■ Restaurants
1953 prices mark birthday
Hundreds of people lined up on Monday in Downey, California at the oldest-operating McDonald's fast food restaurant in the world as it celebrated its 50-year anniversary. The "Speedee" McDonald's, so named for the original chef logo, was the third restaurant built by the McDonald brothers Dick and Maurice and is a national landmark. To celebrate the anniversary, the restaurant's prices were rolled back to those charged in 1953. The restaurant still sports the original golden arch architecture design of the hamburger chain and crew members continue to wear the chain's original uniform: white shirt, bolo tie and paper hat.
PHOTO: AFP
■ Internet
RIAA not after small crooks
The Recording Industry Association of America says it will not go after small violators when it sues people who illegally share songs on the Internet. The assurance came in a written response to questions by Senator Norm Coleman, chairman of the Senate Governmental Affairs' Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. Coleman plans to hold hearings on the RIAA's campaign, which he has labeled "excessive." "RIAA is in no way targeting `de minimis' users," wrote Cary Sherman, the group's president, in a letter the subcommittee released Monday. "RIAA is gathering evidence and preparing lawsuits only against individual computer users who are illegally distribu-ting a substantial amount of copyrighted music." Sher-man added that his group "does not condone any illegal copying and does not want anyone to think that even a little illegal activity is acceptable."
■ Internet
Microsoft tough on spam
Microsoft Corp senior vice president Maggie Wilde-rotter said US companies should be barred from taking e-mail addresses off the Internet to find targets for unwanted e-mail adver-tisements. Wilderotter, who runs business strategy for Microsoft, said the practice of "harvesting" used by spammers should be ban-ned. The US government should "strengthen the ability" of Internet service providers to sue senders of spam on behalf of custo-mers, she said. Wilderotter spoke at the Progress and Freedom Foundation's Aspen Summit. Microsoft this year announced a campaign to reduce spam by improving its software, working with competing Internet service providers and encouraging the passage of new laws.
■ Singapore
Tiny credit card set to go
United Overseas Bank is set to launch its "Mini" credit card next month in an assault on the likes of Citibank's "Clear" and MayBank's "Flash," UOB said yesterday. In keeping with the name, the 6.8cm by 4cm card is about half the size of regular ones. UOB is hoping the Mini will appeal primarily through its range of benefits, adding sporting and hobby privileges to club priority entries. Cardholders will get free entry to certain sports clubs and discounts on activities such as ultralight flying, diving and climbing expeditions. UOB hopes to gain 30,000 new cardholders within three months of its launch next month.
NO-LIMITS PARTNERSHIP: ‘The bottom line’ is that if the US were to have a conflict with China or Russia it would likely open up a second front with the other, a US senator said Beijing and Moscow could cooperate in a conflict over Taiwan, the top US intelligence chief told the US Senate this week. “We see China and Russia, for the first time, exercising together in relation to Taiwan and recognizing that this is a place where China definitely wants Russia to be working with them, and we see no reason why they wouldn’t,” US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told a US Senate Committee on Armed Services hearing on Thursday. US Senator Mike Rounds asked Haines about such a potential scenario. He also asked US Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lieutenant General Jeffrey Kruse
INSPIRING: Taiwan has been a model in the Asia-Pacific region with its democratic transition, free and fair elections and open society, the vice president-elect said Taiwan can play a leadership role in the Asia-Pacific region, vice president-elect Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) told a forum in Taipei yesterday, highlighting the nation’s resilience in the face of geopolitical challenges. “Not only can Taiwan help, but Taiwan can lead ... not only can Taiwan play a leadership role, but Taiwan’s leadership is important to the world,” Hsiao told the annual forum hosted by the Center for Asia-Pacific Resilience and Innovation think tank. Hsiao thanked Taiwan’s international friends for their long-term support, citing the example of US President Joe Biden last month signing into law a bill to provide aid to Taiwan,
China’s intrusive and territorial claims in the Indo-Pacific region are “illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive,” new US Indo-Pacific Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo said on Friday, adding that he would continue working with allies and partners to keep the area free and open. Paparo made the remarks at a change-of-command ceremony at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii, where he took over the command from Admiral John Aquilino. “Our world faces a complex problem set in the troubling actions of the People’s Republic of China [PRC] and its rapid buildup of forces. We must be ready to answer the PRC’s increasingly intrusive and
STATE OF THE NATION: The legislature should invite the president to deliver an address every year, the TPP said, adding that Lai should also have to answer legislators’ questions The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday proposed inviting president-elect William Lai (賴清德) to make a historic first state of the nation address at the legislature following his inauguration on May 20. Lai is expected to face many domestic and international challenges, and should clarify his intended policies with the public’s representatives, KMT caucus secretary-general Hung Meng-kai (洪孟楷) said when making the proposal at a meeting of the legislature’s Procedure Committee. The committee voted to add the item to the agenda for Friday, along with another similar proposal put forward by the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP). The invitation is in line with Article 15-2