■ Internet
Yahoo retools finance page
Yahoo Inc launched a redesigned finance Web page yesterday as a move to beef up the finance section with more interactive stock charts and other features to help it maintain its longtime lead over rival financial information sites. Gone is the static, two-dimensional stock chart where scrolling elsewhere on the page was required for getting additional data or a different timeline view. Instead, users can stay on the chart itself to view major events such as splits or dividends or drag the timeline to a desired period. Users can also type in specific dates to create a chart and compare the performance of multiple equities within the same graph. They can then easily print the customized chart or send it to others via e-mail.
■ Energy
Russians, Kazakhs ink deal
The presidents of Russia and Kazakhstan agreed yesterday at the Group of Eight summit to create a joint venture to process natural gas from Kazakhstan's giant Karachaganak gas field. Under the terms of the deal, both countries would have an equal share in the venture, which will expand the capacity of the Soviet-built Orenburg refinery. Russian President Vladimir Putin called the project -- which envisages an annual output of at least 15 billion cubic meters -- a "humble but important" contribution to energy security, the central theme of Russia's G8 presidency. "We are entering a very important alliance," Kazakh president Nursultan Nazarbayev said. "It is a major step forward."
■ Food
Fonterra to appeal ban
New Zealand dairy giant Fonterra was preparing yesterday for an urgent appeal to the European Commission (EC) to drop a sudden ban on imports of its butter. The co-operative's chief international trade adviser Philip Turner and a lawyer were scheduled to leave for Brussels to try to negotiate an end to the ban, which affects nearly one third of New Zealand's butter exports. The EC suspended New Zealand's annual quota of nearly 77,000 tonnes of butter following a European Court of Justice ruling that parts of the bilateral trade agreement were invalid. The case stemmed from a complaint by German company Egenberger GmbH that the agreement discriminated against continental traders because import licences for Fonterra butter were issued only in Britain. The New Zealand government backs Fonterra's claim that there was no need to stop imports while what is seen as a technicality in the agreement is rectified.
■ Mining
Merger bid sweetened
US mining company Phelps Dodge Corp and Canadian metals companies Inco Ltd and Falconbridge Ltd have raised their offer to Falconbridge shareholders for a three-way merger by about half a billion to US$17.3 billion. Phelps Dodge's takeover of Inco, coupled with Inco's offer for Falconbridge, would create a dominant copper and nickel producer in the North American market. The deal, which is supported by Falconbridge's board, competes with an offer from Switzerland's Xstrata PLC, which has offered to buy Falconbridge for US$16.2 billion in cash. Phelps Dodge on Sunday increased the cash portion of its offer for Inco by C$2.75 (US$2.44) per share to C$20.25 per share. Phelps Dodge said that including stock, the offer is now worth C$80.70 per Inco share. Inco shares closed Friday at US$66.25 on the New York Stock Exchange.
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