■ Semiconductors
NEC boasts smaller circuits
NEC Electronics Corp has developed a technology to make semiconductors with circuit widths smaller than those made by companies such Intel Corp, the Nihon Keizai newspaper said, without citing where it got the information. NEC Electronics plans to start production of semicon-ductors with a circuit width of 55 nanometers in 2007, the paper said. Intel and Matsushita Electric Indus-trial Co have already started production of semicon-ductors with circuit widths of 65 nanometers, the report said.
■ Aviation
Cathay's salaries rise 3.5%
Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd will raise the salaries of its almost 8,000 employees by an average 3.5 percent next year, the Oriental Daily reported, citing an unidentified company spokesman. The increase will apply to the airline's 6,000-strong cabin crew and 2,000-member ground crew, the Hong Kong-based newspaper said. The airline will announce the salary adjustment plan for management staff before Christmas, the Daily said. Increased demand in leisure travel has made up for lower profit margins resulting from high oil prices, the paper said, citing the spokesman.
■ Economics
Managers trust in recovery
Nearly three quarters of Japan's top managers think the country's economy will continue on a path of recovery, according to a poll published yesterday. The showing from management at 73 of the country's 100 top companies was significantly more optimistic than a similar survey conducted earlier in the year. Seventy companies said they expec-ted individual consumption to improve moderately over the next 12 months, it said. The government cites consumption as one of main factors reining in a recovery. Eighty-seven companies said they regarded the status of the Japanese economy as growing, up sharply from 49 companies in the previous poll. The poll was conducted between Nov. 7 and Nov. 26.
■ Aviation
Qantas mulls global Jetstar
Australian flag carrier Qantas is considering expanding its budget offshoot Jetstar's international presence, chief executive Geoff Dixon said yesterday. Dixon said the Qantas board would take a vote this week on expanding Jetstar's routes to include destinations no more than eight to 10 hours from Australia -- which could include Asian and Pacific island flights. Dixon said Jetstar, which this month launched a service to New Zealand, would not compete on profitable routes flown by Qantas, instead flying to new destinations or ones that the main airline had scrapped. He named Seoul and Taipei as destinations no longer serviced by Qantas that Jetstar could potentially pick up.
■ Software
Belarusian OS in the works
Scientists in Belarus are working on their own computer software to serve as an alternative to the market-leading Windows operating system from Microsoft. The inexpensive Belarusian operating system will work with open-source code like Linux, reports computer scientist Michail Machanek from the Academy of Science in Minsk. Both the EU and NATO have expressed interest in his project, he says. "Ordinary citizens cannot afford to buy an operating system for US$300," Machanek says. The Belarusian Windows will cost only 12 euros (US$14).
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
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