■ ENERGY
Macquarie raises Alinta bid
Australia's Macquarie Bank yesterday fired a new salvo in its bidding war with rival investment bank Babcock and Brown for Alinta Ltd, confirming it has lodged a fresh A$7.6 billion (US$6.2 billion) offer for the energy company. Macquarie said its new bid, which matches the worth of Babcock and Brown's offer for Alinta, offers three options for shareholders in the Perth-based company, including an all-cash option, an all-share option or a combination of both. "Alinta shareholders will have absolute choice as to selection of which option they prefer," Macquarie said in a statement.
■ MARKETS
Hong Kong hits record high
Hong Kong share prices closed up 0.27 percent for another record close yesterday, led by gains in China-related firms, although share prices pulled back after breaking the 21,000 points level, dealers said. The market came off the day's highs as property shares saw some profit-taking in late trade after an early advance driven by expectations of strong bids at a government land auction today. The benchmark Hang Seng Index ended up at a new closing high of 20,896.64.
■ INTERNET
Thai junta to sue YouTube
Thailand's army-backed government plans to sue Internet video-sharing site YouTube over clips it deemed insulting to King Bhumibol Adulyadej, an official said yesterday. "We are considering taking legal action against the Web site," said Vissanu Meeyo, a government spokesman. Thailand plans to sue YouTube, owned by Google, over charges of lese majeste -- insulting the monarchy, a serious crime that carries up to 15 years in prison, the spokesman said. The government has continued to block YouTube since the first clip showing the king next to a photograph of feet, considered deeply offensive, appeared last month.
■ AIRLINES
New Qantas bid mulled
Macquarie Bank Ltd and TPG Inc said they may resubmit an A$11.1 billion (US$9.1 billion) bid for Qantas Airways Ltd to keep the world's biggest airline takeover alive. The bidders might again offer A$5.45 a share in cash, Sydney-based Macquarie Bank said in a statement yesterday. The original bid lapsed after they failed to get the required 50 percent of acceptances until several hours after the deadline passed on Friday. Shares in Qantas, Australia's biggest airline, were suspended from trading today after closing at A$5.38 on Friday.
■ COMPUTERS
Dell in Suse Linux tie-up
Dell Inc has agreed to work with Microsoft Corp and Novell Inc under an alliance the rival software makers formed last year to make it easier for the Windows operating system and the increasingly popular Linux system to work together, the companies said on Sunday. Under the partnership announced in November, Microsoft said it would offer corporate customers a chance to license its Windows operating system as part of a package that includes maintenance and support for Novell's Suse Linux platform. On Sunday, Microsoft and Novell said Dell has agreed to buy Suse Linux Enterprise Server certificates from Microsoft and that the computer maker will set up a services and marketing program aimed at getting users of open-source platforms to switch to the new Suse Linux offering.
The government is aiming to recruit 1,096 foreign English teachers and teaching assistants this year, the Ministry of Education said yesterday. The foreign teachers would work closely with elementary and junior-high instructors to create and teach courses, ministry official Tsai Yi-ching (蔡宜靜) said. Together, they would create an immersive language environment, helping to motivate students while enhancing the skills of local teachers, she said. The ministry has since 2021 been recruiting foreign teachers through the Taiwan Foreign English Teacher Program, which offers placement, salary, housing and other benefits to eligible foreign teachers. Two centers serving northern and southern Taiwan assist in recruiting and training
WIDE NET: Health officials said they are considering all possibilities, such as bongkrekic acid, while the city mayor said they have not ruled out the possibility of a malicious act of poisoning Two people who dined at a restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Department Store Xinyi A13 last week have died, while four are in intensive care, the Taipei Department of Health said yesterday. All of the outlets of Malaysian vegetarian restaurant franchise Polam Kopitiam have been ordered to close pending an investigation after 11 people became ill due to suspected food poisoning, city officials told a news conference in Taipei. The first fatality, a 39-year-old man who ate at the restaurant on Friday last week, died of kidney failure two days later at the city’s Mackay Memorial Hospital. A 66-year-old man who dined
‘CARRIER KILLERS’: The Tuo Chiang-class corvettes’ stealth capability means they have a radar cross-section as small as the size of a fishing boat, an analyst said President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday presided over a ceremony at Yilan County’s Suao Harbor (蘇澳港), where the navy took delivery of two indigenous Tuo Chiang-class corvettes. The corvettes, An Chiang (安江) and Wan Chiang (萬江), along with the introduction of the coast guard’s third and fourth 4,000-tonne cutters earlier this month, are a testament to Taiwan’s shipbuilding capability and signify the nation’s resolve to defend democracy and freedom, Tsai said. The vessels are also the last two of six Tuo Chiang-class corvettes ordered from Lungteh Shipbuilding Co (龍德造船) by the navy, Tsai said. The first Tuo Chiang-class vessel delivered was Ta Chiang (塔江)
EYE ON STRAIT: The US spending bill ‘doubles security cooperation funding for Taiwan,’ while also seeking to counter the influence of China US President Joe Biden on Saturday signed into law a US$1.2 trillion spending package that includes US$300 million in foreign military financing to Taiwan, as well as funding for Taipei-Washington cooperative projects. The US Congress early on Saturday overwhelmingly passed the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act 2024 to avoid a partial shutdown and fund the government through September for a fiscal year that began six months ago. Under the package, the Defense Appropriations Act would provide a US$27 billion increase from the previous fiscal year to fund “critical national defense efforts, including countering the PRC [People’s Republic of China],” according to a summary