■SOFTWARE
Millions try Windows 7
Microsoft said more than 3 million customers are currently trying out its Windows 7 operating system software. Customers who downloaded the pre-release version of the operating system or installed it from a compact disc have provided a list of 175 points for the company to review, Eddie Wu (吳勝雄), general manager for Microsoft’s Original Equipment Manufacturing division in Asia, said yesterday in Taipei. Microsoft said on May 11 it would release Windows 7, its newest operating system, before the year-end holidays. Sales in its Windows division may get a boost from the new platform after revenue suffered as consumers delayed updating to Windows Vista which was released to consumers in 2007. Taiwan’s Acer Inc (宏碁), the world’s third-largest computer supplier, and Asustek Computer Inc (華碩), maker of the Eee PC low-cost notebook, are among vendors who’ve backed Windows 7 and say they’ll release products supporting the new platform.
■RETAIL
Times Square gets revamp
Visitors to New York’s Times Square will no longer have to dodge taxis if they want to stop in the middle of the street to stare at its iconic neon lights. On Sunday, authorities blocked of the notorious traffic clogged intersection that will become a pedestrian zone, with only walkers, cyclists and skaters allowed on Broadway between 42nd and 47th streets. The move is designed to free up space for street artists, cafes and vendors and improve the area for New Yorkers and tourists alike. A second pedestrian zones opened on Herald Square in front of Macy’s department store, the center stage of the US’ most famous Thanksgiving holiday parade.
■AVIATION
Qantas cuts first-class seats
Australian airline Qantas said yesterday it is cutting first-class services on some international flights because of fall in demand caused by the global financial crisis. “Qantas, like many other international airlines has experienced reduced demand in premium cabins,” spokesman Rob Gurney said in a statement. “We have temporarily taken our first-class offering off our San Francisco, Buenos Aires and Melbourne-Hong Kong-London route and will now be servicing these routes with business, premium economy and economy classes only.” Some customers would now get a first-class seat at business-class prices, a Qantas spokeswoman said.
■CUBA
Havana revises forecast
Cuba is revising its economic growth forecast to 2.4 percent, down from its original projection of 6 percent for the year. Economy Minister Marino Alberto Murrillo says the world financial meltdown has hurt tourism and prices for nickel, a key export. The announcement comes as the government calls for workers to be more productive and to save resources in the face of economic risis. Cuba also is still recovering from the effects of three hurricanes last year. Murrillo was quoted on Sunday by Juventud Rebelde newspaper.
■ELECTRONICS
Philips to buy Saeco
Royal Philips Electronics NV agreed to buy Saeco International Group SpA, an Italian maker of espresso machines that’s controlled by PAI Partners. The transaction is subject to Philips reaching a final agreement with banks with which Saeco has outstanding credit obligations, Philips said yesterday in an e-mailed statement. No financial details were disclosed.
STILL COMMITTED: The US opposes any forced change to the ‘status quo’ in the Strait, but also does not seek conflict, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said US President Donald Trump’s administration released US$5.3 billion in previously frozen foreign aid, including US$870 million in security exemptions for programs in Taiwan, a list of exemptions reviewed by Reuters showed. Trump ordered a 90-day pause on foreign aid shortly after taking office on Jan. 20, halting funding for everything from programs that fight starvation and deadly diseases to providing shelters for millions of displaced people across the globe. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has said that all foreign assistance must align with Trump’s “America First” priorities, issued waivers late last month on military aid to Israel and Egypt, the
France’s nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and accompanying warships were in the Philippines yesterday after holding combat drills with Philippine forces in the disputed South China Sea in a show of firepower that would likely antagonize China. The Charles de Gaulle on Friday docked at Subic Bay, a former US naval base northwest of Manila, for a break after more than two months of deployment in the Indo-Pacific region. The French carrier engaged with security allies for contingency readiness and to promote regional security, including with Philippine forces, navy ships and fighter jets. They held anti-submarine warfare drills and aerial combat training on Friday in
COMBAT READINESS: The military is reviewing weaponry, personnel resources, and mobilization and recovery forces to adjust defense strategies, the defense minister said The military has released a photograph of Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) appearing to sit beside a US general during the annual Han Kuang military exercises on Friday last week in a historic first. In the photo, Koo, who was presiding over the drills with high-level officers, appears to be sitting next to US Marine Corps Major General Jay Bargeron, the director of strategic planning and policy of the US Indo-Pacific Command, although only Bargeron’s name tag is visible in the seat as “J5 Maj General.” It is the first time the military has released a photo of an active
CHANGE OF MIND: The Chinese crew at first showed a willingness to cooperate, but later regretted that when the ship arrived at the port and refused to enter Togolese Republic-registered Chinese freighter Hong Tai (宏泰號) and its crew have been detained on suspicion of deliberately damaging a submarine cable connecting Taiwan proper and Penghu County, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement yesterday. The case would be subject to a “national security-level investigation” by the Tainan District Prosecutors’ Office, it added. The administration said that it had been monitoring the ship since 7:10pm on Saturday when it appeared to be loitering in waters about 6 nautical miles (11km) northwest of Tainan’s Chiang Chun Fishing Port, adding that the ship’s location was about 0.5 nautical miles north of the No.
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