■ Aerospace
Boeing, Hughes pinched
Boeing Co, the world's biggest satellite maker, and Hughes Electronics Corp will pay a US$32 million fine for sharing rocket and missile technology with China without the US government's permission. "The companies accept full responsibility and express regret for not having obtained licenses," they said in a statement. Hughes, which sold its satellite unit to Boeing in 2000, illegally gave China information to help it determine causes of two failed rocket launches in 1995 and 1996, the US State Department said. Such help to China or other nations could "have a negative impact on national security," the companies said in a statement. Analysts said the technology can be used to make intercontinental missiles. By settling the case, Boeing avoided being penalized with export restrictions that could have lasted for as many as three years and cost it hundreds of millions of dollars in sales.
■ Software
Computers to be merged
Japan is set to launch a consortium in April, including high-tech giants Fujitsu, Hitachi and NEC to develop software to merge the computing power of thousands of PCs, an official said yesterday. The three-year project will cost around ?15 billion (US$127 million), with half of the budget shouldered by the government, said Hiroyuki Kazama from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. "The government wants to support the development of this technological trend," Kazama said. "It may create business models that have never existed before in Japan." Some ?2.8 billion has already been included in the government's budget for the year to March 2004, which has passed the lower house of parliament and is waiting for upper house approval.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft