■ software
IE7 Release Candidate 1
Microsoft Corp released a near-final version of its Internet Explorer 7 (IE7) browser yesterday, and the company said the free Web-surfing software is on track for completion by the end of the year. Internet Explorer 7 Release Candidate 1 contains all the features Microsoft hopes to include in the final product, its first major update for the program in years. Among the bells and whistles is the ability to open multiple "tabs" in the same browser window -- a popular function in rival Mozilla's Firefox browser -- plus updated security functions. The near-final release is aimed at industry professionals and tech experts who may help the world's largest software company spot last-minute kinks and bugs. Tony Chor, a group program manager with Internet Explorer, said Microsoft is currently planning to make the final version of IE7 broadly available in the last three months of this year, barring any unexpected problems.
■ beverages
Indian cola ban upheld
The High Court in the southern Indian state of Kerala yesterday temporarily upheld a ban on production of soft drinks by the Indian subsidiaries of Coca-Cola Co and PepsiCo Inc. Kerala banned sale and production of Coke, Pepsi and other soft drinks after a New Delhi-based environment group said earlier this month that the products contain high levels of pesticides. Coca-Cola India and PepsiCo India -- both of which operate bottling plants in Kerala -- have challenged the ban in the state's High Court and yesterday they sought the court's permission to continue production until judges deliver their verdict in the case. But the court said in a written order that the prohibition will stand until it hears the case on Sept. 11. While Kerala has imposed a total ban on the soft drinks, six other states have banned the beverages at schools, hospitals and government offices. Both companies say their products adhere to uniform international standards.
■ investment
Icahn, Lichtenstein split
US billionaire investor Carl Icahn ended his alliance with Warren Lichtenstein to seek changes at KT&G Corp, South Korea's biggest tobacco company, causing speculation the pair may sell their stakes. A fund controlled by Icahn disclosed the change in a regulatory filing in Seoul yesterday. The move comes after Icahn and hedge fund manager Lichtenstein campaigned for KT&G's management to sell assets and return money to investors. The former state tobacco monopoly this month announced a share buyback and increased dividend payments. "This can only lead others to believe that they are getting ready to sell," said Jung Kyun-sik, who helps manage US$1.5 billion at Shinhan BNP Paribas Investment Trust Management Co in Seoul.
■ economy
Japanese CPI inches up
The Japanese government said yesterday core consumer prices rose 0.2 percent last month from a year ago as deflationary pressure continued to ease. However, the increase of the core consumer price index (CPI), which excludes volatile prices of fresh food, was lower than the average market expectation of a 0.5 percent rise. This month's core consumer CPI for Tokyo -- the leading indicator for national price trends released a month earlier -- remained unchanged from a year earlier, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said in its preliminary report.
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
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
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
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