The surge in shares of conglomerate PT Barito Pacific compares with a 0.6 percent gain for the benchmark Jakarta Composite Index. A growing middle class and urbanization have been driving the demand for plastic products in Indonesia. The UN Environment Programme estimates about 300 million tonnes of such waste is produced annually and has initiatives to reduce single-use plastics, introducing levies or banning certain products outright. That is adding to confidence that demand for plastics would drive consumption of 7.2 million tonnes of raw materials annually, according to official data. “Petrochemical demand has a high correlation with GDP or consumption growth,” Lee Young Jun at PT Mirae Asset Sekuritas said.

Staff writer, with CNAAn agreement signed yesterday by a state-run aircraft builder and a US defense contractor to turn Taiwan into a maintenance hub for F-16 jets would be a good deal for both parties, Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said. Taiwan could serve as an F-16 repair hub for the Asia-Pacific region because the nation’s air force has a fleet of 142 F-16A/B jets, AIDC said. The company is focused on upgrading F-16/ABs into F-16Vs, AIDC president Ma Wan-june (馬萬鈞) said, without giving a timetable for when an F-16 maintenance center might be realized. Lockheed Martin Global Pursuits vice president Randy Howard also attended the ceremony, which was held at AIDC’s headquarters in Taichung’s Shalu District (沙鹿). AIDC built the first indigenous fighter jet — the F-CK-1 Ching-kuo Indigenous Defense Fighter — which has been employed in the nation’s air force since 1992.

ReutersConsumer goods giant Unilever PLC yesterday said that it expects sales growth this year to be slightly below its prior expectations, blaming a slowdown in South Asia and weakness in North America. In India — Unilever’s second-largest market by sales — irregular monsoons have dented rural spending, while a sluggish job market has weakened consumption in urban areas. The company said that it now expects underlying sales growth for this year to be slightly below its previous guidance of sales coming in at the lower half of its 3 to 5 percent forecast range. Unilever shares yesterday morning fell as much as 5 percent in Amsterdam, the steepest decline in two years. The new outlook implies fourth-quarter growth are to be the weakest in more than a decade, RBC Europe Ltd analysts said.

BloombergNational Australia Bank Ltd (NAB) is being sued by the country’s securities regulator for “several thousand” breaches of company law, in another blow to the scandal-tainted Australian banking sector. The relevations that banks charged fees for services that they did not provide was one of the inquiry’s central findings. The bank’s former chairman and chief executive officer resigned in February, soon after being singled out for blame by the royal commission inquiry. “‘Fees for no service’ misconduct has been widespread and is subject to ongoing ASIC regulatory responses including investigations and enforcement actions,” regulator Deputy Chairman Daniel Crennan said. “We will continue to work cooperatively and constructively with ASIC to deal with this issue.”The bank expects to complete compensation efforts by June next year, Cook said.

By Shelley Shan / Staff reporterThe Control Yuan has issued corrective measures to the Ministry of Education over its failure to ensure that the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee follows anti-doping regulations stipulated by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). The Control Yuan’s investigation further showed that Taiwan is the only country that has the national Olympic committee administer drug tests for athletes. Strict adherence to WADA’s anti-doping code would protect athletes’ rights to compete in international games, as well as the nation’s right to host international games,” the Control Yuan said. Both the committee and the center have completely adhered to WADA’s regulations, it said. “We will assist the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee in complying with WADA’s new anti-doping regulations, which are to be implemented in 2021,” the administration said.

By Ann Maxon / Staff reporterThe Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has funded online influence campaigns organized by Yang Hui-ju (楊蕙如), a former campaign aide of Representative to Japan Frank Hsieh (謝長廷), Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei City Councilor Yu Shu-hui (游淑慧) said yesterday. Consulting firm Yishi (易始), of which Yang is a director, has since 2016 been hired by the central and local governments for 11 projects totaling NT$21 million, Yu said. Most of the projects given to the two companies were awarded through closed tenders, Yu said, urging the DPP to clarify if it has been funding Yang. Taipei Department of Information and Tourism Director Liu Yi-ting (劉奕霆) said that the city government followed the appropriate procedure when hiring Pinyuan. If the city government has been paying companies to conduct online influence campaigns, “why was Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) the subject of so much criticism after the 2017 Taipei Summer Universiade?” Liu asked.

The board, which was established on Aug. 1, passed a resolution on Sept. 6 to provide supplementary information about the accident. The board has completed decoding data from the CF cards and investigators have identified a problem in the cards’ design, board chairman Young Hong-tsu (楊宏智) said. “We have about five minutes of data missing on the CF cards. The board also found that the train’s heat exchanger was covered in grass, which was unusual, he said. The board would ascertain if the Japanese train manufacturer has indicated any potential problem with heat exchangers in its train maintenance manual, he said.

AFP, WASHINGTONBoeing Co on Monday said that it would temporarily suspend production of its globally grounded 737 MAX jets next month, as safety regulators delay the aircraft’s return to the skies after two crashes. The decision confirmed investor fears that the company’s recovery from the crisis is dragging on longer and creating more uncertainty for Boeing than executives anticipated. “We have previously stated that we would continually evaluate our production plans should the MAX grounding continue longer than we expected,” the company said. Major air carriers that had purchased 737 MAX jets have repeatedly pushed back the dates on which they anticipate a return to service. Shares in Boeing on Monday fell 4.3 percent as investors anticipated the airline’s decision.

The GuardianHarvey Weinstein has complained he feels like “the forgotten man” and that his “pioneering” work championing movies directed by and about women has been “eviscerated” in the wake of multiple sexual assault allegations against him. The 67-year-old producer, once one of the most powerful men in Hollywood, has faced accusations of sexual assault and harassment from dozens of women. Ahead of the start of his rape trial, Weinstein gave an interview to the New York Post. “I made more movies directed by women and about women than any filmmaker, and I’m talking about 30 years ago. Weinstein is to go on trial on Jan. 6 on rape and sexual assault charges in a state court.

AP, WASHINGTONUS Senate Democrats are pushing for testimony from top White House officials in a rare impeachment trial that is fast becoming the next battleground ahead of a US House of Representatives voting that is all but certain to result in US President Donald Trump’s impeachment. Trump faces two articles of impeachment by House Democrats: abuse of power and obstruction of the US Congress. Votes are set for tomorrow in the House, but already attention is turning to the Senate trial, where the Republicans are expected to acquit Trump next month. “Leader McConnell has made it clear he plans to meet with Leader Schumer to discuss the contours of a trial soon,” McConnell spokesman Doug Andres said. Despite Republican control in the Senate, McConnell’s slim 53-47 majority limits his ability to steer the impeachment trial.

By Cedric AlvianiReporters Without Borders (RSF) calls on Taiwan’s presidential candidates and political parties to make a firm, non-partisan commitment to strengthening public media and independent journalism to protect Taiwan from disinformation. The original report, a hoax from China, could not have gone viral without the inadvertent assistance of several Taiwanese media outlets and political commentators that failed their fact-checking duties and made the “fake news” look genuine. It is no secret that the Taiwanese media sector is plagued by sensationalism, undeclared advertising and an unhealthy “blue-green” political polarization that hinders journalism in its role as a balancing power, stirring public distrust. Left without proper safeguards, the Taiwanese media sector could become a threat to the very democratic institutions it should seek to protect. In a democracy, the underfunding of the public media incurs a hidden cost that far exceeds the apparent financial saving.

US Representative Ted Yoho on Tuesday last week called on US citizens to boycott Chinese products for human rights, citing Beijing’s oppression of Hong Kong, Xinjiang, Tibet and Taiwan. In a House committee hearing commemorating International Human Rights Day, Yoho correctly pointed out that the oppression only went unanswered because of China’s economic dominance. He noted that “the efficacy of such boycott movements in a globalized supply chain has been widely questioned.”However, some people adopt such a defeatist attitude because the influence of the “red supply chain” has spread across the world. The global supply chain might be dominated by China, but it is not too late to change that. Condemning Chinese bullying of Taiwan and rejecting Chinese attempts to annex the nation are ultimately superficial statements if, at the same time, Taiwan continues to contribute to China’s economic dominance.

He made the remarks in response to media queries about why he often criticizes Presidential Office Secretary-General and former Kaohsiung mayor Chen Chu (陳菊) of the DPP, and whether criticizing the pan-blue and pan-green camps is part of his election strategy. On Friday, Ko said that one of the reasons Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) presidential candidate, “escaped” from Kaohsiung to run for president was because of the high public debt left by Chen’s administration. Han on Sunday said that Kaohsiung has the most difficult financial situation in Taiwan, so he is grateful to Ko for always speaking up for him. Ko yesterday said that Chen should explain how the debt was created and how it affects the city’s administration. The city government led by Han has increased public debt by NT$6.4 billion (US$211.5 million) this year, he added.

Yuan deposits at domestic banking units rose 220 million yuan to 228.96 billion yuan, while those at offshore banking units shed 47 million yuan to 30.98 billion yuan, the central bank said. Individual retail clients continued to trim their positions after yuan interest rates declined, the central bank said. Shanghai Commercial and Savings Bank (上海商業儲蓄銀行) offers the highest interest rate for one-month yuan deposits at 2.6 percent, while Bank SinoPac (永豐銀行) pays the highest rate for three-month yuan deposits at 3 percent, it said. Sunny Bank (陽信銀行) provides the highest interest rate on nine-month yuan deposits at 2.45 percent, it added. Year-end cash requirements likely explain why short-term deposits have higher borrowing costs, the central bank said.

The market researcher’s latest forecast contrasted with its prediction last month, when it said that overall DRAM chip prices would drop by a single-digit percentage in the first quarter of next year and that prices would likely fall about 50 percent annually this year. The positive revision came as spot DRAM chip prices rose 0.4 to 2.08 percent yesterday, according to the DRAMexchange Web site. With a stockpile of downgraded 1x-nanometer DRAM chips being quickly digested, spot prices started to rise, TrendForce said in a report. Contract prices for DRAM used in servers are expected to increase 5 percent next quarter from this quarter, it said. Increasing prices of DRAM used in servers and graphic cards would help bring overall DRAM prices to a flat level next quarter, compared with this quarter, it said.