■INTERNET
Google to stop redirect
Google said yesterday it would stop automatically redirecting Chinese users to an uncensored site in Hong Kong, a day before its government license expires, following official complaints. In January, Google effectively shut down its Chinese-language search engine over censorship and cyberattacks, and automatically re-routed users to the Hong Kong site. “It’s clear from conversations we have had with Chinese government officials that they find the redirect unacceptable — and that if we continue redirecting users, our Internet Content Provider license will not be renewed,” Google’s chief legal officer David Drummond said on the company’s blog. “Over the next few days we’ll end the redirect entirely, taking all our Chinese users to our new landing page,” he said, with readers in China being taken to a new page on Google.cn, which would link to the Hong Kong site.
■LEGAL
US anti-fraud law amended
The US Supreme Court on Monday struck down part of an anti-fraud law enacted in response to the Enron and other corporate scandals from the early 2000s, but said its decision has limited consequences. The justices voted 5-4 that the Sarbanes-Oxley law enacted in 2002 violates the Constitution’s separation of powers mandate. The court says the president, or other officials appointed by him, must be able to remove members of a board that was created to tighten oversight of internal corporate controls and outside auditors. Congress created the board to replace the accounting industry’s own regulators amid scandals at Enron Corp, WorldCom Inc, Tyco International Ltd and other corporations. The board has power to compel documents and testimony from accounting firms and the authority to discipline accountants. Chief Justice John Roberts, writing for the court, said that the Sarbanes-Oxley law would remain in effect with one change. The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board will continue as before, but the Securities and Exchange Commission now will be able to remove board members at will. That change, Roberts said, cures the constitutional problem.
■AUTOMOBILES
UK says no more aid
British Business Secretary Vince Cable warned car makers they could no longer rely on direct government aid, saying the “emergency” situation in the industry is over, in comments in the Financial Times (FT) yesterday. The country’s previous Labour administration offered direct support to the sector as the economic crisis sent new car sales plummeting, notably with a scheme allowing motorists to trade in a vehicle for a discount on a new one. However, Cable ruled out “direct support” for companies. “We don’t want to go around the country waving a checkbook,” he told the FT, in comments the paper said were aimed at car makers as he made his way on Monday to a car launch at a Toyota factory in England. “We’re moving away out of an emergency time, and support will come in more indirect ways,” Cable said.
■TECHNOLOGY
Emerson bids for Chloride
US industrial technology company Emerson yesterday raised its offer to buy British power systems group Chloride to almost £1 billion (US$1.5 billion), trumping a rival bid from Swiss engineer ABB. Emerson bid £3.75 per Chloride share, valuing the British group at £997 million, it said in a statement. Emerson’s offer is higher than ABB’s offer of £3.25 a share and £1 higher than the US group’s original bid of £2.75 a share.
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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