■ Aviation
US$10 billion loss forecast
American Airlines, All Nippon Airways Co and other members of the International Air Transport Association may have a combined loss of as much as US$10 billion in 2003, an aviation consultancy said. The airlines' total loss this year will probably be between US$5 billion and US$10 billion, provided there is no war with Iraq and no further terrorist attacks, said a report by the Sydney-based Center for Asia-Pacific Aviation. A war between Iraq and the US would increase those losses by raising oil prices and cutting demand for inter-national air travel, said Peter Harbison, managing director of the aviation consultancy. The forecast compares with losses of US$13 billion in 2002 and US$18 billion in 2001, Harbison said in a report entitled Asia Pacific Aviation Outlook 2003.
■ France
Job cuts to rise in 1Q
French manufacturers expect to step up the pace of job cuts in the first quarter as selling prices are likely to keep falling, a government report showed. An index of hiring inten-tions from January through March dropped to almost a six-year low of minus 17 last month from minus 16 in October, national statistics office Insee said. The report also showed that produc-tion bottlenecks remained at a six-year low in January and that companies idled more plants than in Octo-ber. Unemployment is rising in France as businesses such as Alcatel SA, Europe's biggest maker of telecom-munications equipment, and aluminum producer Pechiney SA slash costs to restore margins.
■ Technology
FTC to look at e-mail issue
The Federal Trade Commis-sion said Tuesday that it would hold a forum to address the proliferation of unsolicited commercial e-mail and to explore the technical, legal and financial issues related to so-called spam. The forum, which will be held at the commission's headquarters in Washington from April 30 to May 2, will bring together law-enforcement officials, Internet service providers and other technology professionals. The commis-sion said it was "seeking to explore the impact that spam has on consumers' use of e-mail, e-mail marketing and the Internet industry." Officials said the commis-sion intended to focus on many issues related to spam, including security problems and viruses, possible structural changes to e-mail systems, e-mail address harvesting techno-logy, deceptive routing and subject information, the cost of technology to eliminate or negate spam and effects on wireless devices, text messaging and wireless e-mail.
■ Utilities
Enron trader pleads guilty
A former Enron Corp trader confessed to helping mani-pulate California's electri-city market in 2000, contri-buting to higher power prices that still haunt consumers and the state's government. Jeffrey Richter, 33, pleaded guilty on Tues-day to two felony crimes -- conspiracy to commit wire fraud and lying to the FBI last September when agents asked him if he had defrauded California. Richter is the second Enron trader to plead guilty to helping inflate the state's electricity prices -- his former boss Timothy Belden pleaded guilty last October. Assistant US Attorney Matthew Jacobs said Richter "was in charge of trading schemes that defrauded California consumers."Agencies
RULES BROKEN: The MAC warned Chinese not to say anything that would be harmful to the autonomous status of Taiwan or undermine its sovereignty A Chinese couple accused of disrupting a pro-democracy event in Taipei organized by Hong Kong residents has been deported, the National Immigration Agency said in a statement yesterday afternoon. A Chinese man, surnamed Yao (姚), and his wife were escorted by immigration officials to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, where they boarded a flight to China before noon yesterday, the agency said. The agency said that it had annulled the couple’s entry permits, citing alleged contraventions of the Regulations Governing the Approval of Entry of People of the Mainland Area into the Taiwan Area (大陸地區人民進入台灣地區許可辦法). The couple applied to visit a family member in
CELEBRATION: The PRC turned 75 on Oct. 1, but the Republic of China is older. The PRC could never be the homeland of the people of the ROC, Lai said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) could not be the “motherland” of the people of the Republic of China (ROC), President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. Lai made the remarks in a speech at a Double Ten National Day gala in Taipei, which is part of National Day celebrations that are to culminate in a fireworks display in Yunlin County on Thursday night next week. Lai wished the country a happy birthday and called on attendees to enjoy the performances and activities while keeping in mind that the ROC is a sovereign and independent nation. He appealed for everyone to always love their
‘EXTREME PRESSURE’: Beijing’s goal is to ‘force Taiwan to make mistakes,’ Admiral Tang Hua said, adding that mishaps could serve as ‘excuses’ for launching a blockade China’s authoritarian expansionism threatens not only Taiwan, but the rules-based international order, the navy said yesterday, after its top commander said in an interview that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could blockade the nation at will. The object of Beijing’s expansionist activities is not limited to Taiwan and its use of pressure is not confined to specific political groups or people, the navy said in a statement. China utilizes a mixture of cognitive warfare and “gray zone” military activities to pressure Taiwan, the navy said, adding that PLA sea and air forces are compressing the nation’s defensive depth. The navy continues to
MISSILE MISSION: The Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology said it does not make policy, but would be glad to obtain certification to assemble the missiles The Ministry of National Defense-affiliated Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology is in the process of getting certified to assemble an additional 1,985 Stinger missiles on top of those from US arms sales, a senior defense official said yesterday. Washington is to send a team to Taiwan to evaluate the institute’s manufacturing capabilities and information security, said the official, who commented on condition of anonymity. The ministry initially bought 500 missiles for the army and navy, but later increased the order to 2,485 in response to an increase in Beijing’s military activities around the nation, and to meet the army’s urgent need
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