■ Wireless devices
Blackberry to expand
Research in Motion Ltd, maker of the BlackBerry wireless e-mail device, aims this year to double of the number of service providers in Asia, the South China Morning Post said, citing vice president Norman Lo. The company aims to add 10 to 15 wireless operators to the current 15 in Asia, the Hong Kong-based newspaper said. Globally, the company aims to add 100 operators this year, it said. The company reached an agreement with China Mobile (Hong Kong) Ltd and expects to introduce its products in China this year, the newspaper said.
■ Automobiles
Siemens may drop bid
Siemens AG said it may halt talks to take over a South Korean car audio-equipment maker after it was asked to raise its bid. Korea Deposit Insurance Co, which owns almost 35 percent of Hyundai Autonet Co, is asking Siemens and its venture partner Hyundai Motor Co to raise their bid prices. "We are surprised that the Korea Deposit Insurance is asking for a higher price," Siemens Ltd Seoul said an e-mailed statement. "We are at the moment considering plans to stop the negotiations for the takeover."
■ Automobiles
Nissan boosts output
Nissan Motor will invest ¥5 billion (US$45 million) to boost output capacity in Mexico amid rising competition from South Korean auto makers in the North American market, a report said yesterday. Nissan, Japan's second-largest carmaker controlled by Renault of France, will raise annual production capacity by 33 percent to 400,000 units at its passenger car plant in Mexico, the business daily Nihon Keizai Shimbun said. The company also plans to launch production of a new, low-priced subcompact car at the Mexican plant to compete against South Korea's Hyundai Motor, it said.
■ Appliances
Whirlpool bids for Maytag
Whirlpool Corp announced an offer to acquire fellow appliance maker Maytag Corp for US$1.37 billion in cash and stock, topping an earlier offer that Maytag accepted from an investment group. Whirlpool said on Sunday that its offer of US$17 per share for Iowa-based Maytag represents a 21 percent premium over the offer from Triton Acquisition Holding Co. Whirlpool would also assume Maytag's debt of US$969 million. The Michigan-based appliance maker has annual sales of more than US$13 billion and 68,000 employees worldwide. It markets Whirlpool, KitchenAid, Brastemp, Bauknecht, Consul and other major brand names to consumers in more than 170 countries.
■ Technology
Philips' profits fall
The Dutch technology conglomerate Philips Electronics NV said yesterday that sales and operating profit fell in the second quarter, due to problems at its LG.Philips joint venture in displays and weakness in semiconductor and technology markets in general. Net profit rose to US$1.18 billion in the second quarter, while sales fell 3 percent from a year ago. Philips said growth in sales of medical and lighting equipment was offset by falls at semiconductors and its displays. LG.Philips, the company's joint venture in displays, contributed just US$12 million to earnings as a glut in the international market for flat-panel televisions and computer screens hurt selling prices.
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
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
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique