Social safety net needs repair, VP says after stabbingsStaff writer, with CNAVice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) yesterday said Friday’s deadly stabbing attacks in downtown Taipei indicate that anxiety continues to exist in society, and that the social safety net needs to be repaired and improved. Hsiao made the comments while meeting recipients of the 22nd Golden Rudder Awards and the Bright Youth Awards at the Presidential Office in Taipei. Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim speaks to Golden Rudder Award and Bright Youth Award recipients at the Presidential Office in Taipei yesterday. Friday's attacks near two Taipei MRT railway stations once again highlighted “lingering social anxiety in Taiwan and the need to repair and strengthen the social safety net,” Hsiao said. Four people died, including Chang, who fell to his death from the six-story department store's roof while being pursued by police.

Temperatures could drop below 14°C from ThursdayStaff writer, with CNAA new wave of cold air is on Thursday expected to move in from the north and could strengthen into a continental cold air mass affecting Taiwan through Saturday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. The CWA defines a continental cold air mass as conditions in which temperatures at the Taipei weather station fall to 14°C or below. The Central Weather Administration has forecast cooler temperatures from Thursday. Today, weakening northeasterly winds would cause temperatures to rebound across Taiwan under mostly cloudy to sunny skies, it said. Seasonal winds would strengthen slightly tomorrow, lowering temperatures in the north and northeast and increasing moisture, the agency said.

Crosby breaks scoring recordHISTORIC MOMENT: Sidney Crosby broke the record in the first period when his shot hit Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell tapped the rebound behind goalie Jakub DobesAP, PITTSBURGH, PennsylvaniaAs far as Sidney Crosby is concerned, Mario Lemieux is still No. Crosby broke Lemieux’s franchise scoring record with a goal and an assist in the first period of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 4-3 shoot-out win against the Montreal Canadiens. Crosby previously broke Lemieux’s record for the most assists in franchise history on Dec. 29 last year against the New York Islanders. Crosby is 45 goals behind Lemieux’s franchise record of 690. The biggest number on Sunday was Lemieux’ franchise scoring record.

“We’re seeing one-directional, sudden moves especially after last week’s monetary policy meeting, so I’m deeply concerned,” Japanese Vice Finance Minister for International Affairs Atsushi Mimura told reporters. Japanese yen banknotes are pictured on September 22, 2022. After Mimura’s comments yesterday, the yen strengthened to as much as 157.51 to the greenback. The two-year yield, which is sensitive to monetary policy expectations, rose to the highest since 1997. Looser monetary policy typically is a tailwind for gold and silver, which do not pay interest.

Groups urge government to streamline reviewsBy Lisa Wang / Staff reporterSolar energy associations yesterday urged the government to streamline a review of solar installations to help local companies ride through an industry slump, as some large-scale solar projects above fisheries were stalled due to new environmental protection regulations. That is adding to the already struggling solar companies,” Shen said. In addition, insufficient green energy supply would dent the competitive edge of local exporters as green energy adoption has become a major consideration of their global customers, he said. Green energy supply constraints would force local manufacturers to allocate their production lines overseas or to locations with a sufficient supply of renewable energy, Hu said. Lin (林甜宇) said that solar companies are facing challenges, such as securing land to deploy solar panels, time-consuming reviews, insufficient green energy supply and delays in energy storage deployment.

Global server shipments to reach 15m: consultancyBy Meryl Kao / Staff reporterGlobal server shipments are expected to surge to 15 million units next year, from 4 million units this year, with artificial intelligence (AI) servers accounting for about 30 percent, driven by massive capital spending by major cloud service providers, the Market Intelligence and Consulting Institute (MIC) said on Thursday last week. Cloud operators Oracle Corp and CoreWeave Inc are also expected to ramp up purchases of AI and general-purpose servers for their data centers, Lin said. People examine an Nvidia GPU at the Pegatron Corp booth during the Computex Taipei trade show on May 20. Photo: Annabelle Chih, BloombergThe institute projected servers powered by Nvidia Corp’s graphics processing units to account for about 80 percent of total AI servers next year, with application-specific integrated circuit-based servers making up the remaining 20 percent. Meanwhile, for server and related component makers, “those who can integrate power, cooling, server racks and infrastructure are expected to secure more critical positions in the next wave of data center expansion, while those only sell components risk being commoditized,” Wei said.

AI prompts fastest economic growth in 15 yearsGROWTH FOR WHOM? The research institute expects GDP growth to hit 7.41 percent this year, more than double the 2.93 percent projection it made in July. Academia Sinica Institute of Economics research fellow Lin Chang-ching speaks at a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Growth figures mask deep structural imbalances, Academia Sinica vice president Peng Shin-kun (彭信坤) said. Academia Sinica projects economic growth of 3.71 percent next year, the most optimistic forecast among domestic research institutions.

Unemployment falls to a 25-year lowBy Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterThe unemployment rate fell to 3.33 percent last month, a 25-year low for November, underscoring continued stability in the labor market as year-end consumption activity gathers pace, the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) said yesterday. By education level, university graduates recorded the highest unemployment rate at 4.52 percent, compared with 3.1 percent for those with graduate degrees and 2.96 percent for people with a senior-high or vocational education. The jobless rate fell to 5.85 percent for those aged 25 to 29 and to 3.33 percent for people aged 30 to 34, it said. Average unemployment duration edged up to 20 weeks last month, the agency said. Long-term unemployment — defined as joblessness lasting more than one year — stood at 47,000 people, slightly higher than a month earlier, it added.

Bank of Japan hikes benchmark rateINFLATION CONSIDERATION: The BOJ governor said that it would ‘keep making appropriate decisions’ and would adjust depending on the economy and prices The Bank of Japan (BOJ) yesterday raised its benchmark interest rate to the highest in 30 years and said more increases are in the pipeline if conditions allow, in a sign of growing conviction that it can attain the stable inflation target it has pursued for more than a decade. Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda’s policy board increased the rate by 0.2 percentage points to 0.75 percent, in a unanimous decision, the bank said in a statement. The central bank cited the rising likelihood of its economic outlook being realized. The rate change was expected by all 50 economists surveyed by Bloomberg.

Previously interviewed by Japanese media using a pseudonym, Noguchi agreed to be identified by her real name. MORE AI COMPANIONSSuch weddings are not legally recognized in Japan, but data suggests more such unions could be in the offing. The number of marriages in Japan has roughly halved from 1947, which saw the first wave of a baby boom. Microsoft’s Copilot, for example, forbids users from creating “virtual girlfriends or boyfriends” to foster online romantic or sexual ties. “My relationship with AI is not a ‘convenient relationship that requires no patience,’” Noguchi said.

Villa dream of title glory after United victoryAFP, BIRMINGHAM, EnglandUnai Emery on Sunday insisted Aston Villa would not win the English Premier League, but the Spaniard’s ecstatic celebration of Morgan Rogers’ decisive strike against Manchester United revealed his true feelings about their surprise title charge. Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers, second left, scores against Manchester United in their Premier League match at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, on Sunday. Villa sit third in the Premier League, just three points adrift of leaders Arsenal and one behind second-placed Manchester City as they chase a first English title since 1980-1981. “Of course we beat Arsenal and Manchester City here, but they have massive things tactically with players on a high level. Emery has turned Villa Park into a fortress, with just one home league defeat this calendar year, fewer than any other team.

Chiang should cancel his trip to Shanghai for the forum. Equally, comprehensive institutional reviews and corrective measures are needed if Chiang is to lead Taipei residents out of this traumatic episode and restore faith in the city’s safety. If Chiang neglects the latter for the former, Taipei’s residents could ensure that he pays a domestic political price. Friday’s incident has come as a reminder that public safety is not an abstract or distant issue. In its aftermath, Chiang announced the rollout of educational materials to help people better understand how to respond in a crisis.

Banned film exposes HK’s censorship trend: directorAFP, HONG KONGAfter four months of restless waiting, filmmaker Kiwi Chow (周冠威) received a dreaded, but not altogether unexpected, message: Hong Kong censors had banned his new movie from reaching the big screen. Film director Kiwi Chow poses for a photograph in his office in Hong Kong on Wednesday last week. Film censorship rules were tightened a year later. Asked about Deadline, the Hong Kong Office for Film, Newspaper and Article Administration said it would not comment on individual applications. Hong Kong banned no films between 2016 and 2020, but that figure jumped to 10 in 2023.

Support for Japan PM firm despite China rowBloombergJapanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s support ratings held steady at historically high levels, polls conducted over the weekend showed, in a sign of her continued popularity despite the fallout from a dispute with China over comments she made on Taiwan last month. An FNN poll gave the prime minister a support rating of 75.9 percent. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi delivers welcoming remarks at a summit, attended by the presidents of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan in Tokyo on Saturday. Her ratings are the highest for a Japanese prime minister in about two decades stretching back to the administration of Junichiro Koizumi, Yomiuri reported. The Kyodo poll showed that 57 percent of respondents did not think Takaichi’s comments were careless.

Deporting US democracyBy Timothy SnyderIn certain ways, this autumn in the US has recalled the autumn of 1938 in Nazi Germany, when mass deportation of undocumented people was one of Hitler’s most ambitious coercive policies before the start of World War II. A family was deported; a desperate refugee took revenge; the government organized a pogrom and reorganized its police; war followed. A policy of mass deportation had led to a reaction that, although unpredictable in its details, was not surprising. For the Nazis, the mass deportation and pogrom of autumn 1938 were steps toward creating a centralized national police agency, the Reich Security Main Office, the following year. That would be the classic next step in the regime change that Trump seems determined to carry out in the US.