■ Search sitesYahoo battles Google
In 1999, Yahoo gave a small company its first big break, hiring it to provide results for its Internet search service. By last year, that company, Google, had usurped Yahoo as the No. 1 site for Web searches. Starting yesterday, Yahoo introduced a series of improvements to its own Web search service meant to reclaim the territory it ceded to Google. Yahoo is adding some features and removing some graphic advertising to make its service look more like the clean, simple style of Google. Moreover, Yahoo is trying to distinguish its search results by including information from its array of other services, many not offered by Google. For example, someone searching for "Yankee scores" will see the results of the most recent Yankees game in addition to a list of baseball sites.
■ Air carriers
EasyJet sees demand rise
EasyJet Plc, Europe's largest low-cost carrier, said its March passenger count rose 32 percent as the airline added routes across Europe. EasyJet flew 1.71 million people last month compared with 1.3 million in March 2002, including passengers on Go Fly Ltd, which it took over in August. The load factor, or proportion of seats filled, rose to 85.8 percent from 85 percent, EasyJet said in a Regulatory News Service statement. "Notwithstand-ing the onset of hostilities, EasyJet is still carrying significantly more passengers than it did a year ago," the company said in a UK Regulatory News Service statement.
■ EU economy
Growth forecast reduced
The European Commission has cut its euro-zone growth forecast for this year to 1.0 percent from 1.8 percent, according to a draft version of its spring economic forecasts to be released tomorrow. For next year, the forecast is reduced to 2.2 percent from 2.6 percent, according to the draft obtained by AFX News. Germany, the 12-nation zone's biggest economy, is expected to grow by just 0.4 percent in 2003 against the commission's autumn forecast of 1.4 percent. For next year, the German figures are 2 percent from 2.3 percent before. France, which like Germany is the subject of an "excessive deficit procedure" from the commission, is seen expanding by 1.1 percent this year against the earlier forecast of 2 percent. For next year, the prediction is 2.1 percent from 2.7.
■ Semiconductors
Hynix faces US ruling
South Korea said yesterday it would cut exports of computer chips to the US if Washington agreed to suspend tariffs imposed on Hynix Semiconductor memory chips. The offer followed a preliminary ruling by the US Department of Commerce last week that dynamic random access memory (DRAM) chips from South Korea were unfairly subsidized. The ruling called for countervailing duties of 57.37 percent on chips shipped by South Korea's ailing Hynix Semiconductor Inc. "The government would offer to cut down Hynix US shipments under the [tariff] suspension agreement," the Commerce, Industry and Energy Ministry said in a statement. The ministry said the US Department of Commerce would have until April 15 to respond to the offer. "This government proposal does not mean that we accept the US preliminary ruling. The offer does not affect the future probes before the final ruling comes out," it added.
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