■ Internet
Free software offered
Software maker Computer Associates is offering worldwide PC users free anti-virus software as part of an effort to fight the epidemic of Internet attacks. The company said it would offer the EZ-Armor anti-virus program and a firewall to qualified Windows home computer users. "The widespread embrace of PCs and the Internet has put extremely powerful technology in the hands of consumers," said Toby Weiss, senior vice president at CA. "To ensure the safety and integrity of the Internet experience, we are making CA's powerful enterprise-class security technology readily available to home computer users while supporting Microsoft's `Protect Your PC' campaign." The company cited a study showing there are roughly 105 virus infections per 1,000 PCs per month. This has increased steadily from 32 per 1,000 in 1998. The announcement was made at the Comdex computer industry trade show.
■ Electronics
Philips boosts production
LG Philips LCD, a joint venture between South Korea's LG Group and Royal Philips Electronics, plans to boost spending to build a production line for flat panels to meet increasing demand for large-screen televisions. LG Philips plans to spend 3.3 trillion won (US$2.8 billion) this year to build what is known as a sixth-generation liquid-crystal display production line capable of handling 90,000 sheets a month, 50 percent more than originally planned, spokesman Kim Chang Dong said. Kim declined to comment on a Maeil Business Newspaper report that said the spending plan is about 1 trillion won more than earlier projections. The production line will make panels for televisions with screens larger than 81cm, the report said. LG Philips, Samsung Electronics and other flat-panel producers are boosting investments to build larger-sized panels, betting demand for bigger flat-screen televisions will increase. Samsung Electronics, which was the world's biggest flat-panel display maker last year, is jointly investing with Sony to build a production line larger than LG Philips.
■ Statistics
China defends GDP figures
China's director of statistics defended the nation's GDP figures yesterday, saying despite imperfections the method of compiling data basically reflected economic growth in the country. "I can confidently tell everyone that China's statistical work and method of collecting data is basically integrated with internationally accepted standards," said Li Deshui, director of the National Bureau of Statistics.
■ Trade
EU ready to scrap rules
The EU is prepared to scrap its efforts to draft rules on customs simplification and the awarding of government contracts under international trade law, in an effort to revive talks that collapsed two months ago. WTO discussions foundered when developing nations, led by India, refused to act on EU proposals for investment, competition, customs red tape and procurement contracts to be written into WTO law. On the final day of negotiations in Cancun, Mexico, EU Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy offered to shelve two of the four issues -- investment and competition -- to save the talks from failure. Instead, those rules may be more effective as a series of agreements that the WTO's 148 members can chose to sign, he said.
FALSE DOCUMENTS? Actor William Liao said he was ‘voluntarily cooperating’ with police after a suspect was accused of helping to produce false medical certificates Police yesterday questioned at least six entertainers amid allegations of evasion of compulsory military service, with Lee Chuan (李銓), a member of boy band Choc7 (超克7), and actor Daniel Chen (陳大天) among those summoned. The New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office in January launched an investigation into a group that was allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified medical documents. Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) has been accused of being one of the group’s clients. As the investigation expanded, investigators at New Taipei City’s Yonghe Precinct said that other entertainers commissioned the group to obtain false documents. The main suspect, a man surnamed
The government is considering polices to increase rental subsidies for people living in social housing who get married and have children, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said yesterday. During an interview with the Plain Law Movement (法律白話文) podcast, Cho said that housing prices cannot be brought down overnight without affecting banks and mortgages. Therefore, the government is focusing on providing more aid for young people by taking 3 to 5 percent of urban renewal projects and zone expropriations and using that land for social housing, he said. Single people living in social housing who get married and become parents could obtain 50 percent more
DEMOGRAPHICS: Robotics is the most promising answer to looming labor woes, the long-term care system and national contingency response, an official said Taiwan is to launch a five-year plan to boost the robotics industry in a bid to address labor shortages stemming from a declining and aging population, the Executive Yuan said yesterday. The government approved the initiative, dubbed the Smart Robotics Industry Promotion Plan, via executive order, senior officials told a post-Cabinet meeting news conference in Taipei. Taiwan’s population decline would strain the economy and the nation’s ability to care for vulnerable and elderly people, said Peter Hong (洪樂文), who heads the National Science and Technology Council’s (NSTC) Department of Engineering and Technologies. Projections show that the proportion of Taiwanese 65 or older would
Democracies must remain united in the face of a shifting geopolitical landscape, former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) told the Copenhagen Democracy Summit on Tuesday, while emphasizing the importance of Taiwan’s security to the world. “Taiwan’s security is essential to regional stability and to defending democratic values amid mounting authoritarianism,” Tsai said at the annual forum in the Danish capital. Noting a “new geopolitical landscape” in which global trade and security face “uncertainty and unpredictability,” Tsai said that democracies must remain united and be more committed to building up resilience together in the face of challenges. Resilience “allows us to absorb shocks, adapt under
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