■ Stock markets
IBM to exit Tokyo exchange
IBM Corp, the world's biggest computer company, said it will voluntarily withdraw from the Tokyo Stock Exchange, citing cost considerations. IBM, based in Armonk, New York, is reconsidering its listings on stock exchanges worldwide, the company said in a release distributed to the Tokyo exchange. The company last year withdrew from the Frankfurt, Swiss and Vienna stock exchanges.
■ Electronics
Fast battery announced
Leading Japanese electronics maker Toshiba said yesterday it has developed a light and thin prototype battery that recharges 80 percent of capacity in just a minute. The development "makes long recharge times a thing of the past," the company said in a statement, noting one minute is roughly 60 times faster than typical lithium-ion batteries. The new battery measures 62mm by 35mm and is 3.8mm thick. It also has a long life, losing only 1 percent of capacity after 1,000 cycles of discharging and recharging and can operate at temperatures as low as minus 40 degrees Celsius, it said. Toshiba will put the new battery to commercial products next year.
■ Marketing
McDonald's lures rap artists
Rap artists are accustomed to name-checking prestige car, clothing and jewelry brands in their lyrics. But if McDonald's has its way Snoop Dogg, Jay-Z and 50 Cent may soon be giving it up for the humble beef burger. The fast-food giant is reported to be launching a campaign that will offer financial incentives to rap artists who mention its Big Mac burger in their lyrics. McDonald's will not pay an upfront fee, but intends to pay the artist between US$1 and US$5 each time a track is played on the radio. The company hopes to have several such songs on the airwaves by the summer.
■ Textiles
China's exports skyrocket
Chinese clothing exports into the US and Europe soared last month, the second month after the end of international quotas, a situation that might fuel efforts by trade groups to request limits, the Wall Street Journal said, citing numbers from China's General Administration of Customs. That month, apparel exported to the US rose 147 percent over the same month a year ago, to US$650 million, according to the newspaper. In Europe, textile exports rose to US$783 million, a 188 percent increase, the Journal said. Countries that also produce garments say that their businesses can't compete with Chinese wages, the newspaper reported. In Madagascar, about 5,000 industry jobs have been lost so far this year, the Journal said.
■ Entertainment
Case won't affect offerings
The music and film industries will continue to offer digital copies of songs and movies online for a price even if they lose a landmark Supreme Court case focusing on consumers who steal copyrighted material over the Internet, those industries' chief lobbyists said on Monday. "Consumers want a legal, hassle-free, reasonable-cost way to get their products online," said Dan Glickman, head of the Motion Picture Association of America. "There's no question you'll see a lot more opportunity for people in their homes to enjoy music and movies and other creative material."
NO HUMAN ERROR: After the incident, the Coast Guard Administration said it would obtain uncrewed aerial vehicles and vessels to boost its detection capacity Authorities would improve border control to prevent unlawful entry into Taiwan’s waters and safeguard national security, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday after a Chinese man reached the nation’s coast on an inflatable boat, saying he “defected to freedom.” The man was found on a rubber boat when he was about to set foot on Taiwan at the estuary of Houkeng River (後坑溪) near Taiping Borough (太平) in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口), authorities said. The Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) northern branch said it received a report at 6:30am yesterday morning from the New Taipei City Fire Department about a
IN BEIJING’S FAVOR: A China Coast Guard spokesperson said that the Chinese maritime police would continue to carry out law enforcement activities in waters it claims The Philippines withdrew its coast guard vessel from a South China Sea shoal that has recently been at the center of tensions with Beijing. BRP Teresa Magbanua “was compelled to return to port” from Sabina Shoal (Xianbin Shoal, 仙濱暗沙) due to bad weather, depleted supplies and the need to evacuate personnel requiring medical care, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Jay Tarriela said yesterday in a post on X. The Philippine vessel “will be in tiptop shape to resume her mission” after it has been resupplied and repaired, Philippine Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, who heads the nation’s maritime council, said
CHINA POLICY: At the seventh US-EU Dialogue on China, the two sides issued strong support for Taiwan and condemned China’s actions in the South China Sea The US and EU issued a joint statement on Wednesday supporting Taiwan’s international participation, notably omitting the “one China” policy in a departure from previous similar statements, following high-level talks on China and the Indo-Pacific region. The statement also urged China to show restraint in the Taiwan Strait. US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and European External Action Service Secretary-General Stefano Sannino cochaired the seventh US-EU Dialogue on China and the sixth US-EU Indo-Pacific Consultations from Monday to Tuesday. Since the Indo-Pacific consultations were launched in 2021, references to the “one China” policy have appeared in every statement apart from the
More than 500 people on Saturday marched in New York in support of Taiwan’s entry to the UN, significantly more people than previous years. The march, coinciding with the ongoing 79th session of the UN General Assembly, comes close on the heels of growing international discourse regarding the meaning of UN Resolution 2758. Resolution 2758, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1971, recognizes the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the “only lawful representative of China.” It resulted in the Republic of China (ROC) losing its seat at the UN to the PRC. Taiwan has since been excluded from