■ Industry
Arcelor takeover approved
A bid by Mittal Steel, the world's largest steelmaker, to take over Luxembourg-based rival Arcelor got the official go-ahead on Tuesday. Approval for the hostile takeover attempt had been given by European stock exchange authorities, according to the Luxembourg exchange regulatory body, which said the bid would be valid from today through 29 June. Mittal chief executive Lakshmi Mittal said last week he was willing to consider a revised offer after bidding 18.6 billion euros (US$23 billion) for Arcelor -- a moved which met opposition from Arcelor's board and the French government, which owns a stake in the company.
■ Retail
Taking a breather
Exhausted Japanese workers in need of a pick-me-up will soon be able to get a hit of canned oxygen at their local convenience store. 7-Eleven Japan will start marketing the new product, "O2 Supli," at select stores in the Tokyo area later this month and expand sales nationwide next month. "People are under a lot of stress and can't get much exercise, so they aren't getting enough oxygen," said Minoru Matsumoto, a spokesman for Seven & I Holdings Co Ltd, 7-Eleven's parent company. "This is especially true of people who do long hours of desk work in front of a computer. They don't breathe that deeply." The oxygen will be sold for ¥600 (US$5.50) in 3.2-liter spray cans of 95 percent pure oxygen, each of which comes with a small plastic mask attached to the top.
■ Computers
Microsoft to help with data
Microsoft Corp plans software to help workers simultaneously find information on their computer desktop, the Internet and corporate network, the latest effort to counter competitors such as search engine leader Google Inc. The free download, due to be announced yesterday and released in test form later this summer, is also designed to help manage information overload. It will be called Windows Live Search, said Kirk Koenigsbauer, a general manager in Microsoft's information worker division. That's the same name of Microsoft's new Internet-only search product, also in test form, but Koenigsbauer said there are no plans to combine the two. This product will be an add-on to Microsoft's current product for scouring the PC desktop, available now as a free download and slated to be included in the next version of Windows, called Vista.
■ Internet
Spam closes Web firm
An e-mail security company said it would cease trading after being victimized by one of the world's biggest spammers. The Israeli-based firm Blue Security said it could no longer continue to operate in the face of an escalating threat from a Russian spammer known only as PharmaMaster. Recent attacks have crippled Web sites around the world, with a leading Web host saying at the time that one had seemed "to have brought down half of Canada's network." The attacks on Blue began after it blocked a large number of spam messages to its users, returning the messages to the source. This has been criticized as a vigilante tactic; others have applauded the firm for hurting spammers. Eran Reshef, the founder of Blue, said his company was simply unable to become trapped in a war against a criminal group.
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
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