■ Computers
Dell under investigation
Dell Inc said US federal regulators have begun a formal investigation into the computer giant, which had been part of an informal inquiry since August. Dell also said it was postponing the release of its third quarter earnings report -- scheduled for yesterday after markets closed -- until sometime later in the month. The company said on Wednesday the earnings report delay was unrelated to the widening Securities and Exchange Commission probe. A spokesman said Dell did not know what the SEC was specifically investigating. In a press release, Dell said the delay was due to the "level of complexity the company is facing in the preparation of its preliminary results."
■ Software
Office Live launched in US
Microsoft launched its Office Live suite of online business software in the US on Wednesday and said it would release test versions in Europe and Japan next week. Internet-based Office Live applications geared to small businesses were available in a free "Basics" version and in an upgraded "Essentials" package costing US$19.95 monthly and a "Premium" version for US$39.95. Free beta, or trial, versions of Office Live would be available in France, Britain, Germany and Japan on Tuesday, Microsoft said. The Redmond, Washington, software giant billed the suite of software as a tool for businesses to create Web sites, attract customers and manage their affairs.
■ Energy
Enron executive sentenced
Richard Causey, the last of the top Enron Corp executives to learn his punishment, was sentenced on Wednesday to five-and-a-half years in prison for his role in one of the biggest corporate scandals in US history. The former chief accounting officer pleaded guilty in December to securities fraud two weeks before he was to be tried along with Enron founder Kenneth Lay and former chief executive Jeffrey Skilling on conspiracy, fraud and other charges related to the company's collapse. Causey also agreed to fork over US$1.25 million to the government and forfeited a claim to about US$250,000 in deferred compensation as part of his plea deal. Unlike others at Enron, Causey didn't skim millions of dollars for himself from shady deals.
■ Pharmaceuticals
Merck outsourcing R&D
Merck & Co has agreed to outsource some of its drug research work to India's Advinus Therapeutics in a deal that is expected to yield up to US$150 million for the Indian company in the first year. The Indian firm, which is owned by the Tata Group, will collaborate with Merck on R&D of drugs for such metabolic disorders as diabetes, obesity and hypertension, said Rashmi Barbhaiya, managing director of Advinus. He said Merck would retain the right to take the most promising candidates into commercial development.
■ Economy
Japanese get record raises
Workers in Japan are getting record-high bonuses, an average of ¥868,932 (US$7,370), a survey of major companies by the Nihon Keizai Shimbun showed. Bonus amounts rose an average of 1.97 percent from last year, according to the business newspaper's survey of 197 companies released yesterday. The amount of winter bonus pay for workers this year beat a previous record set in 1997 of ¥807,188.
AIR SUPPORT: The Ministry of National Defense thanked the US for the delivery, adding that it was an indicator of the White House’s commitment to the Taiwan Relations Act Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) and Representative to the US Alexander Yui on Friday attended a delivery ceremony for the first of Taiwan’s long-awaited 66 F-16C/D Block 70 jets at a Lockheed Martin Corp factory in Greenville, South Carolina. “We are so proud to be the global home of the F-16 and to support Taiwan’s air defense capabilities,” US Representative William Timmons wrote on X, alongside a photograph of Taiwanese and US officials at the event. The F-16C/D Block 70 jets Taiwan ordered have the same capabilities as aircraft that had been upgraded to F-16Vs. The batch of Lockheed Martin
US President Donald Trump yesterday announced sweeping "reciprocal tariffs" on US trading partners, including a 32 percent tax on goods from Taiwan that is set to take effect on Wednesday. At a Rose Garden event, Trump declared a 10 percent baseline tax on imports from all countries, with the White House saying it would take effect on Saturday. Countries with larger trade surpluses with the US would face higher duties beginning on Wednesday, including Taiwan (32 percent), China (34 percent), Japan (24 percent), South Korea (25 percent), Vietnam (46 percent) and Thailand (36 percent). Canada and Mexico, the two largest US trading
GRIDLOCK: The National Fire Agency’s Special Search and Rescue team is on standby to travel to the countries to help out with the rescue effort A powerful earthquake rocked Myanmar and neighboring Thailand yesterday, killing at least three people in Bangkok and burying dozens when a high-rise building under construction collapsed. Footage shared on social media from Myanmar’s second-largest city showed widespread destruction, raising fears that many were trapped under the rubble or killed. The magnitude 7.7 earthquake, with an epicenter near Mandalay in Myanmar, struck at midday and was followed by a strong magnitude 6.4 aftershock. The extent of death, injury and destruction — especially in Myanmar, which is embroiled in a civil war and where information is tightly controlled at the best of times —
China's military today said it began joint army, navy and rocket force exercises around Taiwan to "serve as a stern warning and powerful deterrent against Taiwanese independence," calling President William Lai (賴清德) a "parasite." The exercises come after Lai called Beijing a "foreign hostile force" last month. More than 10 Chinese military ships approached close to Taiwan's 24 nautical mile (44.4km) contiguous zone this morning and Taiwan sent its own warships to respond, two senior Taiwanese officials said. Taiwan has not yet detected any live fire by the Chinese military so far, one of the officials said. The drills took place after US Secretary
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