■ Security
S Korea to up Web defense
South Korea, home to the world's highest concentration of high-speed Internet users, said it is taking steps to guard against computer attacks ahead of the second anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist strikes on the US. "We are assuming that there is an increased likelihood of worms such as `Blaster' and `Sobig.F' being spread around the time of the 911 anniversary,'' the Ministry of Information said in a release. Seventeen out of every 100 South Koreans has a broadband connection, three times the rate of the US. On Friday, Minister of Information and Communication, Chin Dae-je, will host a meeting of the chief executives and related officials of the country's seven Internet service providers, representatives from Microsoft Corp and officials from computer security software makers. Following the meeting, the ministry will boost the number of staff at its Internet infringement center and operate an emergency response plan from Sept. 8 to 14.
■ Aerospace
Airbus hires 1,000 workers
Airbus SAS has hired 1,000 workers to help build its planned 555-seat A380 aircraft in Hamburg, Financial Times Deutschland reported, citing an unidentified company spokesman. Airbus plans to employ a total of 2,000 workers by 2007 in Hamburg to work on the A380, the German newspaper reported. An additional 2,000 jobs will be created at suppliers, it said. Airbus' A380 will surpass Boeing Co's 747 as the world's largest passenger jet when it starts service in 2006. The A380 will cost US$10.7 billion to develop. European governments are providing US$2.5 billion in loans to help fund the project, with other partners and suppliers pitching in US$3.1 billion. Airbus, based in Toulouse, France will contribute US$5.1 billion.
■ Aerospace
Boeing to review costs
Aerospace and defense giant Boeing is creating an independent team to review the costs of some of its biggest projects, finance director Mike Sears told the Financial Times newspaper on Monday. The team will review 10 of Boeing's 15 biggest projects in a bid bolster the company's performance. The decision comes amid questions over the company's handling of problems in its space and communications division, which eventually led to a 1.1 billion dollar charge that sent Boeing into the red, the report said. All of Boeing's divisions will face reviews by the new team. Sears told the paper that Boeing's launch and satellite business looks "positive because of the military demand, although pricing could change.
■ Chips
Intel to invest in Elpida
US chipmaking giant Intel has agreed to invest an extra US$23 million in Japanese chipmaker Elpida Memory to support production of Elpida's high-performance DRAM chips, the Japanese firm said yesterday. The fresh investment followed an agreement announced in June that Intel would invest US$100 million in Elpida, a joint venture between Japanese hi-tech giants NEC and Hitachi. "Elpida has been taking steps to improve its overall position to become a top-tier DRAM [dynamic random access memory] supplier and increase its market segment share," Yukio Sakamoto, president of Elpida, said in a statement. Elpida plans to use the investments to boost production of 300mm DRAM wafers to 15,000 per month from 3,000 at its plant in Hiroshima, western Japan, a company spokesman said.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-Wong tomorrow, which it said would possibly make landfall near central Taiwan. As of 2am yesterday, Fung-Wong was about 1,760km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving west-northwest at 26kph. It is forecast to reach Luzon in the northern Philippines by tomorrow, the CWA said. After entering the South China Sea, Typhoon Fung-Wong is likely to turn northward toward Taiwan, CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張峻堯) said, adding that it would likely make landfall near central Taiwan. The CWA expects to issue a land
Taiwan’s exports soared to an all-time high of US$61.8 billion last month, surging 49.7 percent from a year earlier, as the global frenzy for artificial intelligence (AI) applications and new consumer electronics powered shipments of high-tech goods, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. It was the first time exports had exceeded the US$60 billion mark, fueled by the global boom in AI development that has significantly boosted Taiwanese companies across the international supply chain, Department of Statistics Director-General Beatrice Tsai (蔡美娜) told a media briefing. “There is a consensus among major AI players that the upcycle is still in its early stage,”
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it is expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong this afternoon and a land warning tomorrow. As of 1pm, the storm was about 1,070km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, and was moving west-northwest at 28 to 32kph, according to CWA data. The storm had a radius of 250km, with maximum sustained winds of 173kph and gusts reaching 209kph, the CWA added. The storm is forecast to pass near Luzon in the Philippines before entering the South China Sea and potentially turning northward toward Taiwan, the CWA said. CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張峻堯) said
PREPARATION: Ferry lines and flights were canceled ahead of only the second storm to hit the nation in November, while many areas canceled classes and work Authorities yesterday evacuated more than 3,000 people ahead of approaching Tropical Storm Fung-wong, which is expected to make landfall between Kaohsiung and Pingtung County this evening. Fung-wong was yesterday morning downgraded from a typhoon to a tropical storm as it approached the nation’s southwest coast, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, as it issued a land alert for the storm. The alert applies to residents in Tainan, Kaohsiung, Pingtung and Taitung counties, and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春). As of press time last night, Taichung, Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Yilan, Miaoli, Changhua, Yunlin, Pingtung and Penghu counties, as well as Chiayi city and county had
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