Ricoh develops new solar cell that boasts 20% higher output
TOKYO -- Ricoh has developed a new solar cell that has a 20% higher maximum power output than its current product and can generate electricity from room lights or less.
As the cell can operate at subfreezing temperatures, it can be used in refrigerator sensors and for a variety of other purposes. Ricoh plans to start selling the product in late May, targeting plants and distribution warehouses, among other customers.
The company plugged into the solar cell business using its vaunted multifunction printer technology in 2020 and is
Taiwan raises COVID restrictions after surge in cases
TAIPEI -- Taiwan imposed stricter movement restrictions around its capital on Saturday after a surge in COVID-19 cases on an island that had been seen globally as a model for its handling of the pandemic.
The number of local cases soared to 180 from 29 on Friday, prompting the government to raise its warning level to three on a scale of four in Taipei City and New Taipei City -- the economic hub of the island.
"We contained the coronavirus in the past one year, but now
Startup helps ethnic Chinese connect with ancestors
JAKARTA -- For most of his life Raymond Douglas Chong knew nothing about his Chinese family tree going back more than 150 generations and 4,000 years.
Chong, an American in his 60s, was focused on looking "outward on pursuing the American dream" rather than dwelling on his roots in China. His father, who migrated from China's Guangdong Province in 1932 and went to the U.S., kept the family background a secret.
But Chong gradually
China lands rover on Mars, marking step in Xi's 'space dream'
SHANGHAI -- China successfully landed a rover on the planet Mars Saturday, becoming the second country to do so after the U.S. and moving a step closer to bringing President Xi Jinping's "space dream" of self-reliance and independent innovation into reality.
The semi-autonomous six-wheeled vehicle named Zhurong, after a god of fire in Chinese mythology, touched down on the southern region of Utopia Planitia -- the largest recognized plain on the red planet -- on Saturday morning, according to
From BTS to Adidas, Samsung taps elite brands to stand out
SEOUL -- Samsung Electronics has enlisted some of pop culture's biggest names from the worlds of music, fashion and sports in a bid to gain the attention of consumers in a smartphone industry where it is becoming harder and harder to stand out.
Last month, Samsung released Adidas-branded wireless Galaxy Buds earbuds, targeting design-focused young consumers. The 6,000 limited-edition pairs have already sold out in South Korea.
With smartphones and accessories showing symptoms of the commodification that has plagued TVs and
Xiao Meili asked a man to stop smoking. China's right wing went berserk.
PALO ALTO, U.S. -- It began as a night out with friends, and a polite request to stop smoking. It ended with death threats, lawsuits, and a life upended by China's social media rage machine.
On March 29, feminist and online retailer Xiao Meili took some friends visiting from out of town to a popular Chengdu restaurant known for "hot pot," the spicy soup in which diners cook a variety of meat and vegetables.
As the group sat down to enjoy their
Kazakh ban on foreign farmland sales fails to quell China distrust
ALMATY, Kazakhstan -- Kazakhstan has passed a law that prohibits the sale and leasing of agricultural land to foreigners and foreign companies, under pressure from opposition groups to do so.
The law, approved on Thursday, is a stricter amended version that dropped a proposal to allow foreign leasing of forests for up to 25 years -- an exception that had irked critics.
The government is hoping the legislation draws a line under an issue that has been a thorn in authorities' side for years: fears of foreign powers,
Foxconn expects meaningful EV profits from 2023 on US production deal
TAIPEI -- Foxconn, the iPhone assembler now making a big push into building electric vehicles, will not see a significant contribution to revenue and profits from the emerging business until at least 2023, its chairman said on Friday.
The comments from Foxconn Chairman Young Liu came after the Taiwanese company finalized a contract with Fisker to build its first car in the U.S. by 2023. The companies are still mulling four locations including Foxconn's manufacturing complex in Wisconsin.
"Other than the
China internet sector crackdown turns to ride hailing
HONG KONG -- Didi Chuxing and nine of its smaller ride-hailing rivals were summoned by top Chinese regulators on Friday over complaints about their business practices.
The sector is the latest part of China's online platform economy to be targeted by regulators amid an antimonopoly crackdown that pushed Alibaba Group Holding this week into its first quarterly loss as a public company and has silenced founder Jack Ma.
Online financial services companies, tutorial providers, food delivery services and online retailers have all come under scrutiny in recent weeks, with many
Ho Chi Minh City demands more autonomy to accelerate vaccinations
HANOI -- Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam's commercial hub, is seeking more autonomy to accelerate its own vaccination drive as it comes under pressure from the central government's dual goals of growing the economy and containing the virus.
"Ho Chi Minh City must take the lead in pursuing the dual goal and not let a COVID-19 epidemic happen in the city," Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh told the city's authorities on Thursday.
Chinh, who came to power in April after the Communist