■ Semiconductors
Sales rose 37% in April
Global semiconductor sales rose 37 percent in April from a year earlier to the highest level since July 2000, helped by higher demand for chips used in mobile phones and personal computers, the Semiconductor Industry Association said. Sales were US$16.94 billion in the month, the industry group said in a statement released on Business Wire. Worldwide chip sales rose 4.1 percent from US$16.28 billion in March, San Jose, California-based SIA said. "The fundamentals are in place for strong growth through the remainder of the year, and it is likely that growth for 2004 will significantly surpass last fall's forecast of 19 percent growth," SIA president George Scalise said in the statement.
■ Television
TVB cuts jobs
Television Broadcast Ltd, Hong Kong's dominant TV network, said yesterday it had slashed between 25 and 30 jobs as part of a restructuring. The latest job cuts occurred in the art, construction, production and security departments, said Winnie Ho, a TVB spokeswoman. TVB cut 30 jobs in February. TVB employs more than 3,000 staff and is trying to merge different departments, she said. "We are constantly reviewing our operations," Ho said, adding that the company may hire production staff later this year. She dismissed as a "rumor" a local newspaper report Tuesday that said the broadcaster plans to slash another 100 jobs after the Olympics in Athens, Greece in August. The report cited an unidentified TVB employee.
■ Airlines
Ryanair profits fall
Budget airline Ryanair posted a 5 percent drop in net profits yesterday, blaming increased price competition and the weakness of the British pound for the fall. Net profit before goodwill and exceptional items fell to 226.6 euros (US$280 million) for the year ended March 31. The airline has been slashing ticket prices to meet the competition and said it carried more than 23 million passengers over the year, up 47 percent from the previous year. "This year was characterized by adverse market conditions including sterling weakness, the war in Iraq, the threat of terrorist attacks, significantly higher oil prices, and intense price competition all over Europe from chronically loss making flag and new entrant carriers," said Ryanair's chief executive Michael O'Leary.
■ Airlines
Hong Kong agrees charges
Cathay Pacific Airways, Dragonair and nine other airlines have been given permission to levy surcharges on passengers traveling on flights into and out of Hong Kong to cover surging fuel prices, a government spokeswoman said yesterday. Civil Aviation Department spokeswoman Sandra Lai said the government has permitted Cathay to charge passengers US$5 each way for flights within Asia and US$14 for flights to other destinations. Dragonair and three Chinese airlines -- China Eastern, China Southern and Air China -- can collect US$5.40 per flight from each passenger, regardless of its length. The six other airlines that won approval Monday were Australian Airlines, Qantas Airways, Virgin Atlantic Airways, Emirates Airlines, Air India and Gulf Air. Their surcharges will range from US$4 to US$10.70.
A Chinese freighter that allegedly snapped an undersea cable linking Taiwan proper to Penghu County is suspected of being owned by a Chinese state-run company and had docked at the ports of Kaohsiung and Keelung for three months using different names. On Tuesday last week, the Togo-flagged freighter Hong Tai 58 (宏泰58號) and its Chinese crew were detained after the Taipei-Penghu No. 3 submarine cable was severed. When the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) first attempted to detain the ship on grounds of possible sabotage, its crew said the ship’s name was Hong Tai 168, although the Automatic Identification System (AIS)
An Akizuki-class destroyer last month made the first-ever solo transit of a Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force ship through the Taiwan Strait, Japanese government officials with knowledge of the matter said yesterday. The JS Akizuki carried out a north-to-south transit through the Taiwan Strait on Feb. 5 as it sailed to the South China Sea to participate in a joint exercise with US, Australian and Philippine forces that day. The Japanese destroyer JS Sazanami in September last year made the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s first-ever transit through the Taiwan Strait, but it was joined by vessels from New Zealand and Australia,
SECURITY: The purpose for giving Hong Kong and Macau residents more lenient paths to permanent residency no longer applies due to China’s policies, a source said The government is considering removing an optional path to citizenship for residents from Hong Kong and Macau, and lengthening the terms for permanent residence eligibility, a source said yesterday. In a bid to prevent the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from infiltrating Taiwan through immigration from Hong Kong and Macau, the government could amend immigration laws for residents of the territories who currently receive preferential treatment, an official familiar with the matter speaking on condition of anonymity said. The move was part of “national security-related legislative reform,” they added. Under the amendments, arrivals from the Chinese territories would have to reside in Taiwan for
CRITICAL MOVE: TSMC’s plan to invest another US$100 billion in US chipmaking would boost Taiwan’s competitive edge in the global market, the premier said The government would ensure that the most advanced chipmaking technology stays in Taiwan while assisting Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) in investing overseas, the Presidential Office said yesterday. The statement follows a joint announcement by the world’s largest contract chipmaker and US President Donald Trump on Monday that TSMC would invest an additional US$100 billion over the next four years to expand its semiconductor manufacturing operations in the US, which would include construction of three new chip fabrication plants, two advanced packaging facilities, and a research and development center. The government knew about the deal in advance and would assist, Presidential
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