■ Retailing
Fujiya factory probed
Health authorities investigated a Fujiya cake factory yesterday suspected of using old milk in cream puffs and other confections as public outrage grew about sloppy sanitation standards at the popular Japanese confectioner. Earlier this week, Fujiya Co president Rintaro Fujii announced his resignation after acknowledging that a company probe had found old ingredients, including milk, cream, eggs, blueberry jam and apple filling, had been repeatedly used in products. But in the latest twist, Fujiya said yesterday that it had not gone public with a 1995 food poisoning case that sickened nine people who ate custard-filled cakes tainted with bacteria, company spokesman Fumio Shimada said.
■ Jobs
Career advancement survey
Employees who frequently work from home may be hurting their chances to advance their careers, a survey by Korn/Ferry International reported on Tuesday. So-called "telecommuters" are less likely to advance than peers who work in traditional office settings, 61 percent of the 1,300 global executives surveyed said. This was despite the belief by three-quarters of executives that telecommuters are as productive as their desk-bound colleagues, the survey found. Workers climbing the corporate ladder need "face time," said Robert McNabb, chief executive of Korn/Ferry's Futurestep division.
■ Automobiles
Call for alternative fuels
General Motors Corp chief executive Rick Wagoner called on the US government to promote development of alternative fuels such as ethanol, hydrogen fuel cells and advanced battery technology by using tax credits or fuel subsidies. His comments -- made while oil prices are at a 19-month low -- came at an auto industry conference on Tuesday. Wagoner was happy the price of oil has dropped below US$52 a barrel but did not think it will last. "We run the risk of reverting back to our traditional energy policy," he told the Automotive News World Congress.
■ Entertainment
EMI, Baidu form partnership
EMI Group of Britain, the world's third-largest music group, and China's Baidu.com Inc (百度) said on Tuesday they had formed a strategic partnership to launch an advertising-supported online music streaming service in China. The two companies in a joint statement also agreed to explore advertising-supported music download services. Under the deal, the Chinese repertoire from EMI's Typhoon Music will be made available for streaming, free of charge, to all users of Baidu. Baidu will also create an "EMI Music Zone" that will legally stream all of EMI's Chinese artists.
■ Advertising
Watchdog berates Colgate
Colgate-Palmolive must stop claiming that more than 80 percent of dentists recommend its toothpaste, Britain's advertising watchdog ruled yesterday. The claim had appeared in poster adverts for Colgate Total Advanced Fresh toothpaste, prompting two complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). The ASA said four of the Colgate-Palmolive (UK) Ltd brands were licensed medicinal products for which endorsement by health professionals was prohibited. Colgate said it had commissioned a research agency to survey dentists and hygienists on a wide range of subjects each year.
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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