■ 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.
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
REGIONAL STABILITY: Taipei thanked the Biden administration for authorizing its 16th sale of military goods and services to uphold Taiwan’s defense and safety The US Department of State has approved the sale of US$228 million of military goods and services to Taiwan, the US Department of Defense said on Monday. The state department “made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale” to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US for “return, repair and reshipment of spare parts and related equipment,” the defense department’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a news release. Taiwan had requested the purchase of items and services which include the “return, repair and reshipment of classified and unclassified spare parts for aircraft and related equipment; US Government
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