■ Manufacturing
Rolls Royce doing fine
The chief of British aircraft engine maker Rolls Royce PLC said yesterday that the company's earnings outlook would not be hurt by its recent suspension of production of engines for the Airbus A380. "We make deliveries to Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier, Gulfstream, Embraer, Cessna and a whole range of other companies. This represents a relatively small proportion of our turnover," chief executive John Rose told reporters during a visit to Malaysia. He said the firm's deliveries for the next two years are "completely unaffected by the orders in the shorter term."
■ Internet
Google offers Korean e-mail
Google Inc launched a Korean-language version of its free e-mail service yesterday in an effort to strengthen its presence in South Korea. The launch of Google's Korean-language Gmail service came a month after it announced a US$10 million investment in a planned research center in the country. Google started its Korean-language search site in 2000 and began offering its English-language Gmail service two years ago in South Korea, where many Internet users have preferred local free e-mail services. Local search engine Naver controls more than 60 percent of South Korea's search traffic.
■ Environment
`New Kyoto' wanted
After repeatedly blocking domestic carbon trading, Australia said yesterday it would now push for Asia-wide emissions trading to combat global warming as part of a planned "new-Kyoto" pact. The turn-around comes as an opinion poll showed most Australians believe Canberra should sign Kyoto. Environment Minister Ian Campbell told Australian Broadcasting Corp radio that Canberra wanted to forge a "New Kyoto" out of a six-nation alliance of the world's biggest polluters -- China, India, the US, Australia, South Korea and Japan. Australia, which has failed to ratify Kyoto Protocol, is already feeling the brunt of global warming with the worst drought in 100 years eating into economic growth.
■ Automobiles
Hyundai faces probe
South Korea's fair trade watchdog is investigating the Hyundai Motor group on suspicion of unfair trading, company officials said yesterday. "Hyundai Motor and some of its subsidiaries are being investigated by the Fair Trade Commission for suspected unfair trading inside the group," a group spokesman said. "The investigation started around Sept. 11 and is expected to last until Friday." The spokesman said Hyundai Motor and its affiliates including Hyundai Card, Hyundai Glovis and Hyundai Capital were the target of the investigation. Hyundai Glovis is the group's auto shipping unit and Hyundai Capital provides consumers with loans to buy cars.
■ Telecoms
Alfa Group eyes Vodafone
Russian conglomerate Alfa Group is seeking to buy 20 percent of British mobile phone giant Vodafone, valued at about £15 billion (US$28.6 billion), the Times said yesterday. Alfa's telecoms arm, Altimo, has targeted Vodafone with a view to either a joint venture or a merger as it seeks to grow outside Russia, the newspaper said. "We are in negotiations with Vodafone, and with other large Euro-pean telecoms companies," it quoted Kirill Babaev, a vice-president of Altimo, as saying. But a Vodafone spokesman denied the report.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
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