■ Airlines
A380 to visit Canada
The world's largest passenger jet is set to make its first trip to North America on Monday where it will undergo cold-weather testing in the barren northern Canadian territory of Nunavut. The Airbus A380 is scheduled to fly from France to the Nunavut capital of Iqaluit -- about 2,400km north of Toronto -- where officials were busy making preparations Saturday. "We're pretty honored to be hosting the first arrival of the newest plane of the 21st century here at Iqaluit," said John Graham, who manages the airport. The 273-tonne jumbo jet, with a wingspan of 80m and a seating capacity of 555, is expected to go into service late this year. Until then it will undergo full functionality tests under extreme weather conditions of up to minus 40?C. It has already undergone high altitude tests in Colombia this year and hot weather tests are due to begin in the summer.
■ Internet
ISPs to flog filter-proof mail
Time Warner Inc's America Online and Yahoo Inc plan to begin charging companies as much as US0.01 for each e-mail to bypass "spam" filters and go directly to users' mailboxes, the New York Times reported. Goodmail Systems, a closely held company based in Mountain View, California, will collect the electronic payment and verify the sender's identity, for messages marked "AOL Certified E- Mail," the Times said in an article published online. A US Senate committee will hold a hearing Feb. 7 to consider legislation that would ban Internet companies from giving preferential treatment to providers of content because of concern that those who can't afford to pay would be excluded from reaching users, the newspaper said.
■ Investment
China decentralizes controls
China's commerce ministry will allow local commerce departments and state economic zones to approve the setup of foreign-invested wholesalers and retailers next month to simplify procedures for allowing foreign funds into the country. Starting March 1, wholesale firms selling ordinary goods, and small and medium-sized retailers won't have to go to the ministry for the approval, the Beijing-based Ministry of Commerce said in a statement on its Web site yesterday, citing a circular. The move is among efforts to honor the commitments China made since its accession to the WTO in December 2001.
■ Investment
Trading complaint filed
Twelve investors in the Russian oil group Yukos have filed a complaint of insider trading in a Washington court against the Russian government and the leaders of the country's oil industry, the German weekly Der Spiegel reported today. The president of Russian energy giant Gazprom, Alexei Miller, and the Russian government are also in the sights of US justice because the two allegedly worked together to renationalize Yukos without compensating investors, Der Spiegel claims in the article. "It is simply stealing," the weekly quoted a US lawyer, Thomas Johnson, as saying. He said his clients invested in Yukos by buying American depositary receipts (ADRs) on the New York stock exchange. The value of the ADRs, which represented about 15 percent of Yukos shares, fell by US$6 billion, according to the German magazine.
NO HUMAN ERROR: After the incident, the Coast Guard Administration said it would obtain uncrewed aerial vehicles and vessels to boost its detection capacity Authorities would improve border control to prevent unlawful entry into Taiwan’s waters and safeguard national security, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday after a Chinese man reached the nation’s coast on an inflatable boat, saying he “defected to freedom.” The man was found on a rubber boat when he was about to set foot on Taiwan at the estuary of Houkeng River (後坑溪) near Taiping Borough (太平) in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口), authorities said. The Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) northern branch said it received a report at 6:30am yesterday morning from the New Taipei City Fire Department about a
IN BEIJING’S FAVOR: A China Coast Guard spokesperson said that the Chinese maritime police would continue to carry out law enforcement activities in waters it claims The Philippines withdrew its coast guard vessel from a South China Sea shoal that has recently been at the center of tensions with Beijing. BRP Teresa Magbanua “was compelled to return to port” from Sabina Shoal (Xianbin Shoal, 仙濱暗沙) due to bad weather, depleted supplies and the need to evacuate personnel requiring medical care, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Jay Tarriela said yesterday in a post on X. The Philippine vessel “will be in tiptop shape to resume her mission” after it has been resupplied and repaired, Philippine Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, who heads the nation’s maritime council, said
REGIONAL STABILITY: Taipei thanked the Biden administration for authorizing its 16th sale of military goods and services to uphold Taiwan’s defense and safety The US Department of State has approved the sale of US$228 million of military goods and services to Taiwan, the US Department of Defense said on Monday. The state department “made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale” to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US for “return, repair and reshipment of spare parts and related equipment,” the defense department’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a news release. Taiwan had requested the purchase of items and services which include the “return, repair and reshipment of classified and unclassified spare parts for aircraft and related equipment; US Government
More than 500 people on Saturday marched in New York in support of Taiwan’s entry to the UN, significantly more people than previous years. The march, coinciding with the ongoing 79th session of the UN General Assembly, comes close on the heels of growing international discourse regarding the meaning of UN Resolution 2758. Resolution 2758, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1971, recognizes the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the “only lawful representative of China.” It resulted in the Republic of China (ROC) losing its seat at the UN to the PRC. Taiwan has since been excluded from