■ PETROLEUM
Mobil reports gear failure
Exxon Mobil Corp reported an equipment failure at its Joliet, Illinois, refinery and nitrogen dioxide and nitrogen oxide were released from the flare, according to a filing to the US Coast Guard’s National Response Center and posted on the center’s Web site. The incident happened at 3:11am on Friday, the report said. US refineries must notify the National Response Center if they release hazardous substances in excess of reportable quantities, according to the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, commonly known as Superfund.
■ LABOR
Singapore to recruit workers
Singapore will recruit 45,000 Bangladeshi domestic workers in a boost for the country’s labor export sector after jobs dried up in the Middle East and elsewhere in Asia, an official said yesterday. Singaporean recruiting firms agreed on the number following talks in Dhaka last week, director of the government’s Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET) Nurul Islam said. The global downturn affected jobs for Bangladeshi workers in the construction and manufacturing sectors in the Persian Gulf. According to the BMET, Bangladesh sent 202,000 workers abroad in the first half of this year — the lowest in four years.
■ECONOMY
Kuwait posts budget surplus
OPEC member Kuwait posted a budget surplus of US$22.4 billion in the past fiscal year on the back of strong oil revenues, an economic report said on yesterday, citing official figures. It is the third-largest windfall in the Gulf state’s history and its 11th consecutive year of budget surpluses, which have allowed Kuwait to accumulate US$145 billion in public revenues, according to calculations based on official figures. Kuwait’s oil income last year — which formed almost 94 percent of public revenues — reached US$57.6 billion, compared to US$68.1 billion the previous year, and up from US$24.1 billion estimated in the 2009-2010 budget.
■TECHNOLOGY
PR firm settles charges
US regulators on Friday said a public relations firm has agreed to settle charges that it had employees pose as unbiased video game buyers and post reviews at Apple’s online iTunes store. The deal requires Reverb Communications and its owner, Tracie Snitker, to remove such potentially deceptive reviews and refrain from the practice, according to the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC). California-based Reverb provides marketing and public relations services to video game makers. Between November of 2008 and May last year, Reverb posted reviews at iTunes about clients’ games in ways that gave the impression the comments “were written by disinterested customers,” according to the FTC.
■ELECTRONICS
LG to unveil thinnest TV
LG Electronics Inc, the world’s second-biggest maker of LCD televisions, said it will unveil its thinnest flat-screen TV next month and expects such high-end products to boost sales next year. The 8.8mm thick LCD TV, which uses LEDs to illuminate the screen, will be shown during the annual IFA consumer-electronics show in Berlin next month, K.S. Lee, vice president of the global marketing strategy for LG’s home entertainment division, said in Seoul. The new LG model, known as the “Nano TV,” will go on sale in South Korea, Germany and France next month, according to the company.
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
BULLY TACTICS: Beijing has continued its incursions into Taiwan’s airspace even as Xi Jinping talked about Taiwan being part of the Chinese family and nation China should stop its coercion of Taiwan and respect mainstream public opinion in Taiwan about sovereignty if its expression of goodwill is genuine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday. Ministry spokesman Jeff Liu (劉永健) made the comment in response to media queries about a meeting between former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) the previous day. Ma voiced support for the so-called “1992 consensus,” while Xi said that although the two sides of the Taiwan Strait have “different systems,” this does not change the fact that they are “part of the same country,” and that “external
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