Aug 2--PRNewswire/AsiaNetBIOTECH ROYALTY BREACH... CAMBRIDGE: Biogen Inc today filed an arbitration claim against Shering-Plough Corporation, the exclusive licensee of its alpha interferon drug, following a six-month breach in royalty payments.MERGER APPROVED... PURCHASE: PepsiCo and The Quakers Oats Company today received approval to merge from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission. With the last remaining regulatory hurdle to the transaction removed, the companies said they intend to complete the transaction within the next several business days.TORONTO STOCK EXCHANGE LAUNCH... MISSISSAUGA: Canada's largest wine producer, will join the Toronto Stock Exchange's 300 Composite Index as well as a number of additional key equity indices, the company said today.U.S HOTEL GROUP OPENS DOWN UNDER... MINNEAPOLIS: U.S. hotel group, Country Inns & Suites By Carlson, today opened its first Australian hotel, a 60-room property, in Adelaide.CALIFORNIAN CANNERY PREY TO STREAMLINING... SAN DIEGO: Chicken of the Sea International today said it will close its Californian packing cannery in San Pedro as part of a plan to streamline the company's operations.JAVA TECHNOLOGY CAPITAL INJECTION... SEATTLE: 4thpass, Inc, a company that develops technology for Java-compliant mobile devices, today said it has received a funding injection from Nextel Communications Inc, the venture capital unit of Motorola Inc and Nextel Ventures.MAXICO HOLIDAY PACKAGE... SAN ANTONIO: Mexicana Airlines today launched its latest vacation program, MexSeaSun, which includes air transport, hotel accommodation, transfers and optional tours.NETWORK COMPANY NETWORKS INDUSTRY... BROOMFIELD: McDATA Corporation, the open storage network company, will join its industry counterparts to become a member of the Storage Networking Industry Association, according to a company news release.EXECUTIVE APPOINTMENTS: CAMBRIDGE: Biogen Inc today named Mr Hans-Peter Hasler as executive vice president, commercial operations, reporting to the company's president and chief executive officer.FINANCIAL RESULTS: HONG KONG: Asia Global Crossing today reported its second quarter earnings results, posting a cash revenue of 192 million - up 246 per cent year on year, according to a news release. BROOMFIELD: McDATA Corporation today held its first shareholder meeting as a public company, endorsing the re-election of its director, ratifying its choice of auditor and amending its stock option plan. HAMILTON: W.P. Stewart & Co. today reported a net income of $19.8 million for this year's second quarter. TAIPEI: ASE Test Limited, the semiconductor testing company, today said that its earnings per share (EPS) had dropped from last year's $0.27 to -$0.19 for second quarter 2001. NEW YORK: Internet Initiative Japan will release its second quarter financial results on August 14, according to a company announcement. (AsiaNet is a consortium of leading news agencies distributing unedited, translated press releases for worldwide clients. Contact: www.asianet.com.au for full-text versions).