European stocks mark worst fall in two weeksReutersEuropean stocks slipped on Friday as US employment data pointed toward slowing growth in the world’s largest economy, with retail and travel stocks exposed to US markets suffering the most. The pan-European STOXX 600 slipped 0.6 percent, marking its worst fall in two weeks after data showed that the US economy created the fewest jobs in seven month last month. Retail stocks were among the worst performers for the day, dropping 0.9 percent. The laggard US data were attributed to a rise in the highly contagious Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2. The European Central Bank is to meet next week amid calls from several hawkish members to slow down its pandemic-era purchases program.

US dollar weakens after US payrolls miss expectationsReuters, NEW YORK and LONDONThe US dollar weakened further against a basket of major currencies on Friday after a much softer than expected US payrolls report, which is likely to keep the US Federal Reserve on hold in scaling back its massive stimulus measures. In Taipei, the New Taiwan dollar rose against the greenback, gaining NT$0.029 to close at NT $27.703, up 0.8 percent for the week. The US dollar has been subdued on uncertainty over the path of Fed policy. Sterling rose to a three-week high following the jobs report. The pound was up 0.03 percent against the US dollar at US$1.3838, having hit a high of US$1.3865 shortly after the jobs report was published.

Oil posts second weekly gain as Ida effects lingerBloombergOil in New York posted its second weekly gain as the impact of Hurricane Ida continues to snarl US oil production, although prices edged lower on Friday following a weak US jobs report. West Texas Intermediate futures capped a gain of 0.8 percent for the week, despite shedding 1 percent on Friday to settle at US$69.29 a barrel. Brent crude for October delivery on Friday fell 0.6 percent to settle at US$72.61 a barrel, up 1.3 percent for the week. Oil climbed this week as the market appears set to remain in deficit even as OPEC and its allies push ahead with reviving supply. “Oil prices continue to trade at relatively elevated levels despite OPEC+ reaffirming plans to normalize output and COVID-19 demand woes still present,” Danske Bank A/S senior analyst Jens Pedersen said.

Third strike ends in cricket pitch invader’s arrestReuters, LONDONA man who invaded the pitch in the fourth Test between England and India at The Oval on Friday has run into trouble with the authorities after he was arrested on suspicion of assault for colliding with England batsman Jonny Bairstow. YouTuber Daniel Jarvis, left, runs in to bowl after invading the pitch on day 2 of the fourth Test between England and India at The Oval in London on Friday. Photo: AFP“A man has been arrested on suspicion of assault following an incident at the Oval Cricket Ground on Friday, 3 September. He remains in custody at a south London police station,” the Metropolitan Police said in a statement to British media. In the second Test at Lord’s, the man invaded the pitch dressed in an India kit while in the third match at Leeds, he came out all padded up.

Australia reports record 1,756 cases, issues warningReuters, MELBOURNEAustralia, struggling to quell its worst wave of COVID-19, yesterday reported 1,756 infections, another record high, and officials warned that worse is yet to come, urging people to get vaccinated against the virus. Most of the cases were in New South Wales state, which has been fighting an outbreak of the highly infectious Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 since the middle of June. The state reported 1,533 new cases and four deaths. Neighboring Victoria state reported 190 cases, while the Australian Capital Territory reported 32 and Queensland reported one. Photo: AFPDaily case numbers have over the past few weeks ran about double the levels of Australia’s previous worst wave of the pandemic a year ago.

Asian markets mostly rose ahead of US jobs reportAFP, HONG KONGMost markets rose in Asia on Friday following another record close on Wall Street ahead of US jobs data, while Tokyo led gains on hopes for fresh stimulus after Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said he would step down. The TAIEX on Friday added 1.14 percent to 17,516.92 points, taking its weekly gain to 1.8 percent. The TOPIX added 1.6 percent on Friday, carrying its weekly gain to 4.5 percent. South Korea’s KOSPI on Friday rose 0.8 percent, bringing its weekly gain to 2.1 percent. Alibaba, which has been a key target of Beijing’s drive against high-flying tech firms, said it would put the money to “common prosperity” schemes.

HPA urges use of risk calculator for heart disease‘SILENT KILLER’: People should not ignore the signs that show they are at risk of developing heart disease, which is the second-most common cause of death, the HPA saidBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterPeople aged 35 to 70 should use the Health Promotion Administration’s (HPA) chronic disease risk calculator to understand their risk of developing coronary heart disease, the agency said on Tuesday. Coronary heart disease, which is often referred to as a “silent killer,” and hypertensive heart disease are common among middle-aged people, it said, adding that angina and heart attack are the most common coronary heart diseases that can cause sudden death. People should not ignore the signs, as they are important risk factors for coronary heart disease, HPA Deputy Director-General Wu Chao-chun (吳昭軍) said. The diseases are coronary heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, stroke and major cardiovascular events. Users of the risk calculator will be asked to provide data from their latest health exams, as well as their sex, age, waist size, systolic blood pressure, high-density lipoprotein, cholesterol and triglyceride levels if they want to calculate their risk of developing coronary heart disease, the HPA said.

Gold gains as US jobs data ease taper woes; nickel, aluminum lead base rallyBloombergGold jumped to a seven-week high after a report showed that the US economy added fewer jobs than forecast, easing concerns that the US Federal Reserve will soon pare back stimulus. Nickel and aluminum led gains in most base metals. In base metals, aluminum added 1.3 percent to US$2,730 a ton on the London Metal Exchange, posting a second weekly gain. The metal climbed to a 10-year high this week as Chinese supply was constrained by an electricity savings drive. Copper rose 0.7 percent in London and nickel climbed 2.1 percent.

Independence advocates protest KMT ‘collaborators’By Jason Pan / Staff reporterTaiwan independence advocates protested in Taipei yesterday, accusing leading Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) members of collaborating with China to destroy Taiwan from within. Taiwan Republic Office director Chilly Chen (陳峻涵) criticized top KMT officials for “hanging on to the myth” of the so-called “1992 consensus” and the “one China” concept. Taiwan Republic Office director Chilly Chen, front, with microphone, speaks at a protest yesterday outside the TVBS Media building in Taipei’s Neihu District, where the four candidates in the election for the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairperson were holding a televised policy debate. Their ... words and actions are designed to tear apart Taiwan’s social cohesion and subvert our national unity,” Chen said. The protesters shouted slogans as each of the four KMT candidates arrived, namely incumbent KMT Chairman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣), former New Taipei City mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫), former Changhua County commissioner Cho Po-yuan (卓伯源) and Sun Yat-sen School president Chang Ya-chung (張亞中).

Roglic retains lead on final mountain test, Lopez winsAP, ALTU D’EL GAMONITEIRU, SpainPrimoz Roglic on Thursday moved closer to clinching his third consecutive Vuelta a Espana title after increasing his lead on the final test in the high mountains, while Miguel Angel Lopez won the demanding 18th stage. Lopez held off a late attack by Roglic to claim the 162km route that crested three mountain passes before a finish atop the beyond-category Altu d’El Gamoniteiru. “It has been four years since I won in the Vuelta,” Lopez said. Roglic, the Team Jumbo-Visma leader, added a few seconds to his lead in the general classification. Roglic won the race’s time trial on its opening stage, so Mas and Lopez would likely have to try to finally break Roglic in the hills if they hope to win.

Four-case cluster prompts school closure in TaoyuanBy Lin Chia-nan / Staff reporterA high school in Taoyuan must suspend classes after a student tested positive for COVID-19, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said yesterday. The student — one of two local cases reported yesterday — was tested for COVID-19 after his father was confirmed positive, center data showed. The CECC listed the student and the three aircrew members as cluster infections. The aircrew cases are breakthrough infections, as the pilots are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, the center said. Chinese-language media reported that the student attends the Affiliated Tao-Yuan Agricultural and Industrial Senior High School of National Taipei University of Technology.

National Taiwan University falls to 113th in rankingsROOM TO GROW: After breaking the top 100 in last year’s world rankings, NTU fell behind in key categories, in which it said it would try to improveStaff writer, with CNANational Taiwan University (NTU) was on Thursday ranked the world’s 113th-best university, falling 16 places from its ranking last year in a Times Higher Education survey. The latest rankings used 13 indicators to measure an institution’s performance across five areas: teaching, research, citations, knowledge transfer and international outlook. Its scores in the three most heavily weighted categories — teaching, research and citations — were all down from last year. Taiwan increased the number of universities that made the cut, squeezing 40 schools into the ranking, compared with 38 listed last year. Taipei Medical University was ranked among a group of schools from 201st to 250th, the highest for any university other than NTU since National Tsing Hua University was ranked among the 226-to-250 tier in 2013.

DPP caucus stresses sovereignty after KMT’s accusationsBy Jason Pan / Staff reporterTaiwan is a sovereign country working to safeguard regional security, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus members said yesterday. They made the remarks in response to Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) officials, who accused President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) of supporting Taiwanese independence by referring to China as a “neighbor” in a speech on Tuesday. Photo: Chien Hui-ju, Taipei Times“We want to tell the KMT that Taiwan is a nation under the Republic of China framework, and we are an independent, sovereign country,” DPP Legislator Tsai Yi-yu (蔡易餘) said yesterday. “There is nothing wrong with referring to a country as a neighbor.”“China has vowed to take Taiwan by force. “The KMT has made a wayward interpretation of her comment, while the international community clearly understands what President Tsai meant,” Huang said.

INTERVIEW: Space program aims to attract new recruitsBy Lin Chia-nan / Staff reporterThe National Space Organization (NSPO) plans to encourage technology transfers and spin-offs from within, in a bid to develop talent within the local space industry, NSPO Director-General Wu Jong-shinn (吳宗信) said in an interview with the Taipei Times on Aug. 23. In August 2016, he founded Taiwan Innovative Space (TiSPACE), but left in 2018. “Students of aerospace departments would fall short of their majors if they do not learn to make rockets,” Wu said. The rockets’ development would capitalize on technical advancement rather than what altitudes they could reach, he added. The NSPO and its supervisor, the Ministry of Science and Technology, are working to retool the third-phase space technology development program to accommodate policies stipulated by the Space Development Act (太空發展法), including fostering a space economy and establishing a long-term launch site.

“The supply of chips will remain very tight until at least September next year,” said Takeshi Kamebuchi, a director in charge of semiconductors at one of the company’s units. Nintendo Co’s Switch production has not been sufficient to serve customer demand, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa said. The company intends to sell 25.5 million Switch units this fiscal year. Game console production is vulnerable to a lack of components. Some console customers have told the assembler that they might alter their circuit board design to reduce the required components, the person said.