■ Computers
Dell sales expected to rise
Dell Inc backed its guidance for the fiscal first quarter on Wednesday and said it expects annual sales to reach US$80 billion in the next few years. The computer maker said it continues to expect earnings of US$0.37 per share on sales of US$13.4 billion in the February-April period, matching current estimates in a survey of analysts by Thomson Financial. Dell predicted that revenue will grow from US$49 billion to US$80 billion over the next three to four years.
■ Computer crime
Spammer's office raided
The Australian government's communications regulator yesterday raided the office of a company accused of bombarding computers with tens of millions of spam e-mails. Investigators seized computer hard disks and other material during the raid of the company in the Western Australia state capital, Perth, the Australian Communications Authority said in a statement. The authority did not name the company involved or its director, who was not arrested or charged with any offense. Australia outlawed spamming last year. Offenders face fines of up to 1.1 million Australian dollars (US$845,400).
■ Economy
Recovery may be delayed
South Korea's central bank said yesterday the country's economic recovery may come later than previously hoped, citing weak industrial output and construction investment. Bank of Korea Governor Park Seung stepped back from his earlier estimate that the economic recovery was proceeding at a faster than expected rate. "The economy will recover only in the second half of this year. Yet, we may not see a full rebound," said Park.
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck off the southern coast of Mindanao in the Philippines at 7:38am today, prompting the US Tsunami Warning System to issue an alert for neighboring countries, including Taiwan. The system issued a purple alert indicating a "tsunami threat." The potential threat zone includes Taiwan, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Yap and Palau. A spokesperson for Indonesia disaster mitigation agency said there were no reports of damage so far. Arlene Hollero, disaster chief of Maasim town in the Philippines' Sarangani Province, said their evacuation was underway in coastal villages and there were no reported casualties so far. DZBB radio, broadcasting from the
RESILIENCE: Taiwan plays a key role in semiconductors, energy, information infrastructure and advanced manufacturing, AIT Director Raymond Greene said Taiwan’s continued investment in deterrence and resilience remains vital, especially in uncrewed systems and other emerging technologies, American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Raymond Greene said yesterday. Greene made the remarks at the annual National Strategic Summit on Supply Chain Resilience held by the Research Institute for Democracy, Society and Emerging Technology (DSET), a government-backed think tank. As Taiwan last year became the US’ fourth-largest trading partner and supply chain security is becoming more important, cooperation in emerging technologies continues to deepen between the two countries, he said. The US is committed to accelerating innovation, building key infrastructure, strengthening cooperation
The National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology yesterday showcased its locally developed variants of the Vision 60 robotic patrol dog, which it plans to deploy on the nation’s outlying territories in the South China Sea. The variants were produced under the Joint Lab project — created by the institute and domestic companies — and assembled with domestically produced motors, lenses and artificial intelligence (AI) systems alongside licensed tech from the US, Missile and Rocket Systems Research Division deputy director Jen Kuo-kang (任國光) told the media event at a military base in Taipei’s Dazhi (大直) area. Taiwan has built up its strengths
RIGHT DIRECTION: Taiwan’s efforts to prevent forced labor include a proposal to ‘fully prohibit’ employers from withholding workers’ documents, an official said Taiwan is to establish a mechanism to restrict imports of goods linked to forced labor, the Executive Yuan said yesterday, after the US proposed imposing additional tariffs on Taiwanese goods over labor concerns. “The Ministry of Labor and the Ministry of Economic Affairs are to establish an interministerial review procedure,” Executive Yuan spokesperson Michelle Lee (李慧芝) said at a news briefing in Taipei. “The government is to use the Foreign Trade Act [貿易法] as the legal basis to restrict imports of goods produced with forced labor” and bring its supply chain governance more in line with international standards on human rights, resilience
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