■AUTOMOBILES
US’ LaHood warns Toyota
US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood warned Japanese auto giant Toyota yesterday that the US government “will not sleep” until it is sure the carmaker has made improvements in safety. During a visit to Toyota’s headquarters, LaHood told a press conference that he and Toyota chief Akio Toyoda met for “tough, respectful and serious discussions” about Toyota’s commitment to safety. LaHood’s visit follows Toyoda’s trip to the US in February when he tearfully apologized for safety woes following a tense appearance at a congressional hearing into the problems. While Toyota has made “very encouraging steps,” LaHood warned that the US government “will watch very carefully for improvements in safety.”
■CONSUMER PRODUCTS
Unilever plan rejected
Three major Unilever NV PLC shareholders will vote against proposals to buy back 155 million euros (US$202 million) of preference shares, the Anglo-Dutch consumer products group said, a move that could thwart the plan. Unilever has proposed to cancel the 4 percent Unilever NV cumulative preference shares and to seek authorization to buy back its 6 percent and 7 percent Unilever NV cumulative preference shares at its annual shareholders meeting today to simplify its capital structure. Unilever said yesterday it would proceed with the intended buyback despite the opposition. The cancellation of the 4 percent Unilever NV preference shares will cost the group around 35 million euros. If all holders of the 6 percent and 7 percent Unilever NV preference shares tender their shares, it would cost a maximum of 120 million euros, Unilever said.
■ELECTRONICS
Sony posts operating profit
Sony Corp swung back to an operating profit of ¥32 billion (US$345 million) in the fiscal year ended in March, the company said yesterday as it revised a forecast it had announced in February. “Operating results are expected to exceed the February forecast due to improved segment performance of approximately 30 billion yen” in consumer products including LCD televisions, the company said in a statement. Sony attributed the stronger performance to “less severe than anticipated price declines, and reductions in both manufacturing cost and operating expenses that exceeded expectations,” the statement said.
■MINING
Anglo American sells unit
Global mining group Anglo American yesterday said it had agreed to sell its zinc assets to British rival Vedanta Resources for US$1.338 billion. “Of the total consideration, US$698 million relates to the Skorpion mine [Namibia], US$308 million relates to the Lisheen mine [Ireland] and US$332 million relates to ... Black Mountain Mining [South Africa],” Anglo American said in a statement.
■ECONOMY
Bank of France upbeat
France’s economy will grow by 0.5 percent in the second quarter of the year, the Bank of France predicted yesterday. The country suffered its worst recession since World War II last year, seeing its GDP shrink by 2.2 percent, but it has begun to recover. The state statistics agency INSEE has been cautious, predicting only 0.2 percent growth in the first quarter and 0.3 in the second. But the central bank said it thought the economy had already grown by 0.4 percent in the first quarter and that growth would accelerate in the second quarter.
Taiwanese actress Barbie Hsu (徐熙媛) has died of pneumonia at the age of 48 while on a trip to Japan, where she contracted influenza during the Lunar New Year holiday, her sister confirmed today through an agent. "Our whole family came to Japan for a trip, and my dearest and most kindhearted sister Barbie Hsu died of influenza-induced pneumonia and unfortunately left us," Hsu's sister and talk show hostess Dee Hsu (徐熙娣) said. "I was grateful to be her sister in this life and that we got to care for and spend time with each other. I will always be grateful to
REMINDER: Of the 6.78 million doses of flu vaccine Taiwan purchased for this flu season, about 200,000 are still available, an official said, following Big S’ death As news broke of the death of Taiwanese actress and singer Barbie Hsu (徐熙媛), also known as Big S (大S), from severe flu complications, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and doctors yesterday urged people at high risk to get vaccinated and be alert to signs of severe illness. Hsu’s family yesterday confirmed that the actress died on a family holiday in Japan due to pneumonia during the Lunar New Year holiday. CDC Deputy Director-General Tseng Shu-hui (曾淑慧) told an impromptu news conference that hospital visits for flu-like illnesses from Jan. 19 to Jan. 25 reached 162,352 — the highest
TAIWAN DEFENSE: The initiative would involve integrating various systems in a fast-paced manner through the use of common software to obstruct a Chinese invasion The first tranche of the US Navy’s “Replicator” initiative aimed at obstructing a Chinese invasion of Taiwan would be ready by August, a US Naval Institute (USNI) News report on Tuesday said. The initiative is part of a larger defense strategy for Taiwan, and would involve launching thousands of uncrewed submarines, surface vessels and aerial vehicles around Taiwan to buy the nation and its partners time to assemble a response. The plan was first made public by the Washington Post in June last year, when it cited comments by US Indo-Pacific Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue
COMBINING FORCES: The 66th Marine Brigade would support the 202nd Military Police Command in its defense of Taipei against ‘decapitation strikes,’ a source said The Marine Corps has deployed more than 100 soldiers and officers of the 66th Marine Brigade to Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) as part of an effort to bolster defenses around the capital, a source with knowledge of the matter said yesterday. Two weeks ago, a military source said that the Ministry of National Defense ordered the Marine Corps to increase soldier deployments in the Taipei area. The 66th Marine Brigade has been tasked with protecting key areas in Taipei, with the 202nd Military Police Command also continuing to defend the capital. That came after a 2017 decision by the ministry to station
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