■ Software
Vista download offered
Microsoft Corp will make its new Windows Vista operating system available for sale and download online, marking a new step for the software company, which has previously sold Windows only on packaged discs or pre-loaded on computers. The download program will also include the Office 2007 line of software when both are released for consumers on Jan. 30. The huge downloads will initially be available in North America only. The download process is targeted at people who are running the prior operating system, Windows XP, and want to get Vista without having to buy a new PC.
■ Aviation
Virgin US may drop CEO
Maverick airline Virgin America told US government regulators it was prepared to overhaul its ownership, jettison its chief executive and possibly even change its name to gain clearance to fly -- an ambition that has been blocked because of the startup's ties to British entrepreneur Richard Branson. With the list of concessions filed late on Wednesday with the US transportation department, Virgin America hopes to convince regulators it complies with US laws capping foreign control of a US airline at 25 percent.
■ Internet
Yahoo hosts video contest
Yahoo invited young video makers on Wednesday to share their political or social concerns with the world by taking part in an "issue films" contest that will be posted online. The Sunnyvale, California, Internet search engine announced it would be the exclusive online sponsor of an unprecedented Film Your Issue (FYI) competition intended to get young adults involved in public dialogue. People around the world ages 16 to 25 were encouraged to create 30-second to 60-second videos spotlighting contemporary subjects of importance to them. The videos will be posted at www.jumpcut.com, an online video editing and remixing Web site acquired last year by Yahoo. Rules were at the contest organizer's Web site, www.filmyourissue.com.
■ Property
US bank invests in India
US-based investment bank Morgan Stanley has bought a minority stake in an Indian real estate company for US$152 million in what is billed as one of the biggest foreign investments in the country's property development industry, the Hindustan Times reported yesterday. Morgan Stanley has paid US$152 million to buy a 10.75 percent stake in Mumbai-based Oberoi Constructions, whose major projects are located in Mumbai and the suburbs of New Delhi, it said. Foreign investment in real estate was banned until last year.
■ Aviation
Cathay slams tight control
Cathay Pacific said that China's tight control over airspace is causing air traffic jams and fuel waste and is capping Hong Kong's growth, reports said yesterday. Flights from Hong Kong to the mainland are restricted to a single cross border route with no alternative paths available in the event of bad weather. Congestion at airports like Shanghai or Beijing also often affect air traffic in Hong Kong and strand passengers here, the Financial Times reported. The report said inflexible management of China's airspace has hit Cathay's subsidiary Dragonair which serves more China routes than any other overseas airline.
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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