■ Cellphones
Samsung gains on Nokia
Nokia Oyj, the world's largest mobile-phone maker, lost market share to Samsung Electronics Co in the first quarter, while shipments by Germany's Siemens AG were smaller than at Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications Ltd. Nokia's first-quarter shipments fell 19 percent from the previous quarter to 53.8 million units, while South Korea's Samsung, the third-largest vendor, increased sales volume 16 percent to 24.5 million, according to a Bloomberg tally of the top six vendors' preliminary results. Shipments by Motorola Inc, the No. 2, fell 10 percent to 28.7 million units. Munich-based Siemens slipped 31 percent to 9.3 million units shipped, dipping below the 9.4 million sold by London-based Sony Ericsson, which now ranks fifth, according to the tally. LG Electronics Inc of South Korea had shipments fall 20 percent to 11.1 million units, retaining its No. 4 ranking for a second consecutive quarter.
■ Piracy
China to tackle Web sites
China will soon enact new regulations aimed at curbing online piracy of copyrighted material that will hold Web sites responsible for stolen material, state media reported yesterday. The "Administrative Measures on Internet Copyright Protection" are due by the end of April, the official Xinhua News Agency quoted Yan Xiaohong, deputy director of the National Copyright Administration, as saying. "The Web sites providing pirated information should bear major responsibility, and the ISPs who are passively spreading the information will be exempted from punishment," Yan was quoted as telling a conference on Tuesday in Beijing.
■ Oil industry
Yukos boss' verdict delayed
The verdict in the trial of former Yukos boss Mikhail Khodorkovsky, which was expected yesterday, has been postponed to May 16, said a statement pinned on the court's gate quoted by the Interfax news agency. Khodorkovsky and his associate Platon Lebedev have been charged with embezzlement and tax evasion and have been on trial since last July. The statement did not say why the verdict had been postponed, Interfax reported. The trial concluded on April 11 with Khodorkovsky defiantly rejecting charges of fraud and embezzlement as a politically-motivated farce. Some observers say the Kremlin initiated the case to punish Khodorkovsky for financing opposition parties ahead of parliamentary elections in 2003 and for openly challenging President Vladimir Putin's policies, including the state's monopoly over oil pipelines.
■ Textiles
EU edgy over China imports
EU imports of 11 categories of Chinese textiles are close to an "alert level" that could trigger possible curbs, in addition to the nine already in this zone, the European Commission said on yesterday. "There are 11 other categories approaching the alert level," spokeswoman Claude Veron-Reville said. The EU's trade chief has already recommended the opening of a probe into 9 categories of Chinese textile and clothing products, which have leapt in some cases by over 500 percent since the end of a global quota system on Jan. 1. The investigation, expected to open tomorrow, could lead to EU restrictions on Chinese shipments within 150 days.
DEFENDING DEMOCRACY: Taiwan shares the same values as those that fought in WWII, and nations must unite to halt the expansion of a new authoritarian bloc, Lai said The government yesterday held a commemoration ceremony for Victory in Europe (V-E) Day, joining the rest of the world for the first time to mark the anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. Taiwan honoring V-E Day signifies “our growing connections with the international community,” President William Lai (賴清德) said at a reception in Taipei on the 80th anniversary of V-E Day. One of the major lessons of World War II is that “authoritarianism and aggression lead only to slaughter, tragedy and greater inequality,” Lai said. Even more importantly, the war also taught people that “those who cherish peace cannot
Taiwanese Olympic badminton men’s doubles gold medalist Wang Chi-lin (王齊麟) and his new partner, Chiu Hsiang-chieh (邱相榤), clinched the men’s doubles title at the Yonex Taipei Open yesterday, becoming the second Taiwanese team to win a title in the tournament. Ranked 19th in the world, the Taiwanese duo defeated Kang Min-hyuk and Ki Dong-ju of South Korea 21-18, 21-15 in a pulsating 43-minute final to clinch their first doubles title after teaming up last year. Wang, the men’s doubles gold medalist at the 2020 and 2024 Olympics, partnered with Chiu in August last year after the retirement of his teammate Lee Yang
The Philippines yesterday criticized a “high-risk” maneuver by a Chinese vessel near the disputed Scarborough Shoal (Huangyan Island, 黃岩島) in a rare incident involving warships from the two navies. The Scarborough Shoal — a triangular chain of reefs and rocks in the contested South China Sea — has been a flash point between the countries since China seized it from the Philippines in 2012. Taiwan also claims the shoal. Monday’s encounter took place approximately 11.8 nautical miles (22km) southeast” of the Scarborough Shoal, the Philippine military said, during ongoing US-Philippine military exercises that Beijing has criticized as destabilizing. “The Chinese frigate BN 554 was
US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer began talks with high-ranking Chinese officials in Switzerland yesterday aiming to de-escalate a dispute that threatens to cut off trade between the world’s two biggest economies and damage the global economy. The US delegation has begun meetings in Geneva with a Chinese delegation led by Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng (何立峰), Xinhua News Agency said. Diplomats from both sides also confirmed that the talks have begun, but spoke anonymously and the exact location of the talks was not made public. Prospects for a major breakthrough appear dim, but there is
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