■ AUTOMOBILES
Japanese cars top survey
Japanese cars swept the board in a survey of the most reliable used cars yesterday, taking nine out of the top 10 places. The Toyota Corolla from 2000 to 2002, built in Derbyshire, topped the table compiled by What Car? magazine and insurer Warranty Direct. Confirming the Japanese reputation for reliability, researchers found just three faults per 100 Corollas, compared with five per 100 for the second-placed Honda CR-V. In third place were the Honda HR-V (1999-2005) and the Toyota Celica (2000-2006), both with six faults per 100. The only non-Japanese car in the top 10 was the BMW 3 Series Compact (1994-2001) at sixth. The study analyzed data from 35,000 cars, 26 manufacturers and 133 different models.
■ COMPUTERS
OLPC extends promotion
The One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) program that hopes to supply developing-world schoolchildren with sub-US$200 computers has extended the promotion in which a customer buying the machine in the US or Canada automatically donates a second one to a poor country. The "Give One, Get One" program will now run through Dec. 31 instead of ending on Monday. The nonprofit spinoff from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology said customers in the US and Canada will pay US$399 for two laptops, with the buyer getting one of the green-and-white, low-power "XO" machine. The other is sent to a child in countries such as Rwanda, Afghanistan and Cambodia.
■ TRADE
China told to address gap
EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson is warning that China could face anti-dumping measures if it fails to take steps to narrow its huge trade gap, the Financial Times reported yesterday. The paper said Mandelson issued the warning in an interview ahead of next week's meeting in Beijing between EU and Chinese leaders. China's trade surplus with Europe rose nearly 50 percent to US$13.9 billion last month over the same month last year, Chinese data showed.
■ PROPERTY
CapitaLand sets up fund
Singapore's CapitaLand Ltd, one of Asia's largest listed property companies, has established a US$600 million fund that will invest in retail mall developments in India, the company said in a statement on Thursday. CapitaLand holds a 45 percent stake worth US$272 million in CapitaRetail India Development Fund, and the remaining stakes are held by insurance firms, pension funds and corporations, it said. "We are conscious of the vast opportunities presented by India's retail real estate market, driven by the country's strong macroeconomic growth and rapid urbanization," company CEO Liew Mun Leong said in the statement.
■ MOVIES
Studios sue Chinese site
Five Hollywood studios have sued a Chinese online service and Internet cafe they accuse of offering pirated downloads of Pirates of the Caribbean and other hit films, Xinhua news agency reported on Thursday. Beijing-based Jeboo.com and an Internet cafe in Shanghai face a legal showdown with Twentieth Century Fox, Walt Disney, Paramount Pictures, Columbia Pictures and Universal Studios, the report said. The filmmakers alleged Jeboo.com created software the cafe used to run a movie download business, and they are demanding 3.2 million yuan (US$432,000) in compensation, Xinhua said.
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