Singaporean entrepreneur Joseph Phua has launched a news website, Next Apple News, in Taiwan.

Local media reported that Phua was previously in talks to buy Apple Daily Taiwan, which had ties to Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai and recently shut its doors on August 31. Instead, Phua announced that Next Apple News will launch on September 1 during a news conference two days before that.

The new website will employ 96 percent of the more than 200 staff laid off from Apple Daily Taiwan. Phua maintains that Next Apple News is an entirely new entity and has no relations to the defunct news company.

Phua, who is also the chairman of venture capital firm Turn Capital, assured that the new company would not use any data or assets from Apple Daily Taiwan.   

He also promised that Next Apple News would remain a neutral media publication and that he would not interfere with the portal's editorial policies. 

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