■Electronics
Chartered bets on recovery
Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing Co, the world's third-biggest made-to-order chip maker after Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co and United Microelectronics Corp, predicted that its third-quarter loss will narrow from the second, and said the industry is recovering. It expects a loss of about US$83 million, compared with the loss of US$90 million it reported today for the second quarter, which matched its result from the year-earlier period. Second- quarter sales were also little changed. Chartered Semiconductor has been unprofitable for 10 straight quarters. Third-quarter sales are expected to increase by 3 percent to 7 percent from the second quarter to about US$134 million, the company said. In the third quarter last year, Chartered lost US$89 million on sales of US$130 million.
■ Telecom
Eriscsson posts loss
Swedish telecommun-ications equipment maker Ericsson yesterday posted a loss for the second quarter of the year after taxes of 2.7 billion kronor (US$328 million). Although it was the ninth consecutive quarterly loss for Ericsson, the second quarter result was considerably better than market analysts had predicted. The embattled mobile phone maker posted a loss of 3.1 billion kronor in the second quarter of last year. Second quarter sales amounted to 27.6 billion kronor, down 28 percent compared with the same period last year. But compared with the first quarter of the year, when sales were put at 25.9 billion kronor, the second quarter marked a significant improvement. Ericsson President and CEO Carl-Henric Svanberg said that despite the long string of losses, the company remained "determined to return to profit during 2003."
■ Airlines
Boeing cuts 5,000 jobs
The Boeing Co's commercial aeroplanes division Thursday announced the loss of an additional 4,000 to 5,000 jobs by the end of the year. The reason for the cuts is due to continued weakness in the commercial airline industry, the company said in a release. The reductions will be accomplished through layoffs and attrition, and pink slips were to be handed out yesterday to 660 employees. Alan Mulally, Boeing Commercial Airplanes president and chief executive officer, said in the release that Boeing was experiencing an unprecedented and difficult time. The company has laid off 40,000 people since the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
■ Software
Windows flaw admitted
Microsoft Corp acknow-ledged a critical vulner-ability Wednesday in nearly all versions of its flagship Windows operating system software, the first such design flaw to affect its latest Windows Server 2003 software. Microsoft said the vulnerability could allow hackers to seize control of a victim's Windows computer over the Internet, stealing data, deleting files or eavesdropping on e-mails. The company urged customers to immediately apply a free software repairing patch available from Microsoft's Web site. The disclosure was unusually embarrassing for Microsoft because it demonstrated the first such serious flaw in the company's powerful new computer server software, billed as its safest ever. The software is aimed at large corporate customers.
Agencies
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
SHOT IN THE ARM: The new system can be integrated with Avenger and Stinger missiles to bolster regional air defense capabilities, a defense ministry report said Domestically developed Land Sword II (陸射劍二) missiles were successfully launched and hit target drones during a live-fire exercise at the Jiupeng Military Base in Pingtung County yesterday. The missiles, developed by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology (CSIST), were originally scheduled to launch on Tuesday last week, after the Tomb Sweeping Day holiday long weekend, but were postponed to yesterday due to weather conditions. Local residents and military enthusiasts gathered outside the base to watch the missile tests, with the first one launching at 9:10am. The Land Sword II system, which is derived from the Sky Sword II (天劍二) series, was turned