■ SHOES
Reebok sues Nike
Reebok has sued Nike, alleging its rival infringed on a patent covering "collapsible shoe" technology that allows sneakers to be folded so they can more easily be packed for travel or shipping. Reebok International Ltd, which was acquired in January last year by Germany-based Adidas AG, alleged on Tuesday that 11 Nike shoe models infringe on a US patent Reebok obtained for flexible sole technology. The models are marketed under the product names "Free," "Free Zen & Now," "Free Trainer," and "Free Trail," Reebok said.
■ AVIATION
Boeing 787 in demand
Boeing has sold more than 500 of its new fuel-efficient 787 passenger jets, and the intense demand continues to push a likely speedup of production rates, the firm said on Tuesday. "We've clearly captivated the world's airlines with this airplane," 787 program chief Mike Bair told hundreds of workers at Boeing's widebody jet assembly plant. Chicago-based Boeing has been studying ways to increase its production rate for the 787, which is set to make its first flight around late August and enter commercial service next year. The manufacturer hopes to make a production-rate decision this summer.
■ PRODUCT SAFETY
Toxic towels confiscated
Officials in northern China have closed nine factories and seized about 1 million towels dyed using toxic chemicals, local media said yesterday. Authorities in Hebei Province confiscated 40 tonnes of industrial dye following television reports last month on what it said was a widespread problem, the Beijing News said. The towels contained cancer-causing compounds such as Benzidine, state television said at the time. It did not say whether anyone had suffered health problems from using the towels. China has reported a series of product safety scandals in recent years.
■ STOCKS
NASDAQ plans China index
NASDAQ is hoping to attract more Chinese companies, state media in China reported yesterday, as the US stock market operator said it planned a new index for companies from the Asian giant. Robert Greifeld, the chief executive officer of NASDAQ, met company representatives in Beijing on Tuesday to celebrate the total of 40 Chinese companies now listed on the exchange, the Xinhua news agency reported. Meanwhile, NASDAQ said in a statement it planned to introduce in the second quarter the NASDAQ China Index, tracking the largest Chinese firms whose securities are listed and traded in the US.
■ ENERGY
Eni-Neftegaz wins assets
The Eni-Neftegaz company, reportedly an affiliate of Italy's Eni SpA, won an auction yesterday for an array of assets of the bankrupt Russian oil giant OAO Yukos, including a 20 percent stake of the oil division of state-run gas monopoly OAO Gazprom. Eni-Neftegaz paid US$5.82 billion for the assets. The Interfax news agency identified the winning bidder as an affiliate of Eni and said Gazprom had signed a call option with Eni-Neftegaz to buy the 20 percent share in Gazprom's oil division. Other assets that Eni-Neftegaz bought at the auction included gas firms Arcticgaz and Urengoil.
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
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
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