Suspects detained in identity theft probe
Suspects detained in identity theft probeCROSS-STRAIT RING: The CIB said the alleged criminal ring damaged the financial order and transaction framework of Taiwan, and stole data from many other nationsBy Chiu Chun-fu and Jason Pan / Staff reportersFifteen people have been detained or questioned in connection with a cross-strait criminal ring specializing in identity theft, including Chen Wei-chih (陳韋志), allegedly the head of the group, law enforcement officials said yesterday. Photo: CNAChen, 31, who has a Taiwanese ID as well as US citizenship, used the code name “Cola,” investigators said. Once a person’s details were entered into the fake site, the suspects had access to their account details, which they would use to make purchases, it said. “Chen’s criminal ring colluded with hackers in Taiwan and China to make illicit gains, which damaged the nation’s financial order and transaction framework,” the CIB said. “The suspects stole data from many countries around the world,” it said.
Source:Taipei Times
July 07, 2023 15:10 UTC
Taiwan to build new India office
Taiwan to build new India officeBy Liu Tzu-hsuan / Staff reporterTaiwan aims to establish a Taipei Economic and Cultural Center in Mumbai by the end of the year to further deepen exchanges and cooperation with India, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday. The center would be the third Taiwanese office in India, following the opening of one in New Delhi in 1995 and one in Chennai in 2012, the ministry said in a news release. As India boasts an enormous market and considerable business opportunities, the center could help further expand trade and investment opportunities between Taiwan and India, the ministry said. Separately, Taiwan is still negotiating with Fiji to restore the Taipei Trade Office in Fiji to its former name, the Trade Mission of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to the Republic of Fiji, Chen said. Taiwan hopes Fiji could honor its original note verbal to allow the name change, Chen said.
Source:Taipei Times
July 06, 2023 21:40 UTC
Rubbish-clearing divers come to rescue of ‘pearl of Kyrgyzstan’
Rubbish-clearing divers come to rescue of ‘pearl of Kyrgyzstan’The huge flow of visitors and the rubbish they leave behind are endangering the vast lake, a UNESCO heritage site and a home for wolves and eaglesAFP, ISSYK KUL LAKE, KyrgyzstanOn the shores of Lake Issyk Kul in mountainous Kyrgyzstan, a group of divers show off their haul for the day — a boat engine, car tyres, bottles, clothes and plastic items. A group of volunteer divers work last month to collect waste from the bed of Lake Issyk Kul in Cholpon-Ata, some 250 km from Bishkek. People last month enjoy summer time on the shores of Lake Issyk Kul in Cholpon-Ata, some 250 km from Bishkek. It’s about not dumping rubbish in the first place.”The emergency situations ministry has also sent divers to help Shamsuddinov and his team of volunteers. We want everything to stay clean,” said Argokova, who was staying at the “Blue Issyk Kul” sanatorium, decorated with Soviet-era statues including one of Lenin.
Source:Taipei Times
July 06, 2023 17:06 UTC
EDITORIAL: Hou You-yi faces uphill battle
EDITORIAL: Hou You-yi faces uphill battleEver since New Taipei City Mayor and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Hou You-yi (侯友宜) dropped to the third place in the polls, political drama and disarray has been rife in the pan-blue camp. Instead Hou, Ko and Gou are locked in a “three-way battle” where the victor could snatch the anti-DPP votes and the chance to take down the DPP’s presidential candidate, Vice President William Lai (賴清德). Hou thought he could repeat his success in the local elections by once again sticking to the middle ground and appealing to independent voters, while relying on KMT voters to rally later in the campaign. Despite past rifts with the KMT, Gou is still considered to be “KMT lineage” by some KMT voters. Second, as Ko continues to close the gap with Lai in the polls, Lai should worry about his lack of growth in support and seek to boost his popularity.
Source:Taipei Times
July 06, 2023 17:06 UTC
Hou unveils his ‘consensus’ view
Hou unveils his ‘consensus’ viewStaff writer, with CNANew Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜), who is the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) presidential candidate, on Monday said he would support a version of the so-called “1992 consensus” that conforms with the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution. New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi speaks at a news conference in New Taipei City yesterday. Photo: CNAHe said he is against interpreting the “1992 consensus” as referring to “one country, two systems,” as done by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and strongly opposes President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) “stigmatization” of it. Hou did not comment on criticism that he merely echoed the KMT’s long-held position of “one China, different interpretations” — which gives tacit freedom to Taipei and Beijing to come to separate conclusions as to what “China” means. The speech referred to the “1992 consensus” as a political “foundation” to enable negotiations and exchanges, while “one country, two systems” was characterized as a “policy” and “plan” for achieving “peaceful reunification.”The DPP has refused to accept the “1992 consensus” on the grounds that Beijing has never acknowledged the ROC’s existence and that agreeing to the “1992 consensus” would imply accepting China’s claim over Taiwan.
Source:Taipei Times
July 06, 2023 03:35 UTC
Saudi and Kuwait claim gas field eyed by Iran
Saudi and Kuwait claim gas field eyed by IranAFP, RIYADHSaudi Arabia has said it enjoys “full rights” along with Kuwait to a disputed gas field in the resource-rich Gulf, pushing back against claims by Iran, state media reported late on Tuesday. The field, known as Arash in Iran and Dorra in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, falls under “joint ownership between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the State of Kuwait, and they alone have full rights,” the official Saudi Press Agency reported, citing a foreign ministry source. The Saudi Arabian statement appeared one day after Kuwait reinvited Iran to participate in talks on their sea borders. Iran and Kuwait have held unsuccessful talks for many years over their disputed maritime border area, which is rich in natural gas. Saudi Arabia is also a part of the dispute as it shares with Kuwait maritime gas and oil resources in the area.
Source:Taipei Times
July 05, 2023 21:38 UTC
‘Love letters’ from death row: Singapore’s pre-execution photo shoots
Photo: AFPSingapore imposes the death penalty for a litany of crimes, including murder and some forms of kidnapping. It also has some of the world’s toughest anti-drug laws: trafficking more than 500 grams of cannabis can result in the death penalty. Photo: AFPIn a program first introduced in the 1990s, they were offered the option to pose for photographs before their death. ‘VENEER OF THOUGHTFULNESS’Little information is publicly available about Singapore’s death row inmates. The Transformative Justice Collective, which provides support to families of death row prisoners and advocates for the abolition of the death penalty, estimates about 53 people are on death row, the majority convicted of drug offenses.
Source:Taipei Times
July 05, 2023 21:17 UTC
Forex reserves top US$564 billion as assets gain value
Forex reserves top US$564 billion as assets gain valueFed effect: The fund movements likely had to do with market expectations that the Fed would raise interest rates through September, an official saidBy Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterThe nation’s foreign exchange reserves last month grew US$1.97 billion to a record US$564.83 billion, as its assets denominated in European currencies gained value, the central bank said yesterday. The changes in value came after the US Federal Reserve kept its policy rate unchanged and other advanced countries raised interest rates to tame inflation, Tsai said. Foreign fund flows played a neutral role after remitting US$3.43 billion of capital and wiring over US$3 billion of profit abroad, Tsai said. As of Tuesday, the local currency dropped 1.31 percent against the US dollar, staying within a “stable” range, Tsai said. The fund movements likely had to do with market expectations that the Fed would raise interest rates through September, in a continued bid to fight inflation, Tsai said.
Source:Taipei Times
July 05, 2023 17:14 UTC
EDITORIAL: Hou moving backward with King
EDITORIAL: Hou moving backward with KingNew Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜), the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate currently trailing in the polls, earned himself a new nickname after an event at the Huang Fu-hsing (黃復興) military veterans’ branch in Kaohsiung on Saturday last week. Hou was seated next to former Kaohsiung mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), the party’s 2020 presidential candidate, as a show of unity to bolster Hou’s flagging campaign. As New Taipei City deputy mayor, Hou had called for the scheduled decommissioning of the Jinshan Nuclear Power Plant in the city’s Shihmen District (石門) and the Guosheng Nuclear Power Plant in the city’s Wanli District (萬里) before 2018. As mayor, he voted against the party line, opposing restarting construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in Gongliao District (貢寮) in the December 2021 referendums. After King joined the campaign, Hou suddenly moved closer to policy positions remarkably similar to those of the Ma administration.
Source:Taipei Times
July 05, 2023 16:45 UTC
Market fresh
S&P PMI still negative on poor end-market demandThe S&P Global Taiwan Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) was still below the 50 point threshold last month, indicating that operating conditions remained tough for local manufacturers due to weak end-market demand in the US and Europe. Last month’s reading was 44.8, up slightly from 44.3 in May, S&P Global said in a report yesterday. The index has been in negative territory for more than a year, S&P Global said. The health of Taiwanese manufacturers had deteriorated further at the end of the second quarter in light of a sharp retreat in production, along with a solid decline in new business, theBy Crystal Hsu
Source:Taipei Times
July 05, 2023 01:55 UTC
IPL drives growth in Indian fantasy sports revenue
IPL drives growth in Indian fantasy sports revenueReuters, NEW DELHIThe revenue of fantasy gaming platforms during Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket matches rose 24 percent from a year earlier to more than 28 billion rupees (US$341.6 million) with more than 61 million users participating, a report by Redseer Strategy Consultants said. Fantasy gaming apps gained popularity in India during the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo: AFP“Playing fantasy sports is becoming a craze in the country,” Redseer director Saurian Chachan said, adding that 35 to 50 percent of the revenue of fantasy sports platforms was driven by IPL matches. Last week, fantasy gaming company Dream11 won a three-year contract to become a lead sponsor of India’s national cricket team for three years, replacing educational technology firm Byju’s after the end of a contract in March. Over the past five IPL seasons since 2019, fantasy gaming apps have seen a compound annual growth of 18 percent of cash users every year, while total market revenue in the same period has crossed more than US$1 billion, industry estimates showed.
Source:Taipei Times
July 04, 2023 19:54 UTC
MediaTek pays nonmanagement highest salaries of companies listed on TWSE
MediaTek pays nonmanagement highest salaries of companies listed on TWSEStaff writer, with CNAMediaTek Inc (聯發科), the largest IC designer in Taiwan, last year paid its nonmanagement employees the highest average yearly salaries of all the companies listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE), while Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, was seventh, the exchange said on Monday. MediaTek, which specializes in smartphone IC design, paid an average salary of NT$4.867 million (US$156,414) to its nonmanagement employees last year, TWSE data showed. 1 title for pay, average salaries at the firm dropped from about NT$5.15 million recorded in 2021, the data showed. Rounding out the top 10 were communications network IC designer Realtek Semiconductor Corp (瑞昱半導體, No. 10, NT$2.777 million), TWSE data showed.
Source:Taipei Times
July 04, 2023 19:54 UTC
EDITORIAL: Interviewee harassment unacceptable
EDITORIAL: Interviewee harassment unacceptableAs graduation season comes to a close, the yes123 online job bank at the end of last month surveyed 1,260 college graduates to gauge their experiences as they seek jobs, often for the first time. It turns out that many graduates’ welcome into working life is a litany of harassment, starting at the hands of interviewers. Job interviews also provide a distilled case study of the power dynamics at play in so many harassment cases. Is the interviewee going to make a fuss when the interviewer brushes their knee or asks about their plans for marriage? Overt harassment aside, these data also expose a less sinister, but more pervasive disregard for any semblance of work-life balance.
Source:Taipei Times
July 04, 2023 03:40 UTC
Ko and Hou to join housing justice and judicial reform rally
Ko and Hou to join housing justice and judicial reform rallyStaff writer, with CNATwo of the three presidential candidates — former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) and New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) — yesterday accepted invitations to attend a housing justice and judicial reform rally on July 16 on Ketagalan Boulevard in front of the Presidential Office Building. Huang said the issues of judicial reform and housing justice are not exclusive to any one party, but are concerns that all Taiwanese share. Internet celebrity Holger Chen, left, and former legislator Huang Kuo-chang, hold a press conference in Taipei yesterday. After meeting with Ko, Huang and Chen went to Hou’s campaign headquarters, where they met his deputy campaign head, Hsieh Cheng-ta (謝政達). Hou had previously expressed support for the rally, Hsieh said, adding that he would “make arrangements” for Hou to attend.
Source:Taipei Times
July 03, 2023 21:38 UTC
The real problems facing Taiwan
The real problems facing TaiwanBy Michael DanielsenRecent discussions in Taiwan about reviving the cross-strait service trade agreement highlight a fundamental difference between political parties in Taiwan. Such a policy would not solve any of Taiwan’s real problems, but only make Taiwan more dependent on the Chinese economy and Chinese investment. They should develop policies that reform Taiwan to be an even better society. The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government has introduced initiatives in green technology, biotechnology, smart machinery and the Internet of Things. Without reforms, Taiwan will have a weaker economy and increased dependence on China, and this will weaken Taiwan’s self-determination.
Source:Taipei Times
July 03, 2023 16:41 UTC