■ Gaming
Sony's PS3 struggling
Sony's long-awaited PlayStation 3 may have missed its global shipment target and been beaten in its home market by rival Nintendo's surprise hit Wii video game system, new figures show. The results herald more bad news for Sony Corp, which is struggling to maintain its dominance in video gaming amid a three-way battle with Nintendo and Microsoft's Xbox 360. Sony sold 466,716 PlayStation 3 units in Japan from its Nov. 11 domestic launch date to the end of last month, according to a market survey released on Tuesday by Japanese computer game publisher Enterbrain Inc. The figures fall short of the 1 million consoles Sony predicted it would ship domestically by year's end.
■ China
Trade surplus balloons
China's trade surplus last year was a record US$177.47 billion, the official Xinhua news agency reported yesterday, up 74 percent from 2005. Citing the customs bureau, Xinhua said the trade surplus for last month alone was US$21 billion, a slight fall from November's US$22.9 billion. The trade surplus in 2005 was a then record of US$101.9 billion.
■ Economy
Executives more confident
Executives around the world are more confident about the economic outlook this year, led by rising optimism in Europe and Asia, a survey shows. A gauge measuring confidence based on a survey of 7,200 executives of medium-sized to large privately controlled companies in 32 countries rose to 45 from 39 a year earlier, said Grant Thornton International, an accounting and consulting firm based in London. Twenty-nine of 32 countries are optimistic about their economy's development this year, with 24 more confident than last year. Indian businesses were the most optimistic, followed by the Philippines, China, Singapore and Ireland. Japanese executives were the most pessimistic about the outlook, followed by Taiwan and Turkey.
■ Displays
Firm plans plasma plant
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co yesterday announced plans to build the world's largest plasma TV display panel plant in western Japan to meet an expected surge in demand for flat-panel TVs. The Osaka-based maker of Panasonic-brand electronics will spend ?280 billion (US$2.35 billion) to build the plant with a monthly production capacity of 1 million units a month -- the most in the world, according to a Matsushita statement. Matsushita, which makes the Viera line of plasma TVs, will start building the new plant later this year in the western industrial city of Amagasaki, and expects the factory to go online in May 2009, the statement said.
■ Aviation
United wins US-China route
United Airlines won tentative approval to operate the first nonstop daily flight between Washington and Beijing, a 14-hour trip that links the countries' capitals as their economies become more intertwined. The US Department of Transportation's final OK would give United a route coveted by executives and government officials and potentially worth US$200 million a year. If it wins final approval from the government, the airline can begin nonstop service between Washington Dulles International Airport and Beijing Capital International Airport on March 25.
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
SHOT IN THE ARM: The new system can be integrated with Avenger and Stinger missiles to bolster regional air defense capabilities, a defense ministry report said Domestically developed Land Sword II (陸射劍二) missiles were successfully launched and hit target drones during a live-fire exercise at the Jiupeng Military Base in Pingtung County yesterday. The missiles, developed by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology (CSIST), were originally scheduled to launch on Tuesday last week, after the Tomb Sweeping Day holiday long weekend, but were postponed to yesterday due to weather conditions. Local residents and military enthusiasts gathered outside the base to watch the missile tests, with the first one launching at 9:10am. The Land Sword II system, which is derived from the Sky Sword II (天劍二) series, was turned