■Labor
HK workers fear for jobs
Nearly one out of four workers in Hong Kong believe they could lose their job in the coming year, a survey by a US-based employment and management consulting firm showed yesterday. A global career confidence index survey conducted by Right Management Consultants showed pessimism was higher in Britain and the US, where 27.5 percent and 26.6 percent of workers respectively thought they could lose their jobs in the next year, compared with 24 percent in Hong Kong. "People in Hong Kong are feeling very concerned about the future, especially with the start of the war with Iraq," said Stephen Lazar, managing principal for Right Management Consultants said. "Our survey, which covered more than 600 people in Hong Kong, took place in February, when the uncertainty about the looming war and the Hong Kong economy were on everyone's mind," he said.
■ Communications
Investors seek clear rules
At the Xin Da Xin Department Store in Guangzhou, devices that forward mobile-phone calls to land lines are a top seller -- even though cell-phone operators call them illegal. "People love them," said a saleswoman who gave her last name as Yu, pointing to a stack of "Go-To-Phone" machines that sell for 68 yuan (US$8) each. "Often they grab three at a time." The scene underlines new Chinese Telecommunications Minister Wang Xudong's first task: Evenly applied rules for the world's biggest phone market by users. Investors say new regulations would help boost shares of China Mobile (HK) Ltd and rivals, which have slumped on concern China favors some companies over others.
■ Airlines
Carriers to cut capacity
British Airways Plc, Europe's biggest airline, will reduce seating and cargo capacity by 4 percent next month and in May as well as accelerate job cuts because the war in Iraq is lowering demand for air travel. The airline said it will review all capital expenditures and seek other measures to preserve cash. It will move its goal of eliminating a total of 13,000 jobs to September from March 2004. British Airways shares fell as much as 4.1 percent. "They are taking appropriate action in order to stem losses and conserve cash," said BNP Paribas analyst Nick van den Brul. "It shows positive management." Deutsche Lufthansa AG, Europe's No. 3 airline, said yesterday it will reduce its long-haul fleet by seven aircraft and reduce the number of flights linking Frankfurt with New York, Boston, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Dallas as of Sunday.
■ Lawsuits
Businessman sues over belt
A Chinese businessman who lost a big-money deal when his trousers fell down twice in a crucial meeting is suing a shop for selling him a faulty belt, a news report said yesterday. The businessman from Zhengzhou, Henan, says he blew a one million yuan (US$120,000) deal to represent a Canadian firm in China because of a faulty belt he bought just before the meeting. He was on the verge of clinching the contract when his trousers fell down twice and the "disgusted" Canadian representatives pulled out, the South China Morning Post reported. The businessman is now suing a local department store who sold him the leather belt for 600 yuan (US$72).
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
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