■ Forex
Baht reaches 10-year high
Thailand's baht rose for a second day yesterday, trading at the highest level since September 1997, after the central bank said it can't prevent exporters from buying the currency. The baht gained 0.3 percent to 34.83 against the US dollar in onshore trading from a close of 34.92 last Friday, data compiled by Bloomberg showed. The currency is also rising because of inflows into the country's current account, said Thanomsri Fongarunrung, an economist at Phatra Securities Plc in Bangkok. The baht will likely "strengthen to 34 during the course of the year" as the account surplus widens, she said.
■ Electronics
Sanyo chairwoman resigns
Sanyo Electric chairwoman Tomoyo Nonaka, one of Japan's highest-profile female executives, has tendered her resignation over the board's refusal to fully probe suspected window dressing of its figures, a report said yesterday. Nonaka, a former TV anchorwoman who also holds the role of chief executive, submitted her resignation after her calls for a full in-house investigation were rejected by the Sanyo board, the Nikkei Shimbun said. Sanyo said last month it would review its past earnings and might correct its unconsolidated results for the four financial years up to March 2004, after Japan's securities watchdog launched a probe.
■ Aviation
China to build large aircraft
China has approved a plan to build large passenger aircraft to compete with Boeing and Airbus, who together dominate the market, the government and state-run media said yesterday. The decision was made at a meeting of the Cabinet presided by Premier Wen Jiabao (溫家寶) after listening to details of a feasibility study on the project, the State Council said in a statement posted on the government's Web site. The plan is to "design and build airplanes that can carry more than 150 passengers and compete with Airbus and Boeing," the state-run China Daily said in a report.
■ Aviation
JAL tries to avoid strike
Officials from Japan Airlines Corp (JAL) were negotiating with representatives from pilots and other labor unions to avert a planned 24-hour strike over pay, airline officials said yesterday. The strike, slated for today, will not affect any international flights, Japan Airlines spokesman Atsushi Abe said. But 26 percent of JAL's domestic flights will be canceled, affecting 17,000 passengers, if the walkout goes ahead as planned, Abe said. JAL, based in Tokyo, is the country's largest airline. A group of four unions, including the JAL Flight Crew Union comprising 1,154 pilots and the JAL Cabin Crew Union with 1,828 workers, have jointly threatened to walk out the whole day today.
■ Aviation
Tiger sets up subsidiary
Tiger Airways has set up a subsidiary in Australia after getting regulatory approval, the Singapore-based budget carrier said yesterday. Tiger Airways Australia Pty Ltd was incorporated last Friday in the Northern Territory. Darwin, the territory's capital, was the airline's first Australian destination, the company said in a statement. The carrier, 49 percent owned by Singapore Airlines, last month announced plans to expand into the Australian market by the end of the year, a move that would pit it against the likes of flag carrier Qantas and Virgin Blue.
Nvidia Corp yesterday unveiled its new high-speed interconnect technology, NVLink Fusion, with Taiwanese application-specific IC (ASIC) designers Alchip Technologies Ltd (世芯) and MediaTek Inc (聯發科) among the first to adopt the technology to help build semi-custom artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure for hyperscalers. Nvidia has opened its technology to outside users, as hyperscalers and cloud service providers are building their own cost-effective AI chips, or accelerators, used in AI servers by leveraging ASIC firms’ designing capabilities to reduce their dependence on Nvidia. Previously, NVLink technology was only available for Nvidia’s own AI platform. “NVLink Fusion opens Nvidia’s AI platform and rich ecosystem for
WARNING: From Jan. 1 last year to the end of last month, 89 Taiwanese have gone missing or been detained in China, the MAC said, urging people to carefully consider travel to China Lax enforcement had made virtually moot regulations banning civil servants from making unauthorized visits to China, the Control Yuan said yesterday. Several agencies allowed personnel to travel to China after they submitted explanations for the trip written using artificial intelligence or provided no reason at all, the Control Yuan said in a statement, following an investigation headed by Control Yuan member Lin Wen-cheng (林文程). The probe identified 318 civil servants who traveled to China without permission in the past 10 years, but the true number could be close to 1,000, the Control Yuan said. The public employees investigated were not engaged in national
CAUSE AND EFFECT: China’s policies prompted the US to increase its presence in the Indo-Pacific, and Beijing should consider if this outcome is in its best interests, Lai said China has been escalating its military and political pressure on Taiwan for many years, but should reflect on this strategy and think about what is really in its best interest, President William Lai (賴清德) said. Lai made the remark in a YouTube interview with Mindi World News that was broadcast on Saturday, ahead of the first anniversary of his presidential inauguration tomorrow. The US has clearly stated that China is its biggest challenge and threat, with US President Donald Trump and US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth repeatedly saying that the US should increase its forces in the Indo-Pacific region
ALL TOGETHER: Only by including Taiwan can the WHA fully exemplify its commitment to ‘One World for Health,’ the representative offices of eight nations in Taiwan said The representative offices in Taiwan of eight nations yesterday issued a joint statement reiterating their support for Taiwan’s meaningful engagement with the WHO and for Taipei’s participation as an observer at the World Health Assembly (WHA). The joint statement came as Taiwan has not received an invitation to this year’s WHA, which started yesterday and runs until Tuesday next week. This year’s meeting of the decisionmaking body of the WHO in Geneva, Switzerland, would be the ninth consecutive year Taiwan has been excluded. The eight offices, which reaffirmed their support for Taiwan, are the British Office Taipei, the Australian Office Taipei, the
RSS