■ Telcoms
Malaysia seeks more 3G
Malaysia may award two more third-generation (3G) mobile licenses to spur competition in the industry, bringing the total to four, Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak said. "The government is currently holding two more blocks of 3G spectrum and, in order to create a more competitive environment, may consider awarding it in the near future," Najib was quoted as saying by the New Straits Times daily yesterday. In July 2002, two companies were awarded 3G licenses by the government -- Celcom (M) Bhd, a unit of Telekom Malaysia and Maxis Communications Bhd. They are expected to spend 7.5 billion ringgit (US$1.97 billion) on the services over the next decade. On Tuesday, Celcom became the first operator to roll out 3G services in Malaysia.
PHOTO: AP
■ Textiles
EU warns China again
The EU is "ready to go further" than the emergency measures it has announced to protect EU markets from Chinese textile imports, European Commission chief Jose Manuel Durao Barroso said on yesterday. "We are ready to go further, we are really concerned about the situation," he told France's Europe 1 radio station. "In a few weeks there will be a new decision if there is not a constructive attitude" on the part of Beijing, he said. EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson said on Tuesday that the EU might limit the import of Chinese T-shirts and flax yarn to 7.5 percent if Beijing did not respond. In the first quarter of this year, Chinese exports of T-shirts to the EU rose by 187 percent and of flax yarn by 56 percent.
■ Electronics
Intel to launch business PC
Intel Corp said yesterday it will launch a desktop PC platform later this month geared specifically for businesses. The chipmaker's Professional Business Platform will consist of a Pentium 4 processor, but will also include features that simplify system management, enhance security and decrease power requirements, said spokeswoman Laura Anderson. Systems based on the platform will be the first to incorporate Intel Active Management Technology that will help administrators remotely monitor and protect PCs even when they're turned off or have crashed. Corporate administrators will be able to access a complete inventory of what's installed on each computer and make changes. Intel did not disclose pricing or identify the PC makers that will offer the computers built on the new platform. In an e-mail, Anderson said the "vast majority of leading computer manufacturers worldwide" will sell systems.
■ Computers
Cuba to dump Windows
Cuba will gradually switch to the open-source Linux operating system for its state computers, eliminating its exclusive use of Microsoft Windows, the government daily Juventud Rebelde reported on Tuesday. Roberto del Puerto, director of the state office of information technology, told the daily that Cuba already has about 1,500 computers using the Linux system. He said his office was working on a legal framework that would allow the replacement of the Windows system.
Beijing’s continued provocations in the Taiwan Strait reveal its intention to unilaterally change the “status quo” in the area, the US Department of State said on Saturday, calling for a peaceful resolution to cross-strait issues. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) reported that four China Coast Guard patrol vessels entered restricted and prohibited waters near Kinmen County on Friday and again on Saturday. A State Department spokesperson said that Washington was aware of the incidents, and urged all parties to exercise restraint and refrain from unilaterally changing the “status quo.” “Maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is in line with our [the
EXTENDED RANGE: Hsiung Sheng missiles, 100 of which might be deployed by the end of the year, could reach Chinese command posts and airport runways, a source said A NT$16.9 billion (US$534.93 million) project to upgrade the military’s missile defense systems would be completed this year, allowing the deployment of at least 100 long-range Hsiung Sheng missiles and providing more deterrence against China, military sources said on Saturday. Hsiung Sheng missiles are an extended-range version of the Hsiung Feng IIE (HF-2E) surface-to-surface cruise missile, and are believed to have a range of up to 1,200km, which would allow them to hit targets well inside China. They went into mass production in 2022, the sources said. The project is part of a special budget for the Ministry of National Defense aimed at
READY TO WORK: Taiwan is eager to cooperate and is hopeful that like-minded states will continue to advocate for its inclusion in regional organizations, Lai said Maintaining the “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait, and peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region must be a top priority, president-elect William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday after meeting with a delegation of US academics. Leaders of the G7, US President Joe Biden and other international heads of state have voiced concerns about the situation in the Strait, as stability in the region is necessary for a safe, peaceful and prosperous world, Lai said. The vice president, who is to be inaugurated in May, welcomed the delegation and thanked them for their support for Taiwan and issues concerning the Strait. The international community
COOPERATION: Two crewmembers from a Chinese fishing boat that sank off Kinmen were rescued, two were found dead and another two were still missing at press time The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) was yesterday working with Chinese rescuers to find two missing crewmembers from a Chinese fishing boat that sank southwest of Kinmen County yesterday, killing two crew. The joint operation managed to rescue two of the boat’s six crewmembers, but two were already dead when they were pulled from the water, the agency said in a statement. Rescuers are still searching for two others from the Min Long Yu 61222, a boat registered in China’s Fujian Province that capsized and sank 1.03 nautical miles (1.9km) southwest of Dongding Island (東碇), it added. CGA Director-General Chou Mei-wu (周美伍) told a