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World News Quick Take

■ COMPUTER
Dell, Wal-Mart team up
Dell, the world's No. 2 computer maker, said on Thursday it was teaming up with retail giant Wal-Mart stores in North America to sell PCs in a shift from its previous system of Web-only sales. Dell computers will go on sale from June 30 in 3,500 Wal-Mart big-box stores in the US and Canada, Dell spokesman Bob Pearson said. "Our customers are asking us for additional ways to purchase our products," Pearson said. "In the coming quarters there will be additional activity in support of this move into global retail," he said.

■ FRUIT
SARS rumor hits PRC sales
The price of bananas from one of China's top producing regions has tumbled amid a rumor linking the fruit to SARS in the latest food safety scare to hit China, state media reported. Hainan island, which grows one-sixth of China's bananas, is losing 20 million yuan (US$2.6 million) a day because of rumors that the fruit contained a SARS-like virus, Xinhua news agency said late on Thursday. China's health ministry on Thursday dismissed the claims as baseless. Police were investigating who was behind the misinformation, Xinhua said.

■ CURRENCY
US watching yuan
US President George W. Bush said on Thursday Washington was "watching closely" whether Beijing would allow the appreciation of the yuan to help address the burgeoning US trade deficit with the Asian giant. Bush expressed US concerns about the movement of the yuan during talks with Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi (吳儀) and several other Cabinet ministers at the White House. "One of the issues that I emphasized to Madame Wu Yi as well as the delegation was that we're watching carefully as to whether or not they will appreciate their currency," Bush told reporters after the talks.

■ TELEVISION
South Korea going digital
South Korea will discontinue analog television broadcasting by the end of 2012 at the latest and will allow only digital services thereafter, the finance ministry said yesterday. The transition will cost 2.35 trillion won (US$2.5 billion), of which TV stations will need to invest 2.24 trillion won, the ministry said in a statement. "High-definition digital TVs offer better viewing quality and interactive services," it said. The digital transition will also help create 980,000 jobs and add US$38.7 billion to the country's exports, the ministry said. The ministry will submit legislation outlining the transition in July.

■ BANKING
Consortium mulls Amro bid
A consortium of banks led by Royal Bank of Scotland PLC will decide by Tuesday whether or not it will bid for the Netherlands' ABN Amro, it said in a statement yesterday. The RBS-led banks had previously said they would decide by tomorrow whether they would push ahead with a hostile bid to beat Barlcays PLC's friendly all-share offer worth around US$83.3 billion. In a short statement, the consortium banks said they were pushing back the date because Monday is a holiday in Britain, Belgium and the Netherlands. They said they would "make an announcement...clarifying whether or not, and if so under what circumstances" they will bid for ABN Amro Holdings.

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