■Computers
HP raises offer for 3Par
Hewlett-Packard Co said on Thursday it is raising its offer for data-storage maker 3Par Inc to about US$1.69 billion, topping a bid from rival Dell Inc just hours after it was made public. HP’s new offer is for US$27 per share in cash. Earlier, Dell said 3Par had accepted its second offer of US$24.30 per share in cash, or US$1.52 billion. Dell made its first offer, US$18 per share, for 3Par on Aug. 16. HP kicked off the bidding contest with its counteroffer on Monday. The two companies see 3Par as a way to build up their “cloud computing” businesses, which hold the promise of richer profits because many companies aren’t buying their own computer servers for certain tasks anymore.
■Aviation
Asiana executives indicted
Two former Asiana Airlines executives were indicted in New York on Thursday for a price-fixing scheme involving economy class airfares for travel between the US and South Korea from about January 2000 to February 2006. A grand jury in Brooklyn, New York, issued the one-count indictment against Joo Ahn-kang and Chung Sik-kwak, both former Asiana vice presidents and South Korean nationals. Kang also served as airline president from 2005 to 2008. If convicted, the pair could be sentenced to a maximum 10 years in prison and face a fine of US$1 million or twice the amount of money they gained from the crime, whichever is greater.
■Aviation
Airline mulls low-cost option
Crisis-hit flag carrier Japan Airlines, which is undergoing government-backed rehabilitation, is considering establishing a low-cost carrier to boost its earnings, a report said yesterday. The ailing flagship carrier will incorporate the idea in its long-awaited corporate turnaround plan, which it will submit to the Tokyo District Court on Tuesday, the Daily Yomiuri said. The envisioned budget carrier would be operated under its own brand name, rather than under the JAL brand, the report said, adding that it has yet to be decided what routes the service would provide.
■Automobiles
Toyota recalls more vehicles
Japanese automaker Toyota on Thursday announced the recall of 1.13 million of its popular Corolla vehicles in North America because of an engine defect that could make the car to stop while driving. Toyota, the world’s largest car manufacturer, said the recall was issued for Corolla and Corolla Matrix vehicles built between 2005 and 2008 “to address some engine control modules [ECM] that may have been improperly manufactured.” The automaker which recalled some 10 million vehicles across the world earlier this year due to a faulty acceleration system.
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Electronics
Family raises GOME stake
The family of the jailed founder of Chinese appliance giant GOME (國美) has raised its stake in the company ahead of a shareholder meeting on his bid to oust the firm’s chairman, a report said yesterday. Huang Guangyu’s (黃光裕) family bought 120 million GOME shares this week in Hong Kong to up their stake to 34.78 percent from 33.98 percent, the 21st Century Business Herald said, citing an unnamed source close to the family. GOME executives and US private equity firm Bain Capital have been mired in a bitter feud for control of the company with Huang, who was jailed in May for 14 years for bribery and insider trading on the mainland.
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
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft