■ COMPUTERS
Dell, HP cancel India travel
Dell Inc and Hewlett-Packard Co (HP), the world’s two largest computer suppliers, limited staff movement in India after attacks in Mumbai killed at least 100 people. “Until this crisis subsides and we have given you further notice, we are canceling all travel by Dell employees into India for the next 48 hours at minimum,” John Schaeffer, vice president of global security at Dell, said in an e-mail to staff yesterday. HP also closed its Mumbai office yesterday and prohibited its staff from traveling to the city, according to an e-mail from Joanne Tan, a Singapore-based spokeswoman for the company. All staff from both companies are safe and have been accounted for, the statements said.
■ELECTRONICS
Panasonic cuts profit target
Japanese consumer electronics giant Panasonic Corp yesterday slashed its net profit forecast for the current financial year by 90 percent as the economic crisis drives down sales. Japan’s electronics giants are facing tougher times after several years of big profits driven by strong sales of flat televisions, digital cameras and mobile phones. Panasonic now expects net earnings of ¥30 billion (US$316 million) in the year to March, down from a previous target of ¥310 billion. “The company’s business conditions are deteriorating sharply due mainly to the rapid appreciation of the yen, sluggish consumer spending and ever-intensified price competition,” a company statement said. “In addition, there are negative factors such as a write-down of investment securities as a result of the decline in stock prices and business restructuring expenses,” it said.
■ELECTRONICS
LG not interested in GE
South Korean handset and electronics maker LG Electronics Co said it had no plan to acquire General Electric Co’s (GE) home appliance unit, ending months of speculation it could be one of the main suitors for the business. “After reviewing possible impacts on our company, we have no plan to take over GE’s unit now,” LG Electronics said in a regulatory filing yesterday.
■BANKING
UBS uncovers tax fraud
Switzerland’s biggest bank UBS has uncovered a “limited number” of tax fraud cases, the bank’s chairman revealed yesterday, saying that banking secrecy was not devised to shield tax cheats. “Our investigations have uncovered a limited number of cases of tax fraud under both US and Swiss law,” Peter Kurer told shareholders during an extraordinary general meeting in Luzern, Switzerland. “Contrary to the idea conjured up in public discussions, bank secrecy is not absolutely valid. It is not there to protect cases of tax fraud,” he said, as he defended the bank against accusations that it had violated bank-client confidentiality.
■FOOD
Supermarkets sell US beef
South Korea’s supermarket chains resumed selling US beef yesterday, nearly five months after the government lifted an import ban imposed over fears of mad cow disease. Seoul had banned US beef since 2003 when a case of mad cow disease was discovered in the US. The government lifted that ban in June. US beef has been available in small butcher shops and some restaurants, but major supermarkets and larger restaurants have been shying away from offering them out of concerns of a possible public backlash. However, large discount department stores, including E-mart, Home Plus and Lotte Mart, began selling US beef at 250 local branches yesterday.
NATIONAL SECURITY: The Chinese influencer shared multiple videos on social media in which she claimed Taiwan is a part of China and supported its annexation Freedom of speech does not allow comments by Chinese residents in Taiwan that compromise national security or social stability, the nation’s top officials said yesterday, after the National Immigration Agency (NIA) revoked the residency permit of a Chinese influencer who published videos advocating China annexing Taiwan by force. Taiwan welcomes all foreigners to settle here and make families so long as they “love the land and people of Taiwan,” Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) told lawmakers during a plenary session at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei. The public power of the government must be asserted when necessary and the Ministry of
Proposed amendments would forbid the use of all personal electronic devices during school hours in high schools and below, starting from the next school year in August, the Ministry of Education said on Monday. The Regulations on the Use of Mobile Devices at Educational Facilities up to High Schools (高級中等以下學校校園行動載具使用原則) state that mobile devices — defined as mobile phones, laptops, tablets, smartwatches or other wearables — should be turned off at school. The changes would stipulate that use of such devices during class is forbidden, and the devices should be handed to a teacher or the school for safekeeping. The amendments also say
EMBRACING TAIWAN: US lawmakers have introduced an act aiming to replace the use of ‘Chinese Taipei’ with ‘Taiwan’ across all Washington’s federal agencies A group of US House of Representatives lawmakers has introduced legislation to replace the term “Chinese Taipei” with “Taiwan” across all federal agencies. US Representative Byron Donalds announced the introduction of the “America supports Taiwan act,” which would mandate federal agencies adopt “Taiwan” in place of “Chinese Taipei,” a news release on his page on the US House of Representatives’ Web site said. US representatives Mike Collins, Barry Moore and Tom Tiffany are cosponsors of the legislation, US political newspaper The Hill reported yesterday. “The legislation is a push to normalize the position of Taiwan as an autonomous country, although the official US
CONSISTENT COMMITMENT: The American Institute in Taiwan director said that the US would expand investment and trade relationships to make both nations more prosperous The US would not abandon its commitment to Taiwan, and would make Taiwan safer, stronger and more prosperous, American Institute in Taiwan Director Raymond Greene said. “The US’ commitment to Taiwan has been consistent over many administrations and over many years, and we will not abandon our commitment to Taiwan, including our opposition to any attempt to use force or coercion to change Taiwan’s status,” he said in an exclusive interview with the Liberty Times (the sister newspaper of the Taipei Times) on Friday last week, which was published in the Chinese-language newspaper yesterday. The US would double down on its efforts
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