■ Mobile telephony
Vodafone to buy Indian firm
The world's largest mobile phone company, London-based Vodafone Group, is set to enter a bidding war to buy Indian mobile firm Hutchison Essar, the Economic Times newspaper reported yesterday. The newspaper, quoting unnamed sources, said the firm was holding talks with bankers to raise cash to buy the majority stake in Hutchison Essar owned by Hong Kong-based Hutchison. However Vodafone's Indian partner Bharti Airtel told the Business Standard it was not aware of any move. Hutchison Essar is India's third largest mobile phone company with around 27 million subscribers.
■ Economy
S Korea growth stays strong
South Korea's economy will have a good year next year but North Korea's nuclear ambitions remain a threat to stability, an international ratings agency said yesterday. As six-party talks on scrapping the North's nuclear program continued in Beijing, Standard & Poor's forecast "no substantial progress" on nuclear issues in the coming year. Echoing government estimates, S&P in a statement forecast a slight slowdown next year, with growth this year put at 4.9 percent and 4.5 percent next year. It also warned that in the long term, sluggish domestic consumption, an inflated property market and the strong won will create growing uncertainty.
■ Steel
Arcelor buys Mexico plant
Arcelor Mittal, the world's largest steelmaker, bought a plant owned by Grupo Villacero SA for US$1.4 billion to create Mexico's biggest producer of the alloy. The purchase of the Sicartsa mill will bring "industrial and administrative synergies" of US$130 million, the Luxembourg-based company said in a press release yesterday. The purchase, the first since Mittal Steel Co's US$38.3 billion merger with Arcelor SA this year, "demonstrates the synergies the merger created as well as the company's desire to further consolidate the steel industry," Arcelor Mittal said in today's statement.
■ Internet
YouTube posts warning
Popular video-sharing Web site YouTube Inc has agreed to post Japanese language warnings about respecting copyrights in an attempt to prevent users from uploading copyrighted materials, a Japanese entertainment body said. The Japan Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers said on its Web site Tuesday that YouTube notified it of the move in a response dated Dec. 15 to Jasrac's request earlier this month for a series of measures aimed at preventing uploads that infringe copyrights. The organization made its request on behalf of 23 Japanese TV stations. YouTube already has a notice in English on their site about handling copyright infringement.
■ Entertainment
Sony settles lawsuits
Sony BMG Music Entertainment will pay US$1.5 million and kick in thousands more in customer refunds to settle lawsuits brought by California and Texas over music CDs that installed a hidden anti-piracy program on consumers' computers. The settlements, announced on Tuesday, cover lawsuits over CDs loaded with one of two types of copy-protection software -- known as MediaMax or XCP. Under the terms of the separate settlements, each state will receive US$750,000 in civil penalties and costs. In addition, Sony BMG agreed to reimburse consumers whose computers were damaged.
NO HUMAN ERROR: After the incident, the Coast Guard Administration said it would obtain uncrewed aerial vehicles and vessels to boost its detection capacity Authorities would improve border control to prevent unlawful entry into Taiwan’s waters and safeguard national security, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday after a Chinese man reached the nation’s coast on an inflatable boat, saying he “defected to freedom.” The man was found on a rubber boat when he was about to set foot on Taiwan at the estuary of Houkeng River (後坑溪) near Taiping Borough (太平) in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口), authorities said. The Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) northern branch said it received a report at 6:30am yesterday morning from the New Taipei City Fire Department about a
IN BEIJING’S FAVOR: A China Coast Guard spokesperson said that the Chinese maritime police would continue to carry out law enforcement activities in waters it claims The Philippines withdrew its coast guard vessel from a South China Sea shoal that has recently been at the center of tensions with Beijing. BRP Teresa Magbanua “was compelled to return to port” from Sabina Shoal (Xianbin Shoal, 仙濱暗沙) due to bad weather, depleted supplies and the need to evacuate personnel requiring medical care, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Jay Tarriela said yesterday in a post on X. The Philippine vessel “will be in tiptop shape to resume her mission” after it has been resupplied and repaired, Philippine Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, who heads the nation’s maritime council, said
REGIONAL STABILITY: Taipei thanked the Biden administration for authorizing its 16th sale of military goods and services to uphold Taiwan’s defense and safety The US Department of State has approved the sale of US$228 million of military goods and services to Taiwan, the US Department of Defense said on Monday. The state department “made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale” to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US for “return, repair and reshipment of spare parts and related equipment,” the defense department’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a news release. Taiwan had requested the purchase of items and services which include the “return, repair and reshipment of classified and unclassified spare parts for aircraft and related equipment; US Government
More than 500 people on Saturday marched in New York in support of Taiwan’s entry to the UN, significantly more people than previous years. The march, coinciding with the ongoing 79th session of the UN General Assembly, comes close on the heels of growing international discourse regarding the meaning of UN Resolution 2758. Resolution 2758, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1971, recognizes the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the “only lawful representative of China.” It resulted in the Republic of China (ROC) losing its seat at the UN to the PRC. Taiwan has since been excluded from