■AUTOMOBILES
US’ LaHood warns Toyota
US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood warned Japanese auto giant Toyota yesterday that the US government “will not sleep” until it is sure the carmaker has made improvements in safety. During a visit to Toyota’s headquarters, LaHood told a press conference that he and Toyota chief Akio Toyoda met for “tough, respectful and serious discussions” about Toyota’s commitment to safety. LaHood’s visit follows Toyoda’s trip to the US in February when he tearfully apologized for safety woes following a tense appearance at a congressional hearing into the problems. While Toyota has made “very encouraging steps,” LaHood warned that the US government “will watch very carefully for improvements in safety.”
■CONSUMER PRODUCTS
Unilever plan rejected
Three major Unilever NV PLC shareholders will vote against proposals to buy back 155 million euros (US$202 million) of preference shares, the Anglo-Dutch consumer products group said, a move that could thwart the plan. Unilever has proposed to cancel the 4 percent Unilever NV cumulative preference shares and to seek authorization to buy back its 6 percent and 7 percent Unilever NV cumulative preference shares at its annual shareholders meeting today to simplify its capital structure. Unilever said yesterday it would proceed with the intended buyback despite the opposition. The cancellation of the 4 percent Unilever NV preference shares will cost the group around 35 million euros. If all holders of the 6 percent and 7 percent Unilever NV preference shares tender their shares, it would cost a maximum of 120 million euros, Unilever said.
■ELECTRONICS
Sony posts operating profit
Sony Corp swung back to an operating profit of ¥32 billion (US$345 million) in the fiscal year ended in March, the company said yesterday as it revised a forecast it had announced in February. “Operating results are expected to exceed the February forecast due to improved segment performance of approximately 30 billion yen” in consumer products including LCD televisions, the company said in a statement. Sony attributed the stronger performance to “less severe than anticipated price declines, and reductions in both manufacturing cost and operating expenses that exceeded expectations,” the statement said.
■MINING
Anglo American sells unit
Global mining group Anglo American yesterday said it had agreed to sell its zinc assets to British rival Vedanta Resources for US$1.338 billion. “Of the total consideration, US$698 million relates to the Skorpion mine [Namibia], US$308 million relates to the Lisheen mine [Ireland] and US$332 million relates to ... Black Mountain Mining [South Africa],” Anglo American said in a statement.
■ECONOMY
Bank of France upbeat
France’s economy will grow by 0.5 percent in the second quarter of the year, the Bank of France predicted yesterday. The country suffered its worst recession since World War II last year, seeing its GDP shrink by 2.2 percent, but it has begun to recover. The state statistics agency INSEE has been cautious, predicting only 0.2 percent growth in the first quarter and 0.3 in the second. But the central bank said it thought the economy had already grown by 0.4 percent in the first quarter and that growth would accelerate in the second quarter.
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
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
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
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