More than 130,000 unused home electronic appliances, mainly old-style mobile phones, were collected in the past two years through a collection box placed at the Tokyo metropolitan government. The photo was taken at the building in Tokyo on Jan. 28. (Rei Kishitsu)

Seoul-Samsung Electronics, the world's biggest smartphone and memory chip maker, reported a slump in fourth-quarter net profits on Thursday, blaming a drop in demand for its key products. Net profits in the October-December period were 8.46 trillion won ($7.6 billion), it said, down 31 percent year-on-year.

Sony will shift its European headquarters from Britain to the Netherlands to avoid Brexit-related customs issues, but operations at its current UK company will remain unchanged, a company spokesman said Wednesday.