■ TELECOMS
Willcom, CNCG to forge tie
Japanese mobile provider Willcom Inc will forge a tie-up with China Network Communications Group (CNCG) to expand its low-cost phone business in Asia, a report said yesterday. Willcom plans to provide know-how on so-called "packet communications," in which a firm determines users' fees based on the amount of data transmitted rather than a blanket charge, the Nikkei Shimbun daily said. In Japan, Willcom offers the personal handy system, a type of simple mobile telephone that costs less than more advanced technologies and is also popular in a number of other Asian nations.
■ AVIATION
AirAsia X to raise funds
Malaysia's long-haul budget carrier AirAsia X plans to raise 1 billion ringgit (US$294 million) on the local bourse to fund the purchase of new aircraft for European routes, a top official said. "The floating of the IPO we are looking at three years down the road," AirAsia X chief executive officer Azran Osman-Rani said. "We plan to raise at least 1 billion ringgit on the local bourse." AirAsia X has signed a contract confirming the purchase of 15 wide-body A330-300 airliners from Airbus, with an option to buy 10 more.
■ AVIATION
Dash 8 problems continue
A Bombardier Inc Dash 8 Q400 turboprop airplane with a faulty undercarriage made an emergency landing in Munich, Germany, the third incident in two weeks involving this type of aircraft in Europe. The aircraft bound for Florence returned to Munich on Saturday after the pilot discovered its forward landing gear wouldn't extend, Ausburg Airlines spokesman Nico Lange said on Saturday. The latest incident involved a spring that allows the door for the landing gear under the nose to open and close and isn't related to two landing-gear collapses on the same type of aircraft operated by SAS AB's Scandinavian Airlines, Bombardier spokesman Bert Cruickshank said.
■ RUSSIA
French lament difficulties
French businessmen complained on Saturday about the numerous legal and operational difficulties faced by foreign investors in Russia at an economic forum in the southern resort of Sochi. Investors said they had confidence in the country's economic potential but pointed to problems including a weak legal framework, bureaucratic delays and ageing infrastructure. "Our Russia projects take 30 percent longer than in other parts of the world," said Joel Polo from the French chemicals group Rhodia, which has production in around 25 countries in the world. France ranked as the sixth-largest foreign direct investor in Russia last year, official statistics showed.
■ INTERNET
Wireless retest requested
Microsoft Corp and Royal Philips Electronics NV urged US regulators to retest portable wireless Internet devices they developed, saying the gadgets don't interfere with television signals. Microsoft asked for a new analysis on Friday in a letter to the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The company said last month that its device wasn't working properly when the FCC found it may interfere with TV signals and wireless microphones. Microsoft and Philips are part of a group of companies that submitted devices that work with television airwaves known as white spaces.
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