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China blocks use of Intel and AMD chips in government computers – report
The procurement guidance also seeks to sideline Microsoft Windows and foreign-made database software in favor of domestic options, a Financial Times report says.....»»
Japan policy paper to focus on US, Philippines to counter China
Tokyo [Japan], March 23 (ANI): Japan released a draft of its annual foreign policy report stating that it will pay attention to the importance of boosting collaboration with the United States and the Philippines to counter China's assertive behaviour in the Indo-Pacific region, Kyodo news reported on Thursday. The Diplomatic Bluebook for 2024 will also underscore that Tokyo "cannot afford to waste even a moment" to solve.....»»
Xinhua world economic news summary at 0900 GMT, March 18
BEIJING -- Global new energy passenger car sales are predicted to exceed 39 million units by 2030, said a report obtained during the China EV100 Forum 2024 concluded Sunday in Beijing. That will mark a penetration rate of almost 50 percent, rising from the nearly 20 percent in 2023 with the sales of over 13 million units, according to the report issued by China EV100, a new energy vehicle (NEV) industry think ta.....»»
Citicore Energy REIT doesn’t deny report of potential 30% stake sale
Citicore Energy REIT responded to a Biz Buzz article that claimed a “blue chip conglomerate” (BCC) was in negotiations to acquire “a little less than 30%” of CREIT in a deal that would be completed “in the coming days or weeks”......»»
Nvidia exceeds expectations with strong results and forecasts as China sales decline significantly
Nvidia (NVDA) Exceeds Expectations with Strong Fourth-Quarter Earnings Graphics chip giant Nvidia (NVDA) has reported fourth-quarter earnings that surpassed analysts’ expectations, both on the top.....»»
Chip maker Intel beats earnings expectations as it pursues rivals
US chip giant Intel on Thursday said it made more money than expected in the recently ended quarter as it continued to invest in a "geographically balanced" supply chain. Intel shares jumped more than 7 percent to $34.88 in after-market trades. "We delivered a standout third quarter, underscored by across-the-board progress on our process and product roadmaps; agreements with new foundry customers, and momentum as we bring AI everywhere," said Intel chief executive Pat Gelsinger. Intel reported revenue of $14.2 billion, which was 8 percent less than the amount seen in the same quarter a year earlier but ahead of forecasts. Net income tallied $300 million, compared with $1 billion profit in the same period in 2022, earnings figures showed. "Our results exceeded expectations," said Intel chief financial officer David Zinsner, who said earnings benefited from "expense discipline." Intel has been working to catch up with rivals, especially Nvidia, when it comes to powerful chips needed to handle the computing demands of artificial intelligence. Intel touted investments being made in chip production facilities with an aim of creating a "geographically balanced, secure, resilient supply chain." California-based Intel is seen as a key tool for the United States to reduce its dependence on major global producers, such as Taiwan's TSMC. Earlier this year, Intel announced it would spend $25 billion on a new plant in Israel, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling it the country's single largest foreign investment. The "agreement in principle" would see the semiconductor firm build the facility in the southern city of Kiryat Gat that would open by 2027 and operate at least until 2035, Israel's finance ministry said. Intel has been operating in Israel since the 1970s with development centers and a production site that employs some 12,000 people, the finance ministry said. In 2017, Intel acquired Israel-based Mobileye, which makes technology for automated driving systems in vehicles, for just over $15 billion. Gelsinger said Intel teams have kept operations going despite the war between Israel and Hamas. "Our utmost priority is the safety and welfare of our people in Israel and their families," Gelsinger said. "Despite all of these challenges, they're performing extremely well. I am praying for a swift return to peace." China Gelsinger said Intel was carefully studying updated rules in the United States that tighten curbs on exports of state-of-the-art AI chips to China. "We do believe that we'll have plenty of opportunity in China," Gelsinger said. "We are continuing to deploy our products there broadly, even as we comply and work with (the United States) around the regulations that they're putting in place." The new rules tighten measures from a year ago that banned the sale to China of microchips crucial to manufacturing powerful AI systems. Calls to further close the supply chain grew after the popularity of generative AI platform ChatGPT. When announcing the beefed-up curbs, US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo insisted they were intended to close loopholes and prevent China's development of AI for military use. "It's true that AI has the potential for huge societal benefit. But it also can do tremendous and profound harm if it's in the wrong hands and in the wrong militaries," she told US media. The rules will not affect chips used in consumer goods such as laptops, smartphones, and gaming consoles, though some will be subject to export licensing requirements. China has said it is "strongly dissatisfied" and "firmly opposes" the curbs. "The US continues to generalize the concept of national security, abuse export control measures, and implement unilateral bullying," the commerce ministry said in a statement. The post Chip maker Intel beats earnings expectations as it pursues rivals appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
A Chinaman’s chance
(Lest anyone take quick offense, let me say at the outset that I am not a racist. My use of the term is simply for purposes of this column and for context.) Before people became overly sensitive about perceived racist remarks, we used to say — when someone had only a remote chance of succeeding at something — “he doesn’t have a Chinaman’s chance.” I was reminded of that phrase recently when Huawei, one of China’s biggest phone companies, released two weeks ago the Mate 60 Pro, its latest flagship phone, without much fanfare. And never had such a quiet launch made so much noise around the globe. For a bit of context, during the Trump administration, an oppressive trade sanction was put in place by the United States against the selling of advanced microprocessors to Chinese companies, in order to prevent the Chinese from catching up with the US in 5G technology. Not only was the ban imposed on American manufacturers, but pressure was also brought to bear on chip makers in other countries allied with the US. The first to dutifully comply was Korean electronics giant Samsung, which must have regretted its decision, seeing as how it lost 60 percent of its sales almost overnight. For a while, Huawei was in a panic, as it halted the production of 5G phones when stockpiles of the banned chips ran out; for a while, it was reduced to selling mobile phones with obsolescent technology. But the Americans and their cronies did not count on the resilience of the Chinese people, a relentlessness that has helped its civilization survive after more than 2,000 years of foreign intervention. Forced to do without imported chips, Huawei focused all its efforts on developing a substitute. In a couple of years, its team of hundreds of technology experts, mathematicians, engineers, and metallurgists did the seemingly impossible: They created a 5G chip without any help from anyone. One could, therefore, not fault Huawei for releasing its 5G phone at the very same time that US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo was in Beijing on an official visit — as if to say, “In your face, America!” This Chinese triumph is but one of many instances where US attempts to undermine Chinese trade backfired big time on America. In 2011, China was banned by the US Congress from joining the Space Station program of NASA. China promptly built its own space station, the Tiangong, 10 years later. Sometime after, when America was developing the Global Positioning System, it also shut out China, which then launched its own satellites to power its own positioning system. The West also demonized China for being the “world’s biggest carbon polluter,” so its factories started working on lithium-ion batteries (90 percent of whose raw materials are mined in China) and now it dominates the electric car market worldwide. Using the status of the dollar as a world currency, the West imposed other trade sanctions on China, thus impelling it to put up its own version of the World Bank and organizing the BRICS countries that will no longer use the dollar as a medium of exchange. A total of 721 big Chinese companies were blacklisted from trading with US corporations; the Chinese started trading with most of the emerging economies and became the second largest economy in the world. It would appear that it still hasn’t sunk in with the American leaders that their days of global hegemony are long over. There is a new challenger on the scene whose government is more committed to making it stronger economically, militarily, and diplomatically. As the new generation of Americans struggles with questions of pronouns, transitioning, decriminalizing robbery and drug use, and legalizing abortion, the young people of China are concentrating on mastering math and technology, becoming part of a disciplined army, building their GDP, and making their society orderly and crime-free. If this keeps up, it will be America that will, ironically, not have a Chinaman’s chance to prevail. The post A Chinaman’s chance appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Biden leads US tech push in Vietnam
President Joe Biden and senior executives from top US tech firms including Google and Intel met Vietnamese business leaders Monday after the two countries agreed to deepen cooperation as Washington seeks to counter China's growing clout. Biden and Vietnam's ruling Communist Party chief -- the country's paramount leader -- struck a "comprehensive strategic partnership" as Washington pushes to boost its network of allies around Asia and the Pacific. The United States sees manufacturing dynamo Vietnam as an important part of its plan to decrease reliance on China for supplies of strategic resources, and the new pact includes agreements on semiconductors and rare earths. Executives from tech behemoth Google, chip makers Intel and GlobalFoundries, and aviation giant Boeing joined Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken for an "innovation and investment summit". They held talks with senior figures from a host of leading Vietnamese tech and manufacturing companies including electric car maker VinFast, internet firm VNG and digital wallet Momo. At the talks, Biden announced that flag-carrier Vietnam Airlines had agreed a $7.8-billion deal with Boeing to buy 50 medium-haul 737 airliners. Other deals announced include Microsoft developing a "generative AI-based solution tailored for Vietnam" and NVIDIA teaming up with local companies to deploy artificial intelligence in the cloud, automotive and healthcare sectors. Semiconductor security The new partnership includes an agreement on semiconductors, with the United States committing to help Vietnam develop its capabilities and expand production, including by funding workforce training. Tiny semiconductors are vital to modern life, found in every electronic device from children's toys and smartphones to electric cars and sophisticated weapon systems. Biden moved last month to restrict US investment in Chinese technology in sensitive areas including semiconductors, quantum computing and AI. With Washington looking to diversify and strengthen its supply chains after a series of shocks hit the global economy, it is increasingly looking to Vietnam, which has the world's second-largest deposits of rare earths -- another strategically vital resource -- after China. The White House highlighted US investment in chipmaking in Vietnam, pointing to a new $1.6 billion factory near Hanoi due to start operations soon. China difficulties Biden insisted Sunday that he did not want to "contain" China, but accused Beijing of seeking to change the rules of the international order. And in their joint statement, Biden and Trong launched a fresh broadside at Beijing in the sprawling, multi-state territorial row over the South China Sea. They warned against "threat or the use of force", days after the latest clash involving Chinese vessels, and insisted the competing claims to the strategic waterway must be settled under international norms. Beijing claims almost the entire sea, through which trillions of dollars in trade passes annually, and has ignored an international court ruling that its assertion has no legal basis. The president met Chinese Premier Li Qiang -- the country's number two leader -- on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Delhi on Sunday. Biden said the major economic problems Beijing was wrestling with would limit its scope for action, particularly on Taiwan -- which China regards as a renegade province. "China has a difficult economic problem right now for a whole range of reasons that relate to the international growth and lack thereof and the policies that China has followed," he said, pointing to high youth unemployment and real estate issues. "I don't think it's going to cause China to invade Taiwan. As a matter of fact, the opposite -- it probably doesn't have the same capacity that it had before." Vietnam has its own squabbles with Beijing, notably over the contested South China Sea. Hanoi's state media on Monday hailed the deal with former war foe the United States as "historic". Biden will end his visit by paying his respects at a memorial to his friend John McCain, the former US Senator shot down in Hanoi as a pilot during the Vietnam War. The post Biden leads US tech push in Vietnam appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Semiconductor industry having a renaissance — player
Even if unharmed by the onslaught of the Covid-19 pandemic three years ago, the semiconductor industry is fast regaining momentum, and even experiencing a renaissance as proven by a top executive of CIRTEK Electronics Corporation, an independent complete solution provider for subcontract manufacturing of semiconductor devices. In his guest appearance on the DAILY TRIBUNE’s digital show Business Sense, Brian Liu, managing director and CEO of Cirtek Electronics Corp., said the company’s full-year 2022 performance has breached its all-time high performance in 2019. “We reached an all-time high prior to the pandemic in 2019. But because of the effects of Covid-19, world economies closed. Supply chain problems occurred. So, we took a bit of a slowdown during that time frame; 2020 to 2021 was a bit of a slowdown for us,” he said. Renaissance “We do believe that the semiconductor industry is in a renaissance right now where a lot of the supply pool is shifting away from Greater Asia and making its way to Southeast Asia so this should serve as a good tailwind for the semiconductor industry,” he added. According to tradingeconomics.com, semiconductor exports from the Philippines climbed 0.8 percent year-on-year to a seven-month high of $6.70 billion in June 2023, following an upwardly revised 2.4 percent gain in the prior month. Sales grew for electronic products (12.0 percent), other manufactured goods (2.8 percent), ignition wiring sets and other wiring sets used in vehicles, aircraft, and ships (14.6 percent), machinery and transport equipment (11.2 percent), and cathodes and sections of cathodes of refined copper (38.5 percent). By destination, sales increased to China (15.0 percent), Hong Kong (15.9 percent), the US (6.9 percent), the Netherlands (59.4 percent), South Korea (4.4 percent), Malaysia (3.1 percent), and the European Union (23.0 percent). Benefiting from WFH Further, he said the work-from-home arrangements during the pandemic have even generated pent-up demand for chips that they manufacture. “So basically, it is a mix, we keep our portfolio as diversified as possible. But back in the height of the pandemic, radiofrequency and communication chip sets comprised a large volume of our production because of the demand for work-from-home hybrid spaces. This prompted a lot of demand for higher bandwidth and connectivity,” he said. “Some of these chipsets go to the laptops that we work on so as you know demand for laptops also surged during work-from-home setups, and right now we’re seeing an industrial revolution where a lot of traditionally mechanical devices are being electrified,” he added. AI’s help As contentions about artificial intelligence or AI grow in various parts of the world, Liu said AI is beneficial to his industry in terms of improving their production. “Now we are seeing a new need for a new sub-segment such as artificial intelligence to power new automation and new devices through this automated way of machines learning and doing things on their own. This has created new device families as well, especially in the processing space and the hybrid system and packages. We are talking about multi-function chip sets being consolidated into one system. Hence a new product family is being derived,” he explained. Liu maintained that the semiconductor industry will remain a very crucial part of everybody’s lives, seeing that semiconductors comprise the very impetus of technology itself. “So, any gadget, any device, or any equipment would not be able to function without the aid of semiconductors, and because of the continuous evolution of technology and new innovations being created, this catalyzes new semiconductor device families to be continuously created, and that’s why I do believe that semiconductors play a crucial role as the building block of technology itself,” according to Liu. The Cirtek Group harnesses more than 29 years of expertise in the assembly and testing segment of the semiconductor industry and has been accredited and certified by several international quality institutions for the latest quality system standards. Beginning with just three customers in 1984, the company through its subsidiaries has significantly grown its customer base to 42 at present. “We are an independent Filipino semiconductor company, located at the Heart of Laguna Techno Park. Basically, we maintain a very highly diversified portfolio, so we do semiconductors for RF and communications, industrials, aerospace, consumer, system, and packages, and automotive as well,” Liu stated. The post Semiconductor industry having a renaissance — player appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Ex-Samsung exec charged with stealing secrets for China factory
A former Samsung executive has been charged with stealing company secrets for a copycat computer chip factory in China, and is being held in detention pending trial, prosecutors told AFP on Tuesday. The 65-year-old man, who has not been identified, allegedly stole Samsung trade secrets in a bid to set up a chip factory in the Chinese city of Xian -- near where Samsung has a plant -- the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office said in a separate statement. The material he stole was classified as "national core technology" -- innovations designated by South Korean law as potentially having a major negative impact on national security and the economy if disclosed overseas. "He's currently detained at the Suwon Detention Center," the spokesperson of the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office told AFP, adding the suspect had been held for some time but only formally charged on Monday. Securing supplies of advanced chips has become a crucial issue internationally, with the United States and China locked in a fierce battle for control of the market. Samsung is one of the world's largest makers of memory chips and smartphones, and its overall turnover is equivalent to about one-fifth of South Korea's gross domestic product. The Samsung factory blueprints and clean-room designs from 2018 and 2019 that the man allegedly tried to steal would have been worth at least 300 billion won ($236 million) to Samsung, authorities said. "It is a serious crime that can have a tremendous negative impact on our economic security by shaking the foundation of the domestic semiconductor industry at a time when competition for chip production is intensifying day by day," added the prosecutors' statement, released on Monday. "The semiconductor industry accounted for 16.5 percent of South Korea's total exports as of 2022... and is a national security asset," it added. Prosecutors charged six other people who worked for the detained executive and are believed to have been involved in the theft. The man had worked for a combined 28 years at South Korea's leading chipmakers, and is a "top expert in semiconductor manufacturing" in the country, prosecutors said. The post Ex-Samsung exec charged with stealing secrets for China factory appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Bourses weaken amid persistent debt fears
Asian markets sank Wednesday on worries that hardline Republicans could vote down a crucial bill to hike the US borrowing limit and risk a catastrophic default that could hammer an already fragile global economy. Further signs that China’s post-pandemic recovery was fading added to the downbeat mood on trading floors, as did worries that the US Federal Reserve is likely to increase interest rates again next month. Local shares slid on heavy turnover as funds were tracking the latest Morgan Stanley Capital International or MSCI rebalancing results and with the end-of-month window dressing at hand, according to Regina Capital Development Corp. managing director Luis Limlingan. Wall St. was still a mixed bag to open the week, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average down 50 points and the S&P 500 up by 0.9 percent, he added. Buoyant mood dissipates The buoyant mood that started the week, after US President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy finalized a debt deal, was giving way to a fear that the far-right Freedom Caucus could torpedo it. The Treasury has warned that if the borrowing ceiling is not lifted by June 5, the government will run out of cash to service its debt obligations. Members on both sides of the political spectrum have raised concerns about the agreement, with Republicans saying it does not have enough spending cuts and the left wing of the Democratic Party unhappy that Biden agreed to any limits at all. The Treasury has warned that if the borrowing ceiling is not lifted by June 5, the government will run out of cash to service its debt obligations. While McCarthy has described the deal as “transformational” and expressed confidence the bill will pass, leading Freedom Caucus member Chip Roy called it a “turd sandwich.” “Not one Republican should vote for this deal. It is a bad deal. No one sent us here to borrow an additional $4 trillion to get absolutely nothing in return,” Roy said at a Freedom Caucus news conference. He later warned McCarthy would face a “reckoning.” That came as another GOP Representative, Dan Bishop, called party members to vote McCarthy out as speaker. And CMC Markets analyst Michael Hewson said ratings agencies were “already sharpening their pencils on downgrades for the US credit rating.” Still, House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries remained confident, telling Bloomberg Television: “We will be able to get this bill over the finish line tomorrow.” Meanwhile, the Nasdaq Composite outperformed the other two indices primarily on the excitement around artificial intelligence, which briefly pushed Nvidia’s market cap above $1 trillion on Thursday. The post Bourses weaken amid persistent debt fears appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
China says US chipmaker Micron failed security review
China's cybersecurity watchdog said Sunday that US chipmaker Micron had failed a national security probe and told "operators of critical information infrastructure" to stop purchasing its products. The probe was the latest escalation in the ongoing chip war between the United States and China, with Washington looking to cut off Beijing's access to the most advanced semiconductors. It also came as China tightened the enforcement of its national security and anti-espionage laws. Micron's products "have relatively serious potential network security issues, which pose a major security risk to China's critical information infrastructure supply chain and affect China's national security", the cybersecurity administration said in a statement. "Operators of critical information infrastructure in China should stop purchasing Micron products." Beijing launched a cybersecurity review in March of products sold in the country by Micron, one of the world's major chip manufacturers. The chip war between Beijing and Washington escalated last year when the United States imposed restrictions on China's access to high-end chips, chipmaking equipment, and software used to design semiconductors. Washington cited national security concerns and said it wanted to prevent "sensitive technologies with military applications" from being acquired by China's armed forces and intelligence services. The United States imposed targeted controls on the ability of domestic industry leaders to sell their products overseas. It has also sought to persuade key allies to follow suit. The Netherlands and Japan -- both leading manufacturers of specialized semiconductor technology equipment -- have recently announced new restrictions on exporting certain products, but without naming China. Beijing has slammed the moves as "US bullying tactics" and accused Washington of "technological terrorism", vowing that such controls will only strengthen its resolve to achieve self-reliance in the sector. The development of a robust domestic semiconductor industry has been a longstanding goal of the Chinese government, which has invested billions of dollars in domestic chip firms. Chips are the lifeblood of the modern global economy, powering everything from cars to smartphones, and they are forecast to become a $1 trillion industry globally by 2030. Nowhere is their essential nature more visible than in China, the world's second-largest economy, which relies on a steady supply of foreign chips for its huge electronics manufacturing base. In 2021, China imported semiconductors worth $430 billion -- more than it spent on oil. The post China says US chipmaker Micron failed security review appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Biden signs $52.7-B bill for chip production to counter China
WASHINGTON - United States President Joe Biden on Tuesday signed into law a bill that invests $52.7 billion in semiconductor production and development in a bid to secure a technological edge amid intensifying competition with China.The enactment of the law, which includes $.....»»
Biden signs $52.7-B bill for chip production to counter China
WASHINGTON - United States President Joe Biden on Tuesday signed into law a bill that invests $52.7 billion in semiconductor production and development in a bid to secure a technological edge amid intensifying competition with China.The enactment of the law, which includes $.....»»
Samsung lagging on renewables pledge: Greenpeace
Smartphone and chip giant Samsung Electronics' fulfilment of a headline-grabbing pledge to switch to renewable energy in the US, China and Europe accounts for less than 20 percent of its global electricity use, environmentalists Greenpeace said Tuesday......»»
Biden knocks Trump as rivals barnstorm heartland in election finale
Joe Biden intensified his attacks Friday on President Donald Trump as they battled over the American Midwest, chasing every last vote with four days to go in a region that propelled the Republican to victory in 2016. RUS President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Rochester International Airport October 30, 2020 in Rochester, Minnesota. With Election Day only four days away, Trump is campaigning in Minnesota despite the recent surge in coronavirus cases in the state. In accordance with state orders, only 250 people will be able to attend the rally with Trump while thousands of others will gather outside the airport to watch on a large television screen. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/AFP) Trump and Biden barnstormed three heartland states each — with a resurgent coronavirus passing the milestone of nine million cases as they hit the stump — highlighting their differences in a race overshadowed by the pandemic. Trump, heralded a “big day” of campaigning as he left the White House, then held a rally in Michigan before heading to Wisconsin and Minnesota, all states battling climbing numbers of virus cases. “We just want normal,” Trump told supporters — many of them unmasked — at an outdoor rally near Detroit as he pushed states to relax public health restrictions and resume daily life. He again bucked his own administration’s health experts as he downplayed the Covid-19 threat, saying “if you get it, you’re going to get better, and then you’re going to be immune.” Covid-19 has killed nearly 230,000 people in the US, which is experiencing surges in most states as the winter flu season looms. The outbreak has ravaged the economy, and while there have been signs of recovery, millions remain jobless. Biden was also stumping in Wisconsin and in Minnesota, where he sharpened his attacks on the president on everything from Trump seeking to dismantle Obama-era health care protections and keep his taxes secret to climate change and trade policy with China. “We can not afford four more years of Donald Trump,” the 77-year-old Democrat said at a socially distanced drive-in rally in St. Paul, Minnesota. “So honk your horn if you want America to lead again!” he said, embracing the awkward pandemic-era campaign trend of rallying supporters in their vehicles. “Honk your horn if you want to have civility again, and honk your horn if you want America to be united again!” Earlier in Iowa he attacker Trump over his handling of the pandemic. “Donald Trump has given up (and) waved the white flag,” Biden told a drive-in rally with more than 300 cars in Des Moines. – ‘Less divided’ – Trump flipped Iowa, Michigan and Wisconsin from the Democrats to clinch his shock victory four years ago. Now polls show Biden leading in all three, albeit narrowly in Iowa. It was Biden’s first visit to Iowa since his inauspicious campaign start in February, when he placed a dismal fourth in the opening Democratic nominating contest. So can Biden win over enough voters to prevail in the Hawkeye State? “I wouldn’t put money on it,” Iowa attorney Sara Riley, 61, said at Biden’s event, although she was more confident about him clinching the White House. “I think Americans, even Trump supporters, want to get to a place where the country is less divided,” Riley said. With voters concerned about the health hazards of crowded polling stations on November 3, a record 86 million have already cast early ballots by mail or in person. Even as the US hit a grim new high in daily Covid-19 infections Thursday, Trump has stuck to his guns, downplaying the dangers and branding Democrats as rampaging “socialists” intent on shuttering the country. And while Trump has touted the economic successes of his presidency, including positive GDP figures Thursday, US stocks closed out their worst week since March, highlighting concerns about a shaky recovery. – ‘Turn Texas blue?’ – After a campaign largely muted by the pandemic, Biden is on the offensive, pushing Trump onto the back foot in unexpected battlegrounds like Texas, a large, traditionally conservative bastion now rated a toss-up by multiple analysts. On Friday the state reported that a staggering nine million residents had already voted, surpassing its entire 2016 total. Biden’s running mate Kamala Harris visited Texas Friday in a bid to turn the state Democratic for the first time since president Jimmy Carter in 1976. “We have a chance to turn Texas blue,” the 96-year-old Carter said in a fundraising email. Biden winning there would be a dagger to Trump, but the president dismissed the notion, saying: “Texas, we’re doing very well.” Trump and Biden are focusing their greatest efforts on traditional battlegrounds that will decide the election — such as Florida, where both campaigned on Thursday. On Saturday Biden returns to the Midwest bringing with him perhaps his strongest surrogate: ex-president Barack Obama, making his first joint in-person campaign appearance of the year with his former VP. Motown music legend Stevie Wonder will join them, the Biden campaign said. Trump will spend the day campaigning in the critical state of Pennsylvania, where he narrowly trails Biden in polls. Biden will follow suit there both Sunday and Monday in a clear sign that his campaign sees the Keystone State as absolutely crucial to his victory......»»
Where have you Christians been?
WORD ALIVE FR. BEL SAN LUIS, SVD It happened in China a few years before the Communists expelled the missionaries. A foreign Catholic missionary came upon an old woman by the wayside, deserted, cold, and hungry. “Why do you bother about me?” the old lady whispered feebly when the priest tried to help her as best as he could. “Nobody else cares. Why should you?” * * * “God said to go out over the world and help everyone who is in need,” the priest said. Pondering over the words of the priest, she said, “What a beautiful religion. Where did it come from? ” * * * Whereupon the priest started to tell her about God who loves us and sent his own Son Jesus Christ to save us. “Your Christ,” the old woman went on, “Where is He?” When the priest said He died two thousand years ago, she was amazed. “Do you mean to say that it has been two thousand years since Christ commanded his followers to spread his teachings? Why, where have you Christians been all this time?” * * * This might well be the pointed question addressed to us as we celebrate World Mission Sunday today. Before ascending to heaven, Jesus commanded his apostles: “Go out into the whole world and proclaim the Good News to every nation. He who believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mk 16,15). * * * Pope Francis gave the Church his first apostolic exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel). In it he proposed a profound missionary renewal of the entire Church. He asserted that we need an “evangelizing Church that comes out of herself…All renewal in the Church must have mission as its goal; otherwise, it falls prey to a kind of ‘ecclesial introversion.’” * * * How can we be an “evangelizing Church”? Obviously, not all can go out of their country to reach out to peoples who have not known Christ. If some heroic Christians can do it as missionaries, great. But for most of us, all that we can do is be missionaries at home. * * * Remember St. Therese of the Child Jesus? She is the universal patroness of Catholic missions yet, ironically, she never stepped out of the four walls of her Carmelite cloister! She merited the title because of her burning obsession to save souls by offering every little act, every bodily pain for the conversion of immortal souls. * * * When I was ordained priest in our missionary congregation, Society of the Divine Word (SVD), I applied to work in Mexico, Central America. Unfortunately I never got my wish. The farthest I’ve gone to is Mexico… Pampanga! * * * That doesn’t mean, however, that I am not a genuine missionary. By my work in the media or supporting seminarians under the “Adopt A Seminarian” scholarship program, I am a missionary. What counts is not geography, but the missionary spirit or attitude. In this connection, let’s not be missionaries only on Mission Sunday. As a good Christian, the mission spirit should be an all-time continuing attitude and action. * * * Further, you can be missionaries by means of extending financial assistance. Be generous and share your resources for the support of missionaries. Money is a necessity in the work of evangelization. Churches, schools, convents, clinics, social centers are needed, especially in the “bush” mission. * * * Every Christian is a missionary. Are you doing your share? * * * LAUGH WITH GOD. A parish priest was making an impassioned appeal to the parish council for the annual mission collection. Great was everybody’s surprise when the wealthiest but tight-fisted member of the council rose and offered to start the collection rolling with a contribution of P500. * * * As he stood up to hand in the amount, a mild earthquake took place and some plaster from the ceiling fell and hit him on the head. A bit shaken, he withdrew the amount and said, “I guess I’d better make that P5,000.” A small voice from the back was heard, “Hit him again, Lord.” (It’s not known if he gave some more!). * * * HELPING MISSIONARY SEMINARIANS. We Filipinos are blessed because there are still a good number of young men who wish to become priests and missionaries. But they have difficulty in pursuing their priestly vocation due to financial constraints, especially this time of the COVID-19 crisis. * * * Chip in or sponsor a year’s scholarship of a seminarian. REMEMBER: Without seminarians, we cannot have priests and missionaries. For inquiry, e-mail me at belsvd@gmail.com. * * * FAMILY TV MASS – is aired on 5PLUS Channel 59, Cignal Cable Ch. 6, Free TV Ch. 41 at 6-7 a.m. Sunday and anytime at “MCFI SVD Media” Account on YouTube and Facebook Page. Priest presider: FR. LOUIE PUNZALAN, SVD......»»
Pentagon chief reaffirms support after latest China aggression in WPS
Austin emphasized US support for the Philippines in defending its sovereign rights and jurisdiction in a phone call with Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro on Wednesday. .....»»
Comelec says systems can thwart foreign interference
The Commission on Elections is preparing to defend its servers from attempts to hack it in the 2025 midterm polls, its chairperson announced on Wednesday......»»
Jollibee invests $28 million in beverage tech firm
Filipino-owned Asian food conglomerate Jollibee Foods Corp. is investing $28 million for a 10 percent stake in beverage technology company Botrista Inc. to support the growth of its coffee and tea business......»»