■ US economy
Factory orders decline
US factory orders dropped 1.5 percent in February, the most in five months, adding to evidence the approach of the Iraq war took a toll on manufacturing and the economy. The decrease, reflecting less demand for commercial aircraft, computers and chemicals, followed a 1.7 percent gain in January, the Commerce Department said. Excluding transportation, orders fell 2 percent, the largest drop in a year. Bookings for defense goods surged 27.1 percent, the third rise in four months. The drop in orders caused manufacturing to contract last month for the first time since October. Companies are trimming orders and factories are reducing production because consumer purchases, which account for two-thirds of the economy, stalled in January and February. "There was a wait-and-see mentality among businesses" as the war approached, said Stuart Hoffman, chief economist at PNC Financial Services Group in Pittsburgh.
■ Rice exports
Thailand wins UN order
A major Thai rice exporter has won a contract to supply the UN World Food Program (WFP) with 14,000 tonnes of 100 percent grade B rice as food aid to Iraq, traders said yesterday. The rice would be shipped this month, they said. Thailand is the world's top rice exporter. WFP would nominate a vessel, due to arrive in Thailand next week, traders said. They said WFP had also bought 42,000 tonnes of rice from Pakistan as food aid to Iraq. Thai 100 percent grade B was offered steady yesterday at around US$198 per tonne FOB. Earlier this week, a WFP official told Reuters in Rome that the world's largest food aid agency had bought a total of 84,000 tonnes of rice from Asia in its biggest single purchase in the past 10 years for a humanitarian operation. Traders in Vietnam said earlier that the UN food agency had bought a total of 28,000 tonnes of Vietnamese 5 percent broken rice as food aid to Iraq.
■ WTO
New trade deal developed
Leading officials involved in troubled global trade talks said on Wednesday progressed toward a new international pact that could help ease any economic fall-out from the US-led war in Iraq. WTO chief Supachai Panitchpakdi and officials from rich and poorer countries agreed that extra efforts were vital to get negotiations back on track and secure a deal on schedule by the end of next year. "At a time of growing global economic uncertainty, progress in the Doha Round towards its timely conclusion can make a much needed contribution to confidence," Supachai said. The Doha Road talks, named after Qatar's capital where they were launched in November 2001, struck a major hitch this week over the pivotal and highly political issue of agricultural reform.
■ Internet
Contact sites flourish
Online personal contact sites are booming. There are contact sites for everybody, regardless of age -- for juveniles, students, working people, old people. The collection of chatrooms, dating sites or online partner services offer a highly promising scene. Michaela Unfried, a psychologist, says that the level of inhibition online is much lower because of the anonymity. "People become closer much more quickly." The crunch is the first personal meeting. This is when the effect can be sobering.
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
BULLY TACTICS: Beijing has continued its incursions into Taiwan’s airspace even as Xi Jinping talked about Taiwan being part of the Chinese family and nation China should stop its coercion of Taiwan and respect mainstream public opinion in Taiwan about sovereignty if its expression of goodwill is genuine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday. Ministry spokesman Jeff Liu (劉永健) made the comment in response to media queries about a meeting between former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) the previous day. Ma voiced support for the so-called “1992 consensus,” while Xi said that although the two sides of the Taiwan Strait have “different systems,” this does not change the fact that they are “part of the same country,” and that “external
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