■ELECTRONICS
Another death at Foxconn
A worker at iPhone maker Foxconn’s (富士康) southern China manufacturing hub died late last week from what his family said was overwork, a claim the company denied. Yan Li (顏利), a 27-year-old engineer, died suddenly at his home early on May 27, according to a statement from China Labor Watch, a US-based activist organization. Yan had been working the night shift for more than a month straight, sometimes working 24 hours non-stop, the statement said. Hon Hai Precision Industry (鴻海精密), the owner of Foxconn, said in a separate statement that it did not see the death as work-related.
■TRADE
Australia records surplus
Surging commodities exports drove Australia to a surprise trade surplus in April, official data showed yesterday, thanks to a spike in coal-shipping volumes and a jump in the price of iron ore. Australia posted a A$164 million surplus (US$137 million), seasonally adjusted, in April, far outstripping analysts’ expectations of an A$800 million deficit and well ahead of March’s A$2.04 billion deficit. The Bureau of Statistics said the surprise surplus was underpinned by an A$1.01 billion increase in ore and mineral exports.
■TELECOMS
Nokia details new models
Top global mobile phone maker Nokia yesterday released details of four new cheap phone models and a battery charger powered by the energy generated from riding a bicycle. The charger, which can be fitted into any Nokia phone with a 2mm charger jack, uses a dynamo to generate electricity from the movement of the wheels, Nokia said in a statement. The price of the charger kit, which also includes a holder for securing the phone to the bicycle, will vary according to market, while shipments of the phone models, priced at 30 to 45 euros (US$36.90-US$55.40), will begin by September, Nokia said.
■BANKING
Spanish banks to merge
Four regional Spanish savings banks said on Wednesday they had agreed to merge ahead of a June 30 deadline to tap a government rescue fund aimed at shoring up the country’s weaker banks. In a joint statement Caja Murcia, Caixa Penedes, Caja Granada and Sa Nostra said the merger would create a lender with 73 billion euros in assets, 1,703 branches and 4 million customers. The new entity will be led by Caja Murcia.
■OIL
RUSIA files for bankruptcy
TNK-BP, British oil major BP’s venture with a group of Russian billionaires, said yesterday that the unit which holds the license to the vast Kovykta gas field had filed for bankruptcy. TNK-BP said the RUSIA Petroleum unit is unable to pay off debt to its parent company. “The current financial situation precludes RUSIA Petroleum from timely repayment of its loans to TNK-BP Group,” the company said in a statement.
■RETAIL
Stores to charge for plastic
It could soon cost California shoppers at the checkout aisle if they forget to bring their own bags to the grocery store. Legislation passed on Wednesday by the California State Assembly would prohibit grocery stores, pharmacies, liquor stores and convenience stores from giving out plastic bags. It would also call for customers to be charged for using store-issued paper bags. If signed into law, California would be the first US state to impose such a ban.
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