■ Nissan
Japan to honor Ghosn
Nissan Motor Co chief executive Carlos Ghosn, who won praise from analysts and shareholders for turning around Japan's third-largest automaker, will be decorated by the Japanese government for his achievements, the Cabinet Office announced yesterday. The Brazilian-born executive from Nissan's French partner Renault SA was the only foreigner on a list of 869 people who will receive medals today in an twice-a-year ceremony recognizing outstanding achievers who have made contributions to society. Ghosn, 50, will receive Japan's Medal with Blue Ribbon. "The turnaround of Nissan didn't start from scratch," he said in a statement. "We brought out the strengths of the workers on the job, which is the key to success."
■ Technology
Shell to cut 2,800 jobs
Royal Dutch/Shell Group of Cos said Tuesday that it would cut as many as 2,800 jobs in its technology division by the end of 2006. Shell, the world's third-largest public oil company in terms of market capitalization, said it expects the cuts to save it US$850 million. It plans to achieve them, in part, by outsourcing operations to India and Malaysia. The group said it intends to cut between 1,900 and 2,800 jobs from the 9,300-strong work force in technology over the next few years -- cuts that will affect people working for Shell and for its contractors. A company spokeswoman said the cuts had been under consideration for 18 months to two years and were unconnected to Royal Dutch/Shell's problems over the more than 20 percent overstatement of its proven oil and gas reserves.
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique