■ DISPLAYS
Top makers to cooperate
South Korea's four leading makers of flat panel displays have agreed to work toward cross-licensing patents, buying products from each other and cooperating in research and development, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy said yesterday. Samsung Electronics Co, Samsung SDI Co, LG Electronics Inc and LG.Philips LCD Co also agreed to buy more panel components and equipment from South Korean manufacturers, while reducing purchases from abroad, the ministry said in a statement. "[South] Korea's market leadership is being threatened by rival companies in Taiwan, Japan and China," the ministry said. "Korean companies see the need to cooperate more."
■ MOVIES
Anti-piracy trailer released
Hollywood stepped up its fight against what it says are a growing number of movie pirates in Asia with the release of an anti-piracy trailer in Singapore yesterday. The US-based Motion Picture Association's (MPA) executive vice president Fritz Attaway said more than 30 cases of pirated movies, filmed with handheld video cameras in theaters, were traced to the Asia-Pacific region in the past two years. In the past week alone, the MPA discovered 14 recordings of the recently released Spider-Man 3 in Malaysia, a senior MPA executive said.
■ TELECOMS
Union warns of wider strike
A leading German trade union on Sunday said it would deepen a strike at Deutsche Telekom, Europe's biggest telecoms operator, by calling on 14,000 workers to join the protest against a cost-cutting plan. The strike could widen from 11,000 workers to 14,000, said Ado Wilhelm, an official from the services trade union Verdi because of the "intolerable stance" of the management. About 11,000 of the 30,000 Telekom workers eligible to strike took part in the action which began on Friday, the union said.
■ LIQUOR
UB to buy whisky maker
India's UB Group, the world's third-largest maker of spirits, is close to signing a US$1.3 billion deal to acquire Scottish whisky maker Whyte & Mackay Ltd., a news report said yesterday. A framework for the deal is already in place and a formal announcement is imminent, most likely tomorrow, the Economic Times said, quoting unnamed persons associated with the deal.
DEFENDING DEMOCRACY: Taiwan shares the same values as those that fought in WWII, and nations must unite to halt the expansion of a new authoritarian bloc, Lai said The government yesterday held a commemoration ceremony for Victory in Europe (V-E) Day, joining the rest of the world for the first time to mark the anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. Taiwan honoring V-E Day signifies “our growing connections with the international community,” President William Lai (賴清德) said at a reception in Taipei on the 80th anniversary of V-E Day. One of the major lessons of World War II is that “authoritarianism and aggression lead only to slaughter, tragedy and greater inequality,” Lai said. Even more importantly, the war also taught people that “those who cherish peace cannot
Taiwanese Olympic badminton men’s doubles gold medalist Wang Chi-lin (王齊麟) and his new partner, Chiu Hsiang-chieh (邱相榤), clinched the men’s doubles title at the Yonex Taipei Open yesterday, becoming the second Taiwanese team to win a title in the tournament. Ranked 19th in the world, the Taiwanese duo defeated Kang Min-hyuk and Ki Dong-ju of South Korea 21-18, 21-15 in a pulsating 43-minute final to clinch their first doubles title after teaming up last year. Wang, the men’s doubles gold medalist at the 2020 and 2024 Olympics, partnered with Chiu in August last year after the retirement of his teammate Lee Yang
The Philippines yesterday criticized a “high-risk” maneuver by a Chinese vessel near the disputed Scarborough Shoal (Huangyan Island, 黃岩島) in a rare incident involving warships from the two navies. The Scarborough Shoal — a triangular chain of reefs and rocks in the contested South China Sea — has been a flash point between the countries since China seized it from the Philippines in 2012. Taiwan also claims the shoal. Monday’s encounter took place approximately 11.8 nautical miles (22km) southeast” of the Scarborough Shoal, the Philippine military said, during ongoing US-Philippine military exercises that Beijing has criticized as destabilizing. “The Chinese frigate BN 554 was
The number of births in Taiwan fell to an all-time monthly low last month, while the population declined for the 16th consecutive month, Ministry of the Interior data released on Friday showed. The number of newborns totaled 8,684, which is 704 births fewer than in March and the lowest monthly figure on record, the ministry said. That is equivalent to roughly one baby born every five minutes and an annual crude birthrate of 4.52 per 1,000 people, the ministry added. Meanwhile, 17,205 deaths were recorded, resulting in a natural population decrease of 8,521, the data showed. More people are also leaving Taiwan, with net
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