■ IPR
IC tag expansion planned
Hitachi and Oracle plan to expand their IC tag business to help China fight against rampant counterfeiting, a company official said yesterday. IC tags are tiny microchips that contain special identification codes and other data, which can help track counterfeiting in anything from tickets to luxury goods. Hitachi Ltd and Oracle have introduced an IC tag in China which it hopes the country will use to embed tickets for the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai, a Hitachi official said. "At a New Year's event in Shanghai this year, we embedded our IC tags into tickets and successfully detected so many counterfeit tickets. We believe that made a big impression on the Chinese authorities," he said on condition. Shanghai officials expect the Expo to attract 70 million people.
■ ENTERTAINMENT
Sony cuts BDP player price
Sony Corp said yesterday it is including a small surprise with the new Blu-ray high-definition movie disc player it is shipping this week -- a price tag US$100 lower than previously announced. That means the new player costs half of what Sony's first Blu-ray player cost when it launched just six months ago -- probably one of the fastest price declines in the consumer electronics industry. When Sony announced the BDP-S300 player in February, it put the price at US$599, but it has now set a list price at US$499. The price cut is due to falling production costs and the growing demand for Blu-ray products, said Chris Fawcett, vice president of Sony Electronics' home products division.
■ AVIATION
A380 returns to Narita
The giant Airbus A380 superjumbo touched down in Japan for a second time yesterday on a three-nation tour of the Asia-Pacific region. The plane landed at Narita International Airport near Tokyo. The aircraft will leave Japan tomorrow for Sydney before heading to Taipei on Friday.
■ AUTOMOBILES
Porsche takeover bid fails
A mandatory takeover offer for Volkswagen by Porsche has failed as expected, Porsche announced yesterday. At the end of the offer period last Tuesday, only 0.06 percent of VW shareholders had taken up Porsche's offer, tendering just 172,218 ordinary shares and 68,262 preference shares, Porsche said. That brought Porsche's voting stake in VW to 30.97 percent and its overall share stake to 22.69 percent. Porsche had no intention of acquiring full control of VW and made an offer that was substantially lower than the car maker's market share price.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
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
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
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
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