Geographic Location
Japanese reactor said to stand on fault line
May 16, 2013 10:10 am | by HIROKO TABUCHI, Associated Press | News | CommentsSeismologists said Wednesday that a nuclear reactor in Tsuruga, in western Japan, stands above an active seismic fault, a finding that could lead to the first permanent shutdown of a reactor since the Fukushima crisis two years ago. Japan’s newly installed Nuclear Regulation Authority also said...
Japan watchdog to halt test reactor over safety
May 15, 2013 12:11 pm | by MARI YAMAGUCHI, Associated Press | News | CommentsJapan's nuclear watchdog announced Wednesday that the nation's trouble-plagued next-generation test reactor will not be allowed to restart due to safety violations, dealing a setback to the country's pro-nuclear government. The Nuclear Regulation Authority's decision is the latest blow to the Monju fast-breeder reactor and Japan's nuclear fuel cycle program.
EU: China may be dumping mobile network equipment
May 15, 2013 11:57 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsA senior EU official says China may be illegally dumping and subsidizing the import into Europe of mobile telephone networks and their essential elements. But Competition Commissioner Karel De Gucht says an official investigation, while approved by the European Commission, won't be launched now as officials seek an amicable resolution.
NKorea nuke arsenal seen as matter of when, not if
May 10, 2013 11:04 am | by FOSTER KLUG, Associated Press | News | CommentsAfter three nuclear tests of apparently increasing power and a long-range rocket launch that puts it a big step closer to having a missile that can carry a nuclear warhead to American shores, many believe that in a matter of years — as little as five, maybe, though the timeframe is a point of debate — Pyongyang will have a very scary nuclear arsenal.
Huawei founder gives first ever media interview
May 9, 2013 11:17 am | by NICK PERRY, Associated Press | News | CommentsDuring 26 years at the helm of Chinese tech giant Huawei, founder Ren Zhengfei has never once agreed to be interviewed by a journalist. Until Thursday. During a visit to the company's New Zealand operations, Ren sat down with four local journalists at a Wellington hotel. The rules were strict: no international media, no photos.
China denies renewed US cyberattack claims
May 7, 2013 11:23 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsChina's military on Tuesday denied renewed U.S. accusations that it sponsored cyberattacks and said the two sides should cooperate against the global threat of computer crime. The accusations in the latest Pentagon report on the Chinese military are "irresponsible and harmful to the mutual trust between the sides..."
Nintendo turns to smartphone apps for its consoles
May 6, 2013 11:13 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsNintendo Co. is trying to enable users of its game consoles to enjoy popular smartphone applications on their devices in a bid to boost sales and return to profitability on an operating basis in the current business year, company sources said Saturday.
Taiwan's MediaTek profit up 51 percent in 1Q
May 6, 2013 11:10 am | by ANNIE HUANG, Associated Press | News | CommentsMediaTek Inc., Asia's largest chipset designer, said Monday its first quarter profit grew 51 percent from a year earlier, boosted by China's flourishing smartphone market. The Taiwanese company's net profit totaled 3.7 billion New Taiwan dollars ($125 million) in the January-March period on revenue of NT$24 billion.
Pentagon clears use of Samsung's devices
May 6, 2013 10:41 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsSamsung Electronics Co. says the U.S. Department of Defense has approved using Samsung smartphones for its networks. The South Korean company said Friday the Galaxy S4 smartphone has become the first Android device to meet the security requirements set out by the U.S. government...
China emerging as new force in drone warfare
May 3, 2013 11:43 am | by CHRISTOPHER BODEEN, Associated Press | News | CommentsDetermined to kill or capture a murderous Mekong River drug lord, China's security forces considered a tactic they'd never tried before: calling a drone strike on his remote hideaway deep in the hills of Myanmar. New light has been cast on China's unmanned aerial vehicle program, which has been quietly percolating for years and now appears to be moving into overdrive.
Taiwan probes insider trading in chip takeover
May 3, 2013 11:22 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsProsecutors are probing alleged insider trading connected to a $3.8 billion takeover of a Taiwan chip design company. Prosecutor Huang Mou-hsin said late Thursday that just before MediaTek's board approved a deal to buy its main rival MStar Semiconductor last June, four officials from the two companies bought shares of MStar.
French industry minister denies country closed to foreign investment after vetoing Yahoo deal
May 2, 2013 9:31 am | by GREG KELLER Associated Press | News | CommentsThe French government has defended its veto over Yahoo Inc.'s attempted takeover of video sharing website Dailymotion, even as the move draws jeers for discouraging much needed foreign investment. Yahoo this week abandoned plans to take a 75 percent stake in Dailymotion, a deal sought by the managements of both companies, after the government blocked it.
China automaker to open electric bus plant in CA
May 1, 2013 10:42 am | by JOHN ROGERS, Associated Press | News | CommentsA Chinese company whose mantra is Build Your Dreams plans to build all-electric buses in California's Mojave Desert. Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris and officials of BYD Automotive scheduled a news conference Wednesday to announce plans to open the first Chinese-owned vehicle manufacturing plant in the United States.
B787 1st test flight in Japan since battery fire
April 29, 2013 10:29 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsJapan's All Nippon Airways has successfully conducted its first test flight of the Boeing 787 aircraft since battery problems grounded the planes earlier this year. Ray Conner, president of Boeing's consumer airline division, and ANA President Shinichiro Ito were aboard the flight Sunday.
TEPCO gears up to restart reactors by self-developing equipment
April 25, 2013 10:09 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsTokyo Electric Power Co. will equip its idled nuclear reactors with filtered venting systems developed on its own as part of its efforts to swiftly seek their restart, company sources said Thursday. Japanese utilities are trying to install the system because it will become one of the new safety requirements for reactors...
Group calls on China to improve Internet security
April 24, 2013 10:42 am | by JOE McDONALD, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsAn American business group appealed to China on Wednesday to improve online security and ease restrictions on Web use by companies, warning that deteriorating access speeds might discourage foreign investment. The American Chamber of Commerce suggested the Chinese government could speed up Internet access...
Yahoo's email service in China to close in August
April 23, 2013 10:16 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsYahoo's email service in China will close this summer as part of an arrangement worked out with its partner in that country, Alibaba Group. The service is scheduled to close Aug. 19. Yahoo is recommending users of its free email service in China transfer their accounts to another provider such as Aliyun, an email alternative offered by Alibaba.
Survey shows China manufacturing weakening
April 23, 2013 9:53 am | by JOE McDONALD, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsChina's manufacturing growth decelerated this month, a survey showed Monday, adding to questions about the strength of the recovery in the world's second largest economy. HSBC said Tuesday the preliminary version of its monthly purchasing managers index declined to 50.5 from March's 51.6 on a 100-point scale...
Portable ATMs, phone-charging in China quake zone
April 22, 2013 10:46 am | by GILLIAN WONG, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe tent village that sprang up in two days to house quake survivors in mountain-flanked Lushan is no ordinary refugee camp. China's full range of disaster response is on display: Trucks with x-ray equipment, phone-charging stations, bank tellers-on-wheels — even a tent for insurance claims.
IAEA: Japan nuke cleanup may take more than 40 yrs
April 22, 2013 10:28 am | by MARI YAMAGUCHI, Associated Press | News | CommentsA U.N. nuclear watchdog team said Japan may need longer than the projected 40 years to decommission its tsunami-crippled nuclear plant and urged its operator to improve plant stability. The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency team said that damage at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant is so complex that it is "impossible" to predict...
STMicroelectronics powers advanced generation of smart IPTV
April 22, 2013 10:24 am | by STMicroelectronics | News | CommentsSTMicroelectronics, a global semiconductor leader serving customers across the spectrum of electronics applications and a top supplier of set-top box ICs, has revealed that its Orly system-on-chip is powering a new generation of advanced set-top boxes from NTT Plala, a leading Internet / IPTV service provider in Japan.
South Koreans hope to return to Kaesong factories
April 19, 2013 11:39 am | by YOUKYUNG LEE, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsThe South Korean entrepreneurs who invested up to 10 years and millions of dollars in the Kaesong industrial complex, a symbol of economic collaboration between the Koreas that is now shuttered by the North, have little more than hope to cling to as assembly lines sit idle day after day.
Utility to finish upgrading safety of 2 online reactors
April 18, 2013 12:27 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsKansai Electric Power Co. said in a report submitted to regulators Thursday it will finish necessary preparations by the end of June to make its two reactors meet new safety requirements coming into force the following month. If the Nuclear Regulation Authority acknowledges that the No. 3 and 4 reactors at the Oi plant have no serious safety problems...
Nuclear plant halt to increase Japan's fuel costs
April 17, 2013 11:54 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsThe Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has estimated that Japan's nuclear plant suspension may boost power generation fuel costs at nine utilities in fiscal 2013 by 3.8 trillion yen, ministry officials said. The extra fuel costs for non-nuclear thermal power generation replacing nuclear power output in the year to March 2014 are higher than the 3.1 trillion yen...
Operator of LCD plant in Osaka falls into the red
April 16, 2013 10:28 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsThe operator of a liquid crystal display plant in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, that is jointly managed by struggling Japanese electronics maker Sharp Corp. and Taiwanese business partner Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., reported Monday a 7.4 billion yen net loss for the April-December period.
