■SOFTWARE
Millions try Windows 7
Microsoft said more than 3 million customers are currently trying out its Windows 7 operating system software. Customers who downloaded the pre-release version of the operating system or installed it from a compact disc have provided a list of 175 points for the company to review, Eddie Wu (吳勝雄), general manager for Microsoft’s Original Equipment Manufacturing division in Asia, said yesterday in Taipei. Microsoft said on May 11 it would release Windows 7, its newest operating system, before the year-end holidays. Sales in its Windows division may get a boost from the new platform after revenue suffered as consumers delayed updating to Windows Vista which was released to consumers in 2007. Taiwan’s Acer Inc (宏碁), the world’s third-largest computer supplier, and Asustek Computer Inc (華碩), maker of the Eee PC low-cost notebook, are among vendors who’ve backed Windows 7 and say they’ll release products supporting the new platform.
■RETAIL
Times Square gets revamp
Visitors to New York’s Times Square will no longer have to dodge taxis if they want to stop in the middle of the street to stare at its iconic neon lights. On Sunday, authorities blocked of the notorious traffic clogged intersection that will become a pedestrian zone, with only walkers, cyclists and skaters allowed on Broadway between 42nd and 47th streets. The move is designed to free up space for street artists, cafes and vendors and improve the area for New Yorkers and tourists alike. A second pedestrian zones opened on Herald Square in front of Macy’s department store, the center stage of the US’ most famous Thanksgiving holiday parade.
■AVIATION
Qantas cuts first-class seats
Australian airline Qantas said yesterday it is cutting first-class services on some international flights because of fall in demand caused by the global financial crisis. “Qantas, like many other international airlines has experienced reduced demand in premium cabins,” spokesman Rob Gurney said in a statement. “We have temporarily taken our first-class offering off our San Francisco, Buenos Aires and Melbourne-Hong Kong-London route and will now be servicing these routes with business, premium economy and economy classes only.” Some customers would now get a first-class seat at business-class prices, a Qantas spokeswoman said.
■CUBA
Havana revises forecast
Cuba is revising its economic growth forecast to 2.4 percent, down from its original projection of 6 percent for the year. Economy Minister Marino Alberto Murrillo says the world financial meltdown has hurt tourism and prices for nickel, a key export. The announcement comes as the government calls for workers to be more productive and to save resources in the face of economic risis. Cuba also is still recovering from the effects of three hurricanes last year. Murrillo was quoted on Sunday by Juventud Rebelde newspaper.
■ELECTRONICS
Philips to buy Saeco
Royal Philips Electronics NV agreed to buy Saeco International Group SpA, an Italian maker of espresso machines that’s controlled by PAI Partners. The transaction is subject to Philips reaching a final agreement with banks with which Saeco has outstanding credit obligations, Philips said yesterday in an e-mailed statement. No financial details were disclosed.
The paramount chief of a volcanic island in Vanuatu yesterday said that he was “very impressed” by a UN court’s declaration that countries must tackle climate change. Vanuatu spearheaded the legal case at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, which on Wednesday ruled that countries have a duty to protect against the threat of a warming planet. “I’m very impressed,” George Bumseng, the top chief of the Pacific archipelago’s island of Ambrym, told reporters in the capital, Port Vila. “We have been waiting for this decision for a long time because we have been victims of this climate change for
Rainfall is expected to become more widespread and persistent across central and southern Taiwan over the next few days, with the effects of the weather patterns becoming most prominent between last night and tomorrow, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Independent meteorologist Daniel Wu (吳德榮) said that based on the latest forecast models of the combination of a low-pressure system and southwesterly winds, rainfall and flooding are expected to continue in central and southern Taiwan from today to Sunday. The CWA also warned of flash floods, thunder and lightning, and strong gusts in these areas, as well as landslides and fallen
MASSIVE LOSS: If the next recall votes also fail, it would signal that the administration of President William Lai would continue to face strong resistance within the legislature The results of recall votes yesterday dealt a blow to the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) efforts to overturn the opposition-controlled legislature, as all 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers survived the recall bids. Backed by President William Lai’s (賴清德) DPP, civic groups led the recall drive, seeking to remove 31 out of 39 KMT lawmakers from the 113-seat legislature, in which the KMT and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) together hold a majority with 62 seats, while the DPP holds 51 seats. The scale of the recall elections was unprecedented, with another seven KMT lawmakers facing similar votes on Aug. 23. For a
All 24 lawmakers of the main opposition Chinese Nationalists Party (KMT) on Saturday survived historical nationwide recall elections, ensuring that the KMT along with Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) lawmakers will maintain opposition control of the legislature. Recall votes against all 24 KMT lawmakers as well as Hsinchu Mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) and KMT legislative caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅崐萁) failed to pass, according to Central Election Commission (CEC) figures. In only six of the 24 recall votes did the ballots cast in favor of the recall even meet the threshold of 25 percent of eligible voters needed for the recall to pass,
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