■ Displays
Samsung unveils new LCD
Samsung Electronics has developed a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel that can show a different image on each side of the same screen, which is a world first, the company said yesterday. The new dual-sided thin film transistor LCD panel was expected to make mobile phones much slimmer and more differentiated in design, the South Korean company said in a statement. The panel, 5.6cm wide, will be unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas today. Samsung Electronics claimed the panel to be "the first product to display two different images back to back" on the same screen.
■ Displays
Kodak to sell e-frames
Eastman Kodak Co, the world's third-largest digital camera maker, plans to sell electronic picture frames that display digital photo slideshows to attract customers looking for new ways to present their shots. The frames cost as much as US$279.95 and will be unveiled along with a series of high-resolution cameras in eight colors at the Consumer Electronics Show today in Las Vegas, Vice President Nancy Carr said in an interview. The devices bolster chief executive Officer Antonio Perez's plan to sell higher-priced items and attract second-time digital camera buyers concerned more about features than price.
■ Thailand
Thaksin targeted on tax
Thai tax authorities have been ordered to speed up the collection of millions of dollars in back taxes from the family of ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, the deputy prime minister said yesterday. The comment by Pridiyathorn Devakula, who is also finance minister, came amid mounting criticism against Thailand's military government since a string of New Year's Eve bombings killed three people. A military-appointed committee ruled last month that two of Thaksin's children must pay 5.8 billion baht (US$163 million) in unpaid taxes from the 73.3 billion baht sale of Shin Corp in January last year.
■ South Korea
Central bank briefs policy
Central bank will keep interest rates flexible this year to help stabilize consumer prices and ensure financial stability and growth in Asia's third-largest economy. "Prices will remain stable throughout the year and the economy will likely achieve its potential growth rate," the bank said in its report about the direction of monetary policy this year. "Still, the central bank should pay heed to chances of a resurgence in oil prices and a worsening North Korean nuclear situation," the report said. The government last week slashed its growth estimate for this year to 4.5 percent, bringing it closer to the bank's forecast of 4.4 percent.
■ GAS
Iran, Malaysia ink pact
The state-owned National Iranian Oil Co and Malaysia's SKS have signed an agreement to develop the two offshore gas fields of Ferdos and Golshan in the southeast of Iran, Tehran's state radio reported yesterday. The Golshan gas field holds 1.425 trillion cubic meters of gas in place, while the Ferdos field has estimated gas reserves of 285 billion cubic meters. Iran's estimated gas reserves, the world's second largest after Russia, amount to more than 26 trillion cubic meters. The country is in urgent need of developing its gas fields both to cover domestic consumption and fulfill its ambitious gas export plans.
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