■ Airlines
Qantas alliance blocked
Australian and New Zealand regulators rejected a plan by Qantas Airways Ltd to pay NZ$550 million (US$300 million) for a stake in Air New Zealand, calling it "highly anti-competitive." The decision undermines plans by the biggest airlines in the two nations to cut costs by uniting to control 90 percent of air traffic. "Passengers will be denied choice and increased air fares will be inevitable," said Allan Fels, chairman of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. Qantas needs to cut costs to fend off a challenge from Richard Branson's Virgin Blue Airlines Pty in Australia and to cope with a plunge in air travel, aggravated by the outbreak of a deadly virus in Asia. Air New Zealand, rescued from bankruptcy in 2001 by a government bailout, says it may find it difficult to compete with a challenge from Qantas in its home market.
■ Tourism
Thailand urges local travel
Thailand urged citizens to travel locally this month during the nation's biggest festival season to compensate for a loss of earnings as a deadly virus outbreak prompts overseas travelers to stay home. Thailand this week cut its tourist revenue forecast for this year to 340 billion baht (US$7.9 billion) from 360 billion baht as visitors cancel trips because of the spread of the respiratory illness. "Thais should go out and travel," Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak told reporters. "They should not panic about the disease. The government has taken steps to control it." The disease has taken more than a hundred lives worldwide, mostly in Asia. Thailand said this month it would "discourage" tours from affected areas, and asked visitors from China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan and Vietnam to wear masks and to isolate themselves for two weeks. To attract locals, Thai tour operators plan to cut rates for package tours by as much as 40 percent starting next month, Tourism Minister Sontaya Kunplome.
■ Concord
BA plans to retire fleet
British Airways Plc, Europe's biggest airline, plans to retire its Concorde supersonic jetliner fleet in October as slowing economies and conflict in Iraq hurt demand for its premium trans-Atlantic flights. Air France also said it will end Concorde flights on Oct. 31. "Bringing forward Concorde's retirement is a prudent business decision," said British Airways Chief Executive Rod Eddington in a Regulatory News Service statement. "While the threat of war and resulting military conflict have had a further impact on premium travel demand, the decision to retire Concorde has been based on a long-term revenue and cost trend rather than recent events."
■ Unemployment
Jobs in Australia vanish
Australia's unemployment rate jumped to 6.2 percent in March and economists say it may go higher as a deadly respiratory disease reduces tourism, forcing companies such as Qantas Airways Ltd to fire workers. The economy unexpectedly shed 42,800 jobs, all of them full-time, and the unemployment rate rose from 6 percent in February, as consumer confidence fell to a two-year low because of the war in Iraq and a drought across more than two-thirds of the country. The Australian Tourism Commission said this week international arrivals had fallen as much as 20 percent in the past three weeks because of the disease and war in Iraq.
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
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
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