■ Computers
Dell launches `greener' PCs
Dell Inc announced two environmentally friendlier desktop computer systems for business users on Thursday. Dell said lead-reduced versions of its OptiPlex GX520 and GX620 corporate desktop computers were available immediately worldwide. The new models eliminate lead from the power supply, motherboard and chassis. However, Dell said lead may still be present in certain other components as it continues to work with parts suppliers to eliminate the material, ahead of the EU's deadline of July next year requiring electronics shipped in the EU to be completely lead-free.
■ Internet
EBay to buy Shopping.com
EBay has agreed to a US$620 million deal to buy Shopping.com, as part of an effort to offset slowing growth in its core business of online auctions. The deal is eBay's largest acquisition since it paid US$1.5 billion for PayPal in 2002. Shopping.com is a price comparison Web site, allowing users to hunt down the cheapest prices for whatever they are trying to buy.
■ Macroeconomics
CFOs less optimistic in US
A survey of US chief financial officers (CFOs) released on Thursday found that CFOs are increasingly less optimistic about the US economy. The joint study by Duke University and CFO Magazine found that 38 percent of US CFOs are more optimistic about the economy in the current quarter, down from 46 percent last quarter. CFOs are also worried about continuous interest-rate hikes, with 86 percent saying that a rate of 4 percent would slow economic growth. The rate currently stands at 3 percent.
THREATS: Naval facilities have been built in Shanghai and Zhejiang, while airbases have been expanded in Xiamen, Fuzhou and Zhangpu, across the Strait from Taiwan The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is building large-scale military infrastructure at five sites along the eastern coast of China, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in a recent report. The latest issue of the council’s Mainland China Situation Quarterly said satellite photos showed military infrastructure such as air force and naval bases being constructed along the eastern coast of China. That means the CCP might be preparing for potential conflict in Taiwan, it said, adding that there are five such construction sites from north to south. A naval base has been built in Shanghai’s Pudong New Area, with underground oil storage tanks, railway
MILESTONE: The foreign minister called the signing ‘a major step forward in US-Taiwan relations,’ while the Presidential Office said it was a symbol of the nations’ shared values US President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed into law the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act, which requires the US Department of State to regularly review and update guidelines governing official US interactions with Taiwan. The new law is an amendment to the Taiwan Assurance Act of 2020 focused on reviewing guidelines on US interactions with Taiwan. Previously, the state department was required to conduct a one-time review of its guidance governing relations with Taiwan, but under the new bill, the agency must conduct a review “not less than every five years.” It must then submit an updated report based on its findings “not later
A trial run of the north concourse of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport’s new Terminal 3 is to commence today, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The eight additional boarding gates would allow for more aircraft parking spaces that are expected to boost the airport’s capacity by 5.8 million passengers annually, Deputy Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Kuo-shian (林國顯) said. The concourse, designed by a team led by British architect Richard Rogers, provides a refreshing space, Lin said, adding that travelers would enjoy the tall and transparent design that allows sunshine to stream into the concourse through glass curtain walls. The
The Presidential Office today thanked the US for enacting the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act, which requires the US Department of State to regularly review and update guidelines governing official US interactions with Taiwan. The new law, signed by US President Donald Trump yesterday, is an amendment to the Taiwan Assurance Act of 2020 focused on reviewing guidelines on US interactions with Taiwan. Previously, the department was required to conduct a one-time review of its guidance governing relations with Taiwan, but under the new bill, the agency must conduct such a review "not less than every five years." It must then submit an updated
RSS