■ Airlines
Ted tickets go on sale
United Airlines began selling tickets on its low-fare carrier Ted, a venture executives said would play a crucial role in the future of the bankrupt company. Ted, which will start flying in February, will be based at Denver International Airport, the home of discount carrier Frontier. The Ted fleet will begin with four Airbus A320 aircraft and expand to as many as 45 planes by the end of next year. United is pitching Ted as laid-back fun, with overhead programming -- Tedtv -- that will include music videos, standup comedy and sitcoms. The headsets for Tedtunes will be free, though merchandise such as children's toys will carry a price tag. Ted is expected to have 106 daily flights by early April.
■ Banking
Seoul to sell Kookmin stake
South Korea will auction off its entire 9.1-percent stake in Kookmin Bank, the country's largest commercial bank, next month, the Ministry of Finance and Economy said yesterday. The ministry will sell its 30.6 million shares in Kookmin Bank outside the market in order to minimize impact on overall stock prices. "Bids will be invited by no later than early next month and the winner or winners will be chosen by mid-December," a ministry spokesman said. The ministry originally expected to make 1.6 trillion won (US$1.35 billion) from the sale but it may have to settle for less because of a weakening stock market. Kookmin is one of many South Korean banks which received public funds during the 1997 to 1998 Asian financial crisis.
■ Semiconductors
Hynix files suit against EU
South Korea's Hynix Semiconductor Inc, the country's second-largest semiconductor maker, said it filed a suit against the EU seeking to overturn tariffs on imports of its computer memory chips. Hynix submitted a petition to Europe's Court of First Instance alleging that five-year tariff of 34.8 percent levied by the EU on its chip imports is illegal, the company said in a statement sent by e-mail. Hynix will get back the duties it has already paid if the case is upheld, it said. In August, Europe's 15-member bloc levied the duty on Hynix's dynamic random access memory chips, or DRAMs. Hynix's competitors in Europe, the US and Taiwan have complained about South Korean financial support for the company. The US government has imposed tariffs of 45 percent on Hynix memory chips.
■ Entertainment
Singapore goes digital
With filmmakers scrapping traditional celluloid for digital, Singapore announced yesterday its plans to construct cutting-edge digital screens in a bid to become a major distributor of Hollywood movies in Asia. Cinema chain Eng Wah Group said at a news conference with media officials that it will spend US$9 million (US$5.23 million) over the next year to make 20 of its screens digital. "Instead of projectors and film reels, workers will now handle servers fiber optics, or satellite, and brand-new digital cinema projectors," said Tan Ching Yee, the head of the government's Infocomm Development Authority. The move will mean that Singapore, a city-state of 4 million, will account for more than 12 percent of the world's digital movie screens -- third after the US and China with 79 and 35 screens respectively, the authority said in a report, citing industry figures.
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
MISINFORMATION: The generated content tends to adopt China’s official stance, such as ‘Taiwan is currently governed by the Chinese central government,’ the NSB said Five China-developed artificial intelligence (AI) language models exhibit cybersecurity risks and content biases, an inspection conducted by the National Security Bureau (NSB) showed. The five AI tools are: DeepSeek, Doubao (豆包), Yiyan (文心一言), Tongyi (通義千問) and Yuanbao (騰訊元寶), the bureau said, advising people to remain vigilant to protect personal data privacy and corporate business secrets. The NSB said it, in accordance with the National Intelligence Services Act (國家情報工作法), has reviewed international cybersecurity reports and intelligence, and coordinated with the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau and the National Police Agency’s Criminal Investigation Bureau to conduct an inspection of China-made AI language
SELF-DETERMINATION: German lawmakers add earth to an art installation in front of the Reichstag to show that the face of a nation lies with its people, Tsai Ing-wen said Taiwan’s future should be decided by Taiwanese, German-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group chairman Till Steffen said yesterday, while giving former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) a tour of the German parliament building. Tsai arrived in Berlin on Sunday and the following day delivered a keynote speech at the Berlin Freedom Conference titled “Threats facing democracies: Taiwan’s experience defending freedom.” Tsai yesterday attended a tea gathering at the Bundestag, joined by former friendship group chairman of 15 years Klaus-Peter Willsch, German defense affairs specialist Roderich Kiesewetter and Federal Ministry of Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth Parliamentary State Secretary Michael Brand. Noting that the
BOOST IN CONFIDENCE: The sale sends a clear message of support for Taiwan and dispels rumors that US President Donald Trump ‘sold out’ the nation, an expert said The US government on Thursday announced a possible sale to Taiwan of fighter jet parts, which was estimated to cost about US$330 million, in a move that an expert said “sends a clear message of support for Taiwan” amid fears that Washington might be wavering in its attitude toward Taipei. It was the first announcement of an arms sale to Taiwan since US President Donald Trump returned to the White House earlier this year. The proposed package includes non-standard components, spare and repair parts, consumables and accessories, as well repair and return support for the F-16, C-130 and Indigenous Defense Fighter aircraft,
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