■ Electronics
Anti-ad skipper developed
In this era of easy ad skipping with digital video recorders, could TV viewers one day be forced to watch commercials with a system that prevents channel switching? Yes, according to Royal Philips Electronics. A patent application with the US Patent and Trademark Office says the Netherlands-based consumer electronics company has created a technology that could let broadcasters freeze up a channel during a commercial, so viewers would not be able to avoid it. The pending patent, published on March 30, says the feature would be implemented on a program-by-program basis. Devices that could carry the technology would be a television or a set-top-box. On Wednesday, company officials issued a statement that noted the technology also enables the opposite: allowing viewers to watch television without advertising. But the company said it had no plans to implement the technology in any of its products.
■ Automobiles
GM's Q1 car sales up 4.4%
General Motors Corp (GM)said that it sold more than 2.2 million vehicles worldwide in the first quarter of this year, a 4.4 percent increase from the same period a year earlier. Sales outside of North America increased by 148,000 vehicles, or 15.9 percent, more than twice the industry growth rate of 7.4 percent, the world's No. 1 automaker said on Wednesday. "Our strong global sales performance during the first quarter was fueled by the growth of GM's global brands -- Chevrolet, Hummer, Saab and Cadillac -- in key markets," company chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner said. "These brands account for one out of every two GM vehicles sold globally and complement our well known regional brands like Opel, GMC and Holden," he said.
■ Automobiles
Toyota to invest US$12bn
Japan's Toyota Motor said yesterday it plans to spend about 1.4 trillion yen (US$12 billion) on plants and equipment in the year to March next year, with the focus on overseas markets. The figure, which is on a par with the financial year just ended, is aimed at boosting Toyota's global competitiveness. "We have planned capital investment of 1.4 trillion yen for the year. Further details will likely be available when we announce our past year to March earnings on May 10," a company spokesman said. Spending on a plant in Texas, which is due to come onstream by the ned of this year, will be increased to US$850 million from the original US$800 million, while in Canada, Toyota will invest up to US$700 million on a plant that will start production in 2008, the Nihon Keizai business daily reported. Toyota will also spend about US$128 million in Russia on a plant due to begin operating in December next year, it added.
■ Oil
CNOOC investing in Nigeria
Chinese state-controlled oil company CNOOC Ltd said yesterday that it had completed an agreement for a 45 percent stake in a Nigerian oil field -- the company's first major investment since last year's failed bid to take over Unocal Corp. CNOOC said it is paying US$2.27 billion for the deal that covers part of the oil-rich Niger Delta region. The company will also pay US$424 million for financial, operating and capital expenses, it said in a statement.
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