■ Communications
Ericsson may cut prices
Ericsson AB, the world's largest maker of wireless networks, may use rising earnings to reduce prices, in a bid to gain market share from Chinese competitors including Huawei Technologies Co and ZTE Corp, Dagens Industri reported, without saying where it obtained the information. Ericsson hasn't yet felt the full effects of a cost-cutting program, which involved more than halving its workforce to about 47,000 people, the paper said. At the same time, the Stockholm-based company's customers have resumed spending as they prepare to introduce high-speed wireless networks after three years of slashing investments.
■ Technology
New glass prolongs LCD life
The liquid crystal displays (LCDs) that make their way into so many computer screens and televisions today are likely to get a boost in their life expectancy, thanks to technological advancements from Mainz-based glassmaker Schott Glassworks (http://www.schott.com). The company recently unveiled two new types of glass with special UV blocking properties. The result is said to be plastic components that protect LCD displays years longer than they currently do. Best of all, the new technology should not make LCD displays any more expensive than they currently are, according to Schott. Up to now, UV rays from backlighting which damage plastic materials on the inside of the screens have been a factor in shortening the lifespan of LCD displays.
■ Electronics
Sony aims to triple sales
Sony Corp, the world's second-biggest consumer electronics maker, aims to triple computer sales to companies in two years to counter sluggish sales from individuals, Nikkei English News said. Sony plans to boost Vaio computer sales to companies to 50 billion yen (US$455 million) from 15 billion yen, Nikkei said, citing the company. It aims to increase annual personal computer sales to corporate clients by 56 percent to 5 million units. Sony's home electronics sales remain sluggish on increased competition from rivals such as Matsushita Electric Industrial Co and Apple Computer Inc. Tokyo-based Sony, which relies on electronics for more than two-thirds of its revenue, reported net income declines in five of the past six years. The company aims to secure more than 10 percent of the market for personal computers for companies and individuals, the paper said.
■ Aviation
Alitalia, unions in accord
Alitalia SpA, Italy's largest airline, reached an agreement with its flight attendants' unions to cut 900 jobs, clearing the way for the company to get a government bailout that will keep it in business for another six months. The deal with the flight attendants brings the total planned job cuts to 3,689, the company said in an e-mailed statement. The flight attendants' group was the last of the nine major unions Chief Executive Giancarlo Cimoli needed to settle with for the board to approve the Rome-based company's business plan today, thus qualifying the airline for a 400 million-euro (US$488 million) loan guaranteed by the government. Cimoli, 64, had sought to trim 5,000 of the Alitalia's 19,000 full-time and 1,700 seasonal posts. The job actions are part of his plan to save 1 billion euros in four years and post an operating profit in 2006, the airline's first since 1998.
Beijing’s continued provocations in the Taiwan Strait reveal its intention to unilaterally change the “status quo” in the area, the US Department of State said on Saturday, calling for a peaceful resolution to cross-strait issues. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) reported that four China Coast Guard patrol vessels entered restricted and prohibited waters near Kinmen County on Friday and again on Saturday. A State Department spokesperson said that Washington was aware of the incidents, and urged all parties to exercise restraint and refrain from unilaterally changing the “status quo.” “Maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is in line with our [the
EXTENDED RANGE: Hsiung Sheng missiles, 100 of which might be deployed by the end of the year, could reach Chinese command posts and airport runways, a source said A NT$16.9 billion (US$534.93 million) project to upgrade the military’s missile defense systems would be completed this year, allowing the deployment of at least 100 long-range Hsiung Sheng missiles and providing more deterrence against China, military sources said on Saturday. Hsiung Sheng missiles are an extended-range version of the Hsiung Feng IIE (HF-2E) surface-to-surface cruise missile, and are believed to have a range of up to 1,200km, which would allow them to hit targets well inside China. They went into mass production in 2022, the sources said. The project is part of a special budget for the Ministry of National Defense aimed at
READY TO WORK: Taiwan is eager to cooperate and is hopeful that like-minded states will continue to advocate for its inclusion in regional organizations, Lai said Maintaining the “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait, and peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region must be a top priority, president-elect William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday after meeting with a delegation of US academics. Leaders of the G7, US President Joe Biden and other international heads of state have voiced concerns about the situation in the Strait, as stability in the region is necessary for a safe, peaceful and prosperous world, Lai said. The vice president, who is to be inaugurated in May, welcomed the delegation and thanked them for their support for Taiwan and issues concerning the Strait. The international community
COOPERATION: Two crewmembers from a Chinese fishing boat that sank off Kinmen were rescued, two were found dead and another two were still missing at press time The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) was yesterday working with Chinese rescuers to find two missing crewmembers from a Chinese fishing boat that sank southwest of Kinmen County yesterday, killing two crew. The joint operation managed to rescue two of the boat’s six crewmembers, but two were already dead when they were pulled from the water, the agency said in a statement. Rescuers are still searching for two others from the Min Long Yu 61222, a boat registered in China’s Fujian Province that capsized and sank 1.03 nautical miles (1.9km) southwest of Dongding Island (東碇), it added. CGA Director-General Chou Mei-wu (周美伍) told a