■ INTERNET
Souders to join Google
Yahoo Inc.s Web site performance executive Steve Souders, who has been at Yahoo since 2000, will join Google Inc next week, Souders said on his blog. "I'm at Google as of Jan. 7, 2008," Souders wrote on his Web site www.stevesouders.com, without further explanation. Souders developed platforms and products while at Yahoo and managed the development team for My Yahoo, a page that can be tailored to individual users' preferences. Yahoo's stock has fallen 9 percent this year while Google's has risen 50 percent.
■ AUTOMOBILES
Delphi reports losses
Auto-parts supplier Delphi Corp on Monday reported a net loss of US$231 million for November. The Troy, Michigan, company, which filed for bankruptcy protection in 2005, said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that its net loss for January through November amounted to US$2.78 billion. Delphi recorded about US$1.15 billion in net sales for last month. Delphi, the US' biggest maker of auto parts, was spun off in 1999 from General Motors Corp, which has borne a large chunk of Delphi's restructuring costs.
■ INVESTMENT
US approves NASDAQ deal
NASDAQ Stock Market Inc said on Monday the US government approved a plan to give Dubai's state-owned bourse a stake in the US electronic exchange. The approval is the first step in allowing the NASDAQ to continue with its plan to acquire Stockholm-based exchange operator OMX. The new exchange will be known as Nasdaq OMX Group Inc. Borse Dubai Ltd will own a 19.9 percent stake in the US exchange, though its voting stake will be capped at 5 percent. It will also receive NASDAQ's stake in the London Stock Exchange. Shares of NASDAQ rose US$0.35 cents to US$49.47 in afternoon trading.
■ TRANSPORTATION
Jeju Air orders 737s
South Korea's Jeju Air has ordered five narrowbody 737 passenger planes to accommodate future growth, Boeing Co said on Monday. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Chicago-based Boeing, which assembles its 737s south of Seattle, said the new 737-800s are worth US$370 million at list prices, though customers typically negotiate steep discounts. The single-aisle plane can seat between 162 and 189 passengers and fly about 5,600km. To date, Boeing has won more than 4,400 orders for so-called "Next-Generation" 737s, which include several models from the 737-600 to the 737-900ER.
■ TRADE
Cuba-China trade up 23%
Trade between Cuba and China grew by 23 percent to more than US$2 billion last year, solidifying China's place as the communist-run island's second-largest economic benefactor behind oil-rich Venezuela. China is Cuba's second-largest trading partner and the top importer of Cuban products, especially nickel and sugar, Cuba's official news agency Prensa Latina reported on Monday from Beijing, without giving exact figures. In 2006, trade between the two countries totaled US$1.8 billion -- double that of 2005, China's ambassador to Havana said in March. Chinese consumer goods are increasingly common on the island, and hundreds of Chinese-made buses and trains have helped ease chronic transportation problems.
MORE VISITORS: The Tourism Administration said that it is seeing positive prospects in its efforts to expand the tourism market in North America and Europe Taiwan has been ranked as the cheapest place in the world to travel to this year, based on a list recommended by NerdWallet. The San Francisco-based personal finance company said that Taiwan topped the list of 16 nations it chose for budget travelers because US tourists do not need visas and travelers can easily have a good meal for less than US$10. A bus ride in Taipei costs just under US$0.50, while subway rides start at US$0.60, the firm said, adding that public transportation in Taiwan is easy to navigate. The firm also called Taiwan a “food lover’s paradise,” citing inexpensive breakfast stalls
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
PLUGGING HOLES: The amendments would bring the legislation in line with systems found in other countries such as Japan and the US, Legislator Chen Kuan-ting said Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) has proposed amending national security legislation amid a spate of espionage cases. Potential gaps in security vetting procedures for personnel with access to sensitive information prompted him to propose the amendments, which would introduce changes to Article 14 of the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法), Chen said yesterday. The proposal, which aims to enhance interagency vetting procedures and reduce the risk of classified information leaks, would establish a comprehensive security clearance system in Taiwan, he said. The amendment would require character and loyalty checks for civil servants and intelligence personnel prior to
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