World responds to deadly plane crash in Taipei

Pope Francis on Wednesday conveyed his condolences to the families of those who died in Taipei earlier in the day when an TransAsia flight crashed into a river with 58 people on board.

The pontiff was saddened by the news of the loss of lives in the tragic air crash, Secretary of State of the Vatican Pietro Parolin said in a message sent on behalf of the pope.

The pope wishes to offer "his heartfelt condolences to the civil authorities and to assure the families of the deceased and the missing of his spiritual closeness," Parolin wrote in the message that was addressed to Archbishop of Taipei Hung Shan-chuan.

Pope Francis "prays for the eternal repose of the dead, and he invokes God's gifts of strength and comfort upon the injured and those who are in mourning," the message read.

It was released to the media by the Apostolic Nunciature (Holy See Embassy) in Taipei. Messages of condolence have also come from France, Britain and the European Union.

The French Office in Taipei, which represents France's interests in Taiwan in the absence of official diplomatic ties, issued a statement of condolence on its website.

In a similar vein, the British Trade and Cultural Office said it was "deeply saddened to learn of the TransAsia plane crash in Taipei today."

"Our thoughts are with the loved ones of those who have lost their lives and with the injured," said the office, which represents the United Kingdom's interests in Taiwan in the absence of official diplomatic ties.

The European Economic and Trade Office, in a Facebook post, expressed sympathy to the families of the victims of the crash on behalf of the European Union.

"We share the sadness of all those who have lost loved ones and wish a speedy recovery to those who have been injured," the post read.

As of 9:45am Thursday, 31 were confirmed dead, 12 were unaccounted for and 15 were reported injured. Taiwan's rescue services were still at work at the crash site.

The ATR-72 turboprop plane crashed into the Keelung River in Taipei about one minute after it took off from the city's domestic airport at 10:52am Wednesday.

It was en route to Taiwan's Kinmen islands, which lie just off the east coast of China.

Alibaba takes beating in China and US over regulatory feud

E-commerce giant Alibaba has taken a beating in both China and the US as company founder and executive chairman Jack Ma takes on Chinese regulators in a dangerous political feud.

On Friday, China's State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC) and Alibaba came to an agreement to tackle the sale of fakes on the Hangzhou-based company's online platforms and boost consumer protection following a meeting between Ma and SAIC minister Zhang Mao.

The agreement represents what should at least be a temporary resolution to the feud, which began after the SAIC issued a white paper on Jan. 28 accusing Alibaba of allowing its merchants to operate with business licences and sell fake goods. Company employees were also alleged to have accepted bribes from merchants in exchange for better website placement.

The white paper, which was taken down without explanation from the SAIC website before Friday's announcement, prompted Alibaba investors in the US to retain New York law firm Pomerantz LLP to conduct an investigation into concerns that the company and its officers may have violated the US Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

Alibaba's executive vice chairman, Joe Tsai, hit back against the Chinese regulator on Jan. 29, claiming that the white paper is flawed and that the company is preparing a formal complaint. Tsai said Alibaba first saw the paper when it was made public by the SAIC and denied requesting that its publication be delayed.

Alibaba's Taobao platform said that it is "willing to assume the responsibility of fighting fakes" and that its effort "is far from complete," but slammed the inspection methods of SAIC internet regulation director Liu Hongliang.

"We believe director Liu Hongliang's procedural misconduct during the supervision process, irrational enforcement of the law and obtaining a biased conclusion using the wrong methodology has inflicted irreparable and serious damage to Taobao and Chinese online businesses," Taobao said in a statement.

Some analysts believe Taobao's assault on Liu is part a larger campaign against the official. Last year, the company alleged leaked allegations that Liu ordered his officers to issue fines to Alibaba equal to about 1% of the company's daily transaction value every day, backed up with a recording of Liu declaring that Alibaba's platforms and sellers are fined up to several thousand times a year.

The feud has coincided with a sharp dive of Alibaba shares on the New York Stock Exchange, with prices plummeting by around US$10 Thursday to fall below US$90. The company's market cap has dropped by US$70 billion since November.

However, there are analysts claiming that Alibaba's drop in share price could be more closely tied to the company's most recent quarterly revenue falling short of expectations despite climbing 40% to US$4.22 billion.

Henry Guo, a senior analyst with US consultancy JG Capital, said while most people were not shocked by fake goods being sold on Alibaba's websites, investors found it surprising that "a government regulatory body would have gone so far to protect Alibaba as to delay the issuance of a white paper and cover up facts about the sale of fake goods."

"Of course it will make investors imagine and worry whether more facts have been covered up," Guo added.

The New York Times has reported in the past that Alibaba has many friends in the Chinese government, with Ma himself crossing paths many times with China's Ministry of Foreign Trade since 1997.

Duowei News, a US-based Chinese political news outlet, says that Ma must know the dangerous consequences of daring to challenge regulators, suggesting that perhaps the company has powerful backers in Beijing. Alibaba's third-party online payment platform, Alipay, could be shut down any time by the government, which is also keeping a close eye on the company's heavy foreign investment levels, Duowei added.

A big company like Alibaba must be heavily involved in politics to succeed in a country like China, Duowei said, which is why it has been cooperating with the government in its various ventures into logistics, health care, and urban and rural economics. The apparent resolution of this recent feud suggests that Alibaba is now powerful enough to stand up against Beijing, though Ma must continue to tread carefully for there is no telling what might happen if Alibaba pushes its luck too far, Duowei added.

Bullet trains: Japan’s Shinkansen experience and Malaysia’s future

Kuala Lumpur-Singapore HSR project that will stretch over 300 km, there will be eight stops — Putrajaya; Kuala Lumpur; Negri Sembilan’s Seremban; Malacca’s Ayer Keroh; Johor’s Muar, Batu Pahat, Nusajaya; and then Singapore itself.
During a recent Malaysian media visit, an official from Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) said the economic impact from building bullet train systems would depend on the volume of passengers.

“The economic effect differs depending on the number of passengers, the Malaysian government has not released the result of their research,” a senior officer attached to MLIT’s railway bureau told Malaysian reporters on condition of anonymity.

He said Japan would be unable to calculate the figures for Malaysia without Putrajaya’s ridership projection.
In Japan, where the country’s entire population is at least four times larger than Malaysia’s 30 million and over 20 times larger than Singapore’s 5.47 million, the Shinkansen now carries 350 million passengers annually.

Japan believes that the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore HSR is an ideal project with its distance of below 350 km, as 2010 statistics show over 90 per cent of passengers opting for the Shinkansen over flying and travelling by road for the Tokyo-Nagoya (342km) and Tokyo-Sendai routes (325km).
Once the distance stretches too far — typically beyond 900km — the ridership and market share for Shinkansen trains drop as flying becomes the more time-effective way to travel.
While an airplane can take you between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore in an hour’s time, add on the travelling time to airports and boarding time and it easily uses up a few hours of your schedule.

Airports also tend to be built on the outskirts of cities unlike the Shinkansen model, where one can easily hop on and off a bullet train from stations located right smack in the city centre, saving precious minutes for those rushing to urgent business meetings or for tourists itching to start their tour.

An example of how seamless travel can be using the Shinkansen model is seen in how one can make an instant purchase on mobile devices and pass through automatic ticket gates, and then go on to the platform just two minutes before boarding time at the Tokyo Station. What’s not to like about that?
Could this be the gamechanger for travel between Malaysia and Singapore, for passengers who have always been forced to pit the costs against the travel time; pay less for a bus ride and face possible traffic congestion along the way, or pay more for a shorter travel period?

Footing and trimming the bill
While the economic benefits of a bullet train can be potentially enormous, the costs to build it can also be prohibitive, with Japan having funded its past Shinkansen lines largely through loans - which at one point led to the privatisation of Japanese National Railways (JNR).
Currently, both the central government and local governments in Japan pay the construction  costs for new lines, while the Shinkansen’s private operators pay a lease fee for the railway tracks and get to keep the excess profits.
How much does it actually cost to have a Shinkansen lookalike in Malaysia?
News reports have previously projected it to be between US$8 billion to US$ 24 billion (RM28.8 billion to RM86.4 billion) and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak reaffirmed that the project would still go on even as Putrajaya tightens its belt this year to save RM5.5 billion amid falling oil prices.

Costs can be trimmed in the KL-Singapore HSR project as the relatively disaster-free countries would not need earthquake-resistant technology like Japan.

Japan is touting ways in which its Shinkansen design can be more cost-effective than its competitors, including smaller tunnels and bridges, simple station layout — where hundreds of train trips per day can be operated within minimal space. The Tokyo Station, for example, can cater to 400 Shinkansen rides daily for JR East’s network on just two platforms and four tracks.
According to Shinkansen operator East Japan Railway Company (JR East)’s officials, the average lifespan of a bullet train in Japan is 16 to 20 years when it has been in operation for around 10 million kilometres, with new technology typically developed and kicking in by the end of such a period.

Who will win the bid?
While Japan has been eagerly courting Malaysia for the HSR, it is still unknown who will be chosen, with Malaysia having carried out studies and Singapore still carrying out feasibility studies.
Besides Japan, other countries like China, South Korea, Spain, France and Germany have reportedly offered their services and technology to Malaysia.
The tendering process has yet to start and financing details have yet to be announced, with Malaysia’s Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak mentioning a public-private partnership model when the HSR was first announced in February 2013 together with Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

New Chinese helicopter breaks altitude record above Everest

A China-made transport helicopter broke a record by attaining an altitude of 9,000 m during a test flight in Tibet, reports state broadcaster CCTV.

In a clip aired on Jan. 31, a pilot flying a Changhe Z-18 transport helicopter triggered a warning signal as he reached a height of 8,900 m above sea level. The craft continued to gain altitude though, eventually reaching 9,000 m and flying above Mount Everest.

The Z-18's success means China now has the ability to produce large military helicopters that can work in plateau areas and no longer needs to rely on US Black Hawks.

The Chinese aircraft, developed by Changhe Aircraft Industries Corporation, became the second helicopter that the aviation branch of the People's Liberation Army could use in plateaus. The first one was the Sikorsky S-70 developed by Sikorsky Aircraft which China has been using since the mid- 1980s.

Changhe Aircraft Industries built the Z-18 by modifying the Avicopter AC313, a transport helicopter developed by Aviation Industry Corporation of China.

Bathtub photo of model gets Taiwan in a lather

A photo showing a half-nude Taiwanese model has gone viral online and sparked heated debate whether the picture she posted of herself is appropriate, reports our Chinese language sister paper Want Daily.

Wan Yen, a 22-year-old emerging model in Taiwan, uploaded a photo to her Facebook fan page of her taking a bath, with only traces of foam to cover her modesty.

"A milk bubble bath softens my skin but it has a strong smell of milk," the part-time model commented alongside the photo.

The image immediately drew an online crowd. One female internet user who apparently found the photo offensive responded, "Looks pretty raunchy." Some accused Wan Yen of objectifying women, asking whether her parents knew about the photo.

Some, including a number of female users, have shown support, saying that she was just doing her job.

In response, Wan Yen asked internet users to leave her parents out of it and claimed she came from a rather conservative family. She said her physical features are the only one thing she has to gain publicity, and it is only in Taiwan that such photos would draw public criticism. "This (nudity) is a style of mine," was her reply to the criticism.

"Those who dislike my photos can choose not to view them. I'm sorry, but I depend on my fan page for a living," she said.

Wan has certainly gained much more media exposure following the controversy and has been all over the local news. The number of fans on her Facebook fanpage, which shows shots of her in varying degrees of undress, has reached over 116,000.

A similar case is that of Hsiao Wai, who became a media darling overnight with a self-made short video titled Nude Kitchen, in which she cooked in the nude.