad loans.
■ Computers
Microsoft announces flaw
Microsoft on Thursday announced a critical security flaw in most versions of its Windows operating system and urged users to download a security patch from the company website. The software giant said the flaw afflicted versions of Windows 2000, Millennium, 98 and NT 4.0, allowing attackers to exploit a vulnerability in the software that underlies many database functions and take over the user's computer. It was unclear how many times, if any, attackers had taken advantage of the flaw. The company's newest operating system Windows XP, does not suffer the problem. The announcement was Microsoft's 65th security flaw announced this year, underscoring how far the company has to go to fulfill demands of founder Bill Gates to create a trust-worthy computing platform.
■ Semiconductors
Infineon to post loss
Infineon Technologies AG, Europe's No. 2 semiconductor maker, expects to post an operating loss of at least 200 million euros (US$201 million) this fiscal year, <
■ World Markets
Vietnam piracy purge
Nearly 36,000 music, video and computer discs, 60,000 print advertisements and 15,668 books have been destroyed in the Vietnamese capital in a purge against piracy and "cultural pollution", officials said yesterday. Over 450 calendars and 1,097 advertising banners were also incinerated on Thursday in the third crackdown of the year in Hanoi against unlicensed and pirated goods. "We destroyed these products mainly because they were fake or unauthorized copies rather than because they contained poisonous material," an official from the city's culture and information department said. However, he added that some of VCDs contained pornography. The majority of the books that were set alight were illegal copies of best-sellers, but there were also some with "superstitious" content, the official said. Vietnam's communist government still remains suspicious about pagan and other traditional beliefs, fearing they could undermine its grip on power.
Agencies
PLA MANEUVERS: Although Beijing has yet to formally announce military drills, its coast guard vessels have been spotted near and around Taiwan since Friday The Taiwanese military is on high alert and is closely monitoring the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) air and naval deployments after Beijing yesterday reserved seven airspace areas east of its Zhejiang and Fujian provinces through Wednesday. Beijing’s action was perceived as a precursor to a potential third “Joint Sword” military exercise, which national security experts said the PLA could launch following President William Lai’s (賴清德) state visits to the nation’s three Pacific allies and stopovers in Hawaii and Guam last week. Unlike the Joint Sword military exercises in May and October, when Beijing provided detailed information about the affected areas, it
CHINA: The activities come amid speculation that Beijing might launch military exercises in response to Lai’s recent visit to Pacific allies The Ministry of National Defense (MND) yesterday said China had nearly doubled the number of its warships operating around the nation in the previous 24 hours, ahead of what security sources expect would be a new round of war games. China’s military activities come amid speculation Beijing might organize military drills around the nation in response to President William Lai’s (賴清德) recent visit to Pacific allies, including stops in Hawaii and Guam, a US territory. Lai returned from the week-long trip on Friday night. Beijing has held two rounds of war games around Taiwan this year, and sends ships and military planes
Five flights have been arranged to help nearly 2,000 Taiwanese tourists return home from Okinawa after being stranded due to cruise ship maintenance issues, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications announced yesterday. China Airlines Ltd (中華航空), and EVA Airways Corp (長榮航空) have arranged five flights with a total of 748 additional seats to transport 1,857 passengers from the MSC Bellissima back to Taiwan, the ministry said. The flights have been scheduled for yesterday and today by the Civil Aviation Administration, with the cruise operator covering all associated costs. The MSC Bellissima, carrying 4,341 passengers, departed from Keelung on Wednesday last week for Okinawa,
US president-elect Donald Trump said he would “never say” if Washington is committed to defending Taiwan from China, but “I would prefer that they do not do it [ an attack],” adding that he has a “good relationship” with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). “I never say because I have to negotiate things, right?” Trump said in an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press host Kristen Welker after saying he would not reveal his incoming administration’s stance on Taiwan’s defense in the event of an attack. Asked the question again, Trump, in a reference to China, said: “I would prefer that they
RSS