Western Digital in talks with Kioxia over merger
Western Digital in talks with Kioxia over mergerBEEFING UP: Western Digital and Kioxia’s combined sales last year trailed Samsung’s sales closely, and a merger would enhance flash memory competitionBloombergWestern Digital Corp is in talks to merge with Japan’s Kioxia Holdings Corp in a deal that could unite two technology storage providers, a person familiar with the matter said. A Western Digital Corp office building is pictured in Irvine, California, on Jan. 24, 2017. Western Digital shares rose 7.8 percent in New York after the talks were reported by the Wall Street Journal, giving the company a market value of about US$20 billion. Kioxia and Western Digital had combined sales of about US$17 billion in flash memory chips last year, IDC Corp data showed. Western Digital has provided Kioxia with funds for capital expenditure, and research and development in return for production out of its Japanese partner’s plants.
Source:Taipei Times
August 26, 2021 15:56 UTC
BOK lifts interest rates amid debt fears
The central bank also pushed up its inflation projection to 2.1 percent from 1.8 percent previously, signaling that conditions are building for further policy tightening. Most central banks that have raised rates this year are among emerging economies, concerned about capital flight and imported inflation. In Asia, Sri Lanka raised rates last week, making it the first in the region to do so. That contrasts with New Zealand, which last week delayed a widely expected interest rate increase as its first COVID-19 outbreak in six months cast uncertainty over its economic recovery. There are two more interest rate review meetings scheduled this year.
Source:Taipei Times
August 26, 2021 15:56 UTC
School enrollment to sink over next 16 years
School enrollment to sink over next 16 yearsBy Rachel Lin and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writerEnrollment at Taiwanese schools is to decline sharply over the next 16 years, a Ministry of Education report released yesterday said. Enrollment at elementary schools is to decline by 16,000 students per year, falling to fewer than 1 million by 2029 and to 923,000 by 2036, it said. These policies have since maintained enrollment at elementary schools at more than 20,000 students, it added. Over the next 16 years, enrollment at junior-high schools is forecast to decline by 8,200 students, or 1.5 percent per year, it said. The figure includes an annual loss of 2,100 first-year students and 3,400 graduating students, it said.
Source:Taipei Times
August 26, 2021 15:56 UTC
James Anderson revels in a rout of India on first day
James Anderson revels in a rout of India on first dayAFP, LEEDS, EnglandJames Anderson on Wednesday said that England “absolutely nailed it” after they dismissed India for just 78 on the opening day of the third Test at Headingley before surging into a first-innings lead without losing a wicket and taking their score to 182-2 at lunch yesterday. India captain Virat Kohli won the toss only for Anderson to remove a trio of top-order batsmen, including the tourists’ skipper, during a return of 3-6 in eight overs. Anderson saw Rory Burns and Haseeb Hameed compile an unbroken stand of 120 that left England 42 runs ahead at stumps on Wednesday. England paceman James Anderson, right, celebrates the dismissal of India captain Virat Kohli on day 1 of the first Test at Headingley in Leeds, England, on Wednesday. “I was trying to tempt Joe [Root, the England captain] into batting, but losing the toss, being asked to bowl and then putting in a performance like that.
Source:Taipei Times
August 26, 2021 15:56 UTC
House prices near science parks surge
House prices near science parks surgeTECH BOOM: Local tech firms are expanding due to surging global demand, creating well-paying jobs and real demand for property near science parks, a study foundBy Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterHousing prices near Taiwan’s science parks have received a significant boost for the past three years from a global supply chain realignment and local tech firms’ growing importance on the world stage, a study released yesterday by Evertrust Rehouse Co (永慶房屋) showed. The logo of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co is pictured at its facility at the Southern Taiwan Science Park in Tainan on July 29. Housing prices near the Hsinchu Science Park (新竹科學園區) picked up 13.6 percent, averaging NT$242,000 per ping in 2019 and NT$275,000 per ping at present, Chen said. Housing prices near the Jhunan Science Park (竹南科學園區) in Miaoli County increased 11.3 percent, while those near Taichung Science Park (台中科學園區) gained 13 percent, the study found. Taipei’s Neihu Science Park (內湖科技園區) led in terms of transactions with 383 cases in the first half of the year, Chen said.
Source:Taipei Times
August 18, 2021 16:03 UTC
COVID-19: NZ holds rates as Delta variant spreads
COVID-19: NZ holds rates as Delta variant spreadsSUSPENSION: Projections published by the New Zealand central bank shows the official cash rate rising at least once later this year, suggesting an imminent rate hikeBloombergThe Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) yesterday refrained from raising interest rates amid a COVID-19 outbreak and nationwide lockdown, but left little doubt it intends to start lifting them soon. Light traffic travels over Auckland Harbour Bridge during a nationwide lockdown in Auckland, New Zealand, yesterday. Photo: Bloomberg“The committee discussed the merits of an increase in the OCR at this meeting,” the RBNZ said. Should the lockdown succeed in stamping out community transmission of the virus, the RBNZ could raise rates as soon as its next meeting in October. In its previous forecasts in May, the RBNZ did not expect to start raising rates until the second half of next year.
Source:Taipei Times
August 18, 2021 16:03 UTC
Singapore probes Ubisoft over harassment claims
Singapore probes Ubisoft over harassment claimsAFP, SINGAPOREVideo game giant Ubisoft SA’s Singapore office is under investigation over claims of sexual harassment and racial discrimination, a watchdog said, in the latest controversy for the French firm. The publisher of the blockbuster Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry titles saw some senior staff resign last year after allegations of sexual misconduct emerged. Gaming Web site Kotaku last month published allegations of harassment, bullying and racial pay disparities following interviews with 20 current and former employees at Ubisoft Singapore. “Every Ubisoft studio, including Ubisoft Singapore, strives to create and foster a culture that team members and partners can be proud of. Last year’s allegations against Ubisoft saw managers in the company’s Toronto and Montreal studios accused of sexual misconduct.
Source:Taipei Times
August 18, 2021 16:03 UTC
Tsai says Taiwan needs to be stronger
Tsai says Taiwan needs to be stronger‘SELF-RELIANCE’: The president said the discussion over Afghanistan leads to the conclusion that Taiwan needs to be more united and more resolute in defenseAFP and Bloomberg, with staff writerAfghanistan’s return to Taliban rule following the withdrawal of US forces shows that Taiwan needs to be “stronger and more united” in ensuring its own defense, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday. The sudden departure of US troops from Kabul has sparked discussion in Taiwan as to whether Washington can be relied upon to come to Taipei’s defense. “Recent changes in the situation in Afghanistan have led to much discussion in Taiwan,” Tsai wrote on Facebook. Separately, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday thanked Washington for reiterating its commitment to Taiwan and other allies. Cooperation between Taiwan, the US and other nations would ensure stability in the Taiwan Strait, she said, adding that Taiwan would continue contributing to lasting peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.
Source:Taipei Times
August 18, 2021 16:00 UTC
Convenience stores take unpaid tolls under NT$30,000
Convenience stores take unpaid tolls under NT$30,000By Shelley Shan / Staff reporterStarting yesterday, motorists who have unpaid freeway tolls of less than NT$30,000 and have received a notice from the Administrative Enforcement Agency can pay them at convenience stores, the Freeway Bureau said on Tuesday. Ninety-eight percent of the agency’s cases involve less than NT$20,000 in unpaid tolls, the bureau said. Photo: Cheng Wei-chi, Taipei TimesAbout 6,500 drivers with less than NT$20,000 in tolls have paid at convenience stores since 2019, when it was first allowed, the bureau said. Starting yesterday, the amount was raised to NT$30,000, with drivers able to pay at 7-Eleven, FamilyMart, Hi-Life, OK Mart and Simple Mart stores. During the holiday, drivers should expect congestion at freeway interchanges in northern and central Taiwan, as well as on the Chiang Wei-shui Memorial Freeway (Freeway No.
Source:Taipei Times
August 18, 2021 15:56 UTC
Feeding hungry animal ghosts
Some events, such as the one at the Kaohsiung Animal Protection Office, even have special tables that are lower in height so the animals spirits can more easily reach the offerings. “Then I thought, why not do a Chung Yuan pudu ceremony?” he says. New Taipei City’s Animal Protection Office has also opened its pudu ceremonies to the public in recent years, often collaborating with various animal welfare groups. “New Taipei City is the most populous municipality in Taiwan, meaning that people here likely consume a lot more animals. The priests will help the animals’ spirits return to the reincarnation cycle so they don’t linger in the world of the living.”
Source:Taipei Times
August 18, 2021 15:56 UTC
KMT says US withdrawal proves policy of stay close to US, keep peace with China
KMT says US withdrawal proves policy of stay close to US, keep peace with ChinaBy Sherry Hsiao / Staff reporterThe Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday said that the US’ withdrawal from Afghanistan is proof that the party’s policy of remaining close to Washington while maintaining peace with China is correct. The US’ pullout proves that the KMT’s policy of being “close to the US” and pursuing “peace with the Mainland [China],” while improving Taiwan’s national defense and the economy, is correct, the KMT said. It also shows that the DPP’s avoidance of the institutionalization of cross-strait relations is “by no means a good solution,” it added. On national defense, the KMT accused the DPP of engaging in more talk than action, adding that this has disappointed figures in the US. “Now, because of the changes in the political situation in Afghanistan, Taiwanese are reconsidering the various variables in national security,” the KMT said.
Source:Taipei Times
August 18, 2021 15:56 UTC
KMT’s Afghanistan posts harm US ties, DPP says
KMT’s Afghanistan posts harm US ties, DPP saysAPPLES TO ORANGES? DPP legislative caucus whip Liu Shyh-fang said KMT leaders have sacrificed Taiwan’s interests to back those running for party chairpersonBy Jason Pan / Staff reporterDemocratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers yesterday accused leaders of the main opposition parties of tainting Taiwan’s international image and undermining Taiwan-US ties by airing erroneous messages to the world about events in Afghanistan. Democratic Progressive Party legislators hold an online news conference at their legislative caucus office in Taipei yesterday. In the 1970s, the US shifted to play the China card to contain the Soviet Union, so the US military left Taiwan. “It left chaos and the Afghan people in a very dire situation...
Source:Taipei Times
August 18, 2021 15:56 UTC
Facebook, media foundation launch training program
Facebook, media foundation launch training programBy Huang Chao-hsiang and Kayleigh Madjar / Staff reporter, with staff writerFacebook and the Foundation for Excellent Journalism Award on Wednesday last week announced a new digital training program for local and alternative media, marking the first time that the US tech giant is to directly fund the promotion of local reporting in Taiwan. “The Internet and digital platforms are a lifeline for local media,” foundation chief executive Eve Chiu (邱家宜) said. Facebook has long supported Taiwanese media with trainings and resources provided through the journalism project, said Wu Tzu-min (吳子敏), who manages Facebook’s media partnerships in the region. This is the first time that the social media giant is to provide grants specifically for local and diverse media in Taiwan, Wu said. Facebook has since 2019 been supporting the foundation’s work in encouraging a standard of excellence and professionalism in Taiwanese journalism.
Source:Taipei Times
August 18, 2021 15:56 UTC
COVID-19: Powell says no returning to pre-pandemic economy
COVID-19: Powell says no returning to pre-pandemic economyAP, WASHINGTONUS Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell on Tuesday said that the US economy has been permanently changed by the COVID-19 pandemic and it is important that the central bank adapts to those changes. “We’re not simply going back to the economy that we had before the pandemic,” Powell said at a Fed virtual town hall for educators and students. US Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, left, speaks with former Fed chairman Ben Bernanke at a conference on monetary policy at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago on June 4, 2019. “It seems a near certainty that there will be substantially more remote work going forward,” Powell said. The town hall is an event started by former Fed chairman Ben Bernanke and continued by former Fed chair and now US Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen.
Source:Taipei Times
August 18, 2021 15:56 UTC
COVID-19: CECC reports six local, five imported cases, no deaths
COVID-19: CECC reports six local, five imported cases, no deathsBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterThe Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported six locally transmitted COVID-19 infections, five imported cases and no new deaths, while it reiterated Ministry of Foreign Affairs information on COVID-19 vaccination requirements to enter other countries. The infection sources of two cases have been identified and contact tracing is ongoing to clarify the remaining four cases, Chen said. Photo courtesy of the Central Epidemic Command CenterThe five imported cases arrived in Taiwan from the US, Saudi Arabia, India and France, CECC data showed. Chinese-language media reported she was a breakthrough case, but the CECC had not provided details to validate that, it said. Three confirmed cases have been reported linked to the floor she works on, indicating a cluster infection, Chen said.
Source:Taipei Times
August 18, 2021 15:56 UTC