■ 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."
BACK IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD: The planned transit by the ‘Baden-Wuerttemberg’ and the ‘Frankfurt am Main’ would be the German Navy’s first passage since 2002 Two German warships are set to pass through the Taiwan Strait in the middle of this month, becoming the first German naval vessels to do so in 22 years, Der Spiegel reported on Saturday. Reuters last month reported that the warships, the frigate Baden-Wuerttemberg and the replenishment ship Frankfurt am Main, were awaiting orders from Berlin to sail the Strait, prompting a rebuke to Germany from Beijing. Der Spiegel cited unspecified sources as saying Beijing would not be formally notified of the German ships’ passage to emphasize that Berlin views the trip as normal. The German Federal Ministry of Defense declined to comment. While
‘REGRETTABLE’: TPP lawmaker Vivian Huang said that ‘we will continue to support Chairman Ko and defend his innocence’ as he was transferred to a detention facility The Taipei District Court yesterday ruled that Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) be detained and held incommunicado over alleged corruption dating to his time as mayor of Taipei. The ruling reversed a decision by the court on Monday morning that Ko be released without bail. After prosecutors on Wednesday appealed the Monday decision, the High Court said that Ko had potentially been “actively involved” in the alleged corruption and ordered the district court to hold a second detention hearing. Ko did not speak to reporters upon his arrival at the district court at about 9:10am yesterday to attend a procedural
The High Court yesterday overturned a Taipei District Court decision to release Taiwan People’s Party Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) and sent the case back to the lower court. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office on Saturday questioned Ko amid a probe into alleged corruption involving the Core Pacific City development project during his time as Taipei mayor. Core Pacific City, also known as Living Mall (京華城購物中心), was a shopping mall in Taipei’s Songshan District (松山) that has since been demolished. On Monday, the Taipei District Court granted a second motion by Ko’s attorney to release him without bail, a decision the prosecutors’ office appealed
The Executive Yuan yesterday warned against traveling to or doing business in China after reports that Beijing is recruiting Taiwanese to help conceal the use of forced Uighur labor. The government is aware that Taiwan-based influencers and businesses are being asked to make pro-Beijing content and offered incentives to invest in the region, Executive Yuan acting spokeswoman Julia Hsieh (謝子涵) told a news conference. Taiwanese are urged to be aware of the potential personal and reputational harm by visiting or operating businesses in China, Hsieh said, adding that agencies are fully apprised of the situation. A national security official said that former Mainland
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