■ Japan
Jobs needed for growth
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) yesterday urged Japan to help the young, women and older people to find jobs in a bid to support steady economic growth. "If labor productivity increases as slow as it has in the past 10 to 15 years, economic growth [in Japan] will be very small, something like 0.5 percent," OECD economist Raymond Torres said. He said those figures were estimates based on demographics and not official OECD growth forecasts. The jobless rate among the Japanese youth aged 16 to 24 is at 10 percent, much higher than the national rate of 4.4 percent.
■ Auto Industry
Japan mulls factory in EU
Japanese auto giant Toyota is considering building a new European engine factory or a hefty investment to expand existing plants in Poland in an effort to improve its image as a European carmaker, the Financial Times (FT) reported yesterday. According to the FT report, the company is keen to boost its local credentials to preclude any anti-Japanese backlash as its sales grow strongly, passing 5 percent of the market for the first time last year. A new plant would have the annual production capacity of 120,000 motors.
■ China
GDP forecast at 9.2 percent
China's GDP is expected to grow 9.2 percent year-on-year in the first half of this year, the central bank said in a research report yesterday. That compared with 9.7 percent year-on-year growth rate recorded in the first half of last year. The central bank said in a research report published in the Financial News, a newspaper that it publishes, that it expects the full-year consumer price index to climb 2.7 percent. Some economists have been voicing concern about deflation as CPI growth eases, prices of capital goods fall and fixed-asset investments expand at a slower pace. They have urged the bank to ease its monetary policy slightly to avert possible deflation.
■ Computers
Adobe says security flawed
A security flaw in the popular document-sharing software, Adobe Reader, could be exploited to seize control of a computer system, according to the software's maker. Adobe Systems Inc issued a warning on its Web site on Tuesday saying that the flaw affects only the Adobe Reader versions 5.0.9 and 5.0.10, which were written for the Unix computer operating system. A hacker could exploit the security breach by e-mailing maliciously written PDF files. Unsuspecting computer users who open the PDF files would expose their hard drives to attack, Adobe said.
STILL DANGEROUS: The typhoon was expected to weaken, but it would still maintain its structure, with high winds and heavy rain, the weather agency said One person had died amid heavy winds and rain brought by Typhoon Krathon, while 70 were injured and two people were unaccounted for, the Central Emergency Operation Center said yesterday, while work and classes have been canceled nationwide today for the second day. The Hualien County Fire Department said that a man in his 70s had fallen to his death at about 11am on Tuesday while trimming a tree at his home in Shoufeng Township (壽豐). Meanwhile, the Yunlin County Fire Department received a report of a person falling into the sea at about 1pm on Tuesday, but had to suspend search-and-rescue
RULES BROKEN: The MAC warned Chinese not to say anything that would be harmful to the autonomous status of Taiwan or undermine its sovereignty A Chinese couple accused of disrupting a pro-democracy event in Taipei organized by Hong Kong residents has been deported, the National Immigration Agency said in a statement yesterday afternoon. A Chinese man, surnamed Yao (姚), and his wife were escorted by immigration officials to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, where they boarded a flight to China before noon yesterday, the agency said. The agency said that it had annulled the couple’s entry permits, citing alleged contraventions of the Regulations Governing the Approval of Entry of People of the Mainland Area into the Taiwan Area (大陸地區人民進入台灣地區許可辦法). The couple applied to visit a family member in
CELEBRATION: The PRC turned 75 on Oct. 1, but the Republic of China is older. The PRC could never be the homeland of the people of the ROC, Lai said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) could not be the “motherland” of the people of the Republic of China (ROC), President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. Lai made the remarks in a speech at a Double Ten National Day gala in Taipei, which is part of National Day celebrations that are to culminate in a fireworks display in Yunlin County on Thursday night next week. Lai wished the country a happy birthday and called on attendees to enjoy the performances and activities while keeping in mind that the ROC is a sovereign and independent nation. He appealed for everyone to always love their
‘EXTREME PRESSURE’: Beijing’s goal is to ‘force Taiwan to make mistakes,’ Admiral Tang Hua said, adding that mishaps could serve as ‘excuses’ for launching a blockade China’s authoritarian expansionism threatens not only Taiwan, but the rules-based international order, the navy said yesterday, after its top commander said in an interview that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could blockade the nation at will. The object of Beijing’s expansionist activities is not limited to Taiwan and its use of pressure is not confined to specific political groups or people, the navy said in a statement. China utilizes a mixture of cognitive warfare and “gray zone” military activities to pressure Taiwan, the navy said, adding that PLA sea and air forces are compressing the nation’s defensive depth. The navy continues to
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